# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
StoryJumper: #1 rated site for creating story books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Easiest way to create, narrate, and publish your own hardcover and paperback books. Read and listen to books from our worldwide community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What are the best apps for teachers? We asked TED-Ed Innovative Educators and the TED-Ed community. Below, 25 awesome apps recommended for teachers, by teachers.

For teaching students how to present, create and code

TED-Ed
More than 250,000 teachers use TED education tools to spark student curiosity and explore presentation literacy skills. "TED-Ed is an outstanding resource in my classroom," says TED-Ed Innovative Educator Jennifer Hesseltine. "I use the online platform to add engaging content to topics that we are studying. I have also given students the opportunities to help in the process of creating TED-Ed Lessons by choosing videos and creating questions to include."

Students can create beautiful presentations with this app. "It's great for pairing short poems and images," says TED-Ed community member Jessica Dawn Kaiser.

Duolingo
If the benefits of a bilingual brain motivate your students, try this app. "Duolingo revolutionized the way people learn languages," says TED-Ed community member Dhruv G. Menon.

Draw and Tell
This app can increase creative confidence in kids of all ages. Just draw something, tell a story about it and share your creation. For TED-Ed community member Ginnie Harvin Pitler, this app is a classroom favorite. "I'm an elementary teacher and believe in creation apps over consumption apps," she says.

Animoto
Students can easily create and share their own beautiful videos with Animoto. "I'm a huge fan of this simple yet powerful digital storytelling tool for iPad and the web," writes TED-Ed Innovative Educator Jennifer L. Scheffer in an this ed tech roundup. "The app allows students to select a theme, music, images or videos, add captions and/or two lines of text, and within minutes a slick video is created. The finished product can be shared via social media, uploaded to YouTube, or embedded in a student's e-portfolio. For a great introduction to Animoto, with a built-in lesson in digital citizenship, have students create an 'About Me' or 'Year in Review' Animoto."

This popular app is another teacher-recommended choice for student video creation. "My students enjoy using iMovie for group projects," says TED-Ed community member Chris Gilley Callaway. Check out the Apple apps for educators, too.

Hopscotch
Students can learn computer science fundamentals - via game design - using this app. For more ways to teach core coding concepts, check out Scratch.

Tinkercad
After students get inspired by the open-source wonderland at Thingaverse, turn them loose to start designing their own 3D objects with this app.

For everyday classroom needs

Evernote
Teachers love this notetaking app - for good reason. "Evernote has allowed me to get rid of handouts. I just don't make them anymore," writes TED-Ed Innovative Educator Nicholas Provenzano in this blog post. "All of my projects are shared with my students through our shared notebooks, and all assignments are posted on the Assignment shared notebook that is available for parents on my website. Traditionally, these handouts would be viewed by students then trashed. Now they can view them on Evernote and trees can be saved." To learn more from Nick about how to use Evernote in the classroom, read The Epic Evernote Experiment.

Oxford Dictionaries
Every classroom needs a good dictionary or two. For TED-Ed community member Nuria Carballal, Oxford Dictionary works well. Meanwhile, TED-Ed community member Chie Sipin Bjarenas recommends Dictionary.com. "It's a quick way to answer 'what does [insert unfamiliar word] mean?'" she says.

For collaborating on school projects

SlackWhether you're collaborating with other teachers or assigning group project work to students, this app can make communication easier for teams in a variety of settings. "I've experimented quite a lot lately with Slack," says TED-Ed Innovative Educator Dylan Ferniany. "It has the benefits of a Facebook group, plus wonderful integration with Google Docs and Google Hangouts."

For communicating with students (and their families)

This digital communication tool is in a league of its own, according to TED-Ed Innovative Educator Jennifer L. Scheffer. "The privacy (no personal phone numbers are required) and message scheduling features are top-notch. For a high school teacher, Remind is an essential digital tool, since most teens have cell phones with texting capabilities." Read Jenn's full review here.

A WordPress blogging platform designed with teachers in mind. "I love my Edublog app for a.m. documentation and communication," says TED-Ed community member Louise Sciulli MacKinnon. "It's user friendly and makes uploading and sharing images simple."

For giving (and receiving) student feedback

EdmodoFor providing clear feedback, many teachers like this learning management system. "The app makes it possible to give students constructive feedback in a 1:1 manner," says TED-Ed Innovative Educator Jennifer Hesseltine. It's also easy for students to respond.
For more innovative education tips and tools, sign up for the TED-Ed weekly newsletter here >>

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
25 awesome apps for teachers, recommended by teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What are the best apps for teachers? We asked TED-Ed Innovative Educators and the TED-Ed community. Below, 25 awesome apps recommended for teachers, by teachers. TED-Ed More than 250,000 teachers use TED education tools to spark student curiosity and explore presentation literacy skills. "TED-Ed is an outstanding resource in my classroom," says TED-Ed Innovative Educator Jennifer Hesseltine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Poll Everywhere is the easiest way to gather live responses in any venue... conferences, concerts, classrooms, and company off-sites - anywhere with internet. We've been working to end 'death by PowerPoint' and raise the bar on presenting since 2008. More than 4,000 schools and 100,000 teachers poll with Poll Everywhere.

# data[].attributes.body
Integrating Technology with Student Centered Learning

# data[].attributes.headline
Technology For English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.subject
Technology For English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
English language learners' experience with technology can vary greatly from one student to the next. Some kids may have never used a computer. Others may be doing all of the troubleshooting! This resource section provides ideas for using technology with ELLs, activities for using multimedia tools, and bilingual tips for managing media at school and at home.

Recommended Resource from Understood.org

For more great ideas, take a look at the bilingual resources on Assistive Technology from Understood.org, a free website focused on learning and attention issues.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
English language learners' experience with technology can vary greatly from one student to the next. Some kids may have never used a computer. Others may be doing all of the troubleshooting! This resource section provides ideas for using technology with ELLs, activities for using multimedia tools, and bilingual tips for managing media at school and at home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Snapshots Of Understanding? 10 Smart Tools For Digital Exit Slips
by Ryan Schaaf, Assistant Professor of Technology, Notre Dame of Maryland University

Do they get it?

After an instructional lesson is over, educators are left with a classroom full of students looking at them. Did my students get the lesson? Are there any ideas, concepts or skills they are still unsure of? Do my students have any misconceptions about the lesson and its content? Do I have to review anything tomorrow?

These are just a few of the questions reflective educators are left to contemplate after the bell has rung. In truth, many of these reflective questions educators are left asking themselves can be addressed if they use an exit ticket. Exit tickets are a simple, quick and oftentimes insightful formative assessment method employed close to the end of a lesson. It is a simple task that requires learners to answer a few questions or perform certain tasks explored during the learning process.

The format of an exit ticket varies. Educators can use a variety of question/activity types. There are multiple choice, true or false, short written response, matching, cloze (fill in the blank) and survey or polls to name but a few. In terms of classroom implementation, exit tickets should be short, concise and engage learners in a review of the skills, concepts and experiences explored during the lesson. They are also ideal for continuing the learning into the next class - many educators begin with the exit tickets from the previous lesson to activate students' previous knowledge.

In the age of digital learning, exit tickets are no longer confined to small slips of paper collected by educators as students leave their classrooms (although this method is still fine). There are numerous digital tools at the disposal of educators to collect this valuable performance data from their students.

Here are ten digital exit slip tools to choose from.
Snapshots Of Understanding? 10 Smart Tools For Digital Exit Slips
Educators can set up exit tickets with varying question types and submit requests to participate via email or sharable link. Recent upgrades now allow questions to include images and You Tube links. All participants will have their responses populate a single spreadsheet. Educators will be able to review every single exit ticket on the same document.

Socrative lets educators assess their students with educational activities on tablets, laptops or smartphones (ideal for BYOD environments). Through the use of real time questioning, educators and students alike can visualize the data to make decisions about upcoming learning.

While using Plicker cards, students are able to provide answers to their teacher's questions. The educator can use a smart phone or tablet to capture student responses and the app collects and reports the data.

Ideal for older students, educators can ask students to post a 140 character summary of today's lesson and allow the discussion to transpire after the class has officially ended.

Another app that is ideal for a BYOD or 1-to-1 computing classroom, Geddit gauges how students understand with the use of multiple choice or short answer responses. What makes it truly unique from the other apps and tools is Geddit allows students to provide feedback on the pace of the class - beginning, middle or during lesson closure.

PollEverywhere allows educators to provide a poll for students to complete. Data can be displayed to the class in real-time in order to provide immediate feedback and clarity for students.

Exit ticket is a student response system that is ideal for 1-to-1 or BYOD computing environments. Educators are able to receive real-time results using numerous question and activity options. Students are also able to receive feedback, so they are able to assume responsibility in the learning process. A basic teacher account is free.

VoiceThread allows educators and students to discuss documents, presentations, images, audio files and videos using numerous methods. Students are able to add audio, text or video responses for a media-centric assessment experience.

As a cloud-based sticky note and photo-sharing tool, lino allows educators and students to post content to an online corkboard. This tool is also a free!

Similar to lino, Padlet is an online shared space students can post notes, multimedia files, hyperlinks and documents on. Educators are also able to adjust privacy settings to ensure student safety.

Of course there are hundreds of additional digital tools or strategies connected educators could use for administering an exit ticket to students that are not listed here. Please add a comment with some of the digital tools you use for your classroom exit tickets.
Snapshots Of Understanding? 10 Smart Tools For Digital Exit Slips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Snapshots Of Understanding? 10 Smart Tools For Digital Exit Slips by Ryan Schaaf, Assistant Professor of Technology, Notre Dame of Maryland University Do they get it? After an instructional lesson is over, educators are left with a classroom full of students looking at them. Did my students get the lesson?

