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Creative Educator | A creative approach to teaching

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Creative Educator | A creative approach to teaching

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Creative Educator | A creative approach to teaching

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Creative Educator helps educators bring creativity, technology, and project-based learning to their classrooms.

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Site filled with Google Apps for Education and Ed Tech resources.

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Elizabeth Arden Celebrity Fragrance Set – Bieber, Minaj, Swift

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Elizabeth Arden Celebrity Fragrance Set – Bieber, Minaj, Swift

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Hypoallergenic Aloe Vera-Infused Cooling Bamboo Mattress Pad

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tell it to me straight This mattress pad transforms any mattress into a breathable, hypoallergenic cooling surface. The soft quilted material creates a barrier against allergens, and prevents dust mites, bedbugs & bacteria. <div align="right"

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Shop the latest selection of new or refurbished, smartphones, computers, headsets, speakers, electronics and accessories. Free shipping and easy returns.

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New Tech Deals Every 6 Hours! | iTechDeals.com

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New Tech Deals Every 6 Hours! | iTechDeals.com

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iTech Deals: Daily Deals on Electronics and Phone Accessories | iTechDeals.com

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Get incredible daily deals and free shipping on tablets, computers, smartphones, accessories and much more at iTech Deals

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Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Home Page

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Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - Home Page

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As an educational technologist, I continue to learn each day. When I develop new presentations or explore a new passion, I create a page of resources. This site will serve as the entry point to these resources, ideas, tips, and tricks. The links to the pages are below.

If you have any comments or ideas to share, or want to find out how you can have me come speak to your school, district, or conference attendees, in-person or virtually, please drop me a line! Social networks are in the footer.

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As an educational technologist, I continue to learn each day. When I develop new presentations or explore a new passion, I create a page of resources. This site will serve as the entry point to these resources, ideas, tips, and tricks. The links to the pages are below.

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Design and share beautiful flyers just like this one!

Spread the word with an online flyer. They're easy to make and impossible to mess up :)

Try it now

60in60: App Attack! Top 100

Thank you for celebrating our 5 year anniversary of the creation of App Attack at ISTE2016! As is tradition, we are doing a special version of App Attack! 60in60: App Attack Top 100 is fast paced presentation that will expose the audience to over 100 different apps for iOS, Android and Windows; be sure to download the cheat sheet so you are prepared for the fast paced furry!

60in60: App Attack! Top 100 2016 Cheat Sheet

Scott Snyder

Educational Consultant - Capital Area Intermediate Unit

Scott was an English teacher for 21 years before transitioning to a technology Educational Consultant role, where he supports teachers striving to increase student achievement and improve classroom practice through technology. He is a 2007 Keystone Technology Integrator and is a member of PAECT serving as Parliamentarian and Newsletter Editor.

Brandon Lutz

Supervisor of Instructional Technology in Cheltenham School District, Founder of the 60in60® Presentation, President of PAECT

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Design and share beautiful flyers just like this one! Spread the word with an online flyer. They're easy to make and impossible to mess up :) Try it now Thank you for celebrating our 5 year anniversary of the creation of App Attack at ISTE2016!

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Infographic Lesson Plan | Creative Educator

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Infographic Lesson Plan | Creative Educator

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Infographics are an increasingly popular way of sharing information in newspapers, magazines, and online news sites. These visual representations of knowledge and information are designed to make complex ideas and large amounts of data easy to understand. There are many ways to create infographics.

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Infographics - Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

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Infographics - Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

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Google Drawings, part of the Google Apps suite, can also be used to create an infographic. It does layer-based image editing very well, as you can see by this infographic I created. And students can use the Google Research tool to locate CC-licensed images to use in the infographic. ( Key commands for Google Drawings)

Kathy Poe at The Fletcher School had her students create an infographic as part of a larger research project. She graciously shared the work!

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Infographics are a visual representation of data. When students create infographics, they are using information, visual, and technology literacies. This page includes links to help you develop...

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200 Free Kids Educational Resources: Lessons, Apps, Books, Websites... | Open Culture

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200 Free Kids Educational Resources: Lessons, Apps, Books, Websites... | Open Culture

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This collection provides a list of free educational resources for K-12 students (kindergarten through high school students) and their parents and teachers. This page is being updated and cleaned up during the COVID-19 crisis. Please tell us if we're missing something valuable. Below you will find free video lessons/tutorials; free mobile apps; free audiobooks, ebooks and textbooks; quality YouTube channels; free foreign language lessons; test prep materials; and free web resources in academic subjects like literature, history, science and computing. Home Schooling Resources During COVID-19

Amazing Educational Resources: A spreadsheet of 300+ education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings. Additional helpful resources can be found in this article by Forbes.

Resources for Educators During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Common Sense Media has created a collection of remote teaching resources, family education materials, and research-backed strategies to ease stress and encourage learning at home. On this other page, you can find Online Learning Resources to Supplement Homeschooling, Free Educational Apps, Games, and Websites, and more.

Zoom's Free Videoconferencing Tools: During the COVID-19 crisis, Zoom is providing K-12 institutions free access to their videoconferencing tools needed to run online courses. Get details here. Also here are tips on how to look your best on a webcam.

Free Zoom Artistic Backgrounds: If you would like to customize your Zoom background, you can find free art from Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli (the makers of Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, etc.) You can also get free art from world class museums. Instructions for customizing the background can be found here.

Engineering Challenges for Children During Lockdown: Designers from the James Dyson Foundation "have come up with a series of challenges to help kids learn at home during isolation. Comprised of 22 science tasks and 22 engineering activities, the Challenge Cards can be completed by children using common household items such as eggs, string and balloons." There's a related set of videos on YouTube.

Free Online Resources for Schools Shifting Online During Coronavirus Pandemic: A collection of resources curated by SchoolChoiceWeek.com. It covers communication platform resources, math and science resources, social studies resources and more.

Ideas to Steal: A New Zealand organization provides free activities you can do with your kids, using basic materials at home.

Khan Academy: Khan Academy has created guides designed to help parents and teachers get through the COVID-19 crisis.

Google Teach From Home: A central hub of information, tips, training and tools from across Google for Education to help teachers keep teaching, even when they aren't in the classroom.

Google Learn at Home: Google has partnered with Khan Academy and other learning creators to bring parents & families resources and activities to make the coming days as educational and fun as possible. These resources won't replace any homework assigned by teachers - but they can complement that work.

How Schools Can Start Teaching Online in a Short Period of Time: Free Tutorials from the Stanford Online High School.

National Emergency Library: In the wake of our crisis, the Internet Archive has made available online 1.5 million books. They're ready to be checked out.

Netflix Educational Documentaries: During this period, Netflix has made some of its educational documentaries free to stream online. The list notably includes David Attenborough's nature series Our Planet and Abstract, which looks at the art of design.

New York Public Library COVID-19 Resources: Need some good book recommendations? Read aloud suggestions? NYPL has your at-home reading needs covered for kids of all ages. See sections on Pre-K to 2nd Grade, 3rd to 5th Grade, Middle School and High School.

Free Online Drawing Lessons for Kids, Led by Favorite Artists & Illustrators: During the COVID-19 crisis, some well known illustrators (Mo Willems, Wendy McNaughton, Wendy, etc.) are offering free drawing lessons for kids.

The National Constitution Center: This organization is offering daily live constitutional conversations for middle school, high school, and college students, available through Zoom, and accessible on home computer, laptop, or phone

Free Audio Books, eBooks and Textbooks

Free Audio Books: Our collection of 450 free audio books includes many children's classics. The Wizard of Oz, Grimm's Fairy Tales, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Mark Twain, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Swiss Family Robinson, Gulliver's Travels, Anne of Green Gables, Aesop's Fables, The Wizard of Oz series, and much more. You can download audio files straight to your computer or mobile device.

Bartleby.com: Gives you access to free online classics of reference, literature, and nonfiction, including Strunk & White's Elements of Style, The World Factbook, The Oxford Shakespeare, and The King James Bible.

International Children's Digital Library: Provides free access to high-quality children's books from around the world in different languages, including Arabic, Afrikaans, Danish, English, Farsi and beyond. Hosts books for kids 3-5, 6-9, and 10-13. Start browsing the library here.

The Harvard Classics: Harvard's influential president, Charles W. Eliot, said that if you spent just 15 minutes a day reading the right books, you could give yourself a proper liberal education. He published a 51-volume series, now known as The Harvard Classics, and they're available free online. Ideal for the older student.

Physics Comic Books - PhysicsCentral, a web site run by The American Physical Society (an organization representing 48,000 physicists), has created a series of comic books designed to get kids excited about physics. Among other comics, you can can read Nikola Tesla and the Electric Fair for free online.

RadioLab for Kids: Kid-friendly stories curated by Radiolab. All in one bingeable spot.

Watch Stars Read Classic Children's Books: Betty White, James Earl Jones, Rita Moreno & Many More: Storyline Online streams imaginatively produced videos featuring celebrated actors including Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Chris Pine, Wanda Sykes, Justin Theroux, and Betty White reading children's books alongside creatively produced illustrations.

Video Lessons/Tutorials

Free Courses: Our collection, 1,700 Free Online Courses from Top Universities, contains countless video lectures from courses offered by top universities. Some material can be useful for high school students, or their teachers.

