TeachersFirst Edge
New web 2.0 tools appear each day. Many of these tools were not originally intended for classroom use, but they can be powerful learning tools for today's techno-savvy students and their more adventurous teachers. These sites appear (and frequently disappear) very quickly, launched by creative techno-geeks out there in the world.
Many of these tools require a higher-than-average set of teacher tech skills or some extra monitoring to assure student "safety." TeachersFirst Edge reviews these "tools on the Edge" carefully, and with specific ideas for using them safely and effectively in teaching and learning. Reviews point out any safety or policy concerns for the tool and offer links to management tips for each concern.
This is the world your students already know. Try teaching in their vernacular. A little adventurousness makes for powerful learning.
See General Tips for using Edge Tools - a must for first-time users
Browse the full listing of detailed safety/school policy tips or save time by reading them as needed from each tool review.
Learn about school web filtering, a critical issue with many "Edge" tools
If you try one of these tools and find it especially useful, be sure to leave a comment on it to share your students' successes with other teachers. If you know of another tool that teachers would find beneficial, please suggest it via our webmaster account, as a "suggested resource."
Here's the Edge:
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FatURL - FatURL.com
Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Collect and share several links at once with this handy sharing tool! Make a list of your links to share, and FatURL creates one URL to share all of them ...more
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Collect and share several links at once with this handy sharing tool! Make a list of your links to share, and FatURL creates one URL to share all of them together. Copy links onto each line along with a short description or site name. Share up to 3 dozen sites at one time. Click the scissors icon to create your sharing page with a list of short codes to share. Use any of the links provided to view your page. View an example created here) with links to some TeachersFirst resources. No registration is needed to use this site! However, more options are available with a free registration.
tag(s): bookmarks (37), organizational skills (54)
In the Classroom
Use FatUrl to create one url (a page) with links for all the sites for a particular unit instead of creating a long list on your website or blog. Have students create and share their own page of links with resources for research. Use FatUrl to share professional links with colleagues quickly and easily. In primary grades, use this tool to share classroom favorites or topic-specific practice sites for students to access at home via one click. If your students create online presentations, use this site to share up to 36 at once with families. (Of course anytime you are posting student work online, be certain to have parental permission!)You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Draft - Nate Kontny
Grades
6 to 12
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0 Comments
Draft is a collaborative writing tool similar to Google Docs with one notable exception: the ability to view and accept changes before they are actually made to the document. The ...more
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Draft is a collaborative writing tool similar to Google Docs with one notable exception: the ability to view and accept changes before they are actually made to the document. The site also features the ability to mark/label major versions of your work as it is produced, allowing the ability to go back and easily view previous versions. But the BEST part of this site: it is easy to use! Sign up using your email and password and immediately begin creating your document. When ready to share, choose the home icon and copy your document's link to send via email or text (or copy and paste as desired). When changes are made, you will receive an email. You may then view the document to see color coded changes and accept or deny changes as desired.
tag(s): editing (27), proofreading (11), writing (300)
In the Classroom
Create an innovative, exciting revision experience for students to edit each other's writing and instantly engage in the peer review process by using Draft. This tool facilitates teacher comments on student essays by not having to wait until students turn in their papers. Check essays online, monitor progress, and even make suggestions for revisions to provide feedback along the way and drive successful proofreading and editing skills. Obviously this tool is also fabulous for collaboration among students or teachers. You could even use it for parent input into draft IEPs.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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dotEPUB - Xavier Badosa
Grades
3 to 12
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0 Comments
Convert the content of any webpage into an e-book format to read on your tablet, phone, or other e-reader device using dotEPUB-- even offline! Install the browser bookmarklet in Firefox,...more
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Convert the content of any webpage into an e-book format to read on your tablet, phone, or other e-reader device using dotEPUB-- even offline! Install the browser bookmarklet in Firefox, Safari, Opera, Mozilla, or Chrome to begin. In Chrome and Mozilla use the dotEPUB browser extension to create documents. Once installed, click on the bookmarklet or browser extension while on any page to convert the page and send to your e-reader. Choose from either epub or mobi (Kindle) format for use in e-readers. View the instructional videos for complete directions on how to use the bookmarklet or extension. This site is also available in Spanish. The instructional videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube and you wish to share the videos in class, they may not be viewable. You could always download the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to download the how-to videos from YouTube.