# data[].attributes.headline
Using Technology to Empower Students with Special Needs

# data[].attributes.subject
Using Technology to Empower Students with Special Needs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Learn how one educator uses G Suite for Education to help students overcome their negative self-images and embrace learning.

One of the biggest problems I encounter as a resource room teacher is the self-esteem of the students in my classes. After years of disappointing academic experiences, their confidence is low and their motivation has declined. Combine those points with the peer pressure, bullying, and stresses of middle school, and the students do not have a positive outlook on their education.
Use Google Classroom for Choice and Personalized Learning
In my classroom, technology is a tool for empowerment-it creates a collaborative and innovative space for all students. Along with over 50 million educators and students, I am primarily using Google's G Suite for Education. The suite is a bundle of Google's key products, such as Drive, Docs, Slides, and Forms, along with new tools like Google Classroom. While I used these applications in a middle school classroom, the following strategies are appropriate for any age from upper elementary students to high school seniors.

My special education students typically miss out on taking courses of personal interest. Electives are often replaced with supplemental math or reading classes to bring the students up to grade-level expectations. So I decided to bring student interests into my resource rooms. While we still have to follow the curriculum and I have to modify it based on individual needs, I wanted to implement more choice and personalized learning in my instruction.
© Kathryn Nieves
I typically share a choice board or a HyperDoc to Google Classroom in order to provide my students with their own avenues for learning. A choice board is a graphic organizer that offers students options of tasks to complete. A HyperDoc is a digital lesson plan that also incorporates choice in student learning. I provide students with tasks they are required to complete and a variety of tasks they can choose from and can complete at their own pace. This individual pacing helps to increase student ownership and accountability for their learning-traits that all students need, especially students with special needs.
Create "20 Percent Time" for Passion Projects
Sometimes the HyperDoc is as simple as a multimedia text set from which students choose what they would like to read and view. For some assignments, students use YouTube to view a video I've created about the topic. Then they have their choice of an article to read based on their own individual interests. Students can choose to use Google Slides, their own YouTube video creation, a Google Form to survey others, or other technology tools to show what they've learned before sharing with their peers via Google Classroom. Students are given the freedom to demonstrate their knowledge in their own way and tend to feel more invested in learning because of the choices they are given.

Based on Google's philosophy of having employees devote part of their work time to projects of personal interest, I have my students choose an area of passion that is not in the curriculum. They develop a step-by-step plan to help them reach their goal and set timeframes to measure their progress. For some students, organization is a challenge. Since they have to keep track of all of their materials and work, as well as plan their project step by step, the project gives them the tools they need to practice organization. This project is a long-term assignment, so I give my students about half of the school year to complete their work.

The students excel at these projects. I had a student draft an entire graphic novel on paper, scan it to her Google Drive, and then use the PDF annotation extension Kami to add text to the thought and speech bubbles. Technology enabled her to create a professional-looking manuscript that she can add to her portfolio as she pursues art in high school. Other students completed their experience by sharing their projects with their peers through Google Slides, video recordings, and other presentation software.
Use Tools to Aid Discussion and Collaboration
Though there were challenges, my students enjoyed the opportunity to work on these passion projects and were able to use problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles. The concept of problem solving is tough for special education students to grasp, but having them work on their own choice of project helps unlock their ability to work through challenges.

Because of the nature of some of their disabilities, my students struggle with communication. Group work is difficult, and discussions are often one-sided. I knew my quiet students had insightful comments to share but were reluctant to speak up in class, and my outgoing students needed to take more time to craft their responses. Again, technology helped all these students work through their challenges.

I use the Google Slides Q&A feature during class presentations. The students access a question-based page associated with the presentation and can post questions, which the presenter can refer back to at the end of the presentation. My quieter students felt more empowered from behind a keyboard, and they actively shared ideas and asked questions. For my students anxious about speaking in front of others, the anonymity made them feel relaxed during discussions. My eager speakers were also aided by technology. Because they had to take the time to type an answer, as opposed to just saying whatever popped into their heads, they paused and reflected before typing. They began to think about their words carefully as a result of the digital discussions.

Verso is another way I've encouraged collaboration and discussion. Through this Chrome app, I can post questions for my students. They cannot see each other's responses until they post something themselves. Since responses are anonymous, my students with anxiety feel at ease about their contributions.

Technology has eased the disappointment and frustration that my students feel when faced with academics. It has helped me reach out to my students, rekindled their passion for learning, and empowered them to not only find success but also feel confident in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Using Technology to Empower Students With Special Needs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn how one educator uses G Suite for Education to help students overcome their negative self-images and embrace learning. One of the biggest problems I encounter as a resource room teacher is the self-esteem of the students in my classes. After years of disappointing academic experiences, their confidence is low and their motivation has declined.

# data[].attributes.headline
150 Smarter Ways to Use Google Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
150 Smarter Ways to Use Google Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Are you new to Google Classroom and looking for more efficient ways to use the platform? Don't worry; we have you covered. In today's tip, we will discuss 150 smarter ways to use Google Classroom.

1. Accident Report Forms - Create accident report forms in a faculty Classroom for teachers and coaches to report accidents to the office quickly.

2. Book Reviews - Have students create book reviews using Google Docs or Slides to share with peers and the teacher.

3. Booster Clubs - Utilize a Classroom for school booster clubs. Organizers can post events, announcements, and fundraiser information to the classroom to keep members informed.

4. Brochures - Create brochures in Google Docs by using tables and images.

5. Choose Your Own Adventure - Create Choose Your Own Adventure activities with Google Forms, Slides or Docs.

6. Classroom Newsletters - Create class-level newsletters with Google Docs, save as a PDF, and upload to Classroom. You can also have students create newsletters as part of an assignment.

7. Classroom Rewards - Keep track of student rewards through Sheets or Docs. Announce reward winners on Classroom.

8. Color-by-Number - Create color-by-number activities for students using Google Sheets.

9. Color Folders - Stay organized by color-coding Classroom folders in Google Drive. Right clicking on the folder will bring up options for changing colors.

10. Comic Strips - Have students create comic strips using Google Slides.

11. Communicate with the Class or Multiple Classes at One Time - Classroom can be utilized to communicate with one class or multiple classes at one time by choosing recipients in the "For" drop-down menu.

12. Connect with Experts - Since Classroom has no boundaries, it can be used to connect with experts in any content area. Invite experts to become a part of your Classroom or assignments.

13. Content Area Inventories - Students can create content inventories by documenting their thoughts on specific content areas and uploading them to Classroom assignments.

14. Contests - Classroom can be used to conduct online competitions or contests for your class or school.

15. Control How Students Interact with an Attachment - Teachers can choose how a student interacts with an attachment. There are options for students to have editing access or viewing access. There is also an option for students to get individual copies of the attachment if collaboration is not needed.

16. Convert PDFs and Images to Text - Through OCR technology, Google Docs can convert PDFs and images into text. Just open a PDF document in Google Docs for the conversion to take place.

17. Convert Uploaded Files to Google Docs Editor Format - In Google Drive Settings, choose "Convert Uploaded Files to Google Docs Editor Format" so that Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files will automatically be converted into a Google Doc when uploaded.

18. Create Group Norms - Have Classroom members curate and refine group norms directly through Classroom collaboration.

19. Display Student Work - Display student work while keeping students anonymous.

20. Dissertations and Theses - Create a Classroom for college students who are completing theses and dissertations. It not only provides a means for collaboration between advisor and student but also provides a forum for students to ask questions and assist one another.

21. Dramatized Problem-Based Learning - Students ask questions to identify and resolve a problem from a picture book or novel that they read while also engaging with the people involved in the problem. The artifact can be submitted to the Classroom with Google Slides, Google Docs or video.

22. Duty Schedule - Create a duty schedule with Google Docs or Sheets and share with teachers through Classroom.

23. Dynamic Visualizations - Use Google Sheets to create dynamic charts and graphs which automatically update.

24. e-Books - Have students create eBooks using Google Docs or Slides. Utilize third-party applications for publishing.

25. Emergency Procedures Handbooks - Create and distribute Emergency Procedure Handbooks using Google Docs and Classroom.

26. Employee Warning Forms - Develop an employee warning form which can be privately shared with employees through Classroom.

27. ePub File - Create an ePub file by using the "download as" feature in Google Docs. ePub files can be read on tablets or smartphones.

28. Escape Rooms - Create digital escape rooms in Classroom. There are many resources on the web for digital escape rooms.

29. Explore Tool - Use the Explore tool in any Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to see related information and images from your document or the web.

30. Export from SIS - Several SIS apps will allow you to auto-create Google Classrooms and auto-sync class rosters from student information export data.

31. Exposure to Online Courses - Google Classroom is a great way to expose students to an online learning environment before they get to college.

32. Extension Lessons - Post extension lessons for students who have already mastered the content or for early finishers.

33. Field Trip Reports - Have students bring cell phones on a field trip to access field trip schedules, meeting points, or report documents.

34. Filter Email - Filter Gmail to avoid a cluttered inbox. Set filters to what's most important for your needs.

35. First-Person Experiences - Have students take on the identities of people actively involved in an event or era they have chosen to research, and create a monologue which can be recorded as audio or video and uploaded to Classroom.

36. Flashcards - Use Google Sheets along with third-party extensions to create digital flashcards.

37. Food Logs - Have students create and/or complete food logs in Classroom for health projects.

38. Footnotes - Have students add footnotes into a Google Doc as part of a research paper.

39. Formative Assessments - Create formative assessments to check for student understanding. Self-grading formative assessments can be created by asking a new question in Classroom using the multiple choice option, with Google Forms, or with third-party apps which integrate with Classroom.

40. Fundraiser Collection Logs - Create fundraiser collection logs using Google Sheets which can be shared with all teachers who lead organizations or sports.