Khan Academy: The site famously features K-12 video tutorials created by Sal Khan and team. It currently gives students access to thousands of video tutorials that explain the ins-and-outs of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, statistics, finance, physics, economics and more. Videos can also be accessed via YouTube and iTunesU, or on the Khan Academy's website.

Crash Courses: Created by author John Green, this YouTube channel provides crash courses in physics, philosophy, games, economics, U.S. government and politics, astronomy, anatomy & physiology, world history, computer science, biology, literature, ecology, chemistry, psychology, U.S. history and more.

Art & Visual Culture (Web Resources)

National Geographic: Provides facts, photos, videos, and more about countries around the world - something NatGeo knows a lot about.

50States.com: Offers copious information about the fifty United States of America.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit devoted to the improvement of history education. The GLI web site features video/audio with experts discussing various topics in American history. Don't miss their iTunesU collection with talks including: Famous Americans, American Presidents, The U.S. Constitution, The American Civil War, The Great Depression and World War II, Women in American History, Lincoln and the Civil War, and Slavery and Anti Slavery.

Google Cultural Institute: Google has built a robust, umbrella Cultural Institute to house 42 new online historical exhibitions. Each exhibit features, in Google's words, "a narrative which links the archive material together to unlock the different perspectives, nuances and tales behind these events." Topics currently covered include the Life and Times of Nelson Mandela, the Fall of the Iron Curtain, the Spanish Civil War, the Life of Anne Frank, D-Day, and Apartheid in South Africa. The Cultural Institute also gives you access to super high resolution images of The Dead Sea Scrolls.

History Matters: Designed for high school and college students and teachers, History Matters serves as a gateway to web resources and offers other useful materials for learning and teaching U.S. history.

: Founded by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics prepares young Americans to become knowledgeable and engaged 21st century citizens by offering free and innovative educational materials. iCivics has produced 16 educational video games as well as vibrant teaching materials that have been used in classrooms in all 50 states.

The Internet History Sourcebooks: This site features collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly for educational use. Hosted by Fordham University, this resource is broken down into sub-areas: Ancient History, Medieval, Modern, Byzantine Studies, African Studies, East Asian Studies, Global Studies, India, Islamic, Jewish, Lesbian and Gay, Science, and Women's Studies.

Download 20 Popular High School Books Available as Free eBooks & Audio Books: Gives you access to classic texts frequently taught in the classroom. Includes works by Mark Twain, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald and more.

International Children's Digital Library: Provides free access to high-quality digital books from around the world. Offers books for kids 3-5, 6-9, and 10-13. Start browsing the library here.

, from the First Folio of 1623, in their original spelling and orthography. You can also Shakespeare's Plays: If you're looking for Shakespeare's plays on the web, MIT offers the Web's first edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. If you're looking for a nice collection for the iPhone/iPad, Oxford has you covered. They offer the first complete collection of Shakespeare's plays read all of Shakespeare's plays free online, courtesy of the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Shakespeare's Plays Animated: The Animated Shakespeare brings to life famous Shakespeare plays. Leon Garfield, a well-known British children's author, wrote the scripts, mainly using Shakespearian language. And some talented Russian artists did the animation. You can find free copies of Shakespeare's plays in our collections of Free Audio Books & Free eBooks.

: A multimedia course for students, teachers, and lovers of literature. The course moves from ancient to modern literature, and is taught by David Damrosch at Harvard. Find Invitation to World Literature more details here.

AAA Math: Features a comprehensive set of interactive arithmetic lessons. Unlimited practice is available on each topic which allows thorough mastery of the concepts. You can sort by grade level. K-8.

NRICH: The Nrich Math Project (based at Cambridge University) offers mathematics resources for children , parents and teachers to enrich learning. It provides resources for students of all ages.

STEM From The Start: Designed for PreK-2 learners, SFTS uses the power of educational video to help lay the groundwork for STEM subjects by engaging children in learning that is fun, engaging and long-lasting. Produced by New Hampshire PBS & Learniverse Educational Media.

Wolfram MathWorld: Bills itself as the web's most extensive mathematical resource. Designed for more advanced students, this collection is provided as a free service by Wolfram Research, makers of Mathematica. Topics covered include: Algebra, Applied Mathematics, Calculus and Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, Foundations of Mathematics, Geometry, History and Terminology, Number Theory, Probability and Statistics, Recreational Mathematics, and Topology.

A Child's Introduction to Jazz: In 1961, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, the jazz saxophonist best known for his work on Miles Davis' epic album Kind of Blue, narrated a children's introduction to jazz music. Features music by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Thelonious Monk and Cannonball himself.

Free Music Theory Flash Cards: Doctor Mozart provides free music flashcards for students of all ages.

. Plus it has a page with Classics for Kids: Introduces elementary and middle school children to classical music in a fun and entertaining way. The site gives you access to famous pieces of classical music online and also related lessons plans and activity sheetsother helpful teaching resources.

The Alan Lomax Sound Archive: This huge treasure trove contains folk songs collected by the legendary folklorist Alan Lomax from the 1940s to the 1990s, as well as interviews recorded by Lomax. The collection has been digitized and made available online for free listening. Gives you access to 17,000 songs. More details here.

Philosophy (Web Resources)

350+ Animated Philosophy Videos: A meta collection of animated philosophy primers covering philosophy, from ancient to modern.

Philosophy for Kids: Dedicated to helping adults conduct philosophical discussion with elementary school children, this site uses well known picture books to raise philosophical questions - for example Harold and the Purple Crayon, Harry the Dirty Dog, The Cat in the Hat, various Frog and Toad stories and much more. The site is run by Tom Wartenberg at Mount Holyoke.

Philosophy for Children: A non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Washington Department of Philosophy, the Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children provides lesson plans for using children's literature to introduce philosophy, activities for engaging children in philosophy, and tips for successful pre-college philosophy sessions.

100,000 Stars: An interactive visualization of-you guessed it-more than 100,000 stars. 100,000 Stars was created by Google using data from NASA and the European Space Agency. Before you experience the map, you will need to download the Chrome browser. We have more on it here.

BioED Online: An online educational resource for educators, students, and parents. Dedicated to biology, the site offers access to streaming video presentations and a slide library that features, among other things, exciting lesson plans and activities.

Discover Space: The Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs hosts STEM and space-themed educational lessons, videos, and activities. Of particular interest are lesson plans featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang that are fun and easy for everyone to enjoy.

Khan Academy Science: You can explore the Khan Academy's science and technology lessons using the following hotlinks: Biology, Chemistry, Cosmology and Astronomy, Healthcare and Medicine, Organic Chemistry, Physics, LeBron Asks, MIT+K12, Projects.

Ocean Defender Online Courses: Kids can learn from home with the Ocean Defender online courses that are developed and delivered by Sea Smart's highly trained team of marine biologists and environmental educators! Students in Grades 2-4 (or enthusiastic younger learners) start their journey to become an Ocean Defender through a series of interactive and engaging virtual lessons with hands-on activities to learn about the amazing animals that live in our oceans and what we can do to protect our ocean.

Paleontology Portal: This site is a resource for anyone interested in paleontology, from the student in the classroom, to the interested amateur scouting for fossils, to the professional in the lab. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the site was produced by the University of California Museum of Paleontology, the Paleontological Society, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the United States Geological Survey.

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: Back in 1825, Michael Faraday, the venerated English scientist, established The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for Children, hoping to get a younger generation interested in science, and the tradition has carried on ever since. You can watch the lectures presented by famous scientists online, including Richard Dawkins and Carl Sagan.

STEM From The Start: Designed for PreK-2 learners, SFTS uses the power of educational video to help lay the groundwork for STEM subjects by engaging children in learning that is fun, engaging and long-lasting. Produced by New Hampshire PBS & Learniverse Educational Media.

Understanding Evolution: Created for K-12 teachers, this online resource provides a one-stop, comprehensive resource on evolution. This site is a collaborative project of the University of California Museum of Paleontology and the National Center for Science Education.

Assembled by the U.S. Geological Survey, this site brings together lots of resources that will teach students about Biology, Geography, Geology, Water, and more. The site is divided into sections: USGS Science Resources: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

Technology (Web Resources)

Codecademy: This venture gives students the ability to take free computer science lessons online. Teaches everything from HTML basics to Python in a "user active" style. We have more details here.

Khan Academy Technology: Find lessons in Drawing & Animation and Programming Basics.
Educational Apps (Mostly for iPhone/iPad)

Aesop's Fables Interactive Book: The Library of Congress has released a free app for use on iPhones, iPads and Android platforms. This innovative reading experience has been adapted from the 1919 book The Aesop for Children, and includes outstanding drawings by Milo Winter, a noted illustrator.

Pretty simple, but handy. A good dictionary in your pocket.

: Another good app for downloading free e-books on the iPhone. Once you download the app, navigate to the "Online Catalog" section and then focus on the "Project Gutenberg" materials, which contain a long list of free classics.

Yours, Vincent The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh: Provided by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, this application uses the artist's own letters to explore the life and times of the great painter. Includes videos and images of Van Gogh paintings.