In the Classroom
What a great find for BYOD programs! Use dotEPUB for students to take content from your course blog or website and put it on their e-readers for easy access wherever they go. Have students download informational texts from web sites to annotate in their e-reader software as you build comprehension and "close reading" skills a la CCSS. Elementary teachers will need to help students learn to use this tool. Use dotEPUB to create an ePub portfolio of your students' blogging efforts. In Spanish class, convert your website into an e-book for students to practice language learning. Make ePubs of any web content for portability and annotation tools available on e-readers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Themeefy - themeefy.com
Grades
4 to 12
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0 Comments
Create and publish your own e-magazine of web content using Themeefy! Curate information from around the web or create your own content. Click Browse to see examples. Choose "start...more
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Create and publish your own e-magazine of web content using Themeefy! Curate information from around the web or create your own content. Click Browse to see examples. Choose "start creating" to begin. Add a title and a brief introduction to your magazine. Choose to import information from Google searches, Flickr images, YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter. Add your own content as desired. Explore results using the Read More icon or use the arrow to include in your magazine. Use the Change Content Order option to drag and drop information into the desired order. Edit articles imported to weed out any extra text or images not wanted for your magazine. Add your own text or questions. Publish your magazine when finished, but you must be logged in to publish. You can password protect magazines to limit access. Share using the url provided or links to social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Not ready for publishing? Browse ready-made magazines around your interests. There is a LONG demo video at the Tools menu. A classroom version with additional teacher controls (currently free) is in beta testing. Click at the Classroom Beta to sign up and learn more. A bookmarklet to add to your browser makes it easy to "collect" things from around the web to use in a Themeefy magazine.
tag(s): digital storytelling (69), portfolios (18)
In the Classroom
Use Themeefy to create student-navigated lessons or review materials for any topic. Have students work together in groups to create their own e-magazine instead of a traditional book report or research project. Challenge students to use an e-magazine to explain the life cycle of various plants and animals. Create stories about famous events or people from the past. Demonstrate a new math concept. Write a magazine about all of the main characters from a book recently read or for an author study. Create a class study guide for students to access to (via the Internet) before the big science test! Make a "Meet the Class" book to share with families on your class website. You can password protect it to avoid safety issues. Publish students' photos (drawings) and stories about themselves. (Of course you would want parental permission and possibly a password before posting student work on the Internet.) Even the youngest of students can draw a picture to be shared in a whole-class e-magazine! To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try PhotoPin, reviewed here. As the classroom beta features evolve, this may be a tool you want to use more. Students who have created many projects across the web could collect them into an annotated "me-portfolio" using this tool. They could even share them as part of job or college applications.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Blubbr - Play and Create Video Trivia Games - blubbr.tv
Grades
3 to 12
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Create or play video-based quizzes called "trivs" quickly using Blubbr. Start by exploring the Education category to get ideas for trivs to play or save for later. Choose any triv,...more
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Create or play video-based quizzes called "trivs" quickly using Blubbr. Start by exploring the Education category to get ideas for trivs to play or save for later. Choose any triv, begin viewing, and choose the response to each question. The quicker the response, the greater number of points earned. Create your own trivs with a six step process. Choose a name for your triv; search videos on YouTube under a topic of your choice; select a video; use the entire video or crop to a specific section; create at least four multiple choice questions related to the video; and click "I'm Done." Share any video using links on Facebook, Twitter, direct url, or embed code provided to place in any website. If YouTube is blocked at your school, trivs may not work since the videos are still hosted on YouTube. Test it before you count on it!
In the Classroom
Blubbr is a great resource for practice and retrieval of facts! Explore the site to save trivs for viewing on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use as an introduction to any unit or for review. Challenge students to create their own trivs instead of a report or research project. If they are allowed to upload to YouTube, they can create from scratch. If not, find YouTube videos in the edu section reviewed here to create them. Create trivs for end of unit tests using YouTube videos and embed them on your website for students to view at home.Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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Infuse Learning - infuselearning.com
Grades
4 to 12
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Infuse Learning is a virtual response system. Create an assessment for students to provide instant feedback and an interactive environment! Designed for classrooms using iPads, tablets...more
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Infuse Learning is a virtual response system. Create an assessment for students to provide instant feedback and an interactive environment! Designed for classrooms using iPads, tablets or other 1:1 electronic tools hooked into the Internet, this site also features information on BYOD (bring your own device) classrooms. Add questions for responses from mobile devices such as tablets. Teachers can pose questions, prompts, and quizzes out to students' devices in private virtual classrooms. You are able to provide a wide variety of formats in which to respond to a question: standard multiple choice, true/false, or short answer. Replies may also be drawings or diagrams on iPads, Android tablets, or laptops. One exciting component is the ability to choose the language for individual audio input allowing differentiation for non-English speaking users (or in a world language class). Create questions "on the fly" or use quiz builder to create questions in advance. View assessment information via progress reports. Share links to other websites or videos easily and quickly using the Infuse Learning system. Sign-up using email and grade level. Add classrooms and student information by following prompts. There is an introductory video available, hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, view the video at home to learn more about this site.
