20 Fun Free Tools for Interactive Classroom Collaboration. The 2014 Gates Foundation report, Teachers Know Best: What Educators Want from Digital Instructional Tools, indicates that teachers want tools “supporting student collaboration and providing interactive experiences”. This doesn’t come as a big surprise since these types of tools are fun and engaging. They also support 21st century skills like collaboration, communication, and creativity. You know what else teachers like? Good quality tools that are free! And why not? Funds are limited and free is totally affordable! This week on EmergingEdTech, we’ve put together a listing of 20 top notch free tools that are being used in schools and classrooms to collaborate and interact on assignments, projects, and other active learning efforts. These tools deliver a wide array of functionality, from communication to collaborative document editing, whiteboards, and gaming, to full Learning Management System capabilities. 1.
Twiddle provides a really easy to use collaborative online whiteboard. 2. 3. 101 Web 2.0 Teaching Tools. Online tools and resources have made it easier for teachers to instruct students, and for students to collaborate with those teachers and with other students and parents. These “Web 2.0” teaching tools aren’t magical, but they may seem to defy definition at times since they save time, help you to stay organized, and often take up little space on a computer. Some of these applications are Web-based, which means that they can be accessed from any computer.
The following list is filled with tools that will make a teacher’s, or those enrolled in the best online education programs, life easier. The categories are listed in alphabetical order and the links to each tool are also listed alphabetically within those categories. Aggregators The following list includes free tools that you can use to stay on top of current events, including headlines and blogs. Aggie: Aggie is an open source news aggregator that’s also a desktop application. Bookmark Managers Classroom Tools Collaboration E-learning. Leading Sites for Elementary Educators. Today’s elementary school kids grew up in the digital age, and they love computer-based activities and learn from them easily. Learning and sharing online isn’t just for students though.
There are hundreds of fantastic sites online to help elementary educators do their jobs as well. From educational videos to interactive games and even e-book publishers, classroom management advice, and teachable moments from teachers who blog, a driven elementary educator can find just about anything he or she needs among these 151 leading sites. The sites here aren’t listed in ranking order, as they all have different strengths and will meet different readers’ needs.
They’re categorized for convenience, and every one of them is packed with great content. Many sites on elementary education do a good job of pulling together info from every class subject or just sharing advice on how teachers can work with the education system to provide the best learning experience to their youngsters. The Best Interactive Web Tools for Educators. Most of us are working at full capacity, and keeping up with technology can feel like one more chore on the to-do list. Still, learning your way around a few of the best Web tools is worth your time. Innovative teachers are frequently using intuitive programs and websites that are easy to learn. These web tool can save you a lot of daily hassles that you might not even realize you have been tolerating. Whether you want to move the class newsletter online or try out a flipped classroom, we’re sharing the best sites to do it.
Sharing and Collaborating The Internet was invented to foster communication. Google Docs First of all, you never have to hit “save” in Google Docs. Google Forms Whether you want to send a quiz to your students or organize a field trip, Google forms can help you distribute and gather information. WordPress Create a class website or blog on this free, easy-to-use site. EduBlogs Set up blogs here for yourself or your students, and you can control the safety settings. EdX. Sites for Teachers. 15 Free Tech Training Resources for Teachers. Getting Up and Running on Classroom Technology Doesn’t Have to Break the Budget Professional development is an integral part of a successful ed-tech implementation in any classroom.
Teachers must know how to use these technologies so that they can engage their students effectively. Many companies and websites offer webinars, workshops, and online or in-class courses to help train teachers to be proficient with educational technologies, but many of these training sessions come at a steep price. With a little searching, it’s possible to find a plethora of groups and websites offering free training resources. The 15 tech training resources below can get you off to a great start supporting your teachers’ ongoing professional development activities.
Teacher Training VideosTeacher Training Videos, an online database created by Russell Stannard, contains training videos on a variety of subjects, such as teaching online, flipped classrooms, and interactive whiteboards.