YouTube Channels Test Prep (Web Resources) General Reference (Web Resources) Teacher and Parent Resources

Edutopia: Run by The George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia empowers teachers, administrators, and parents with innovative solutions and resources to better education. You can access materials by grade level: K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

written by scholars and teachers covering the fields of history, literature, art and culture, and foreign languages. The site also features EDSITEment: A free high quality K-12 educational resource from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The collection has over 450 lessons plans in the humanities guides for teachers.

National Science Foundation Classroom Resources: A diverse collection of lessons and web resources for classroom teachers, their students, and students' families. Covers Astronomy & Space, Physics, Biology and much more.

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200 Free Kids Educational Resources: Video Lessons, Apps, Books, Websites & More

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Get free K-12 video lessons; mobile apps; audiobooks, ebooks and textbooks; foreign language lessons; test prep materials; and web resources for kids!

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Although we won't be able to be face-to-face in person this year, it will still be great to connect virtually with people across the world, and to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

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Have you tried using the Tech Tips search for an immediate solution?

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321 Free Tools for Teachers - Free Educational Technology - eLearning Industry

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321 Free Tools for Teachers - Free Educational Technology - eLearning Industry

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Free Educational Technology for Teachers

Do you support Free Technology for Teachers? If Yes, I highly encourage you to share this Free Educational Technology Resource with fellow teachers interested in implementing Free Technology in Classroom.

I am a great supporter of Free Educational Technology. This is why I created a list of 321 Free Tools for Teachers separated in the following 18 categories:

19 Free Tools To Create Infographics For Teachers

19 Free Text To Speech Tools For Teachers

21 Free Digital Storytelling Tools For Teachers

15 Free Podcast Tools For Teachers

28 Free Survey, Polls, and Quizzes Tools For Teachers

17 Free Screen Capturing Tools For Teachers

30 Free Social Bookmarking Tools For Teachers

14 Online Bibliography and Citation Tools For Teachers

13 Free Sticky Notes Tools For Teachers

30 Free Photo and Image Editing Tools For Teachers

17 Free Testing and Quizzing Tool For Teachers

15 Free Web Conferencing Tools For Teachers

15 Free Authoring Tools For Teachers

5 Free Annotation Tools For Teachers

8 Free Video Tools For Teachers

6 Free PDF Tools For Teachers

34 Sites To Download Royalty Free and Creative Commons Music For Teachers

17 Free Stock Photos Sites For Teachers

19 Free Tools To Create Infographics For Teachers

1. amCharts Visual Editor This editor allows you to use amCharts as a web service. This means that all you need to do is to configure the chart and paste the generated HTML code to your HTML page.

2. ChartsBinCreate your own interactive map. It's free for now.

3. DipityCreate an interactive, visually engaging timeline in minutes. Use dynamic visualization tools to display photos, videos, news and blogs in chronological order.

4. Easel.lyCreate and share visual ideas online. Vhemes are visual themes. Drag and drop a vheme onto your canvas for easy creation of your visual idea!

5. GapminderGapminder is used in classrooms around the world to build a fact-based world view.

6. GliffyGliffy.com is a free web-based diagram editor. Create and share flowcharts, network diagrams, floor plans, user interface designs and other drawings online.

7. Google Chart ToolsProvides several tools for making data more comprehensible. Special URLs can be used to embed graph and chart images in users' own web.

8. Hohli Charts Online Charts Builder

9. infogr.am Create infographics and interactive online charts. It's free and super-easy! Follow other users and discover amazing data stories!

10. Inkscape An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

11. Lucidchart With Lucidchart you can create flowcharts, org charts, mind maps, concept maps and many types of helpful visual communication. Lucidchart is completely free for students and teachers (no strings attached).

12. PiktochartPiktochart- Make Information Beautiful. Create infographics. Engaging presentation app.

13. PixlrWelcome to the most popular online photo editor in the world!

14. Stat PlanetStatPlanet (formerly StatPlanet Map Maker) is free, award-winning software for creating interactive maps which are fully customizable. In addition to maps, the software also has the option of including interactive graphs and charts to create feature-rich infographics.

15. Tableau PublicTableau Public is a free tool that brings data to life. Easy to use. Spectacularly powerful. Data In. Brilliance Out.

16. VenngageVenngage is built for people who work with data. From analysts who want to communicate their data better, to the executives who want to understand insights faster and everyone else who uses data to make their decisions, Venngage has been made to make insights easier.

17. visual.lyLike infographics and data visualization? Visual.ly is the world's largest community of infographics and data visualization. Come explore, share, and create.

18. What About Me?Create an infographic of your digital life and become inspired by the people you know, the things you see, and the experiences you have online.

19. WordleWordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes.

19 Free Text To Speech Tools For Teachers

1. AnnouncifyListen to your web. After Announcify conquered Android™ phones, it's now here to announcify your life at Google Chrome. Announcify reads out loud every website you want. For example, if you're too tired but still need to study one more Wikipedia entry, Announcify can help your tired eyes relax.

2. BalabolkaBalabolka is a Text-To-Speech (TTS) program. All computer voices installed on your system are available to Balabolka. The on-screen text can be saved as a WAV, MP3, MP4, OGG or WMA file. The program can read the clipboard content, view the text from AZW, CHM, DjVu, DOC, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, MOBI, ODT, PRC, PDF and RTF files, customize font and background color, control reading from the system tray or by the global hotkeys.

3. Chrome SpeakChrome Speak (App Version), select the text and right-click to speak with offline tts engine, TTS (text to speech). Chrome speak provides native support for speech on Windows (using SAPI 5), Mac OS X, and Chrome OS, using speech synthesis capabilities provided by the operating system. On all platforms, the user can install extensions that register themselves as alternative speech engines.

4. DSpeechDSpeech is a TTS (Text To Speech) program with functionality of ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) integrated. It is able to read aloud the written text and choose the sentences to be pronounced based upon the vocal answers of the user. It is specifically designed to quickly and directly provide the functions and improved practical usefulness that are requested by this kind of program. In the meantime, the evasiveness and resource consumption is minimal.

5. FoxVoxFoxVox will speak any text you highlight in a web page. FoxVox can also create audiobooks in mp3, ogg, and wav formats. You can now easily turn your blogs and articles into podcasts.

6. Free Natural ReaderIt can convert any written text such as Microsoft Word, webpages, PDF files, and E-mails into spoken words.

7. OdiogoOdiogo's media-shifting technology expands the reach of your content: It transforms news sites and blog posts into high fidelity, near human quality audio files ready to download and play anywhere, anytime, on any device.

8. PediaPhonLearning during jogging and driving! E-learning and m-learning with MP3 players and mobile phones! A podcast and a winamp play list will be generated too. MP3 files, play lists and podcast automatically generated from Wikipedia! Let your computer read out the Wikipedia for you!

9. PowerTalkPowerTalk is a free program that automatically speaks any presentation or slide show running in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows. You just download and install PowerTalk and while you open and run the presentation as usual it speaks the text on your slides. The advantage over other generic 'Text To Speech' programs is that PowerTalk is able to speak text as it appears and can also speak hidden text attached to images.

10. QR voiceQR Code allows users to converts text-to-speech, generates QR Code for speech URL and Simplifies share text-to-speech files.

11. Select and SpeakSelect and Speak uses iSpeech's human sounding text to speech (TTS) to let you select text from almost any website and make it talk.

12. SpeakingFoxConverts text to audible speech on Mac OS X.

13. SpeakIt!Select text you want to read and listen to it. SpeakIt converts text into speech so you no longer need to read. SpeakIt reads selected text using Text-to-Speech technology with language auto-detection. It can read text in more than 50 languages.

14. SpokenTextSpokenText lets you easily convert text into speech. Record (English, French, Spanish or German) PDF, Word, plain text, PowerPoint files, and web pages, and convert them to speech automatically. Download your recordings as .mp3 or .m4b (Audio Book) files (in English, French, Spanish and German) of any text content on your computer or mobile phone.

15. Text to VoiceTTS gives Firefox the power of speech. Select text, click the button on the bottom right of Firefox window and this add-on speaks the selected text for you. Isn't it brilliant? Audio is downloadable.

16. text2speechFree online text to speech converter. Just enter your text, select one of the voices and download the resulting mp3 file to your computer. This service is free and you are allowed to use the speech files for any purpose, including commercial uses.

17. VokiVoki is a FREE service that lets you create customized avatars, add voice to your Voki avatars, post your Voki to any blog, website, or profile, and take advantage of Voki's learning resources.

18. vozMeVozme is an online text to speech program that lets you type-in any English or Spanish text and then play it as an audio stream.

19. WordTalkA free Windows text-to-speech plugin for Microsoft Word. It will speak the text of the document and will highlight it as it goes. It contains a talking dictionary and a text-to-mp3 converter.

Listen Text-to-Speech Voices with the Right Authoring Tool Vendor

Find, choose and compare the top eLearning Authoring Tool Companies featuring Text-to Speech Voices!

21 Free Digital Storytelling Tools For Teachers

1. AnimotoUnlimited Videos For Educators. Enhance your digital classroom with Animoto, an ideal tool for creating videos and presentations. It takes just minutes to create a video which can bring your lessons to life. Educators can apply for a free Animoto Plus account for use in the classroom. Its powerful features can be used to create stunning presentations incorporating images, video clips, music and text.