tag(s): assessment (42), quizzes (60)
In the Classroom
For those lucky enough to have a classroom set of mobile devices or laptops or have a BYOD program, use Infuse Learning to deliver quick assessments, receive student feedback on classroom information, or enhance interest in classroom lessons. This is a great tool to engage students in the learning process. During a lesson, throw a random "thought" question to everyone based on what you are teaching. Create "ready to go" quick quizzes on any topic. Survey students on their thoughts about issues that they may not feel comfortable answering by raising their hands or speaking out loud. Read about BYOD (bring your own device).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mobento - Mobento
Grades
4 to 12
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View fabulous videos through Mobento and have the ability to search for specific text within the videos themselves! Mobento uses videos from excellent professors in the best Universities...more
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View fabulous videos through Mobento and have the ability to search for specific text within the videos themselves! Mobento uses videos from excellent professors in the best Universities in the country including Stanford, Yale, TED, Khan Academy, and NASA. Rather than just searching tags, it will search through the words spoken in the videos. When you search and choose a video, colored bars show on the progress bar to show where your search terms are actually spoken. Use the main menu to access your account and video library. View the most popular or most recent videos. Find videos about the brain, genetics, cancer, Cuban Missile Crisis, Empires before World War I, and many other topics! View each educational category along the left side of the screen. Use the "Save" feature to download any video from the Mobento library. This tool also has an Android app.
tag(s): business (46), chemicals (26), climate change (44), creativity (86), design (68), equations (99), evolution (97), genetics (79), matter (41), psychology (41), robotics (14), sociology (17), variables (18), video (117)
In the Classroom
Use these videos to explain complex and difficult concepts such as gene regulation, evolution, free markets, dynasties, philosophy, robotics, and more. Use these videos to supplement material used in class and for better understanding of complex concepts. Learning Support teachers can use the searchtool to find visual reinforcement of concepts to help their students. Be sure to include a link to this site on your class website or blog, or bookmark on a classroom computer. Show students how the text search works so they can reinforce concepts o their own.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Crocodoc - Crocodoc
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Upload documents, mark them up online, and share with others. Upload a document and use the easy tools to mark up the document. Comment by creating a point, marking an ...more
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Upload documents, mark them up online, and share with others. Upload a document and use the easy tools to mark up the document. Comment by creating a point, marking an area, or highlighting text and then adding your comment. Draw using the pen tool with your choice of colors. Add text boxes, highlight passages, or strike-out words. View annotations along the right side that show document changes. Invite collaborators, share, or download easily. Click on my documents to find your document list quickly and easily.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): writing (300)
In the Classroom
Be sure to monitor student use. Require students to invite you as a collaborator in order to monitor use in the group. Check district policy about sharing student information including email addresses.Anything students can do on a single computer, they can do collaboratively using Crocodoc, accessing their work from any online computer. Have students collaborate on revisions and editing exercises using their own writing or drafts you share with them. Share a poem for literature students to analyze and annotate together or a text passage for students to mark key terms and generate a main idea statement as part of reading comprehension exercises in small groups. Have student groups collaborate on sample open-ended test responses for high stakes tests, then compare the group responses on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Even better, re-share results with other groups jigsaw-style for multi-layer collaboration.
Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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ForAllRubrics - ForAllSchools
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Data drives instruction. Managing data drives you crazy. This free tool will assess students, manage data, and analyze results to make your instruction better. Easily create rubrics....more
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Data drives instruction. Managing data drives you crazy. This free tool will assess students, manage data, and analyze results to make your instruction better. Easily create rubrics. Describe your indicators and include standards. Find rubrics in the library to copy and make your own. Print rubrics, save as a PDF, or download as a spreadsheet. Share your rubrics in the library for others to access. Does breaking down data make you break down? Analyze assessment results by individual students, class, item analysis, or standards. Email students and their families the results or download rubrics to print. Add comments to rubrics for qualitative analysis. Award badges (stickers) to reward students and provide positive feedback. An accompanying, free iPad app allows you to collect data on the fly and add it to your account. The demonstration video requires Flash, the remainder of the site does not.
tag(s): assessment (42), rubrics (19)
In the Classroom
Use the data provided to analyze students to differentiate instruction. Provide students and families the opportunity to view data online. Motivate students to learn by awarding badges. Students can analyze their own data to monitor progress. Use the data for progress reports and parent/teacher conferences. Use the data provided to analyze your instruction to make sure standards are being met and instruction is tailored for students' individual needs.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OhLife - OhLife, Inc.
Grades
4 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Missing those memorable moments in life? OhLife is a free journaling site. Enter your email address and determine when you receive a friendly email prompt asking, "How'd your day go?"...more
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Missing those memorable moments in life? OhLife is a free journaling site. Enter your email address and determine when you receive a friendly email prompt asking, "How'd your day go?" Determine the time of day and if you want to receive posts daily or weekly. Reply and write as much as you want or simply skip it. Add one photo to each entry. Your entries are organized in a collection, and you can flip through them like a book. As time and entries gather, you'll get snippets of past entries emailed to you as well so that you can take a moment to reflect on what happened. No friend requests or posting your entries publicly. OhLife is not a social network or a blog, but a medium to remember your most memorable moments. Download an entry at anytime.
tag(s): creative writing (102), journals (13)
In the Classroom
OhLife is a great site to motivate your students to write more. It can be a journal of their learning experiences, their life, or both. Daily email prompts can be sent to the students at the end of the day for WILT: What I Learned Today. Use a classroom account and have students take turns reflecting on the school day. If registering students individually, read tips for safely managing email registrations here. Provide students a private opportunity to reflect on their day. Students can share individual posts or create a summary of their reflections when comfortable. Have students "dig" back through their entries to write personal memoirs. Posts are always private, but you can share the text on a blog or social networking site with the download option. Create a class "book" highlighting some favorite lessons, funny stories, field trips, photos, and more. Share the book with the class at the end of the year.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sound Bible - SoundBible.com
Grades
K to 12
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0 Comments
Find or upload sound clips in wav or MP3 format -- with clear information about digital rights -- at Sound Bible. Thousands of files are available for easy download. Use ...more
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Find or upload sound clips in wav or MP3 format -- with clear information about digital rights -- at Sound Bible. Thousands of files are available for easy download. Use the search bar to locate a specific sound or browse through sound effects or royalty free sounds available on the site. Click the arrow to hear the sound clip, then click on the name to go to the download section. Choose from wav, mp3, or zip file, and click to download. Share your own sounds using the link provided along with a short description of your sound file. The sound file information includes licensing information for the sound. If you search solely in Royalty Free sounds, you are safe to use them, but follow the attribution requirements as explained on the lower portion of the "Royalty Free sounds" page.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use Sound Bible to find short sound clips for use in presentations, videos, or interactive whiteboard lessons. In primary grades, play sounds as cues for classroom management, such as bird sounds to gather "at the nest" for circle time. Use sound clips as story or journal starter ideas. Play a clip and have students create a story that incorporates that sound. Take your students on an audio tour of the rainforest as you learn about the various animals and sounds. Use this site during units about weather to share sounds from storms, wind, thunder, and more. Explore ocean sounds, animals sounds, etc. Use in world language classes to spark conversations and build vocabulary. Play background sounds during creative writing class. Challenge students to write about how the sounds make them feel. Challenge gifted or digitally-clever students to use these sounds to create an all-audio story to accompany a drawing or image. Use a tool such as Brainshark, -reviewed here.
This resource requires Adobe Flash.
