home Educational Videos and Games for Kids about Science, Math, Social Studies and English 30+ Mind Mapping Tools We all need to organize our thoughts sometimes, and there seems to be no better way to do it than in a visual fashion. We've got 30+ mind mapping tools to help you do just that. And since we know some of you are on a budget, we've got free and paid suggestions for you. Don’t forget to check out our post where you can suggest future toolbox topics! Free Bubbl.us - A flash based brainstorming tool that you can share with others and also embed in to your site. Cayra.net - A desktop-only app that runs on Windows XP or Vista. CmapTools - Free to universities, students, federal employees, and individuals for personal use. CompendiumInstitute.org - A free mind mapping and brainstorming tool from the Open University. DebateMapper.com - A bit of a different mapper in that it focuses on mapping out debates, whether they be political or business. Gliffy.com - Draw & share all sorts of diagrams and mind maps. MindPlan.com - Free for personal use. RecallPlus.com - Geared towards students. See also:
6 Free Sites for Creating Your Own Comics In the days of cold, hard newsprint, only people who could draw were successful comic strip authors. In some cases, this resulted in comic strips that had very nice pictures, but weren't all that funny (cough, Blondie). Thankfully, the Internet has taught us not to accept an inferior form of comic artistry, but a more flexible one. Comic strip enthusiasts who want funny but don't care about pretty drawing can have their strips, those who want artistry have theirs, and even those with very specific tastes can find something just right. The best part about these developments is that they allow you, regardless of any talent as an artist or comedian, to create your very own comic strip. Depending on what you're going for, you can use one of these six sites to help you do it. 1. MakeBeliefsComix.com is easy enough for children to use, but there are enough options for adults to get a message across, too. One limiting factor is color. 2. The site does have some rough patches. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Paper Rater: Free Online Grammar Checker, Proofreader, and More Beautiful web-based timeline software Productivity Tools for Educators I am probably the last person who should be writing a blog post on productivity – there are many who would attest to this fact. I often struggle to balance responsibilities and I frequently feel like I am scrambling to efficiently manage my time. That being said, I am also a firm believer in the purposeful use of technology to improve productivity and accessibility to critical information. As a school administrator, I have had to adjust my time and task management systems to address a wide variety of responsibilities and a plethora of paperwork and emails. While paper has its place, I am a firm believer that, in education, we use way too much. The printers and risograph machines whir incessantly. In addition to be good stewards of our resources, believe that an important responsibility of a 21st educator is the purposeful modeling of instructional technology. 1. Google Docs has become a “go to” app for collaborative documentation. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Like this: Like Loading...
Scribblar - Free Interactive Online Whiteboard How to Integrate Web 2.0 Tools into the Classroom ‘Web 2.0’ is a term familiar to all teachers. Stated in its simplest form, it’s the set of interactive internet-based tools used by students to enrich educational opportunities. ‘Web 1.0’ referred to the act of accessing Which ones do you use? websites—nothing more. Treat others and their property with respect (for example, plagiarism—even undiscovered—is immoral and illegal)Act in a responsible mannerLook after their own security Here are some activities you can do in your classroom that will make your lessons and activities more student-centered and more relevant to this new generation of students: Create a classroom blog. There are many more Web 2.0 tools that will turn your classroom around, including: Which others do you use to enhance and enrich your school teaching? Photo credit: Johns Hopkins School of Education First published in Innovate my School Like this: Like Loading...
Top 5 Apps for Administrators to learn and use Top 5 Apps for Administrators I am not an administrator (yet) but in my past life I was a project engineer and I really wish I had some of these tools back then (ok, we had email). I do help the administration and work on many projects at school and these 5 apps have helped me. I do use a lot of other apps on a daily basis, but I think that these are the top 5 apps that administrators should learn and use, especially if they are new to Web 2.0 and Social Networking. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I also think that all administrators should have a smartphone or tablet. My Top 10 Free Web Resources for Teachers My Top 10 Free Google Resources for Education Top 10 Resources from Discovery Education - all free My Top 10 Free Web Resources for Students What technology I use on a daily basis