EdWeb is a great website for educators. It is basically a platform where you can build your own personal learning network or join other online collaborative communities to explore new ways to enrich and improve your professional development.As a matter of fact, nobody can ever argue the importance of PLN ( Professional learning network ) in education.They are a part and parcel of today's educational approach to life long learning. If you haven't built one then EdWeb is a good start for you.
EdWeb is a professional social network for the the education community. You need to be a member to start using this website. Among the things that EdWeb can do for you are :
It will enable you to connect with other colleagues in education
It lets you create professional learning communities
It provides support for new teachers
It is a good help in the practice of the 21st century skills.
Here are some examples of the featured Professional Learning Communities you can join in EdWeb :
Bookemon is a great website for educators. It allows its users to create, read and share books online. It is basically a " personal, digital and professioanlly printed book creation and sharing utility." Users can easily, without the need for any HTML coding or any other advanced technological wizardry, upload their graphics, documents, photos and turn them into awesome books. If you are looking for a free platform where you can get free tools to create your books and also host them then Bookemon is the right solution for you.
Bookemon features a bookstore where you can save your digital productions. You can also use their libary to look for books you want to read but you will have to pay to purchase one.If you think that you have a book worth selling then go ahead and put it for sale on Bookemon, you can even get an ISBN number and barcode for it. With this ISBN number you will be able to advertise ,market and sell your books to the world through major book sellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and Borders.
Bookemon requires registration for you need to become a member to start uploading your content. The membership and other utilities provided in this website are all free and the obly thing you will need to pay for is when you decide to order bookstore quality books that have been published by you, your firends or other members.
I have been recently working on a small project to collect free math resources for some teachers in my area ( Halifax , Canada ) and what started as a small project ended up as a big research that took me up to a week which I hardly can afford out of my extremely busy schedule. Anyway I am glad it is finished and I am evern happier that several math teachers ( more than 30 ) who attended the workshop liked the materials provided.
Ironically enough, I am an English teacher and have nothing to do with math but still took the responsibility to run the workshop and provide the resources. I have read, re-read, reviewed and tested numerous links and finally with the suggestions and help of Math teachers, we selected 21 websites . I have included the websites in the presentation that you are going to see below.
The links included here are all educational websites where you can find evertyhting that is related to Math such as flashcards, games, puzzels, lesson plans, excersises and their solutions, interactive displays, diagrams and videos. I have also included the same presentation in three different version in Google docs, Issuu, and Slideshare, choose you feel comfortable with.
LearnBoost is a great web tool for teachers. It allows them to manage their classroom via the use of a gradebook, creating lesson plans, tracking attendance, maintaining schedules. It also has some of Google's tools built in its software such as calendars,tagging of Common Core standards and much more.
Teachers can use LearnBoost services for a variety of purposes. They can for instance use the Gradebook to:
Track students progress
Generate awesome reports
Track analytics in real time
create rich lessons plans
LearnBoost requires a sign up. There are three sections one for teachers, another for parents, and the last for students. Users need to specify which ones they want to register under.
Here is a video tutorial to help you learn more about LearnBoost
mySchoolNotebook is a web service that allows its users to easily take notes and customize them the way they want. Besides being able to edit and format notes, users can also add or insert videos and images into their notes. This is a great tool for teachers and students and has a free version that offers generous features.
To start using mySchoolNotebook you need to register and open a free account there , you can use your Facebook account to login. Once logged in you click on " New Notebook" on the main page. The picture of the notebook will appear and you can rename it according to your wish together with the name of a teacher. Click on the " Add Topic" button in the middle of page to add your topic and start inserting content such as text, videos , and images. When your topic is ready you can then share it with your ffiends, colleagues or students using the share buttons or publish it to the web and let others find it in their search queries.
As I said earlier mySchoolNotebook offers two different plans that you can choose from , one is free and the other costs $2 per month. The free plan does have some limits but still has some good features such notebook sharing, mobile access and offline access.
mySchoolNote is also available for mobile devices. If you have iPhone, iPad or Android then you can download this app from the relevant app store and you will be able to enjoy all the features of mySchoolNotebook right from the palm of your hands.