2. BubblrBubblr is a tool to create comic strips using photos from flickr.com Begin searching images and add bubble to them.

3. CapzlesAll of your media, your life, your stories together like never before. Create rich multimedia experiences with videos, photos, music, blogs and documents.

4. CartoonistCartoonists is an online tool to create cartoons or personal digital stories, consisting of professional backgrounds, characters, props, images and text. With Cartoonist, you can create multimedia stories. You can use the tool to create comic strips or more personal digital narratives.

5. Comic MasterComic Master allow 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, to add backgrounds, choose characters and props to appear in your scenes, to add dialogue and captions, and much more

6. Domo animateImport your pictures, select a nice song to accompany the slideshow and you are done! Your pictures will be the hero of your own personalized Domo adventure. You can create your own Domo adventures in minutes with their easy-to-use animation studio.

7. GeneratorGenerator is a creative studio space, a space where you can explore the moving image, be inspired, create your own moving image works and share your creations with the Generator community.Gain a deeper understanding of the context of these inspiring stories through their Education Themes section. Try the Storyboard Generator and either choose a script or build your own storyboard and share it with your friends.

8. MakeBeliefsComixAt MakeBeliefsComix you can create your own comic strip with an easy and fun way. You have to choose a character and emotion. Then you have to add talk or thought balloons and start your character talking. You can add other characters and more conversation. Also, you can add colored backgrounds, objects and panel prompts to keep your viewers interested. Least but not last, you can continue to edit and make more changes, and when you are done you can print or email your comic!

9. MapSkipThe purpose of MapSkip.com is to create a weave of stories about the places in our lives. Users are invited to create a free account and to mark up places in Google Maps with their own stories and photos. Users can browse each other's stories and can rate and discuss them. MapSkip is free to use and free of ads.

10. PicLitsPicLits.com is a creative writing site that matches beautiful images with carefully selected keywords in order to inspire you. The object is to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture.

11. PixtonPixton empowers the world to communicate graphically with comics. Pixton introduces the world to Click-n-Drag Comics™, a revolutionary new patented technology that gives anyone the power to create amazing comics on the web. From fully posable characters to dynamic panels, props, and speech bubbles, every aspect of a comic can be controlled in an intuitive click-n-drag motion. Pixton is free for fun but has paid version for Schools and Businesses.

12. SlidestoryCombine sharing pictures and narration and what do you get? Slidestory! Slidestory is a new, exciting and FREE way to make presentations and share them on the Internet.

13. SmileboxSmilebox lets you quickly and easily create slideshows, invitations, greetings, collages, scrapbooks and photo albums right on your computer. To get started, download and install the Smilebox application. Then simply, select the photos you want to use, choose a template add comments and music and voila, you've made a Smilebox! With more than 1000 customizable templates to choose from, you'll find inspiration around every corner.

14. Smories.comSmories are original stories for kids, read by kids. The idea behind Smories is to publishes stories for kids read by kids. Also, you will find a lot of stories in various subjects submitted by teachers and authors.

15. StorybirdStorybird lets anyone make visual stories in seconds. They curate artwork from illustrators and animators around the world and inspire writers of any age to turn those images into fresh stories.

16. Zimmer TwinsThe Zimmer Twins is a site devoted to kids and creative storytelling. Since 2005, the Zimmer Twins has invited children to create and share their own animated stories. It is free for Kids & Families to join, make and watch a movie and paid for Educators and Schools.

17. ZooBurstZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that lets anyone easily create his or her own 3D pop-up books. Using ZooBurst, storytellers of any age can create their own rich worlds in which their stories can come to life. 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. Basic accounts are 100% free and let you get started using ZooBurst right away.Free apps for digital storytelling

18. Puppet PalsCreate your own unique shows with animation and audio in real time! Simply pick out your actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Your movements and audio will be recorded in real time for playback later.This app is as fun as your own creativity. Act out a story of Pirates on the high seas, fight as scary monsters, or play the part of a Wild West bandit on the loose. You can even combine any characters however you want!

19. ShowMe Interactive WhiteboardTurn your iPad into your personal interactive whiteboard! ShowMe allows you to record voice-over whiteboard tutorials and share them online. It's an amazingly simple app that anyone can use, no matter how young or old!

20. Sock PuppetsSock 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.

21. Toontastic: FREEToontastic 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!

15 Free Podcast Tools For Teachers

1. Ardour Ardour is a free, fully-featured digital audio workstation, similar to other software like ProTools, Nuendo, Sonar and Logic, and capable of replacing analog or digital tape systems. Available for Mac OS X, Linux.

2. AudacityAudacity is free, open source, cross-platform software for recording and editing sounds. Audacity is available for Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux and other operating systems.

3. BlogAmpBlogamp is a web-based audiocasting solution that combines a rich media on-demand experience with podcasting. Blogamp's robust administration utility and content manager allows site owners and bloggers the ability to customize the on demand presentation as well as utilize the many add-on features depending on who the target audience is.

4. EasypodcastEasypodcast is a GUI tool for easy podcast publication. Easypodcast is multi-language (english and spanish) and cross-platform: tested on Windows and Linux (kde). This is possible thanks to wxPython.

5. EvocaCreate and Share Digital Voice Recordings Using mobile, landline, Skype & smartphones, tablets and computers.

6. HuffDufferCreate your own podcast. Find links to audio files on the Web. Huffduff the links-add them to your podcast. Subscribe to podcasts of other found sounds.

7. MP3myMP3 RecorderSaves any audio you hear on your computer straight to mp3 or wav.

8. OdiogoOdiogo's media-shifting technology expands the reach of your content: It transforms news sites and blog posts into high fidelity, near human quality audio files ready to download and play anywhere, anytime, on any device.

9. PodbeanPodbean.com is an easy and powerful way to start podcasting. Easy to publish your podcast in 3 steps. No tech to learn. Powerful promoting tools, iTunes Preview, Statistics. Wonderful income chances with ads, paid subscriptions.

10. PodOmaticRecord video and audio podcasts. Receive in-line calls from listeners.

11. SoundCloudShare Your Sounds. Capture a voice, moment or music in seconds or upload audio you've already created. Everyone has sounds to share. Now you can share yours. Publish to social networks or embed your sounds on your site.

12. StudioRackStudioRack is a modular live audio and video production system for the Windows O.S., intended for the more demanding podcaster, audio and video producers, DJ's, radio stations, tv stations etc.

13. TalkShoeCreate, schedule and run a live show. Integrate the recording on your website.

14. VozMeConvert text to MP3.

15. YAKiToMe!Uses the world's best text to speech (TTS) software. Upload documents, cut and paste text or link to feeds. Text reader converts text to speech automatically.

28 Free Survey, Polls, and Quizzes Tools For Teachers

1. addpollThe easiest way to create polls, surveys and html forms... on the web. Find out why we're the greatest online survey and poll software in the world with integrated form builder.

2. AnswerGardenAnswerGarden is a new minimalistic feedback tool. Use it as a tool for online brainstorming or embed it on your website or blog as a poll or guestbook.

3. Boo rooCreate online polls in minutes with our free polling tool. Use our comprehensive poll builder in order to create beautiful polling solutions in your browser, for free.

4. Jotform Quiz Maker - Our no-code tool lets you use custom conditional logic, tons of templates, and form analytics features to grade your quizzes automatically and efficiently. Share your quizzes with a link or embed them in your site.

5. DoculiciousEasily create embeddable web forms that generate PDF documents.

6. FluidSurveysOnline Survey Software & Form Tools at their best! Create forms & questionnaires with the best online survey software. Get started in seconds!

7. Forms on the FlyAmazing online forms made simple. Quickly create quizzes, tests, surveys, diagnostics & assessments for your website.

8. formsiteOur Drag & Drop editor, combined with over 40 question types, enables you to easily create almost any type of form or survey. Once you begin collecting results, we provide the functionality to email, analyze, share, and download your data.

9. FormspringFormspring is the place where you can share your perspective on anything. Members express their point of view and personality through engaging conversations and interact with friends, followers, and people they just find cool.

10. FoSpaceThe ability to publish self-calculating order forms, online surveys, contact forms, employment applications, rental applications or any type of online form imaginable, without having to hire a programmer, has finally been realized.

11. Freeonlinesurveys.comCreate your own Free Online Survey. Over 1 million users!

12. GFXPOLL.comThe best website to create free graphical polls for your website, forum or even email.

13. Google Forms (part of Google Drive)Collect RSVPs, run a survey, or quickly create a team roster with a simple online form. Then check out the results, neatly organized in a spreadsheet.

14. Kwik SurveysKwik Surveys makes your job easy. Design surveys,forms, polls and feedback forms. It's free!

15. MySurveyLabProfessional online surveys. Fastest online survey tool on the market. Beautiful yet simple color themes.

16. Orbeon FormsOrbeon Forms is your solution to build and deploy web forms. It handles complex forms typical of the enterprise or government, implements the W3C XForms standard, and is available in a free open source Community Edition, as well as a commercially supported Professional Edition.

17. PollDaddyThe most powerful and easy-to-use survey software around. Create stunning surveys, polls, and quizzes in minutes. Collect responses via your website, e-mail, iPad, Facebook, and Twitter. Generate and share easy-to-read reports.

