Online Tools: Suggestions from TeachersFirst
This editor's choice collection offers timesavers and organizational tools for teachers. They include "utility" sites for teaching tasks such as seating charts, rubrics, and certificates. Other tools facilitate parent communication, such as text messaging or online conferencing. Our editors have also hand picked simple, timesaving, creative tools from the TeachersFirst Edge. These tools organize to-do lists (for yourself or for students), convert files, remove ads from web pages, check web site readability, write a one-time blog, generate an online signup sheet, make a simple graphic organizer or chart, create online corkboards or stickies, and much more. Mark your Favorites using your free TeachersFirst membership, so you can find them quickly!
For a full listing of reviewed "creation" tools by category, try the TeachersFirst Edge, today's hottest tools for creating teacher and student projects online.
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Twitter Chat: Tech Tools for Collaboration - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
tag(s): collaboration (46), twitterchatarchive (65)
In the Classroom
Find tech tools to foster student collaboration! Share this chat with your colleagues looking for sites and information related to collaboration. Explore the various tools that are shared.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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OK2Ask: TeachersFirst Tech Tools Smackdown - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OK2Ask: Resource Roundup: Free Tools from the Edge - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (176)
In the Classroom
The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Password Generator Tool - Comparitech
Grades
K to 12tag(s): internet safety (122)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students as part of any online safety unit. Discuss the importance of creating strong passwords. One disadvantage of using a site like this is trying to save and remember the unique passwords. Use information on this site to find free, online tools for saving and managing your passwords. As students learn more about online safety, modify classroom technology by asking them to share their tips using a video response tool like FlipGrid, reviewed here. Use Flipgrid to provide video questions to students with scenarios that might occur online due to lack of knowledge or application of safety techniques. Have students respond with solutions to these problems. Transform classroom technology and ask students to share their advice with other students using a video explanation tool like Rawshorts, reviewed here, to create short, animated video explanations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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LOOPY - Nick Case
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
Share LOOPY with students then have them explore the features included on the shared models. LOOPY would work well in classes with gifted students as an exploration project of different cause and effect relationship influences. Use the embed code to share student examples and explanations on your class website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Unio - Harness
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book reports (35), classroom management (155), multimedia (51), social networking (96)
In the Classroom
Use Unio to create and prepare lessons for presentation on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. After providing the share code to students ask them to participate by answering quiz questions or use the drawing tools to highlight information shared in the lesson. Upon completion of your lesson using Unio, have students add a video response to share information learned using a collaborative tool like Flipgrid, reviewed here. Flipgrid allows students to respond to a prompt and add comments as part of a shared conversation within a group. Instead of a written report at the end of your lesson, ask students to create a Symbaloo Learning Path, reviewed here, to use for review. This site allows users to create a learning path by adding websites, videos, documents, and more.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Duck Soup - Robert Boyett and Andrew McAfee
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (155), Google (36)
In the Classroom
Save time and paper using Duck Soup. Start out slowly, perhaps with one or two papers the first week. Choose a paper that is familiar to both you and your students and explore together how to use e-sheets and settings that work best for your classroom. Once familiar with the site, the possibilities are unlimited. Use Duck Soup for homework, centers, and ongoing projects. Instead of sending paperwork home to be completed by parents, create digital versions for quick response and compilation of information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Open Learning Initiative - Carnegie Mellon University
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): chinese (49), classroom management (155), design (88), engineering (133), french (86), logic (250), probability (136), psychology (64), statistics (129), STEM (209)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of content in courses to supplement your current lessons. No registration is required to access and view course information. Share this site with gifted students or students with interests in specific academic areas not covered in your current curriculum. Create a course and offer it to your students for greater interaction and learning through community building. Find great ideas from other existing courses. Teachers of gifted can use courses to challenge students in their areas of interest. You can also have gifted students create or collaborate on a student-made "course." Explore the topics for some new, engaging topics to round out your own expertise. Allow students to enroll in a course that would fit into their career goals as an exploratory opportunity in that field. The Open Learning Initiative would also be perfect for setting up directions and steps for any projects you require students to do for your class. The program will integrate with some learning management systems.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
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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eMargin - Birmingham City University
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): note taking (43), questioning (36)
In the Classroom
eMargin is a great tool for you (or your students) to annotate research and information on the Internet or from personal documents. Create teacher annotations or question and answer comments on pages. Ask comprehension questions or guiding questions for places you send students on the web. Ask questions that students can complete as homework to show that they accessed the web resource assigned. This tool would also be a powerful way for students to point out bias on a web page or for art students to comment on images and design elements. Create writing prompts by adding questions or comments to a webpage and sharing it with students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Random Name/Word Picker - ClassTools
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (155), gamification (88)
In the Classroom
The obvious use for this tool is for selecting students to answer a question or do an activity. Other uses could include forming groups/pairs or creating seating charts. Allow students to use it when it's time to choose the next student. Instead of names, enter activities for P.E., rainy day recess activities, the next book your class will read together, or anything where you need to make a choice. Enter vocabulary words and use the word picker to practice definitions, or have one student provide the definition for a selected word and other students guess the word.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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KQED Media Literacy Courses - KQED Teach
Grades
