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The time is finally here for my annual list of my top favorite sites of the year.  This year I decided to up my post to the top 100 instead of 25 due to the number of sites that I reviewed and due to the popularity of the post.  I tried to cover a wide range of sites from flash card creators, to digital storytelling, and of course social networks which really shined in 2011.

Cell phones are in our schools and classrooms. According to data recently gathered by the Pew Research Center, 88% of teen cell phone users text message. While schools have taken various approaches towards student cell phones, from banning and storing in lockers, to lunchtime use, there are free online resources available that can transform cell phones into handheld classroom response systems.

YouTube.com/Teachers as a resource for educators everywhere to learn how to use YouTube as aneducational tool. There are lesson plan suggestions, highlights of greateducational content on YouTube, and training on how teachers can film theirown educational videos. This site was designed/written by teachers forteachers and we hope it's the first step in really kick-starting a communityof YouTube-using educators

The EDKB Wiki is a database that makes available the various interests, talents, and resources of the English Department community. See the Main Page to learn more about the EDKB. The wiki does not offer information on current course offerings, nor is it a comprehensive archive of materials related to all past courses. Visit the English Department home page for this type of information. "Toy Chest" collects online or downloadable software tools/thinking toys that humanities students and others without programming skills (but with basic computer and Internet literacy) can use to create interesting projects. Most of the tools gathered here are free or relatively inexpensive (exceptions: items that are expensive but can be used on a free trial basis). Also on this page are "paradigms"--books, essays, digital projects, etc.--that illustrate the kinds of humanities projects that software thinking tools/toys might help create.

Used wisely, technology empowers students to take responsibility for their own learning. In Leonardo's Laptop, Ben Shneiderman provides teachers with a powerful framework, Collect-Relate-Create-Donate (CRCD), for designing student-centered learning opportunities using computers. In particular, Shneiderman's CRCD framework emphasizes the importance of the social aspects of learning in generating creative work. In CRCD projects, students research information, work collaboratively to create a meaningful product that demonstrates their learning, and contribute that project to a larger learning community. Shneiderman designed the Collect-Relate-Create-Donate framework as a vehicle for preparing young people for a 21st century world where innovation, creativity, and collaboration will be more highly prized than retention and repetition.

Video Tutorials for some popular Web 2.0 sites: Animoto, Google Docs, Voicethread etc.

If you're looking for a kid-friendly website to direct your students to during centers, tech tools to assign to your students who need extra help (or want extra work), or new tools to engage your students in learning, this website is for you! This website features a collection of free, kid-safe, online resources categorized by subject, grade level, and standard.

In science and math classes across the country, digital tools are being used to conduct experiments, analyze data, and run 3-D simulations to explain complex concepts. Language arts teachers are now pushing the definition of literacy to include the ability to express ideas through media. This report, "Multimedia Transformation," examines the many ways multimedia tools are transforming teaching and learning as schools work to raise achievement and prepare students for careers that require increasingly sophisticated uses of technology.

The lottery of birth is responsible for much of who we are. If you were not born in the country you were, what would your life be like? Would you be the same person? IfItWereMyHome.com is your gateway to understanding life outside your home. Use our country comparison tool to compare living conditions in your own country to those of another. Start by selecting a region to compare on the map to the right, and begin your exploration. You can also use our visualization tool to help understand the impact of a disaster. The Pakistan Flood and BP Oil Spill are currently featured. Check out the individual pages to gain some perspective on these awful tragedies.

Life in the 21st century provides a whole new world of opportunities for self-directed, passion-driven, personalized learning. Educators who are ready to move on from teaching the way they were taught, and have administrators who will let them, can begin supporting students using tools and strategies available to the 21st century learner. 

Tools Focused > Instruction Focused > Learner Focused