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Map Tales - hackfarm
Grades
2 to 12
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0 Comments
Create and share map-based stories that will easily embed into your website, blog, or wiki using Map Tales. Click to begin. Add a title, author, and short description. For each ...more
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Create and share map-based stories that will easily embed into your website, blog, or wiki using Map Tales. Click to begin. Add a title, author, and short description. For each portion of the story create a title, add a place, and include information about events in that location and an optional date. Add as many events as desired, then click "done editing." Save the url provided to return and edit as desired. Share using the view and share link. Embed in your website or blog using the code provided.
tag(s): digital storytelling (69), map skills (47), maps (198), timelines (46)
In the Classroom
Create map-based stories in social studies class, showing different places, teaching geography and history together. Assign students in math or family consumer science the role of travel agents to plan vacations, including the costs of the trip. Create stories about historical sites in your local area, including images taken with digital cameras, artifacts from your local historical society, links to newspaper articles, or video/audio interviews of older residents telling about old times. As you study community or landforms in your elementary class, create map-based stories with annotations of a local map, showing examples of landforms and local community landmarks with digital pictures. Allow older students to use the site independently or in small groups. Map-stories are also ideal as a product for individual research projects. Have world language students create maps explaining cultural aspects of the language or the origins of the language. Have students plot a trip or write an imaginary story of their dream trip to Spain, Mexico, France, Germany, etc.. Literature settings can take on new meaning when your students annotate them on a map. Have students map a story using the landmarks of an author's life and/or the locations in his/her novels. Trace the path of a famous person's biography or annotate a famous painter's works, using links to the images from the places shown in landscapes. The "story" of a work of art can include critical analysis, as well. Create a story from anything that has a place. Have students map family trips or important places in family history. Share the maps with parents!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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JogLab - JogLab
Grades
5 to 12
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0 Comments
Create and learn about mnemonics and acrostic poems easily with this tool. Use JogLab to create a catchy slogan to help you remember terms and ideas. You can browse the ...more
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Create and learn about mnemonics and acrostic poems easily with this tool. Use JogLab to create a catchy slogan to help you remember terms and ideas. You can browse the ready-made mnemonics, but there do not seem to be many. To explore the keywords of a topic and build you own mnemonic, click the topic History, (for example), then the actual concept, such as Bill of Rights. The keywords will be listed. Click "Create your own mnemonic for Bill of Rights" to generate a mnemonic from this list of keywords. Despite the many windows and scroll bars, the word finder is an easy tool to use. For each letter of the mnemonic, follow the site suggestions of words that can string together into a phrase. Use the part-of-speech sorter to narrow the suggested words to your specification of noun, verb, adjective, etc. These will reinforce parts of speech in the context of sentence making. There are links to advertising and off-site (NOT school friendly) content, so familiarize yourself with the tool before showing it to students to avoid these areas.
tag(s): parts of speech (49), sentences (39)
In the Classroom
Introduce acrostic poems with this tool by building one together on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Demonstrate and use the mnemonic tool on a projector or interactive whiteboard to create an easy way for students to remember a sequence of terms or concepts. After the class has used it together, provide a link to this tool on your class website. Have students create their own mnemonics in small groups and vote on the best as a class. Learning support teachers will want to make this a routine tool for their students to use when reviewing for tests.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Phrase.it - phrase.it
Grades
3 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Add cartoon speech bubbles to any photo in seconds using Phrase.it. NO membership required! Choose a photo from your Facebook feed, computer, or from the site's random stock photo collection....more
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Add cartoon speech bubbles to any photo in seconds using Phrase.it. NO membership required! Choose a photo from your Facebook feed, computer, or from the site's random stock photo collection. Pick one of the 5 different types of speech bubbles, drag to any part of the image, and type in text. Change fonts by clicking the text box until satisfied Change your image by applying one of the optional filters or leave it as is. When finished, click on the save button and add your email if you want to receive a download link. You are also able to mark your photo PRIVATE. Once the image is saved, rendered, you can simply copy its url, share via email, Facebook, or Twitter, or download to your computer.