41. Gather Volunteers - Use Classroom to get volunteers for class, school, or community activities.

42. Generic Answer Sheets - Create generic answer sheets for students in Google Forms which can be submitted directly to the teacher in Classroom.

43. Geocaching - With mobile devices students can complete geocaching lessons via Classroom. Just upload the necessary instructions, and students can have a fun, engaging activity outside of the classroom.

44. Global Pen Pals - Have students connect with students in another state or country utilizing Gmail.

45. Google Chrome - Using the Google Chrome browser makes Classroom even more useful. With hundreds of add-ons and extensions available in the Chrome Web Store, options for Classroom are almost limitless.

46. Go Paperless - Put everything in Classroom to go completely paperless.

47. Grade Level Classes - Create grade-level classrooms for teachers to collaborate or for all students in a grade level to work. At the high school level, think about creating a Classroom for each grade level which could be utilized for grade-specific information such as ordering senior jackets, senior rings, school pictures, etc.

48. Guardian Summaries - Invite guardians to receive daily, weekly, or monthly summaries on what's happening in the class.

49. Guest Lecturers - Invite guest lecturers into your classroom. Utilize third-party apps for a live feed of the lecture or use Youtube for pre-recorded lectures.

50. Help Lists - Create help lists for students who need extra assistance on a topic. Students can sign up on the list through Classroom using Google Sheets, Docs, or Forms.

51. Ice Breakers - Use Classroom for icebreaker activities with students or teachers.

52. Incident Reporting - Create a Google Form that can be used by administrators to report incidents to supervisors.

53. Jigsaw - Use the jigsaw strategy to assign students to read different parts of an article or document in Classroom.

54. Journals - Have students keep an online journal for personal reflections, literature, or any other topic of interest.

55. Keep Lessons Current - With Google Classroom, lessons can be updated on the fly. Just log in and update the content to keep your lessons current.

56. Keep Students Organized - Using Classroom can help students stay organized without a backpack full of papers.

57. Keyboard Commands - Use keyboard commands to move through the grading tool more effectively. The arrow keys or tab button can be used to move through student work without taking your hands off the keyboard.

58. Live Finance Data - Get live finance data using Google's finance functions.

59. Leave Request Forms - In a teacher Classroom, provide leave request forms for teachers to complete when they must be out of the classroom.

60. Living Vocabulary - Have students include images on a slide with vocabulary words. The image allows students to develop a stronger connection to the word.

61. Lyric Summaries - Have students, in small groups, list what they think is the most important information they have learned. Each group uses their list to write a summary which becomes the new lyrics to a song the group has chosen. The group then sings and records a video or MP3 their Lyric Summary, and uploads to the Classroom.

62. Make Sure All Students Participate in Questioning - The question feature in Classroom makes it easy to ensure all students are participating in questioning. Just glance at the question to see how many students have answered.

63. Make-Up Work - Absent students can access make-up work from Classroom.

64. Media Rich Research Paper - Students can incorporate any type of media in a research paper created in Google Docs including images, video, and text.

65. Meeting Minutes - Record and upload meeting minutes to Classroom for any organization.

66. Membership Information Forms - Create and upload membership information forms for group members.

67. Mentor Text Link Collection - Provide mentor text links for students in Google Classroom by uploading the links as Materials.

68. Menus - Create menus for student choice or as a student-based project using Google Docs or Slides.

69. Model Work - Post model work and examples for students to see.

70. Modules - Create modules or unit lessons in Classroom by using the topics feature.

71. Naming Conventions for Classes - Create a naming system for Classes so classes you teach can be easily located.

72. Narrative Reports - Create a narrative report or document a student's progress through descriptive summary or overview rather than a report card. The narrative report details skills, behaviors and learning goals mastered. Add to the report as the year progresses. Upload artifacts to Classroom for storage in Drive.

73. Needs Assessments - Use Google Forms to develop needs assessment surveys for your class, school, or district.

74. Note-Taking - Use a collaborative note-taking method for students. You may also consider including graphic organizers for note-taking.

75. Notifications - Personalize notifications to meet your needs and determine the method of receiving notifications.

76. Observation Data Collection - Use Classroom along with Google Forms and Sheets to collect teacher observation data.

77. Observation Forms - Create teacher or student observation forms in Google Forms and upload to Classroom.

78. Observe Another Class - Ask a teacher to add you to their Classroom to see how they teach and organize the class.

79. Online Course - Create a course which is entirely online for homebound students or students who can't fit the course into their schedule.Online Reading Tracker - Create an online reading tracker using Forms or Sheets. The tracker can be set up to automatically tally how many books a student has read or AR points.

80. Oral History Project - Create a long-term project in which students research the personal history of an individual of their choice and create a Google Slides presentation which includes artifacts, a feature article, a personal memoir, and a photograph. Final projects can be uploaded to Classroom.

81. Order Forms - Create order forms for school apparel and spirit items sales using Google Docs or Google Forms.

82. Organize Lessons - Use the Move to Top/Move to Bottom feature to organize lessons into a logical order for your class. Classroom also allows you to organize lessons into topics. By the end of the year, you'll have an organized outline of your entire course.

83. Organize Research - Google offers many ways to stay organized with research. In Google Slides, use the explore tool to find images or web results, and use the speaker notes section to copy hyperlinks to later create the works cited page.

84. Plagiarism Checks - There are several online apps and extensions which check for plagiarism. Find one that best suits your needs.

85. Post Daily Agenda - Post your daily agenda as an announcement in Google Classroom or use a Google Doc for an ongoing list.

86. Post Daily Learning Targets - Post daily learning targets as an announcement in Google Classroom or use Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets for an ongoing list.

87. Post Multiple Choice Questions - Use the question feature on the Classwork tab in Classroom to post multiple choice questions at any time.

88. Post Short Answer Questions - Use the question feature on the Classwork tab in Classroom to post short answer questions.

89. Pre- and Post- Observation Reflection Forms - Create pre- and post-observation reflection forms for teachers. These can be uploaded as an assignment in Classroom and used to help teachers improve professional practice.

90. Pre-Assessments - Create pre-assessments for students before beginning a new lesson to check for prior knowledge and to guide teaching.

91. Press Conferences - Have collaborative groups research a given topic. Peers act as the audience and raise questions as if they were participating in a press conference. Have students record audio or video and submit to Classroom. Remember, that you must create each collaborative group in Google Classroom.

92. Progress Monitoring - Create forms for monitoring student progress which can be downloaded for data analysis. This can be used for students with learning or behavioral disabilities as well.

93. Protected Sharing - Prevent collaborators from sharing your document with others by changing settings to "prevent editors from changing access or adding new people." You can also change settings to prevent others from downloading, copying, or printing your files.

94. QR Codes - Create individualized QR codes in Google Sheets.

95. Quick Writes - Ask students write what they know about a specific topic which can then be used to determine a starting point for teaching, to evaluate student learning, and to plan future lessons. This can be done on a collaborative Google Doc in Classroom or with individual documents which students upload to Classroom.

96. Randomly Select Students - Android users can randomly select students using the random name selector tool in the Android Classroom App. Non-android users can download third-party extensions which randomly choose students.

97. Rapping for Review - Have students collaborate in groups to write rap songs to express their knowledge and thoughts about the content they have learned. The group then sings and records a video or MP3 of their rap and uploads to Classroom.

98. Real-Life Examples - Incorporate images and videos into lessons to provide real-life examples for students.

99. Reduce Cheating - Easily assign different versions of an assessment by choosing which students receive each version the test.

100. Remediation - Assign remediation for struggling students.

101. Reserve Equipment - Create Google Forms for staff and students to reserve equipment.

102. Reset Class Code - Reset your Classroom code whenever warranted by navigating to the Settings menu.

103. RSVP to Events - Respond to Google Calendar Events with the click of a button. You can also add notes to the RSVP.

104. RTI Classroom - Create a Response to Intervention Classroom which provides intervention resources and provides a place where teachers can seek assistance with student interventions.

105. Save Slides as SVG - Feeling crafty? Save Google Slides in an SVG format for use with electronic cutting tools.

106. Scantrons - Create electronic scantron forms using Google Forms.

107. Scavenger Hunts - Send students on a digital scavenger hunt based on your content area.

108. Schedule Posts - Schedule posts to publish on a future date and time.

109. Scheduling Forms - Counselors can create scheduling forms using Google Forms for students to select courses for scheduling.

110. School Announcements - Post school announcements in a school-wide Classroom.

111. School Maps - Post school maps in your Classroom for new students.

112. School Newspaper - Create a school newspaper using Google Docs.

113. Seating Charts - Create and post seating charts for students or substitute teachers.

114. Self-Updating Spreadsheets - Create spreadsheets which self-update using functions in Google Sheets.

115. Send Reminders - Send reminders to students or teachers by making an announcement in Classroom.

116. Service Learning Program - Use Classroom to manage student-led service-learning projects that correlate what is being taught and what is going on in a student's community, including institutions, literature, history, cultural history, etc.

117. Set Office Hours - Set office hours by turning off notifications when you get home and turning them back on in the morning.

118. Share to Classroom Extension - Download the Share to Classroom extension for Google Chrome to push websites to students in Classroom.

119. Sharing Expirations - G-Suite users can set an expiration date and time on sharing through Google Drive.

120. Showcase Students of the Week/Month - Highlight students who have gone above and beyond in the class by creating an announcement or uploading a document to showcase their accomplishments.

121. Sign-In Sheets - Create digital sign-in sheets for meetings.

122. Sign-Up Sheets - Create online sign-up sheets for parents and students to use for conferences, activities, research topics, intramurals, etc.

123. Socratic Seminars - Create digital Socratic Seminars in Classroom through the question feature or by using a collaborative Google Doc.