18. PollhostIn a hurry? Create a free poll as a guest at Pollcode.com ... No need to sign up, quick free and easy!

19. ScattervoxScattervox is a new kind of poll! When you create a poll, you ask users to show how they feel about different people, places, or things by plotting them on a two-dimensional graph. It's like an interactive infographic!

20. SISsurveyCreate free online surveys and polls using SiS Survey. With SiS Survey you can now create surveys and polls for your website, blog and social network profiles.

21. SonarIf you need to feel the pulse of your community, or to get feedback on anything, SonarHQ is the easy and cost-effective way to get answers to your questions. The smarter, faster and easier way to create surveys.

22. SurveyMonkeySurveyMonkey is the world's most popular online survey tool. It's easier than ever to send free surveys, polls, questionnaires, customer feedback and market research. Plus get access to survey questions and professional templates.

23. Surveys EngineSurveys Engine is lightwheight online surveys server software. This tool enables you create various surveys and questionaires, from small and simple to large and complex. Surveys are hosted in our site so you and survey respondents don't need any software or server, just Internet browser.

24. SurvsCreate online surveys with simplicity and elegance. Survs lets you create, distribute, and analyze online surveys and questionnaires with a friendly interface and powerful features. Survs gives you everything you need to gather feedback.

25. Vizzual FormsVizzualforms is a web based service that will let you create forms and surveys, publish them online and see the results!

26. Web Form FactoryWeb Form Factory is an open source web form generator which automatically generates the necessary backend code to tie your form to a database. By generating the backend code for you, WFF saves you time... time you could spend doing more interesting stuff.

27. Web Online SurveysCreate questionnaires with point and click ease. This is an all in one service designed for people who are not computer experts and have the need to conduct surveys by themselves.

28. WufooWufoo is a web application that helps anybody build amazing online forms. When you design a form with Wufoo, it automatically builds the database, backend and scripts needed to make collecting and understanding your data easy, fast and fun.

17 Free Screen Capturing Tools For Teachers

1. Aviary Compatible with all modern browsers, including mobile devices which support Javascript and HTML5 or Flash. Customize with our code generator and integrate within minutes! Media creation tools: image editor, audio editor, screen capture.

2. Clip2NetThis free service allows you to upload desktop area image or files on the web really fast such as Desktop area capture and upload, Video capture and upload, Upload image from Clipboard, Upload text documents and much more.

3. Faststone Capture A powerful, lightweight, yet full-featured screen capture tool that allows you to easily capture and annotate anything on the screen including windows, objects, menus, full screen, rectangular/freehand regions and even scrolling windows/web pages. It also allows you to record screen activities and sound into video files.

4. Greenshot A free screenshot tool optimized for productivity. Greenshot is a light-weight screenshot software tool for Windows with key features such as quickly creating screenshots of a selected region, window or fullscreen; capturing of complete (scrolling) web pages from Internet Explorer, easily annotating, highlighting or obfuscating parts of the screenshot and much more.

5. JingSimple and FREE, Jing is the perfect way to enhance your fast-paced online conversations. Create images and videos of what you see on your computer screen, then share them instantly!

6. KingKong CaptureCapture onscreen images fast and easy. Quick capture of your desktop, selected areas and objects. Easy printing of screenshots. Automatic saving in various supported graphic file formats are some of the key features of KingKong Capture.

7. kwout"kwout" is a way you quote a part of a web page as an image with an image map. To use this service, all you need is to add our bookmarklet to your favorite browser. Takes a screenshot, cut out an aread, and then embed it anywhere that you want.

8. PrtScrScreen capture tool. Accessable through Ptr Scr, Ctrl+Prt Scr, or custom hotkey. Captures full screen, rectangle selection, freehand selection, or active window. Can capture mouse cursor. Supports multiple monitors. Much better than Microsoft's own Snipping Tool.

9. RumshotRumshot is an application for Windows similar to SnapShooter (Mac OS X) developed by Andrew Powell. Screenshots are a great way to show your desktop setup to friends and colleagues. But why settle for thumbnail of your carefully constructed desktop? Get classy - use Rumshot to automatically generate a themed and stylish screenshot preview!

10. ScreenDashCapture images from your computer screen with ease. If you can see it on-screen, you can capture it, including web-pages, PDF files, programs, etc.

11. ScreenhunterAward-winning screen capture solution to capture your screen, print and edit. Also with auto-scroll web pages, auto-capture, webcam and video screen capture.

12. ScreenpressoScreenpresso captures your screen (screenshots and HD videos) for your training documents, collaborative design work, IT bug reports, and more...

13. Screenshot CaptorScreenshot Captor is a best-in-class tool for grabbing, manipulating, annotating, and sharing screenshots. It's different from other screenshot utilities in several notable ways such as optimized for taking lots of screenshots with minimal intervention; highly configurable to make it work the way you want it to but stays out of your way in the system tray, excellent multi-monitor support, full set of scanner acquisition tools and scanner image correction, and perfect capture of Windows 7 partial transparency effects.

14. ScreenSnaprScreenSnapr's aim is to provide a simple and straight-forward approach to image capturing and sharing. Without any of the extra fluff, ScreenSnapr makes sharing images as easy as possible. Press the shortcut and go!

15. SkitchAnnotate, edit and share your screenshots and images... fast. Download now, it's free! Get your point across with fewer words using annotation, shapes and sketches, so that your ideas become reality faster.

16. TinyGrab:Social Screenshot sharing. Take a screenshot and share it with your clients or friends in less time than it took you to read this sentence! TinyGrab 2.0 makes simple screenshot sharing social. Taking the critically acclaimed original TinyGrab and building on it. TinyGrab 2.0 adds a tonne of new features and proves on the existing service.

17. Websnaprwebsnapr lets you capture screenshots of (almost) any web page. Allow your visitors to instantly visualize any web page before clicking. Increase site traffic, click-through rate and site stickiness.

30 Free Social Bookmarking Tools For Teachers

1. SymbalooeduOrganize and Share the best of the web with your students. Organize teaching resources all in one place. Encourage student to student communications. Promote innovation while maintaining simplicity in teaching.

2. PearltreesA place to collect, organize and share everything you like on the web. Add everything you like and organize it naturally. Enrich your collections and collaborate on your favorite topics. Discover millions of pearls to your interests.

3. 19 pencilsDiscover resources for your PreK-12 students from teachers around the world. Save thumbnails of web resources to a class page for easy student access.

4. A1-WebmarksA1-Webmarks is a free service that combines the convenience of a personal webmark server with the power of social webmarking.

5. All my favoritesShare your internet bookmarks. AllMyFavorites is free for personal use.

6. BibSonomyBibSonomy is a system for sharing bookmarks and lists of literature. Why dont you try it yourself? Collect, organise, and share bookmarks and publications.

7. BookmarkGSave and share interesting sites and articles

8. BuddymarksBuddyMarks.com has been called "The online personal, group and social bookmarks manager."

9. DeliciousDiscover, remember, and showcase your passions from around the web.

10. Diigo Education EditionDiigo is a powerful online research tool and collaborative research platform that integrates several key technologies, including social bookmarking, web annotation, tagging, and group-based collaboration, to enable a whole new process of online knowledge management and participatory learning in the 21st century.

11. EdshelfReviews & recommendations of tools for education. edshelf is a directory of websites, mobile apps, and desktop programs that are rated & reviewed by parents & educators, for parents & educators. We help you find the right educational tools for your specific needs.

12. EvernoteRemember everything. Save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see. Evernote works with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device out there. Search by keyword, tag or even printed and handwritten text inside images.

13. GivealinkShare your bookmarks with the community and help others navigate the Web. Use the GiveALink visualization tool to visualize and organize your bookmarks.Play the GiveALink games to create social links across the Web.

14. Historioushistorious saves you time by helping you find webpages you saw before. Bookmark sites with a single click, then find them again by searching for any word in the content of the page!

15. ikeepbookmarks.comiKeepBookmarks.com allows you to upload, and keep, your bookmarks on the web. You can access them at any time, from any computer... anywhere!

16. Jog The WebJOG THE WEB is a web-based tool that allows anyone to create a synchronous guide to a series of web sites. Its step by step approach of taking viewers through web sites allowing the author to annotate and ask guiding questions for each page is unique.

17. Learn FizzFind, organize and share the best free learning on the web.

18. linkaGoGoThe free Online Favorites manager and Social Bookmarking application. Storing your Bookmarks (also known as Favorites, Anchors, Links or Hotlists) online. Your bookmarks are available on any computer with access to the Internet, protected by a password. So you can access them from everywhere, not only from home, but also from work, when you are visiting friends, when you are traveling etc.

19. LivebinderCollect your resources. Organize them neatly and easily. Make an impression

20. NetvibesEverything that matters to you, all in one dashboard. Netvibes is a personalized dashboard publishing platform for the Web and digital life aggregation.

21. NetvouzNetvouz is a social bookmarking service that allows you to save your favorite links online and access them from any computer, wherever you are.