tag(s): bulletin boards (13), comics and cartoons (65), images (165)
In the Classroom
The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Teach parts of speech and grammar by having students write captions using colorful adjectives, adverbs, or specific sentence structures on a random photo. Make classroom signs and reminders. Caption the homework directions on your teacher web page. Ask your students to create captions for class photos for all sorts of reasons. Use this site for back to school fun. Post a photo of yourself with a caption on your class website introducing yourself to the class during the summer. Challenge each student to find/share a photo of themselves either the first week of school (or even prior to school). You will want parental permission before posting any student photos on your class website. Use photos or digital drawings from your classroom, such as pictures taken during any hands-on activity. Have students draw in a paint program, save the file, and then add a caption. Spice up research projects about historic figures or important scientists. Have literary characters "talk" as part of a project. In a government class, add captions to photos explaining politicians' major platform planks during election campaigns. Caption the steps for math problem solving. Even elementary grades can make captions of an animal talking about his habitat or a "community helper" talking about his/her role, though you may have to do it together as a class to upload the image. Make visual vocabulary/terminology sentences with an appropriate character using the term in context (a beaker explaining how it is different from a flask?). Students could also take pictures of themselves doing a lab and then caption the pictures to explain the concepts. Share the class captions on your class web page or wiki! Leave directions to your class (for when a substitute is there). Use at back to school night to show your humorous side to the parents. Have students make talking photos of themselves as a visual tour of their new classroom for parents attending back to school night. World language classes can create images explaining and using new vocabulary. Use the site's random photo offerings for clever caption contests in your new language.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fake Convos - Fake Facebook Conversation Generator - Stueynet Inc.
Grades
8 to 12
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0 Comments
Create fake Facebook conversations and share with others using the Fake Convos web app. Log in using any Facebook account to begin. Click Create and choose any character to post ...more
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Create fake Facebook conversations and share with others using the Fake Convos web app. Log in using any Facebook account to begin. Click Create and choose any character to post a comment. Write the name and make a comment. Add a picture from images provided or using the url of any image. When finished, click "Add to the Stream." Now complete the same process with another character who answers your main character on the Facebook stream. Save finished conversations by providing a name and choose save. Share using the share button provided to email addresses, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media options. You can also simply take a screenshot (Command+shift +4 on a Mac or Prtscrn on Windows).
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital storytelling (69), social networking (76)
In the Classroom
IF your students can access Facebook at school, have them create different characters talking to each other. The characters can be historical people, politicians, or characters from literature. Ask students to write dialogues for the characters. Challenge students to discuss a topic or try to solve a problem using this tool. You can also use this tool to teach netiquette or anti-bullying by having students model appropriate interactions. Use this tool to allow students to debate both sides of an argument or position. Create a Fake Convos dialogue and have students respond within the dialogue.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log in (NO email)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Opinsy: Your Opinion Counts - Opinsy.com
Grades
8 to 12
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Opinsy's goal is to become the home of debate on the web, an online platform for the sharing of opinions and a place where people can connect through their ideas ...more
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Opinsy's goal is to become the home of debate on the web, an online platform for the sharing of opinions and a place where people can connect through their ideas and beliefs. View statements accompanied by images. Choose to agree or disagree, but you must be registered to vote. Interested in seeing a discussion behind beliefs? See current results by hovering over the image to view the percentage of participants that agree or disagree. No login is required to read the opinions of others. Hover over the image and click to "view and join the debate." Create your own debate questions after registering. Be aware: Content at this site is created by the public and not moderated. So be sure to PREVIEW anything that you wish to share around young people.
tag(s): debate (29), persuasive writing (32), polls and surveys (25)
In the Classroom
Use Opinsy as a resource for questions for debate teams or debating skills. Compare your class opinions to those represented on the site. Comments in the discussions are not monitored. Review for inappropriate comments before displaying on your interactive whiteboard/projector or sharing with your class under teacher supervision. This material may be best suited for group sharing on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Share one of the "debates" on screen. Challenge students to write a blog post or persuasive writing piece defending their position. Create blogs using Instablogg ( here). Instablogg allows you to create "quick and easy" blogs to be used one time only. A unique URL is provided, and the tool is as easy as using a basic Word program!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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FotoFlexer - Arbor Labs, Inc.