124. Staffing - Use Google Forms and Sheets to finalize staffing for a new school year

125. Streamline Workflow - Google Classroom works seamlessly with other Google tools and hundreds of apps to help anyone and everyone streamline their workflow.

126. Study Skills Classroom - Create a Classroom which focuses on helping students with skills for more efficient studying.

127. Summative Assessments - Create summative assessments for all students in a specific course.

128. Summer Assignments - Create summer assignments for students through Classroom.

129. Survey of Prior Knowledge - Use Google Forms or Google Docs to survey students for prior knowledge before beginning a new lesson.

130. Surveys - Conduct surveys for a class, the school, or the district.

131. Syllabus - Create and upload your class syllabus as a Material in Classroom.

132. Tables for Younger Collaborators - Create Google Docs with tables to make collaboration more accessible for younger students. Each student is assigned a portion of the table to post their responses.

133. Teacher-Created Assessment Collection - Use Classroom to collect teacher-created assessments.

134. Teacher Mentor Classroom - Create a Classroom in which new teachers are paired with mentors. Veteran teachers can post helpful information or assist new teachers with difficult tasks.

135. Technology Assistance Form - Create a Google Form for teachers to request technical assistance.

136. Templates - Create templates for projects, essays, and other student assignments.

137. Test Corrections - Make sure to return student work, so students regain their editing rights to the document. Students can then correct mistakes.

138. Test Prep - Create a Classroom where students can access prep materials for standardized tests such as the ACT or SAT.

139. Track Attendance - Track student attendance with a Google Sheet.

140. Track Participation on Collaborative Documents - Easily view who participates on a collaborative document.

141. Translation - Use Google Translate for English Language Learners in Classroom. You can translate the entire Classroom or web pages with the Google Translate extension, or use the translate function in Google Docs.

142. Tutoring - Create a Classroom for students to request and work with tutors.

143. Upload Files from Multiple Sources - Upload files from your computer, Google Drive, YouTube, or websites.

144. Version History - See the version history of a document and revert to a previous version if needed.

145. Voice Typing - Google offers an embedded speech-to-text tool known as voice typing which can be found under the Tools menu.

146. Voting - Use Google Forms for voting on recess games, snacks, class roles, and any other topic you may want your students to vote on.

147. Walkthrough Data - Use Classroom to collect walkthrough data to improve teacher and classroom effectiveness.

148. Web Pages - Create class web pages by downloading a Google Document as an HTML file.

149. Website Evaluation Form - Create a Google Form to help students evaluate websites. Include important questions the student needs to answer to determine if the website is reputable or not.

150. Word-Finds - Use Google Sheets to create word-finds for students or have students create the puzzles themselves.

What did we miss?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
150 Smarter Ways to Use Google Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Spread the loveAre you new to Google Classroom and looking for more efficient ways to use the platform? Don't worry; we have you covered. In today's tip, we will discuss 150 smarter ways to use Google Classroom. Accident Report Forms - Create accident report forms in a faculty Classroom for teachers and coaches to report accidents to the office quickly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mind mapping is the process of using visual diagrams to show the relationships between ideas or information. Its popular uses include project planning, collecting and organizing thoughts, brainstorming and presentations -- all in order to help solve problems, map out resources and uncover new ideas.

It can be more useful than trying to keep track of our ideas by scribbling them on paper, and can aid in manipulating and generating concepts.

We've compiled a list of 24 mind mapping tools to help you organize, summarize and visualize information, with both free and paid versions available to suit any budget or requirement. The tools mentioned are either browser- or desktop-based, with a selection of mind mapping mobile apps at the end of the article for use on iOS and Android devices.

Is there a particular mind mapping tool you would recommend? If so, please share a link with our readers in the comments below.

1. Mindmeister

MindMeister was built to facilitate collaboration for mind mapping and brainstorming, with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. You can collaborate in real time, discuss changes over live chat, exchange ideas and even view the change history of a mind map.

You can access projects via mobile devices as well as online and offline, safe in the knowledge that your data is stored securely with data encryption and daily monitoring. Since MindMeister is cloud-based, there is no need to install any software or worry about upgrades.

Price: Personal accounts start at $4.99 per month, going up to $14.99 for a business account.

iMindMap was developed by Tony Buzan, who popularized the term "mind maps," and refined and formalized its diagramming process and guidelines.

iMindMap is designed to be visually stimulating, with curved branches, bright colors and sharp images to help unleash your creativity. You can take full control over your map with a customizable drawing experience, or let iMindMap create the whole map for you. There are freehand, styling and text options so you can create a unique project. It's simple to brainstorm, refine, plan and craft an animated presentation.

Price: Home and student edition is £49 (~$79); the Ultimate package is £149 (~$240).

3. SpiderScribe

SpiderScribe is an online mind mapping and brainstorming tool that lets you organize your ideas by connecting notes, files, and calendar events in freeform maps. You can create private or public maps and collaborate with others, as your maps are stored in the cloud and can be accessed anywhere.

You can combine a variety of media to create a stencil, and each stencil can be customized by changing colors, fonts, size and formats. Another particularly interesting feature of SpiderScribe is the ability to embed your mind maps on your website.

Price: Personal accounts are free, with Pro accounts at $5 per month and business accounts at $25 per month.

XMind is a useful open source mind mapping tool for clarifying thinking, managing complex information, organizing and brainstorming. You can gather ideas and craft them in a logical structure to help identify critical information, uncover patterns, relationships, priorities and trends.

For seamless collaboration, your mind map can be exported into a variety of formats, including PDF, TXT, HTML, PNG, JPEG and more. Along with a mind map structure, XMind also offers tree, logic and fishbone charts, with a built-in spell checker, search, encryption and even audio notes.

Price: Accounts range from free up to $79 per year.

With Coggle you can brainstorm and produce beautiful notes or mind maps to share and collaborate with others. You can drag and drop images onto your diagrams, view the change history to keep track of edits and customize the colors within each project.

You can export your projects in PDF or PNG format, create private links, or share publicly on social media and add clickable links. Coggle supports Markdown and also works seamlessly on mobile devices.

Price: Free

Freemind is an open source mind mapping tool built in Java, and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It has a wide variety of features, including location-based mind mapping, collaboration tools, restore session support and more.

It can be used to keep track of projects as a knowledge base, and as a powerful mind mapping tool for complex diagrams with numerous branches, including embedded links and multimedia. You can export your map as HTML, PDF, OpenDocument, SVG or PNG.

Price: Free

7. Text2MindMap

Text2MindMaps is a useful way of organizing your thoughts using a simple, online tool. It's easy to use -- just type some text into the text area, use the tab key to indent text lines and click the Draw Mind Map button to see it evolve.

Each line of text is a separate node in the mind map, and there are options to style the map to suit your requirements. It features a number of keyboard shortcuts, and each map can be downloaded as a PDF or image, or even emailed to share with collaborators.

Price: Free

Popplet is a mind mapping tool that is perfect for visually curating your ideas and brainstorms. You can visually record your ideas, inspirations and thoughts, as well as upload text, videos, images and draw on your canvas.

For those working in teams, Popplet allows multiple devices to connect to the same project. You can create Popplet presentations, use high-resolution images, create embeds for websites and blogs, and include tags, keywords and categories on all your Popplet projects to make searching easier. There is an accompanying iOS app which gives you mobile access to your projects; however, there is currently no Android version available.

Price: Free

Bubbl.us makes online brainstorming and mind mapping simple. To start, just type your central topic to start a tree, and then create another idea at the same level or as a sub-level. The Bubbl.us tree will automatically reposition itself to fit any new ideas you have, or you can move the bubbles around manually.

You can customize a tree to suit your style by changing the color and size. The auto-save feature is especially useful, and you can share your project as a read-only file or allow others to edit it. To collaborate on the same tree, other team members must have their own Bubbl.us accounts.

Price: Free

Browser-based Mind42 allows you to manage all of your ideas on one platform for a fast and simple mind mapping experience. You can quickly create, manage and edit any kind of data structure required for mind maps to explore ideas in a visually meaningful way.

All you need to do is create an account and click New MInd Map. Once you start a project, you can invite collaborators and create helpful groups such as Business or Private. You can even import existing mind maps from other applications, such as Mindmanager and Freemind.

Price: Free

11. GroupMap

GroupMap is specifically built to make team activities easy, providing a unique platform for anyone to respond on a map, with any parameters you set. You can select a map or create your own, and then invite your team to collaborate, comment, converse and vote to help decide the best ideas from a session.

Each individual can add their ideas to the brainstorm, and the results aggregate into a group view for comments and voting, making for a more open, efficient process.

Price: Accounts range from free up to $49 per month for a professional account.

Mindomo provides mind mapping and project collaboration tools for both businesses and education providers. It can be used to brainstorm mind maps, create tasks and share resources within a secure environment. It's fully collaborative with the conversations, discussions and topics enabled within each workspace.

You can style individual mind maps using themes to better illustrate concepts and projects. You can choose to keep you map private or public, and also provide a direct link to your map to share with team members or clients.

Price: Accounts range from free up to $29 per month for a team account.

13. Stormboard

Stormboard focuses on real-time brainstorming and collaboration, allowing you to add ideas, photos and videos to a shared online whiteboard. You can quickly generate and capture ideas, and prioritize and vote on them. All ideas have a unique comment thread to clarify, refine and debate.

Stormboard features a library of templates that you can customize to suit your specifications. Since Stormboard is compatible with mobile, you can access, capture and review ideas anytime and anywhere.

Price: Accounts range from free up to $10 per month for at team account.

MindMap is a Google Chrome extension that has Cloud, Google Drive, Dropbox and Box support built in. You can save your work into local storage, in the cloud, and print or export finished mind maps as an image.