Filamentality is a cool website for educators. I just discovered this tool morning and I checked it out and here is it what I found about it. It is a learning tool that allows its users to create and organize their ideas and materials into learning activities. Users pick up a topic and then browse the net looking for links and data supporting it and through the use of Mentality Tips Filamentality offers, users turn their topic into a web-based activity that they can share with others.
This is perfect for teachers for they can use it to create learning activities to share with their students either in the classroom or as homework assignments. Filamentality is very easy to use and have a user freindly interface. It does not require any download or software installation.
To start using Filamentality you need to click on " Start a new Page" then provide a name for your topic, select a user name and password and enter you email addresse and you click on ' spin this page' and there you go. to start a new page you will need a new password but the username you can use it over and over. Go ahead to Filamentality and give it a try I am sure you will like it.
Audio story books are a great means of improving learners reading and listening skills. There are several website resources now offer free audio materials but not all of them are free. To look for quality audio books that are free can take you a lot of time and energy. In this regard and in an attempt to make it easy for educators visiting Educational Technology and Mobile Learning to get a free access to the materials I have been reviewing here about the best websites you can browse for free audio books, I have compiled a list of links in a presentation that you can download and share with your students. I have reviewed all the links included and if you want to read the review just click on any title and you will be directed to the post.
Just a quick reminder: Some of these websites do require a sign up in order for you to start reading or downloading their materials. It normally takes just a couple of minutes so if you feel like that is the website you want to be using then it is worth registering with. The presentation is done both using Google Docs and Issuu.
Side Vibe is a great web based teaching tool. It allows users to create interactive learning materials very easily. It is one of the best alternatives for paper handouts.SideVibe is basically a bookmarking tool that will let you capture important content from different websites and use it as an electronic lesson for your students.
Students can also participate with their activities called vibes. They can do assignments and work on projects online. They do not need to register they can use the teacher's code to log in to the class. What is even cool about this web service is that teachers besides being able to create lessons and assignments out of web content, they can also assess their students work, give them feedback and grade their work.
Using SideVibe , teachers will be able to take their students to " any destination on the web, interact with them, guide them, collect and assess their work seamlessly." The basic accounts for students and teachers are free.
Here is a video tutorial to learn more about SideVibe
Spool is a great web service that allows its users to save anything online be it videos, images, documents, web pages, PDFs for a later access. This website is still in invite beta phase meaning it is not open to the public now but will be soon. Provide your email address to get an invitation from Spool team as soon as your account is ready. What is really cool about Spool is that it allows users to access their saved content even in the offline mode. It basically syncs all your content and makes it available for you on any device you have.
Some features of Spool
Here is a list of the main services that Spool offers to its users:
It is free
It is still in beta till this moment ( 06/02/2012 )
It allows users to save web content
It syncs your content to all of your devices ( phone, laptop, tablet, computer )
It downloads content for offline viewing
It allows you to share your favourite websites and content with friends and family by adding it to their Spools.
It can be use as a Google Chrome extensions, Android app, or as an iOS app.
Inner Body is a great website for educators especially science and biology teachers. It has a wide range of resources on the anatomy and physiology of the human body. It has animations, charts, diagrams, and models.The content is organised into different topics and each topic is enriched with animations, graphics and thousands of descriptive links.
If you are a teacher, student or you just want to explore the human body and learn more about the medical anatomical terms used by doctors and nurses then Inner Body is ideal for you. It has a very good and user friendy interface. You can browse through the website to search for and find what you are exactly looking for.
To start using Inner Body you need to head over to its main page and click on `` Enter Here ``. Click on a system to begin your tour.
Mentormob is a great web tool that allows its users to create free interactive learning playlist. The process is very easy and simple to impliment. Users besides creating their own learning playlists, they can also browse through others` lists and look for the ones they want to read .There is a search bar on the top of the page to help you search playlists.
