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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RecordCast Screen Recorder - PearlMountain Ltd
Grades
K to 12
In the Classroom
Use this handy screen recording tool in a variety of ways in your classroom. Record tutorials for students to demonstrate how to access and use online sites, create recordings for substitutes to explain how to find and use the software on your computer, or make a how-to demo on where to find information on your class website to share with students and parents. Help students understand how to use the different features of documents, such as creating a tutorial showing students how to format cells in Excel, add comments to a Google document, or find and insert images in slides. Share this site with students to use when analyzing websites as part of your ongoing digital safety lessons. Ask them to include a video as part of a larger multimedia presentation. After exporting their video, ask students to include it within a presentation created using Sway, reviewed here, or Adobe Spark for Education, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Site123 - Site123
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use this site for students to post or collect material for simple projects such as stories, poems, art projects, science lab write-ups, or the week's problem in math. Collect a master list of URLs to student pages on your classroom website, wiki, or blog for easy access. If students are creating pages, check with your district's policy on publishing student work. Create pages for quick link-sharing or upcoming events such as field trips, class party information, school events, science fairs, etc. Students can create simple pages to share links to include in presentations so classmates can participate on laptops. If you are beginning a major creative project such as a literary magazine or research project, Site123 is a wonderful place for writers to collect questions and ideas to be developed later.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Twitter Chat: Dive into Deep Learning: Communication - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): communication (27), twitterchatarchive (93)
In the Classroom
Find resources and information about diving deep into learning through communication. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for a dive into deep learning: communication.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Jamboard - Google
Grades
K to 12tag(s): collaboration (78), images (273), iwb (30)
In the Classroom
Use Jamboard on your interactive whiteboard (or with a projector) to share and highlight information for students. When finished, save and share as images for students to access in Google Classroom or on your class website. Enable the collaboration options for students to use when planning projects or as a tool for recording and sharing information. For example, ask groups working together on a science experiment to use this tool to share images and annotations throughout the experiment. Save Jamboard slides as images in digital portfolios. Seesaw, reviewed here, and Pathbrite, reviewed here, provide free online portfolio features for students at all age levels.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Twitter Chat: Fostering Reading and Math Engagement Online - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): independent reading (116), Online Learning (16), reading comprehension (132), reading strategies (64), twitterchatarchive (93)
In the Classroom
Find resources and information about how to use technology to foster reading and math engagement online. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for resources related to engaging students online in reading or math.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Twitter Chat: Using Digital Tools to Demonstrate Learning - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (144), collaboration (78), communication (27), Formative Assessment (27), Online Learning (16), twitterchatarchive (93)
In the Classroom
Find resources and information about using digital tools to demonstrate learning and how to integrate them into your lessons. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for resources related to online learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gzaas! - Gzaaz.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): graphic design (43), images (273), iwb (30)
In the Classroom
Although Gzaas! is a very simple site, it offers many opportunities for enhancing classroom instruction. Use Gzaas! to create a welcome message as students enter the classroom, share a motivational quote, provide starting instructions for the day's tasks, or to simply post sight words. Create a message introducing a new topic as a springboard for discussion. Leave a message on your interactive whiteboard during class work time with information needed for students to complete their task. Use Gzaas! as an exit ticket activity and have students create a message on their mobile device sharing something they learned as they leave class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teacher Utilities Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): Teacher Utilities (97)
In the Classroom
Find new tools to try in your classroom, for communication with families and more. Each review includes classroom use ideas. Read the details of each tool and find the ones that will make your tasks easier to manage.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Proficonf Video Conferencing - Proficonf Ltd.
Grades
K to 12tag(s): collaboration (78), parent conferences (22), parents (59)
In the Classroom
Use Proficonf to set up virtual parent/teacher conferences with participants located anywhere in the world. Online conferencing is especially useful when multiple teachers are involved or when parents may not reside in the same location. Share your screen as needed to provide information on assessments and student work. Extend classroom technology by sharing this tool with students to use when collaborating on group projects. This would be an excellent tool to use with classrooms in another area or global group projects. If using the chat feature, ask them to include their chat with the final project as part of their reflection on the learning process.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Twitter Chat: Online Learning: Turning it into Student Success - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): Online Learning (16), resources (105), twitterchatarchive (93)
In the Classroom
Find resources and information about online learning and how to integrate it into your lessons. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for resources related to online learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teleprompt.me - Corey Griffin
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Telepromt.me is a great addition to any classroom and, will enhance your classroom technology use. Ask students to use this tool for presentations to make speeches more audience-friendly than looking down and reading from a paper script. Help struggling readers practice fluency and focus on individual words using this tool with any reading material. Help students listen to their own speech by asking them to record their reading using Telepromt.me and using Vocaroo, reviewed here, or a screen recording tool like Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here. Do your students create podcasts? If so, use this teleprompter when reading from scripted material used in podcasts. Anchor, reviewed here, is an excellent tool for creating and sharing your podcasts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Twitter Chat: Tech Tools for Collaboration - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): collaboration (78), twitterchatarchive (93)
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.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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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 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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Password Generator Tool - Comparitech
Grades
K to 12tag(s): internet safety (120)
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 (34), classroom management (144), multimedia (51), social networking (91)
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 (144), Google (55), Teacher Utilities (97)
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 a 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 (50), classroom management (144), design (87), engineering (129), french (85), logic (237), OER (33), Online Learning (16), probability (131), psychology (66), statistics (129), STEM (218)
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 (40), 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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