You can even manipulate the fonts and positions within each node, add images and text, and share your maps through your social media connections. MindMap allows real-time collaboration and embedding within websites or blogs. Also of interest are three similar mind mapping Google Chrome extensions: MindMapr, MindMup and Connected Mind.

Price: Free

15. Wisemapping

Wisemapping is an online, open source mind mapping editor for both individuals and businesses to share with collaborators, embed in blogs, and easily import and export. If security is important and you don't want to use the browser-based app, you can download, install and configure WiseMapping on your own server.

The tool allows you to invite team members to view and collaborate on your mind maps and export maps to Freemind, PDF, SVG and other image file formats. Wisemapping also features an embeddable mind map viewer for use on other websites or blogs.

Price: Free

16. MindManager

MindManager from Mindjet is a powerful mind mapping tool that lets you organize your ideas in a single view, where you can easily drag and drop to gather and prioritize your ideas. Adding images, video, hyperlinks and attachments is simple, and the project planning tools make it straightforward to turn ideas into action.

It works with Microsoft Office and Apple productivity tools, including Outlook and Entourage. MindManager also features automated calculations to help evaluate and analyze data.

Price: A license is $129, or $349 for MindManager Plus.

17. Freeplane

Freeplane is an open source application that runs on any operating system with Java installed. It can also run locally or portably from a removable storage, such as a USB drive.

You can freely position, order, classify, group or connect any node and style the map using shapes, colors and edge type -- or even according to hierarchical level. You can structure nodes in terms of content, such as text, formula, icon, image or hyperlink. Mind maps are password protectable, and you can make full use of the drag and drop functionality, search, publishing and sharing options available.

Price: Free

18. The Brain

The Brain aims to be the ultimate in digital memory, and is available for Windows, OS X and Linux. It's more than a mind mapping application in that it allows you to visualize all of your tasks, ideas, projects, documents and notes in one convenient place.

You can store an unlimited amount of information, which is available on both the desktop and mobile devices, using a simple drag and drop interface. The Brain focuses on helping you build meaningful and dynamic connections that give you a greater insight into whatever idea or project you're working on.

Price: The Service Only package is $15; License Only is $219; Complete Package is $299.

19. LucidChart

LucidChart is a powerful diagramming application that helps you quickly capture and organize ideas during a brainstorming session into a single useful mind map. It features a suite of tools including real-time collaboration, built-in Google image search, custom themes and social sharing.

The auto-spacing of mind mapping nodes, hotkeys for quick mind map creation, collapsible branches, auto theming and chat feature all give you the flexibility to create and customize your mind map.

Price: Accounts range from free up to $21 per month for team accounts.

Scapple is a mind map app for OS X from the developer of the popular longform writers tool Scrivener, and it's specifically directed at writers. It provides a space for mapping out your thoughts in a free way, without conforming to a single idea or goal. You can start typing anywhere, link ideas, build relationships, and adjust or expand everything.

Your notes can take the form of text, pictures, a PDF or any other type of file you choose. You can stack related ideas into columns for better organization, while the appearance of notes can be easily changed through the font choice, colors or border style.

Price: The software download is $14.99.

Mapul is a web-based tool powered by Microsoft Silverlight, which allows you to generate mind maps without leaving your browser. It's an evolution of MapMyself and provides a free or subscription-based account.

It features a quirky, hand-drawn interface and has the option to save or export mind maps. You can import images and style your text with various sizing and color options.

Price: Accounts can hold up to 10 users; a single user account for six months is $30, and a 10-user account is $360 per year.

MindApp is a mind mapping tool available in-browser or as a Windows desktop app. It features a drag and drop interface, keyboard shortcuts, children's options, and map and text formatting.

You can save mind maps online in your free personal account or as images on your desktop, which can be used in other applications. The map can be styled to suit your tastes and includes shapes, lines, alignment, size, color, borders and background options.

Price: Free

23. CoMapping

CoMapping is an online mind mapping application to take notes, plan, organize and share information, with multiple people able to work collaboratively on the same map. The visual interface allows for the drag and drop of topics for quick reorganization, while the app also enables you to work offline and provides a place for private, non-shareable data.

CoMapping has a built-in chat feature to support instant discussion, and also includes task management, presentations and email status updates.

Price: Accounts range from free up to $612 per year (for classrooms/departments with 100 users).

24. MyThoughts

MyThoughts for OS X offers freedom and flexibility to build meaningful, unique mind maps boasting powerful features, including drag and drop, branch styles, relationships, a media browser, print manager and outline notes. You can import OPML and Freemind files and export to RTDF, Word, PDF, Image and OPML formats.

The uncluttered, user-friendly interface make it easy to get started and brainstorm freely, with the ability to add links to files and URLs, and even share files between the popular iThoughtsHD OS X and iPad app.

Price: A single license is £31.60 (~$51), and the Family Pack costs £44.49 (~$72).

Mobile Apps

The tools above are among the the best to create mind maps online or on your desktop. However, there are many iOS and Android mind mapping apps that may interest you:
Simplemind Idea Sketch MindGenius Mind Mapping Mind Map Memo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
24 Essential Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Tools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mind mapping is the process of using visual diagrams to show the relationships between ideas or information. Its popular uses include project planning, collecting and organizing thoughts, brainstorming and presentations -- all in order to help solve problems, map out resources and uncover new ideas.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Educational Hip-Hop Songs & Videos for All Subjects, K-12

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Flocabulary is a library of songs, videos and activities for K-12 online learning. Hundreds of thousands of teachers use Flocabulary’s educational raps and teaching lesson plans to supplement their instruction and engage students. Our team of artists and educators is not only committed to raising test scores, but also to fostering a love of learning in every child.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Heidi Raki

Differentiation and technology integration are two hot topics in education right now. They're also two of my specialties, so I'd love to share 10 ways I like to differentiate instruction using technology.

These strategies and technology resources are purposely not specific to grade level or subject, in an effort to be valuable to teachers of all grade levels. And because everybody's technology situation is different, I have provided you with additional differentiated instructions in case you have just one computer in your classroom.

These suggestions will also be appropriate to classrooms with two or three computers, any number that allows for small groups to share a computer. Some of these ideas also have suggestions for how to make tech-based differentiation work better with a one to one classroom set up.

1. Give middle-of-the-pack learners freedom

When working in leveled groups, give your low or middle group teaching websites like Moby Max, Khan Academy, IXL or Starfall. These types of websites give the group you are not with an additional "teacher." I work with my lowest group myself and let my middle group use a teaching website while the higher groups work together independently.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: If your classroom only has one computer, be sure that the computer is placed strategically away from your teaching group. This will allow students to watch videos or do assignments without headphones.

Additionally, for websites like Moby Max or IXL, set up an additional account that is the "Yellow (Middle) Group's Account" so that students can work on practice problems as a group without messing up any individual student's account.

2. Turn students into teachers with presentation tools

When working in leveled groups, allow higher-level students to use presentation websites like Prezi, Powtoon and EduGlogs to create projects or videos to "teach" the other students while you personally work with lower-level students.

At the end of the lesson, review the projects or videos as a whole group to see if the highest group can add anything new to what you have reviewed with the low and/or middle groups.

Have class rules and procedures for working on a group project. This reduces the amount of bickering once students are working on a computer, and prevents one student from doing all of the work.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: Have planning sheets available for students so they can plan before they get onto the computer. Encourage students to have another student review their plan before starting the presentation.
More: 8 New Presentation Tools For Teachers (And Students!)
3. Encourage collaboration with Google Docs and Prezi

When using semi-permanent groupings like literature groups, use websites that allow multiple students to work in the same document simultaneously like Google Documents and Prezi so that they can create a collection of work collaboratively over a longer period of time.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: Determine whose account students will use to work on their collective document ahead of time. You may also decide to have one classroom account that all students work on.

4. Use learning games to engage students outside of small groups

Use "computer learning games" to keep students engaged when you are pulling small ad-hoc groups to review specific skills, especially right before or right after a test. An easy way to do this is to use a Google Document or Edmodo post with links to the specific games that would help with a particular skill.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: Group students based on their needs so that all the students working on the computer need to work on the same skill.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: Keep an ongoing document that links skills to online games or videos. This way, students can review skills previously covered at any time, and move onto new ones. This is a valuable document for every student, allowing everyone to hone their skills without their peers being able to single them out.

5. Record peer tutoring sessions to review later

Have students record their conversations during peer tutoring using screen recording software or note-taking apps with built-in audio software like Evernote. This allows you to check in and see if there's anything information that was incorrect or needs following-up.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: Substitute other technology, including simple digital voice recorders, cell phone cameras/audio apps, or even cassette recorders to do the same thing in a cheaper, more portable way.
More: 5 iPad Projects to Assess Student Learning
6. Use student-made video tutorials

Instead of using traditional peer tutoring, have students create a video or tutorial for other students using websites like PowToon and Screencast-o-matic. Pair older students with younger or lower-level classes, allowing everyone to be an "expert" and teach someone else what they know. After videos are complete, allow students to use the videos to review skills at their own pace.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: Let students create their videos in groups. You may also want to try non-computer approaches to creating videos, like using a cell phone, video camera or tablet.

There are many apps that allow you to create movies including Explain Everything, Screen Chomp and Educreations.

If you are in a one-tablet classroom rather than a one computer classroom, consider paying for apps like Explain Everything where students can save files and retrieve them later instead of having to stay in their video until it is complete.

7. Provide students with differentiated project options

Giving students a choice with in their projects is a great way to differentiate the project. You can have students choose their topic or subtopic, or give them a choice for how the information is presented.

Students can create videos with programs like PowToon or iMovie; presentations with programs like Prezi and Google Slides; virtual field trips with picture slide show software like Kizoa or online storybooks with Storybird. Technology gives us so many possibilities for projects.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: Technology projects in a one-computer classroom often need to be group projects where each group rotates through the use of the computer. In this case, be sure to have an alternative activity available for those students who are not having access to a computer at that moment.