K to 12tag(s): professional development (164)
In the Classroom
Gain a better understanding of media literacy tools by taking KQED's professional development courses. Participate in classes on your own or with colleagues as part of your ongoing professional development. Begin any of the self-paced courses anytime and complete them at your own pace.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gamification Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): coding (77), game based learning (149), gamification (88), polls and surveys (47)
In the Classroom
Create your own games for review and classroom activities. As a final assessment, challenge students to create their own games to share with their peers. Use this collection to find the best gamification tools on the TeachersFirst site!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tolks - tolks.io
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (143)
In the Classroom
For younger students, consider creating a class account for Tolks. Have students create Tolks to discuss literature, such as a conversation between characters or descriptions of feelings. Create Tolks to share on an interactive whiteboard or projector as lesson starters or display at the end of a lesson with characters discussing essential information from a lesson. Upload images of shapes and have students compare and contrast features. World language students can create simple conversations in the language they are learning or label pictures for vocabulary. You will find many uses for Tolks in your classroom! Counselors may want to have students create a Tolk to share information that may be difficult to discuss in person. Of course, be very careful not to share private information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MathScienceMusic - Theolonius Monk Institute of Jaz
Grades
K to 12tag(s): angles (89), animation (60), brain (67), coding (77), fractions (230), geometric shapes (168), india (33), multiples (31), music theory (44), musical instruments (50), musical notation (39), numbers (192), patterns (87), preK (284), ratios (65), sound (104)
In the Classroom
Share activities from MathScienceMusic on your interactive whiteboard with students, then let them explore independently. Scratch Jazz is perfect for teaching basic coding; students interested in music will enjoy creating their own jazz-themed project using the site's tutorial. Add interest to math lessons by taking advantage of the free lesson plans. Be sure to check out the link to Math and Music Standards found on the music and math curriculum page. Have students modify their learning by creating videos of their music creations using My Simpleshow, reviewed here, and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Be sure to have them discuss their journey from the beginning through the final creation of their project. Team up with your school's music teacher to collaborate on the many activities provided on this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hypothesis - Dan Whaley
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): citations (34), collaboration (46), note taking (43)
In the Classroom
Use Hypothesis as part of your flipped classroom. Annotate and share web resources with students and ask them to contribute notes and additional information. Ask ESL/ELL and resource students to write text to explain concepts by rewording, or to ask questions about the parts they do not understand. Add questions to math explanations, highlight landforms, or discuss information on maps. Share with students for use when collaborating on research projects. Install the Hypothesis bookmark on classroom computers for use at any time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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FreshGrade - Lane Merrifield and Steve Wandler
Grades
K to 12tag(s): assessment (118), classroom management (155), multimedia (51), portfolios (24)
In the Classroom
Use FreshGrade to manage and organize any classroom. Maintain a classroom calendar so students can easily find due dates and deadlines for homework and projects. Share information with parents to keep them up to date. Even if your school or district already has a learning management system for tracking grades, use FreshGrade for the student portfolios and easy parent inclusion. Record classroom activities and student learning with photos or videos using your mobile device. Show students how to document their learning and make comments in their portfolio. Share portfolios with parents, not just at conference time, but any time the student portfolio is updated to keep parents in the loop. Share student accounts with other teachers they may have.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Airtable - Emmett Nicholas, Howie Liu, Andrew Ofstad
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (62), collaboration (46), DAT device agnostic tool (176)
In the Classroom
Use Airtable to collaborate on lessons with other teachers, both local and across the world. Share with students to use when collaborating on projects or to create study guides. Use the provided templates to catalog your books or share study guides with students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Printing Press - ReadWriteThink
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): book reports (35), creative writing (163), newspapers (101), posters (42)
In the Classroom
Students can use Printing Press to demonstrate learning of any kind across grade levels and content areas. Instead of writing a boring research report, have your students create a professional looking newspaper or brochure! Math and science students can create posters explaining concepts they learned. Students can photograph experiments and write up labs. Use Printing Press for students to "report" out the important events in a book they read, or make a poster advertising it as a movie. Teachers can use this tool as a jump page to guide a lesson or upload images and write up examples of exemplary work to share with students to set expectations for completed products before beginning any project. The uses for this tool are wide open!Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Products can be shared by URL
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MoocNote - MoocNote.com
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): note taking (43), organizational skills (119), video (265)
In the Classroom
Be sure to view the User manual link at the bottom of the page for directions about how to use MoocNote. Share YouTube playlists with students using MoocNotes, add questions or additional information for student viewing. Only registered users can access your videos so that each student will need his own account. Another option is to set up a single teacher account and have all the students use the class login to avoid safety concerns. They could add their own information by including their code-name on notes. This tool would be perfect for adding student accountability to the flipped or blended classroom!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classtools Countdown Timer - Classtools.net
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (155), counting (110), time (140)
In the Classroom
There are many uses for this practical online tool. Get out your interactive whiteboard or projection screen (or even the classroom desktop computer) and make sure the speakers are turned up. Use this tool for students to practice speeches, or to limit the time for a quiz or spelling test. Use the countdown feature for timing the rotations from center to center. You can even use the timer for reading fluency exercises or physical education warm-ups! A clever classroom management tool would be to start the visible count-down on your computer screen when you want the class to settle down for directions or to transition to the next subject. Select calming music for quiet times. Students may even want to use this tool for themselves. Kindergarten students can practice counting along with the watch!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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