22. PinboardSocial Bookmarking for Introverts. Pinboard is a fast, no-nonsense bookmarking site. No ads, no fluff.

23. PinterestA content sharing service that allows members to "pin" images, videos and other objects to their pinboard.

24. RedditUser-generated news links. Votes promote stories to the front page.

25. Save ThisSave links to your favorite web pages from any site. Access your links from any computer or Web enabled wireless device. Organize your saved links into folders that you create. Share your saved links or folders with friends.

26. SharetivityShare, Save and Search. Your social network enhances your search experience

27. SmubSmub is the bookmarking, link-sharing & bookmark management tool for smartphones and any PC or Mac.

28. StumbleuponStumbleUpon is the easiest way to find cool new websites, videos, photos and images from across the Web. We make the best recommendations just for you.

29. TwoBrainsTwo Brains is an application that approaches the learning process in a different way. The application is built around goals, because in the end that's what you truly care about

30. Vi.sualize.usBookmark the pictures you like around the web. Enjoy people's favorite images

14 Online Bibliography and Citation Tools For Teachers

1. CitationGenerator -It's cloud-based, ad-free and quick (and easy) to use!

2. Citation Machine - FreeCitation machine helps students and professional researchers to properly credit the information that they use. Its primary goal is to make it so easy for student researchers to cite their information sources

3. Citefast - FreeCite your work at APA, MLA, and Chicago without leaving http://www.citefast.com/ in three easy steps. Your citations will be kept as long as you keep visiting the site. After four days of inactivity your citations will be deleted.

4. Citelighter - FreeStore, organize, and share your education and research for free. Creating internet-research bibliographies can be infuriating to say the least, so Citelighter grabs all relevant info to create accurate citations for you. Anything we miss you can add yourself, and we'll save your additions for future users.

5. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy Citation Wizard - FreeOffer three Citation Styles: APA, CSE, formerly known as CBE, and MLA. All feature specific templates for citing online Journals, Web pages with and without authors, electronic Books and Databases.

6. Oregon Public Education Citation Maker for MLA - FreeDo you need to cite your sources? You can use this tool to create a Works Cited list of research sources following the MLA and APA standard citation formats.

7. Recipes4Success - FreeCreating a complete and correctly formatted citation is a challenge for many students, especially documenting sources such as art and music that aren't included in traditional citation formats. Create a citation formatted in either APA or MLA style. Students will still need to completely document the information, but the Citation Maker will format it for them.

8. RefDot - Chrome Extension - FreeMaking citation easy. Cite and store books or journal references. Add books automatically from amazon book pages. Cite books, journals and sites with this handy little extension.

9. Zotero - FreeZotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. It lives right where you do your work-in the web browser itself. Whether you need to create footnotes, endnotes, in-text citations, or bibliographies, Zotero will do all the dirty work for you, leaving you free to focus on your writing. Create citations in Word and OpenOffice without ever leaving your word processor and add references to an email, a Google Doc, or some other editor simply by dragging one or more references out of Zotero.

10. EndNoteEndNote enables you to move seamlessly through your research process with flexible tools for searching, organizing and sharing your research, creating your bibliography and writing your paper. You'll save hours building and maintaining reference libraries and creating bibliographies. With unique features to maximize your time like automatically finding full text and updating records, EndNote lets you spend less time in the details.

11. NoodleToolsA powerful, integrated platform for research & literacy. NoodleTools is your instructional partner for differentiated teaching of literacy skills, critical analysis, sound reasoning, and collaborative group research.

12. ReferenceME - Android AppBetter essays, faster! Simply scan the barcode of a book using your mobile phone camera, and ReferenceME will create your bibliography and citations in moments. If there is no barcode you can find the book's ISBN or simply enter the details yourself, and turn them into references in any of the major styles used by universities and libraries. ReferenceME creates Bibliographies and Citations/Footnotes for Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, MHRA, MLA, Oxford and APA.

13. RefWorksRefWorks -- an online research management, writing and collaboration tool -- is designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies.

13 Free Sticky Notes Tools For Teachers

1. CorkboardRemember and share what's important to you. Collaborate with others on a single Corkboard. Post and access on your computer or on-the-go. Organize your postings into Corkboards. Share what you post on your Facebook wall and get notified of new comments on your postings.

2. Hott NotesFree sticky notes reminders for your desktop. A simple, easy-to-use sticky notes software for Windows.

3. LinoitSticky and Photo sharing for you. A free sticky and canvas service that requires nothing but a Web browser.

4. ListingsOnline sticky notes. Take notes from your browser. Share and collaborate with others in real-time. Reach your notes from anywhere. Super fast, free and ridiculously easy.

5. Notepad2A fast and light-weight Notepad-like text editor with syntax highlighting. This program can be run out of the box without installation, and does not touch your system's registry.

6. PadletPadlet gives you a blank page (a wall) and you put anything you want on it, anywhere. Perhaps the easiest site for children to use. Pose questions, get their answers, and give them feedback - all on the same page.

7. ScrumblrScrumblr is a web-based simulation of a physical agile sprint board that supports real-time collaboration.

8. Simple Sticky NotesWhat is Simple Sticky Notes? It's a simple, easy-to-use, absolutely free, fast and efficient note taking software.

9. SpaazeSpaaze (pronounced "space") offers it's users so called boards. Each board is an infinite space which resembles a virtual cork. On these boards, items can be put. Currently Spaaze offers 7 different items: Labels, Notes, Bookmarks, Images, Files, Videos and HTML. These items can be edited in place, moved via drag and drop and positioned freely on the board. Therefore it's possible to arrange a bunch of items any way you like, which makes it possible to use it for many different use cases.

10. StickiesStickies is a PC utility. Just like a real sticky piece of paper: Once on screen, stickies will remain where placed until closed, even through reboots. Stickies appearance can be customised; fonts, colours and buttons may be changed, and styles saved. Stickies can be resized and store text or images. Stickies can snap to each other and to the sides of the screen to keep them neatly lined up. Stickies can be attached to a web site, document or folder so they only show when it's on screen, and much more...

11. StickrWith Stickr you can create streams, subscribe to your friends' feeds, form and join groups, follow people you like, leave private comments. Stickr feed can be embedded to your homepage or blog, your account can be associated with accounts on other social networking sites.

12. StickyPadStickyPad is an invaluable, easy-to-use tool that lets you place sticky notes on your desktop. You can type notes to yourself, set meeting and appointment reminders, keep track of a to-do list, and anything else you would do with paper notes.

13. StixyStixy helps users organize their world on flexible, shareable Web-based bulletin boards called Stixyboards. Unlike most personal productivity or project management software, Stixy doesn't dictate how users should organize their information. Users can create tasks, appointments, files, photos, notes, and bookmarks on their Stixyboards, organized in whatever way makes sense to them.

31 Free Photo and Image Editing Tools For Teachers

1. Aviary A better photo editing solution for web and mobile.

2. Cacoo Cacoo is a user friendly online drawing tool that allows you to create a variety of diagrams such as site maps, wire frames, UML and network charts. Cacoo can be used free of charge.

3. Chart ChooserWe've rebuilt our favorite tool for improving Excel and PowerPoint with HTML5 goodness. Use the filters above to find the right chart type for your needs. Then download as Excel or PowerPoint templates and insert your own data.

4. ChartGizmoWith your free account from ChartGizmo you can now create charts for your website, blog and social network profiles.

5. ChartToolCharts and graphs are a great tool because they communicate information visually. On Onlinecharttool.com you can design and share your own graphs online and for free.

6. Colorcinch An intuitive photo editor that lets you transform your photos into stunning cartoons, characters, and animes! Creating your avatar can be done with just a single click. Photo editing made simple, beautiful, and for everyone. It's free, no sign-up is needed.

7. CoSketchCoSketch is a multi-user online whiteboard designed to give you the ability to quickly visualize and share your ideas as images.

8. Creately100's of thoughtful features to make creately diagramming quick and natural, its a joy to use.

9. Creative Docs.netCreative Docs .NET is a vector-based graphic design tool with support for rich text, ideal to quickly write short documents, manuals, posters, illustrations, schemas, plans, flow charts, and much more.

10. diagram.lyDraw Diagrams Online, free. draw.io is an online diagramming application and github project. It features the full range of visual configuration you expect, as well as web application features such as a full range of export options, a large collection of icons, real-time collaboration and embedded widget sharing.

11. DoppelMeWith DoppelMe you can create a cool graphical likeness of yourself, your friends, family or any group of people for use as an avatar in forums, instant messenger, blogs and almost anywhere else on the web. It's free and there are no Flash, ActiveX controls, downloads or toolbars needed - just your browser and a few mouse clicks. That's it!

12. Flash PAINTThis is an online full paint application. Draw online with paint tool. Save on your disk your drawings and send your drawing to the public gallery.

13. Flowchart.comFlowchart.com is an online multi-user, real-time collaboration flow charts service. It's Flowcharting made easy.

14. Gickr.comInstantly create Animated GIF online, free, right now! Just upload pictures or grab them from your Flickr.

15. GlogsterLooking for a new way to express yourself? Mash up music, photos, videos, & more to express what you care about. Your ideas, your emotions, your Glogster. Glogster costs 10 seconds to sign up. That's it! Everything on Glogster is free & always will be.

16. GoAnimateMake Amazing Animated Videos! Use our Video Maker to create videos for free.

17. Google SketchUpIntuitive and fun to use. Re-imagine your living space. Model buildings for Google Earth. Use SketchUp for free.