Also, give groups the option of both technology projects and non-technology projects like dioramas or song writing. These choices will reduce the number of students who need technology.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: Technology projects are awesome in a one to one classroom, but don't forget to give students non-technology or partial technology projects. An example of a partial technology project might be for them to write a song about the topic and practice singing it, but then record the song in audio recording software like Audacity.

8. Make assignment resources available all year long

Student-paced learning is the ultimate differentiation. If you have a class where many students move on at their own pace, you might consider having videos and assignments available for your entire semester or even your entire course so that students can work at their own pace.

You can have these resources available to students through a series of Google Documents or Edmodo posts. Students can have links to videos or websites to explore, as well as a list of possible assignments and quizzes given through Edmodo quizzes or QuizStar.

Students work at their own pace through the assignments and lessons, with projects embedded throughout. This style of student-paced learning is especially helpful if you need students to have a similar stopping point.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: Prioritize the computer for the few kids who are really far ahead, or really far below. Allow these students to work self-paced while you take the rest of the class through a typical day.
4 Content Curation Websites for Lesson Resources
9. Encourage passion-based learning

Let students follow their passions through Be the Teacher Projects, Student-Led Inquires, Passion Projects, Genius Hour or 20% Time to get them more engaged in their learning. This is also a way for you to differentiate by bringing in each students' individual interests and level.

Thanks to YouTube and other online video programs, students can teach themselves almost anything they want to know, as long as we teach them how to do the research appropriately. Allow students to use videos, websites and other resources, both on and off the Internet, to research a topic of their own choice, at their own pace.

Students can present the topics to their classmates, and the world, by creating a project. This project can be technology-based, using presentation or video creation software, or it could be a traditional of presentation with a poster or other props.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: Group students based on interest and allow them to work together on the project. You may also want to prioritize your computer by asking students to either use it for research only or project creation only. Either of these will reduce the amount of time student spend trying to use it.

10. Encourage sharing of ideas

When using collaborative learning groups like jigsaw, inside outside circle, or think pair share, allow students to share their thinking using a message board like Edmodo or virtual bulletin boards like Padlet. This allows their ideas and resources to be reviewed and used by the class as a whole, while building a class document of learning that can be referred to during review or projects.

One Computer Classroom Suggestion: Have students do their brainstorming orally or written on small Post-Its. Then add the information to the virtual bulletin board afterwards as a group.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: You may still want students to do the movement of inside outside circle in order to activate thinking through movement and interaction. Afterwards, set a timer for 5 minutes and ask students to record as much as they can remember on the message board.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Ways to Differentiate Instruction with Technology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Heidi Raki Differentiation and technology integration are two hot topics in education right now. They're also two of my specialties, so I'd love to share 10 ways I like to differentiate instruction using technology.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Want to know what your students are thinking during class? Now, there's an app for that!

The new web-based application GoSoapBox allows teachers to gauge student understanding or confusion levels throughout a lesson, poll students and track the data for future reference. It can be used on laptops, tablets and smart phones, which sets it apart from some other clicker/student response systems.

John Pytel, GoSoapBox's founder, shared the inside scoop on this new ed tech tool in this exclusive TeachHUB interview.
How did the idea for GoSoapBox come about?
GoSoapBox stemmed from our personal experiences in going through the education system. Participation can lack in the classroom for many reasons. It can be stressful for students to speak in front of their peers or to publicly admit they don't know something. Interrupting the class to participate or ask a question can be awkward.

This is a big problem because participation is an integral part of learning, and it can be frustrating for teachers to hear from the same three students every time. On the flipside though, if every student asked every single question that they had, teachers would never be able to make it through all of the material.

We wanted to develop a way to break down those participation barriers and build a platform for student communication, but in a very controlled way.

What do you think is the most innovative feature of the GoSoapBox app?
I think most people would say that the Confusion Barometer is the most innovative feature. Students can indicate when they are confused with the click of a button, and the teacher sees a graphical representation, showing the trend in the number of confused students over time.
How does GoSoapBox help teachers both in the classroom and tracking performance after class?
But I think the most innovative part of GoSoapBox is the overall user experience. We've placed a lot of focus and importance on creating a very simple, intuitive product. We know that teachers are very busy and don't have time to devote hours to learning a new technology. We truly believe that a teacher can learn and begin using GoSoapBox in 15 minutes.

During class, GoSoapBox is a great way to assess comprehension on an aggregate level. Voting for questions allows teachers to see the most pressing issues, the confusion barometer displays confusion among the entire class, and polls can be used to quickly assess comprehension on a class-wide level. GoSoapBox is a great way to gather all of this data, and because teachers have limited time with each class, the data can be used to make quick decisions in terms of overall comprehension.
Do teachers ever find it distracting to their teaching?
Outside of class, GoSoapBox allows teachers to export a spreadsheet containing all of the data from the interaction during class. Each section of the spreadsheet is organized by individual student, so teachers can narrow in on assessing comprehension on an individual level and better understand where each of their students are performing well or struggling.

Our users have not mentioned that it's been distracting. However, we understand that some teachers may find it distracting to see questions popping up as they are trying to teach material. That's why we've made every feature on GoSoapBox customizable so that teachers have the ability to control when their student can and cannot interact with each feature.

In terms of it being distracting to students... using GoSoapBox during class requires that the students have access to some sort of technology that can connect them to the internet. There are many people who believe that giving students access to technology during class only increases the potential for distraction. We believe, and have heard from many of our users that what actually happens is quite the opposite. Most students become disengaged or distracted out of confusion and not keeping up with the material, but those participation barriers keep them from raising their hand. So instead they end up daydreaming, doodling, or disengaging in some other way.
Is anyone on staff a K-12 educator? How did you get teachers involved in the app's development?
With GoSoapBox, students tend to stay engaged in the material because they're consistently contributing, and their questions are getting answered.

Neither of us is a K-12 educator, but teachers played a huge role in developing the product from day one. We were very candid, and still are, about how important user feedback is to us. Our beta users were awesome and provided a ton of great feedback and suggestions for improvement, and we made many of the improvements they asked for.
In your free trial, what were some of the responses - both good and bad - from teachers?
Because neither one of us has expertise as an educator, we placed a lot of importance on user feedback and data rather than making assumptions ourselves.

Most of the feedback we heard during our beta test was really good. We quickly learned that our product was effective at improving engagement and breaking down those barriers, and we found that students really enjoy using it.

The story that we really enjoy telling is that we received a few different emails telling us that after using GoSoapBox a few times, physical participation actually improved in classrooms. Once students started realizing that they weren't the only ones who were confused, or saw that a question they submitted was popular among other students, it would start to build confidence, and they were more comfortable speaking up or raising their hand.
How did you find the 1300 teachers for the beta program? Were they mostly from 1:1 schools or affluent areas?
Most of the negative feedback we heard was derived from teachers who signed up without really understanding what the product was designed for. Early on, we realized that some users were having trouble learning how to use the product, so we integrated a better "Help" section and things like how-to guides.

The first week when we opened our beta, we did a bit of free online marketing and got posted on a couple sites. That first week we had 180 beta accounts (teachers) sign up. After that first week we really didn't initiate any marketing pushes. We were able to acquire an additional 1,300 beta accounts over the next three months, and they were 99 percent referral driven. Users would pass along the information to their colleagues or share it through their own blogs and social media sites. This was really exciting for us to see, and it quickly became clear that we had built something useful.

Among our K-12 users, it was pretty evenly split between 1:1 and bring-your-own-technology. We also had cases where the teacher or classroom had a set of, for example, 15 iPads for 30 students to share. So teachers would have two students pair up per device and still got a lot of value out of GoSoapBox.
How is GoSoapBox different than other clicker and student response systems?
Video of an example (created by one of our users)

What differentiates GoSoapBox is the custom level of engagement that can be achieved, combined with ease of adoption. Clickers and other competitive products seem to focus on teachers engaging students with questions, and while GoSoapBox accomplishes polls and quizzes just as well, it also promotes students engaging the teacher with questions. It's nice to see how well students can answer the questions that you ask them, but it's often times more effective to see the questions they're asking you.
What are the technology requirements to use GoSoapBox?
And unlike many of our competitors, teachers don't have to re-design their curriculum to best fit GoSoapBox - they can customize GoSoapBox to best fit their style of teaching. There are competitors who have a simple adoption process, but they lack the value that GoSoapBox can deliver in terms of assessment. Other competitors offer even more features than GoSoapBox but are time consuming to learn and often require re-designing an entire curriculum around them.

The requirements all depend on what you want to use GoSoapBox for. In terms of using GoSoapBox during class, the requirements are....
What about schools that can't depend on students and teachers with individual smart phones/tablets/laptops?
Teacher: Access to a device that connects to the Internet
Student: Access to a device that connects to the Internet
School: Wi-Fi (unless students are all using smartphone data plans, 3G, etc.)

GoSoapBox can still provide a lot of value if students are sharing devices, so complete 1:1 is not required.
How do you think GoSoapBox can be successful despite the challenges of available technology, especially with schools' shrinking budgets?
GoSoapBox is accessible 24/7, so teachers in schools that lack technology in the classroom can still have their students use GoSoapBox asynchronously, outside of the classroom. We built and designed GoSoapBox for use during class, and the asynchronous ability is generally an added benefit to our users, but it has the potential to provide value on an entirely asynchronous basis.