Grades
3 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Flex your photo creativity with this free tool. Transform images with scrapbook-like effects and embellishments. Begin with basic effects like cropping and contrasting. Add text, draw...more
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Flex your photo creativity with this free tool. Transform images with scrapbook-like effects and embellishments. Begin with basic effects like cropping and contrasting. Add text, draw on the photo, and add animated effects to flex your photo editing muscles. The tool is integrated with Facebook and most photosharing sites. You can also upload photos from your computer. Resave photos back to your computer, share online, or store in FotoFlexer. Flex your photos without an account or create an account to store them in FotoFlexer. Only the demonstrations require FLASH.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): images (165), photography (114)
In the Classroom
Stretch your students' creativity with these fun photo effects. Type sentences or definitions on photos that represent vocabulary words. Highlight geometric shapes in photos with the drawing tool to show math in everyday life or around the world. Integrate images in multimedia products. Narrate images with UtellStory (reviewed here) or other digital storytelling tools. Use the text tool to draw information on maps. Upload images from science labs for students to annotate their experiment. Upload images of student artwork and have students annotate to explain their techniques. In world languages, add the vocabulary word for actions or objects to create a picture dictionary. Enhance pictures for blogs, wikis, or classroom sites. Be sure to check district policy before using student pictures. Annotate photos for visual directions for assignments. If using pictures from the Internet, be sure to discuss copyright issues and approve pictures for student use. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try Compfight, reviewed here, Wikimedia Commons, reviewed here, or PhotoPin, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Piazza - Pooja Sankar
Grades
9 to 12
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Piazza is a free service to create collaborative message boards for use in classrooms. Track student use, add multiple instructors and or teaching assistants in each course, and collaborate...more
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Piazza is a free service to create collaborative message boards for use in classrooms. Track student use, add multiple instructors and or teaching assistants in each course, and collaborate on editing messages using Piazza's features. Piazza allows you to collaborate on responses to create one cohesive response instead of several similar individual responses. Create tags to label information such as quiz 1, semester review, or grading rubrics. Choose the statistics icon to view class participation, activity peaks, and question response times. Choose Try a Demo to explore features included with Piazza in their virtual sandbox. This tool seems to be aimed at college/university level classes but can be used with students over age 13 if you are adhering to your school's policies.
tag(s): questioning (23)
In the Classroom
Consider using Piazza as a resource in your classroom to increase student interaction with materials and each other. Library/media specialists could use this tool for online book clubs. Teach on a team? Collaborate with other teachers for assignments and more using this site. Create quick questions or even a short quiz using Piazza. You can also use this tool in your graduate courses!Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Strikingly - David Chen, Dafeng Guo, and Teng Bao
Grades
6 to 12
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Strikingly allows you to make beautiful, one-page websites quickly without any coding experience. View sites on any device. Quickly connect to social media, track analytics, and add...more
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Strikingly allows you to make beautiful, one-page websites quickly without any coding experience. View sites on any device. Quickly connect to social media, track analytics, and add contact forms easily. Create an account using email and a password to begin. Choose a category from business, personal, or portfolio to choose a template and begin editing. Click each section to edit. Upload images from your computer or many other options such as Dropbox, Instagram, and Picasa. When finished, choose the Publish button to personalize your url. Share via Facebook, Twitter, or by emailing the url. Free plans allow for one page per user. However, you can earn points to access additional content by "Liking" Strikingly on Facebook or other options. There is a 5 MB limit to the monthly bandwidth (traffic) for free sites.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): portfolios (18)
In the Classroom
Use this site for students to post simple projects such as stories, poems, and art projects on a mobile friendly page. These could be shared easily on a class set of iTouches! Collect a master list of links to student pages on your classroom website, wiki, or blog for easy access. If students are creating pages, be sure to check with your district's policy on student use of email as well as publishing of student work. Create websites for many projects: back to school introductions, any subject/topic, research projects, book reports... the possibilities go on and on! Create a handy mobile-friendly page to share resources and information during field trips or outside activities. If you do a field study, make a simple page of the activities students are expected to do there so they can access it easily using their smart phones.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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JumpRope Standards Based Grading - Jesse Olsen and Justin Meyer
Grades
K to 12
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JumpRope offers an online, standards-based gradebook and lesson building program. You can also include information such as attendance, character, and standards-based performance with...more
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JumpRope offers an online, standards-based gradebook and lesson building program. You can also include information such as attendance, character, and standards-based performance with just a few easy entries. Manually enter your students' names in JumpRope or upload a spreadsheet of names to begin. Use the tabs on the dashboard to move around to different areas of the site. Write anecdotes on student behavior, assign a category and value, and more. Collaborative features between teachers appear to require a school or district level membership, and there is no information stating it is free. Based on backwards design principles, this planning tool considers learning goals before assessments or learning experiences. Assessments are aligned to one or more chosen standards. Upload as many supporting documents or resources you desire to use throughout the year and beyond.
tag(s): classroom management (35)
In the Classroom
If your school does not have a required gradebook program in place, consider using JumpRope as an option for grading, attendance, and lesson planning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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