18. InkscapeAn Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

19. Paint.NETSimple, intuitive, and innovative user interface. Every feature and user interface element was designed to be immediately intuitive and quickly learnable without assistance.

20. PencilPencil is an animation/drawing software for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. It lets you create traditional hand-drawn animation (cartoon) using both bitmap and vector graphics. Pencil is free and open source.

21. PhotoPeachOur idea is to help you tell better stories online using photos. With PhotoPeach you can create a rich slideshow in seconds to engage your friends or family. We also support background music, captions, and comments so you can elaborate on your story further.

22. PicMarkrFree Watermark. Add Custom Watermark with PicMarkr! PicMarkr lets you to add custom watermark (image or text) to your images online and free.

23. PixlrWelcome to the most popular online photo editor in the world...

24. ReshadeHere you can resize images maintaining quality, edges and texture. This means Reshade reduces or eliminates most of the usual side-effects of photo enlargement.

25. Rich Chart LiveCreate for free enjoyable and captivating Flash Charts from your web browser.

26. Roxio PhotoShowMake Free Photo Slideshow. It's so easy that just about anyone can tell an engaging, one-of-a-kind PhotoShow story in just minutes!

27. Slidestory Combine sharing pictures and narration and what do you get? Slidestory! Slidestory is a new, exciting and FREE way to make presentations and share them on the Internet.

28. SplashupSplashup, formerly Fauxto, is a powerful editing tool and photo manager. With the features professionals use and novices want, it's easy to use, works in real-time and allows you to edit many images at once.

29. SUMO PaintWeb's best image app, hands down! Our editor is full of unique features that let you unleash your creativity.

30. ToondooWorld's fastest way to create cartoons!

31. VokiVoki is a FREE service that lets you create customized avatars. Add voice to your Voki avatars. Post your Voki to any blog, website, or profile. Take advantage of Voki's learning resources.

17 Free Testing and Quizzing Tool For Teachers

1. ClassMarkerClassMarker's secure, professional web-based testing service is an easy-to-use, customizable online test maker for business, training & educational assessment with tests and quizzes graded instantly - saving hours of paperwork!

2. ClassToolsCreate free games, quizzes, activities and diagrams in seconds! Host them on your own blog, website or intranet! No signup, no passwords, no charge!

3. Easy Test MakerEasyTestMaker is a free online test generator to help you create your tests. You can create multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer and true and false questions all on the same test. You can also insert instructions and divide your test into multiple sections.

4. Hot Potatoes You can choose from the following six types of questions to create your interactive quiz: crossword, multiple-choice, short-answer, gap-fill, matching/ordering and jumbled-sentence.

5. iQuiz MakeriQuiz Maker is an easy way for you to create custom quizzes for the iQuiz game for the iPod. iQuiz Maker works seamlessly so you can write, create, package your very own quizzes. Download the free application today to begin putting the world to the test.

6. ProProfs Quiz SchoolCreate Online Tests & Quizzes Easily. Over 100,000 quizzes created. Over 1 million quiz takers.

7. QuandaryQuandary is an application for creating Web-based Action Mazes. An Action Maze is a kind of interactive case-study; the user is presented with a situation, and a number of choices as to a course of action to deal with it.

8. QuedocOur quiz software not only plays quizzes, interactive lessons and revision aids; it also helps you create your own learning content and work cooperatively with others in the process of authoring.

9. Quiz RevolutionMake Free Facebook Quizzes and Free Online Quizzes. Interactive Multimedia Quizzes That Can Be Embedded On Any Site.

10. YacapacaIf you are a teacher you can use 15,000 quizzes in every subject or you can create quizzes, surveys, tests, eportfolios and more.

11. FunnelBrainFunnelBrain gives you and your friends a new way to learn. You can form study teams, play games, take quizzes, and show off your intellectual prowess. It's fun, it's free and you'll do better in class.

12. JeopardyJeopardyLabs allows you to create a customized jeopardy template without PowerPoint. The games you make can be played online from anywhere in the world. Building your own jeopardy template is a piece of cake.

13. EdgamesUse games to enhance your classroom teaching! On this site you will find more than just one or two games, we have categories of games for all types of classrooms.

14. QuizSlidesThe easy way to create stylish, interactive online test!

15. What2LearnThe fun and effective way to learn. Play some of our thousands of revision games and quizzes or make your own. Whether you are revising for examinations and tests such as GCSE and SATs, or simply looking for a powerful and engaging way to develop literacy and understanding, register today and start the learning fun.

15 Free Web Conferencing Tools For Teachers

1. AnyMeetingAnyMeeting is free with ads. It allows for meetings of up to 200 people, and has essential functionality like screen sharing, VoIP and phone conferencing, meeting recording and it even has a follow-up functionality.

2. BigBlueButtonBigBlueButton enables universities and colleges to deliver a high-quality learning experience to remote students.

3. Google+ HangoutWould you like to see, hear, and share information to your online learners. With Google+ Hangouts you can have a video group chat for up to 10 people for free! It is a powerful tool much better than a Web Chat.

4. ManagemeetManageMeet.com is a online service that enables teams to collaborate on tomorrows solutions in real-time. Share knowledge, collect ideas, analyze and decide.

5. Meetin.GsUnlimited meetings with 6 participants/meeting, material exchange, agenda & notes, 5MB size limit per file, and Skype integration.It's also a great place to edit documents together with a group and anyone can mail-in notes and other materials via email.

6. MeetingBurnerHost up to 10 webinar attendees for FREE with no ads - forever! Instantly share your screen with anybody. Works with iPhones, iPads, and Android Phones. You'll also get analytics for your meetings so that you can see how your guests interact with your content.

7. MikogoScreen sharing has never been so easy! Have an online meeting, give a presentation, or provide remote support with Mikogo. Sign up today and see how simple online meetings can be!

8. ShowDocumentShowDocument lets you do quick and easy real-time collaboration with others with no software required.

9. Sync.inSync.in is a web based word processor for people to collaborate in real-time. When multiple people edit the same document simultaneously, any changes are instantly reflected on everyone's screen. The result is a new and productive way to collaborate with text documents, useful for meeting notes, brainstorming, project planning, training, and more.

10. TokBox Video ChatTokBox makes it easy to add video chat to your site using either the OpenTok API or OpenTok Widgets.

11. TwiddlaMark up websites, graphics, and photos, or start brainstorming on a blank canvas. Browse the web with your friends or make that conference call more productive than ever. No plug-ins, downloads, or firewall voodoo - it's all here, ready to go when you are. Browser-agnostic, user-friendly.

12. VyewVyew allows you to meet and share content in real-time or anytime. Upload images, files, documents and videos into a room. Users can access and contribute at anytime.

13. WebHuddleMeetings can be conducted either in conjunction with an enterprise's existing teleconferencing service, or utilizing WebHuddle's optional voice over IP.

14. YugmaYugma free web conferencing allows anyone, anywhere to instantly share their desktop and ideas online with others. To start hosting your own meetings, sign up today for FREE. Your Yugma Free web conferencing account allows you to invite up to 1 attendees with 30 minutes meeting limitations.

15. Zoho MeetingGet started with online meetings, start sharing your desktop to anyone, anywhere at any time.

15 Free Authoring Tools For Teachers

1. Easygenerator Easygenerator provides cloud-based eLearning authoring software. Easygenerator enables instructional designers and subject matter experts to rapidly create the most engaging courses that have the highest learning impact. Easygenerator is affordable, easy to use, and future proof. Simply create, design and publish your eLearning courses. Used and loved by 5000+ users in more than 120 countries in both enterprises and universities. Easygenerator's headquarter is located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

2. LCDSThe Microsoft Learning Content Development System (LCDS) is a free tool that enables the Microsoft Learning community to create high-quality, interactive, online courses and Microsoft Silverlight Learning Snacks.

3. SmartBuilderSmartBuilder is the award-winning course authoring tool that enables you to create rich Flash e-learning with an easy-to-use interface.

4. The Multimedia Learning Object Authoring ToolThe Multimedia Learning Object Authoring Tool enables content experts to easily combine video, audio, images and texts into one synchronized learning object.

5. authorPOINT authorPOINT is an authoring tool that allows users to capture presentations and add pre-recorded audio/video, all inside of Microsoft PowerPoint. authorGEN also offers authorPOINT Lite, which converts PowerPoint presentations to Flash.

6. DipityFrom what we can glean from their website, Dipity is an online timeline creator. Users, known as Dipsters, can create their own content on subjects that are meaningful to them and share them with other users. Dipsters can also integrate social media into their timeline, utilizing real-time updates.

7. Document Suite 2008Document Suite 2008 is an authoring tool that helps transform documents into online help modules.

8. IzzuiIzzui is a hybrid social learning application that can be linked with QuickLessons. Izzui uses Facebook as an LMS to track and deliver courses. Izzui also has an e-Commerce capability allowing users to charge and pay for courses that they have created.

9. JackdawJackdaw produces SCORM 1.2 compliant content that is easily integrated into any LMS. Users can create interactive content either from scratch or with the the help of over 100 templates. Jackdaw also lets users create content that they can then sell on the Open Elms web-store.