We know that there are obstacles for any education-related product, especially one that depends on technology in the classroom. However, the trend of 1:1 and BYOT is growing stronger every day.
Do you think GoSoapBox would work in your classroom? What other apps do you use to teach? Share in the comments section!
Eventually 1:1 technology is going to be the norm in education. Until then, we believe that there is a large enough market to support a product like GoSoapBox, as the rest of the schools are able to adopt tech.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
GoSoapBox: New Instant Student Feedback App

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Want to know what your students are thinking during class? Now, there's an app for that! The new web-based application GoSoapBox allows teachers to gauge student understanding or confusion levels throughout a lesson, poll students and track the data for future reference.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An edtech teaching toolkit should include reliable tools for your needs and circumstances. Whether that includes Kahoot!, Screencast-O-Matic, or Scratch, it’s ultimately about your teacher-student relationship.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ASCD Express 9.18 - Technology and Differentiated Instruction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why schools need technology to teach writing: Jeff Scheur at TEDxGunnHighSchool

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Socrative Tutorial - Formative Assessment Tool

# data[].attributes.headline
Sample Kindergarten Technology Integrated Lesson Plan

# data[].attributes.subject
Sample Kindergarten Technology Integrated Lesson Plan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The pressure is on, and educators are feeling it more and more.

Principals and school boards everywhere are requiring teachers to integrate technology into the classroom. Sometimes, the change is as simple as adding a computer class to the curriculum, other times it requires teachers to literally flip their entire lesson plan into a hi-tech beast!

Although these flipped classrooms give students an edge, they may also give their teachers a headache! Don't worry, I'm here to show you that whether you teach 2nd-grade math or high school biology there is a simple way to 'techify' your existing lesson plans.
Sit back and check out these 13 ways to integrate technology into any lesson!
1. Mission Impossible Challenge - Present a challenge to your students with this super engaging " Mission impossible" Template, complete with spy music! All you do is add your own images and Text!

2. Skype an Expert - The 'Live' version of anything online is awesome. Simply get in touch with an expert in any field, (this can be a college professor, the local museum curator, or even a fellow teacher). Schedule a Live Skype or Zoom session where the students can ask the expert questions - in real-time. If you teach Literature you're in luck, there is a website dedicated to connecting with authors - Skype an Author!

3. Five Facts about "Subject" - This is the most useful template for an in-class assignment or as homework (if students have the tech capabilities). Simply choose a topic, and write 5 facts about a said topic. "Hi, I'm H20 and I do 5 things really well..."

4. Fuzzy Image - You will need a camera or camera phone. Zoom in on an object until it becomes fuzzy or you can only see a small part of the total image. Print it out or project it onto a screen. Have students guess the mystery image as a lesson introduction.

5. Google Earth - This app is not limited to history or geography or environmental science; You can use it to show students where the pythagorean theorem was developed, or the actual location in China where 'Kung Fu Panda' learned his skills. Google Earth is a fun and really quick way to infuse some real-time, hi-tech into any lesson.

6. Interview A Scientist or Historical figure - Create a dialogue with a great leader in their field, such as Einstein, Gandhi, or Neil DeGrasse Tyson. This animated interview is very easy to set up using Powtoon. Simply upload an image and add a few speech bubbles. It's pretty fun watching your teacher hang out with an 'educational celebrity'. You ask questions and the answer is pre-made on each slide. Animated Interviews are also great for students with presentation anxiety because the slideshow guides them through each point.

7. Mini Me Introductions!- Turn yourself or your students into cartoon versions of yourselves! Students will get a kick out of seeing themselves on screen with a giant head and a cartoon body. " Mini-Me " is especially useful for the beginning of the school year. Your class can make animated videos or slideshows introducing themselves with key pointers, such as name, hobby and a cool fact they just learned!

7. Collaborative Class Blog - Set up a blog (WordPress, Blogger, Kidblog) for your class! Come up with a fun title with your students and create different categories based on your syllabus. For example, if you're an English Teacher you can vote on a fun title like, "Class 7B's Book Reading Blogorama!" Create a tab for each book you read like 'Brother's Grimm, The Giver, Macbeth, etc...' Ask your students a question in class and have them write a short post either during the lesson or as a homework assignment. Have them publish it the blog and tag it into the appropriate category.

8. Make a Meme - Meme Generator! There are memes about everything from cats to chemistry, to cats teaching chemistry. Have your students pick an image or provide your own image and let them fill in the rest. Print them out and hang 'em up!

9. Build My Website Project - Have your students build their own website based on course topics. For instance, if you teach History and you are learning about the Revolution - You can ask each student in the class to create a website covering 18th Century themes. i.e '18th Century Soldier' (resource guides, food reviews, military fashion, Horses in Battle, etc...) or 'Constitution Corner' (covering political candidates, issues and formation of the US government) Or '18th Century Science'.

10. Slide for Each Day Project - This is on one of my favorites. Every day after your lesson have one student summarize the main takeaway from the class in one sentence. Take a picture (either of another student, a drawing in a textbook, or upload a relevant image) and add it to a Powtoon slide. Voila! At the end of the month, you have a student-made, collaborative slideshow of class accomplishments!

11. Tell an inside Joke - Create a 20-second animated video with a personalized joke: "What is Mrs. Johnson's favorite drink?" Hot Chalk - olate! Yes, it's cheesy, but jokes are a quick and fun way to get kids situated with the idea of animations and short videos. Have them each write a funny joke, funny phrase or inspiring quotation. Check out this list of nerdy educational jokes and apply one to your class!

12.Lyric Video/Music Video - All students can relate to music. Have each student choose a short verse or chorus of a song they like, then have them change the lyrics to the topic of their choice. Here's an example of " All about that Space" by science entertainer Coma Niddy. Students can use animated characters and on-screen lyrics if they don't want to make live video. Here's an example of Uptown Funk animated Lyric video.

13. Video Clips - This is a no brainer - Use BrainPOP, YouTube or TED to break up the monotony of class by showing a video that enriches your lesson or even a short video clip that will let out a giggle. If you are giving a presentation via slideshow, you can even insert a video into your presentation without any tech skills.

There you have it! With minimal effort and a bit of creativity, you can easily integrate technology into any lesson plan.

Have you used any of these techniques for flipping the classroom? Would love to hear about your awesome ideas in the comments below!

The following two tabs change content below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
13 Simple Ways to Integrate Technology into any Lesson Plan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The pressure is on, and educators are feeling it more and more. Principals and school boards everywhere are requiring teachers to integrate technology into the classroom. Sometimes, the change is as simple as adding a computer class to the curriculum, other times it requires teachers to literally flip their entire lesson plan into a hi-tech beast!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Elementary Learning Experience Platform | Seesaw

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Seesaw is a Learning Experience Platform with 25M+ users, enhancing elementary education, engagement, and school culture while improving academic success.

# data[].attributes.headline
TED TALK Video- Blending Technology and Classroom Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
TED TALK Video- Blending Technology and Classroom Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Blending technology and classroom learning: Jessie Woolley-Wilson at TEDxRainier

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
60 Smarter Ways To Use Google Classroom
by Terry Heick

Google Classroom is quietly becoming the most powerful tool in education technology.

It may lack the visual appeal of iPads or the student credibility of a BYOD program. It may not be as forward-thinking as we'd like here at TeachThought, but Google Classroom excels in providing solutions for a broad swath of teachers who have a variety of expertise and comfort levels with education technology. It also uses Google's familiar template that many teachers have used for years. As such, it scratches the itch for many teachers in many classrooms right here, right now.

So below are (at least) 60 things you can do with Google Classroom. We'll be updating this list as new ideas come in, the platform changes, and we learn more about its subtleties on our own.
60 Smarter Ways To Use Google Classroom

1. When an assignment, lesson, or unit doesn't work, add your own comments-or have students add their own feedback), then tag it or save it to a different folder for revision.

2. Align curriculum with other teachers.

3. Share data with your professional learning community.

4. Keep samples of exemplar writing for planning.

5. Tag your curriculum.

6. Solicit daily, weekly, by-semester, or annual feedback from students and parents using Google Forms.

7. Share anonymous writing samples with students.

8. See what your assignments look like from the students' point-of-view.

9. Flip your classroom. The tools to publish videos and share assignments are core to Google Apps for Education.

10. Communicate assignment criteria with students.

11. Let students ask questions privately.

12. Let students create their own digital portfolios of their favorite work.

13. Create a list of approved research sources. You can also differentiate this by student, group, reading level, and more.

14. Post an announcement for students, or students and parents.

15. Design more mobile learning experiences for your students-in higher ed, for example.

16. Have students chart their own growth over time using Google Sheets.

17. Share due dates with mentors outside the classroom with a public calendar.

18. Email students individually, or as groups. Better yet, watch as they communicate with one another.

19. Create a test that grades itself using Google Forms.

20. Control file rights (view, edit, copy, download) on a file-by-file basis.

21. Have students curate project-based learning artifacts.

22. As a teacher, you can collaborate with other teachers (same grade by team, same content across grade level).

23. Encourage digital citizenship via peer-to-peer interaction that is documented.

24. Use Google Calendar for due dates, events outside the classroom, and other important "'chronological data.'

25. Communicate digitally with students who may be hesitant to 'talk' with you in person.

26. Streamline cross-curricular projects with other teachers.

27. Aggregate and publish commonly-accessed websites to make sure everyone has the same access, same documents, same links, and same information.

28. Vertically-align student learning by curating and sharing 'landmark' student assignments that reflect mastery of specific standards.

29. Encourage a common language by unpacking standards and share district-wide.

30. Encourage students to use their smartphones for formal learning. By accessing documents, YouTube channels, group communication, digital portfolio pieces and more on a BYOD device, students will have a chance to see their phone as something other than a purely for-entertainment device.

31. Create and publish 'power standards' (with students, other teachers, and other schools) for transparency and collaboration.

32. Promote peer-to-peer and/or school-to-school interactions-students with other students, students with other teachers, and teachers with other teachers.