The content is organized into a set of categories such as : Education, Technology. Art....etc. Click on each category and you will have all the lists featured in it within a single click. I have already created my learning list that you can read below.
To start using Mentormob you need to sing up for a free account or use your Facebook login info. After signing up you click on create a playlist and provide a title and description for it. Select which category you want to include it in and give it some tags to make it searchable. Once done you click on the box that will appear to start adding your links.
Skype in Education is a website created by the popular voice service Skype. It is designed specifically to meet teachers and students needs. This is basically a free global community of educators exchanging help and resources between each others in such an open way that any teacher can join in instantly. If you still have not heard about Skype in Education then let me take you through some of its features very quickly.
First off, to start using this service you need to open an account with skype, it is very easy and simple. Once logged in you will then start browsing through its various features. Click on :
1-Teachers
This is a directory filled with teachers that are willing to connect and get to know other teachers using Skype. You can use the search bar to look for teachers based on key words, language, and ages taught.
2- Projects
This is a section featuring all the projects listed in Skype in Education. You can also use the search functionality to look for and find projects .
3-Collections This is mainly a showcase of exceptional Skype in the classroom projects from around the globe.
4- Resources
This is a kind of library of resources that users have provided. You can find links, videos,tips, and articles and you can also add you resource. Use the search bar to filter resources and find what you want.
Advantages of Skype in Education
Skype in Education can be of great help to our students :
It can broaden their cultural knowledge and introduce them to new ways of seeing the world especially when you connect your class to a class in another part of the world using the cultural exchange feature
It can help language students speak fluently via maintaining live conversations with native speakers from all around the globe.
Students and teachers can access a wide range of educational resources in the library section.
Teachers can connect with other teachers from all around the globe and create work groups and help each others.
Essay Tagger is a great web tool for educators. As the name suggests, Essay Tagger helps teachers grade their essays in such an easy way via eliminating the repetitive and inefficient aspects of grading papers. This web tool has been developed by a teacher who himself has been vexed by the workload of grading essays and thinking about an easier way to do the grading he came up with this new awesome web tool.
Essay Tagger is not an auto grader where you can provide input and the machine handles it , it is a service that is based on manuel work but in faster ways. Both Windows and Mac support it and is very simple to use.Users will not have to dowload any software for Essay Tagger works entirely in the web browser. This service is still in open beta period and free . If you are interested head over to its main page and open your account for the free period will not last for a long time.
Hot Apps 4 HOTS ( Higher Order Thinking Skills ) is a free iOS ebook that is available now in iTunes store. This is an ebook that is designed to promote learning and healp students acquire new skills. It basically provides learners with the neccessary practice and knwoldege they need to develop higher order thinking skills.
Hot Apps 4 HOTS features a series of apps that represent the different sections of Bloom`s taxonomy. There are many examples and suggestions on how students can use these apps in their learning. Unfortunately the ebook is available just for iOS devices which means that using Android or other appliances will not be able to read it.
Open Culture is a great resource of free cultural and educational media for educators. It is really one of my favourite resources online and I have already shared some of its materials here and on other social media platforms. Open culture features five main tabs that we will review breifly below.
1- Audio Books
This is where you can download free audio books for free. It has hundreds of titles from fiction to poetry and lietrature.
2- Free Online Courses This section features over 250 free courses in the liberal arts and sciences. These courses are provided by the world' leading universities and can be downloaded into your computer or mp3 player.
3- Movies
This section features more than 300 online free movies organized into different sections such as : comedy an drama, horror and Hitchcok, silent films, documentaries and animations.
4- Learn 40 Languages
This collection features lessons in 40 languages including Spanisg, French, Italian..Lessons are availabe for download.