33. Create 'by-need' groups as classes-based on reading level, for example.

34. Check which students have accessed which assignments.

35. Provide student with feedback.

36. Add voice comments to student writing (this requires a third-party app to do so).

37. Help students create content-specific YouTube channels.

38. 'Closed-circuit publish' annotated research papers according to specific styles (MLA, APA, etc.) or other otherwise 'confusing' work.

39. Share presentations.

40. Create a digital parking lot"' for questions.

41. Administer digital exit slips.

42. Instead of homework, assign voluntary 'lesson extensions' for students. When questions arise about mastery or grades, refer to who accessed and completed what, when.

43. Create folders of miscellaneous lesson materials. digital versions of texts, etc.

44. Enjoy smarter conferencing with students and parents with easy-to-access work, data, writing, feedback, access data, and so on.

45. Save pdfs or other snapshots of digital resources in universally accessed folders.

46. Create a data wall but with spreadsheets and color-coding.

47. Make substitute teacher work or make-up work easy to access.

48. Collect data. This can happen in a variety of ways, from using Google Forms, extraction to Google Sheets, or your own in-house method.

49. Give prompt feedback for learning.

50. See who's completed what-and when-at-a-glance.

51. Track when students turn in work.

52. Since access is tracked, look for patterns in student habits-those that access assignments immediately, those that consistently return to work, and so on-and communicate those trends (anonymously) to students as a way of communicating 'best practices in learning' for students who may not otherwise think

53. Differentiate instruction through tiering, grouping, or Bloom's spiraling.

54. Create groups based on readiness, interest, reading level, or other factors for teaching and learning.

55. Use Google Forms to poll students, create reader interest surveys, and more.

56. Model a 'works cited' page.

57. Create reference sheets.

58. Design digital team-building activities.

59. Create a paperless classroom.

60. Share universal and frequently-accessed assignments-project guidelines, year-long due dates, math formulas, content-area facts, historical timelines, etc.

60 Smarter Ways To Use Google Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
60 Smarter Ways To Use Google Classroom by Terry Heick Google Classroom is quietly becoming the most powerful tool in education technology. It may lack the visual appeal of iPads or the student credibility of a BYOD program.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Summary: Do you believe that digital storytelling is important in education? Are you looking for a creative, critical, and powerful way to help your students? Would you be interested in a list of free digital storytelling tools?

Free Digital Storytelling Tools For Teachers And Students
Editor's note: We have originally written and published this article in February 2013. Thanks to your useful suggestions and our own following of the latest developments in the fast paced field of technology, we have updated this piece in November 2015 in the hope that you will keep finding it useful. Thank you for sharing!
Stories are important. At the following list you will find 18 free digital storytelling tools, both websites and apps, which will help you use technology to tell a story while being highly creative and having fun.

11 Free Digital Storytelling Websites

1. Capzles
All of your media and stories together like never before. Create rich multimedia experiences with videos, photos, music, blogs, and documents.

2. Comic Master
Comic Master allows you to create your own short graphic novel! With Comic Master you can decide how you want the page or your graphic novel to look, add backgrounds, choose characters and props to appear in your scenes, add dialogue and captions, and much more.

3. Slidestory
Slidestory allows you to combine picture slideshows with voice narration. Each picture in a slideshow has an accompanying voice narrated mp3 audio file, optional tags, and text caption. Isn't this a very exciting way to make presentations and share them?

4. ZooBurst
ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that lets anyone easily create his or her own 3D popup books. ZooBurst books "live" online and can be experienced on your desktop or laptop computer, or on your iPad via the free ZooBurst mobile app. Authors can arrange characters and props within a 3D world that can be customized using uploaded artwork or items found in a built-in database of over 10,000 free images and materials. The basic, free, account allows you to create 10 books of 10 pages each.

7 Free Apps For Digital Storytelling

1. Sock Puppets
Sock Puppets lets you create your own lip-synched videos and share them on Facebook and YouTube. Add puppets, props, scenery, and backgrounds and start creating. Hit the record button and the puppets automatically lip-synch to your voice.

2. Toontastic
Toontastic is a storytelling and creative learning tool that enables kids to draw, animate, and share their own cartoons with friends and family around the world through simple and fun imaginative play! With over 2 million cartoons created in over 150 countries, parents and teachers rave about the app and kids can't stop creating!

3. 30hands Starter
A very easy and exciting way to tell a story, explain a concept, or flip a classroom. Create a multimedia presentation in minutes and publish it as a video to share. This tool was designed to be simple and fast, so it takes backseat to learning and expression. In a single class period, students can complete a video activity. Mapping these activities to a longer project helps students make PBL projects authentic and fun. Whether you are in Kindergarten or College, 30hands Storyteller helps you learn better by following UDL principles and getting you to think and create iteratively.

You may also find the following lists of tools useful:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
18 Free Digital Storytelling Tools For Teachers And Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Interested in some great Free Digital Storytelling Tools for teachers and students? Check 18 Free Digital Storytelling Tools for teachers and students.

# data[].attributes.body
Formative Assessment APPS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

# data[].attributes.body
APPS to Utilize within the classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We’ve compiled an extensive list of 75 digital tools that can help teachers use formative assessment to elicit evidence of student learning.

# data[].attributes.body
Resource for Reading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is Successful Technology Integration?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Well-integrated use of technology resources by thoroughly trained teachers makes twenty-first-century learning possible. From our Technology Integration Professional Development Guide.

# data[].attributes.body
Resource for Reading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Technology has become part of the educational process, but too often it is separate and not integrated into the learning experience.Today, Education World offers easy and painless ways to integrate technology into your daily routine. Included: Nineteen activities and nearly 50 Web sites.
Integrating technology into the curriculum is a priority -- if not a mandate -- in most schools today. Most educational technology experts agree, however, that technology should be integrated, not as a separate subject or as a once-in-a-while project, but as a tool to promote and extend student learning on a daily basis. The challenge, of course, is in finding ways to use technology -- and to help students use it -- that don't take time away from core subjects.

For many teachers, a lack of personal experience with technology presents an additional challenge. In order to incorporate technology-based activities and projects into their curriculum, those teachers first must find the time to learn to use the tools and understand the terminology necessary for participation in those projects or activities.

Used properly, however, technology can be a tool for teachers as well as for students. To help teachers new to technology gain experience in using it, and to help tech savvy teachers incorporate technology more fully into their daily routines, Education World offers the following easy ways in which you can seamlessly integrate technology into your daily and weekly classroom routines.

1. Include URLs in your monthly calendar.
Each month, Education World provides a printable and editable coloring calendar for classroom use. Before distributing copies of the calendar to your students, add the URLs of a few sites that will add to their understanding of the months events -- and encourage them to visit those sites. TheSeptember calendar, for example, might offer links to sites about Labor Day, Grandparents' Day, and Hispanic Heritage Month. (A kid-friendly search engine such as Yahoo Kids will help you locate appropriate sites.)

2. Challenge students with online mathematics problems.
Add a daily or weekly mathematics challenge to your seatwork assignments, math lessons, or extra credit activities. The Math ForumsMath Problem of the Week offers word problems in five categories -- math fundamentals, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus. The AIMS Puzzle Corner provides more than 100 math-related puzzles appropriate for students in upper elementary grades and middle school. Most include printable worksheets. Aunty Math's Math Challenges for K-5 Learners offers biweekly word problems for younger students, while high school students will enjoy the news-related math problems at Math Counts. Dont like todays problem? Not to worry! Most of the sites listed also include extensive archives. If you teach grades 3-8, extend your students online math experience and encourage them to match wits with students around the world by participating in the Abacus International Math Challenge.

3. Introduce a word of the day.
Extend students vocabulary by including an online word of the day in opening activities, seatwork assignments, or language arts lessons. The Daily Buzzword atWord Central provides a word of the day and related activity appropriate for upper elementary students. Vocabulary Builder offers words and definitions for students in grades 4-6 and grades 6-9. The words and definitions at A Word a Day and Word of the Day are best for students in middle and high school.

4. Keep them spelling.
Spelling is not a subject that should die in elementary school. Prove it to your middle and high school students by adding spelling to language arts lessons or extra credit assignments. Spelling lists can be found atSpellingcity.com.

5. Make history real.
For many kids, history is only a subject in a book; one that's unrelated to real people, real events, or todays news. Personalize history lessons for those students by beginning each history lesson with a quick visit toToday in History or This Day in History.

6. Make the news a learning tool.
Help students better understand current events and connect todays news to their own lives by encouraging them to further explore the issues of the day.How Stuff Works also is an extensive site with information on a vast number of topics. Today's students, for example, might want to learn How Stinger Missiles Work, How Stem Cells Work, or How Hybrid Cars Work.

7. Keep 'em guessing!
It's Friday afternoon and most students have their eyes on the clock and their minds on a weekend of freedom. If you have access to enough computers that students can work individually or in small groups, try to keep the learning going with some stimulating online games. Solving the problems atMystery Net generally demands more logic than Math. That sites features include Get-a-Clue, a daily mystery appropriate for younger students; See-n-Solve, a weekly mystery featuring USA TV's Detective Monk; and Solve-it!, a monthly mystery in which students read a mystery and then solve the crime. The latter two activities are best for older students. Or, simply reward students for a week of hard work by allowing them a few minutes to play some of the online Logic Games at SuperKids. Games include Battleship, checkers, tic-tac-toe, BreakOut, and more.

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © Education World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Integrating Tech: More Than Just Having Computers | Education World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Technology has become part of the educational process, but too often it is separate and not integrated into the learning experience.Today, Education World offers easy and painless ways to integrate technology into your daily routine. Included: Nineteen activities and nearly 50 Web sites.

# data[].attributes.body
Resource for Reading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.