Get The Math is a great website that provides students and teachers with real world mathematical challenges. The website includes Algebra-based videos and tutorials done by professionals in the domaine.The aim behind this service besides helping learners grap maths notions is to contexualise the teaching of this subject. Many learners think that math is an abstract set of operations and rules that might not have any direct implimentation in the real contexts. This is being refuted by a number of tutorials in Get The Math that try to put the challenges in the context of the real world scenarios which are mainly Fashion design, Video game design, and Music production.
Each section features experts explaining how math is being used in their professions. What is even cool about this website is that it provides at the end of each video a series of challenges for students to work on. Head over to Get The Math and give it a try.
Collaborative platforms are among those urgent digital tools that our students need to be familiar with. They are a great source of motivation, creativity and interaction. Sometimes we might under estimate what our learners can do but when they are given the proper tools and enough margin of movement they can really amaze us. Below is a list of three free collaborative tools to begin with. You can use them with your students in the classroom.
Thinkbinder is a free collabortive platfrom where students can easily create study groups. The website also features an open space or what is called a whiteboard where learners can work collaboratively together in solving problems and sharing sketches. Using Thinkbinder , students will be able to chat with each other, share links and resources, share videos and presentations and many more.
Dweeber is another collaborative platform that is designed to help students work on their homework. This website requires a free sign up and once students are logged in then they can instantly start building up their community of learners . There is a whiteboard for learners to work and collaborate on doing home work.
Scribblar is an online meeting platform. It is like the previuos tools for it allows its users to work collaboratively using a whiteboard. It also provides tools for learners to create text, draw lines and add images. Scribblar supports PDF files and allows students to upload PDFs with up to 5 pages.
Evernote is a great web service not only for teacher and educators but for all internet users. I have already covered this tool in one of my posts here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning almost a year ago and today I am updating it via adding another important feature that has just been included in the Evernote service.
As you know Evernote allows its users to bookmark their websites and access them wherever they are. It has now a mobile app that is free and works on both iOS and Android devices. I personally used to use Google Bookmarks to do all the bookmarking but have switched now to Evernote because it offers way more features than Google Bookmarks. I really do like the tagging and sorting options available in Evernote.
As I said earlier there is a new feature being added to Evernote called Evernote for Education. This is basically a page devoted for education topics. They provide samples of how Evernote is being used by educators, students, and teachers from all around the globe. There is a webinar there explaining in depth how students and teachers can use this service. Head over to Evernote for Education to learn more.
Literature Map is as its name suggests,a service that provides names of authors based on your search keywords. If you like an author and constantly read his works and want to discover other similar authors that more or less have the same style of writing or probably focus on the same themes as your original author then all you need to do is type in the name of the author and Literature Map will provide you with a diagram like map of the names of other similar authors.
This is a cool website for teachers. They can use it with their students to look for authors similar to the ones they have in their curriculum. I would also recommend another website which slightly resembles Literature Map, it is called Novels on Location. This latter allows users to find novels based on the locations they type in in a map. Check it out too you might like it.
Referencing is one of the important skill in education as a whole.Including facts or pieces of information into an essay or a thesis is not done haphazardly but obeys a certain set of rules that are conventionally agreed upon. If there is no respect of proper referencing then the whole work might be rejected because it has plagiarism. This is the clearcut difference between a plagiarised work and the properly cited one. In the earlier, the writer copies a whole chunk of text and use it in his work making it look like it is his/her without accrediting its owner while in the latter, the writer uses borrowed content from someone else but by giving back credit to its original source.
Teaching our students how to reference their essays and work is not an easy job for there are a couple of things that we need to know first before we go ahead into the explanation processes. We should make a clear distinction between these forms of referencing styles.( This is a snapshot taken from Citethisforme )
One of the most used referencing styles as displayed above is the Harvard and APA. To learn more about these styles there is a website called Citethisforme. This website is a citation generator for Harvard and APA. It allows you to generate and organize your citation with a single click. It also offers tips about plagiarims and citation, Check it out it is a real treasure for teachers and students too.
If you want to look for plagiarised work in your students essays and works then try using Plagiarism Checker in Education
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