10. LessonWriterFrom what we can gather from their website, LessonWriter is a tool for teachers that allows them to create lessons from any passage. These courses allow teachers to be creative with their lesson plans and also saves them a great deal of time.

11. MOS SoloMOS Solo offers a way for users to create content on the go without having to rely on a constant Internet connection. Even though they are using an offline content creation tool, they do not lose any of the functionality or power to create their multimedia content.

12. myUdutuA free online authoring tool with a suite of WSIWYG tools, allowing users to create courses in an approachable environment. Claims to export SCORM 1.2/2004 conformant courses to be used in a 3rd party LMS or integrate into social media sites, such as Facebook.

13. QuickLessons Authoring ToolQuickLessons was built from the ground up to be a completely SaaS based content authoring tool, requiring the user to only have access to a web-browser. QuickLessons comes equipped with quizzes, games, characters, out-of-the-box animations and other customizable content to allow users to create truly unique and interactive flash-based content to meet their needs. Users can either use QuickLessons for free, publishing their content only to Facebook, or they can buy an individual, corporate or academic account.

14. ScratchFrom what we can gather from their website, Scratch is a creative tool that helps users create content that is beyond the barriers of traditional page-turners. Scratch users can create interactive stories, animation, music, and art, then share their creations on the web.

15. xtimelinextimeline is a tool that allows users to create timeline based content for free. Users can also share their timelines with other users, creating a community.

5 Free Annotation Tools For Teachers

1. Diigo It's one of the most commonly used free web annotation tools which lets you bookmark and tag web pages. In addition to that, you would also be able to highlight a part of a webpage if you wish to emphasize something and attach sticky notes to it. Its advanced search allows you to rummage through the text of pages you have bookmarked which includes tags, titles, URLs and even your own comments and highlights. One of the best features of Diigo is your ability to comment on other users' notes which can be set to either public or private.

2. A.nnotate A.nnotate is not just a free annotation tool but also a collaboration and indexing tool. It can be used to catalogue images and other document formats. It also makes it easier for you to work with a group especially when documents are needed to be sent through email back and forth because of comments of different users. With the use of A.nnotate, you can simply create a single read-only copy of your document and share it with whomever you like so you could all comment on it. Another good thing about it is, it is very easy to use and it works fine in commonly used web browsers without you having to install software or plug ins. You may sign up for a free account which gives you credits for annotating 30 items every month, anything above that will require payment.

3. Bounce App Bounce app is a very simple free annotation tool that works just as effectively as others in the market. You simply log on to their website, enter the URL of the webpage you'd like to comment on and then click on Grab Screenshot. Voila! You'll have a screenshot of that webpage and you're now ready to comment on it by dragging the mouse and creating red boxes (like the one you see below). These red boxes are labelled with another box that contains your name and has a space for your comments. One of the best features of Bounce is that you can share your feedback on either Facebook or Twitter and let your friends see it.

4. Crocodoc Crocodoc Personal is a free annotation tool used for commenting on documents. Simply log on to their website, upload a PDF file, Office Doc or image, modify it using Crocodoc tools which allow you to highlight, draw or comment on it. When you're done, click on Share button at the upper right hand corner of the page and send the link to whomever you'd like to share the document with. You may share it through copying the link and sending it through email or IM, or you may even embed it on your blog or website. However, if you would like to store your files or view your upload history, you have to sign up for a Crocodoc account but you need not worry because this app is absolutely for free.

5. Markup.io Markup allows you to draw on any webpage using built in tools. Simply go to their website, drag the icon located at the lower right hand corner of the page to the bookmark bar of your browser.

8 Free Video Tools For Teachers

1. Ezvid Ezvid is a 100% free video creation tool that allows you to capture everything that appears on your computer screen. It also allows you to edit your recorded videos by splitting your recordings, inserting text and audio, controlling the speed and even drawing directly on your screen. There's also a Gaming Mode specially designed for gamers to avoid black screen problems when recording games such as Diablo III and Call of Duty which are full screen games. You can save your edited videos for later use or you may directly upload them on YouTube.

2. BlueBerry Flashback Express Recorder This recorder just, like other screencast tools, enables you to capture your screen while recording yourself through a webcam. It introduces quite a long list of features that will let you edit videos like a pro. BB Flashback Express Recorder also has a very easy user interface that allows you to decide what area of your screen you would like to capture and whether to record sound and web activity or not. Another good thing about it is that you can have scheduled recordings so you wouldn't have to miss online events. It also includes a player which works like a VCR and allows you to review your recording frame-by-frame.

3. ScreenrScreenr is a web-based screen recorder. Yes, you read it right. It's web-based so that means, you wouldn't have to install it on your computer but it requires Java to run. Screenr allows you to easily capture your screen by logging on to their website, clicking on the record button and keeping it open while you are capturing your screen activity. Keep in mind that you only have a maximum of 5 minutes per recording. Files are saved on the site. When you're finished, you'll be given a link that can be easily shared by email or can be embedded on websites. It's absolutely free, works on both MAC and PC and will work even on your iPhone.

4. Rylstim Screen Recorder Rylstim is a very simple and easy to use Screen Recorder which, aside from capturing your screen, also allows you to record events happening on the monitor including right and left clicks. It has a minimalistic and intuitive interface but supports multiple CODECs. You can also customize the video frame rates. Rylstim Screen Recorder works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows

5. Krut Krut is a screencast tool that works in almost any Operating system and requires Java to run. It's a very simple program with only 3 basic controls: Record, Snap for still pictures, and the Arrow button used to adjust the borders of your recording area. It's very minimalist without all those complicated features that other screencast tools offer, but it can be powerful too because of some additional features such as timer-controlled recording. You can also use it for recording streaming video and audio.

6. CamStudioCamStudio is a pretty straightforward program that lets you record your screen and audio and produce outputs in AVI or SWF format. It enables annotation such as text and call out inserts and even provides you some cursor options such as default, hidden or highlighted, which should be carefully laid out prior to recording. You have some video options too which lets you control compression, frame rates , quality and time lapse but aside from that, you can't really do much with the video because it doesn't include editing capabilities.

7. Webineria Webineria is an open-source easy-to-use screencast tool which lets you capture your screen activity and do "picture-in-picture" video by adding your webcam stream. It provides you 3 frame rate options: 5, 10 and 15 frames per second and outputs can be produced in either AVI or FLV format. It has built in features too that let you adjust the boundaries of your record area, use hotkeys to pause and resume recording. Outputs are saved on the site and can be shared via email links or embedding on websites.

8. Screen-O-MaticScreencast-O-Matic is a screencast tool which has both web-based and desktop versions. It's very easy to use and will run so long as you have Java installed on your computer. It has free video hosting and allows you to record your screen or both your screen and webcam. You may also publish your output directly to YouTube. The free versions of Screencast-O-Matic has limited features though. For instance, there's a 15-minute recording time limit, there's a small watermark when recording, it doesn't allow webcam-only recording and it doesn't allow you to zoom and annotate while recording.

6 Free PDF Tools For Teachers

1. Adobe Reader XIAdobe Reader is a trusted high quality tool that allows you to view and print your PDF files. It also lets you interact with PDF content, including multimedia. Other features covered are adding and verifying digital signature, annotating on PDF pages, creating and filling out PDF forms, and printing out these documents.

2. Doro PDF Writer by CompSoftDoro PDF Writer is very easy to use and is pretty straightforward. It doesn't have all the other options that other PDF tools have but it works great in printing PDF files. It is installed as a virtual print driver and converts any printable document or image to PDF format. It can be powerful too as it lets you set the author name and even protect it with a password before conversion. Just select it from the program's setting menu before printing a PDF document and it will launch and provide you the option to change the document's metadata. On top of those mentioned is the ability to enable and disable copying, pasting and printing functions of the document. It is compatible with XP, Vista, Windows 7 and 8.

3. BullZip PDF Printer by BioPDFBullZip is another PDF tool that works as a virtual print driver and uses Ghostscript to convert documents. Like Doro, it also allows you to convert printable document or image to PDF format but on top of that, it also lets you add watermarks, merge PDF files and even add protection to your PDF files. It is free for up to 10 users and offers installation of promotional, third party components. You may check the guidelines here.

4. PDFTK BuilderThis is an open source PDF tool used which allows you to easily reorder or merge selected pages. It is also capable of splitting and rotating pages and adding stamp and encryption to your file. Aside from those mentioned it doesn't offer too much and even lacks the basic function of watermarking with background text.

5. PDFill PDF ToolThis is probably one of the most user-friendly free PDF tools that offer you so many features. It provides the most important functions such as merging, splitting, reordering, rotating and cropping pages and even allows you to add headers, footers and watermarks. It also offers additional features such as encrypting and decrypting security options, and deleting, flattening and adding form fields. It requires GhostScript and Java to run.

6. jPDF Tweak It can be a good choice when you want to get as many features as you can in just one application. It lets you merge, split, reorder and rotate pages, and add watermarks and encryption too. You can also digitally sign PDF documents using it. There are features for attaching files to PDF and editing metadata as well. jPDF Tweak requires Java 5, or even higher, to run. It uses iText library to manipulate PDF documents and JGoodies Forms for its GUI.

34 Sites To Download Royalty Free and Creative Commons Music For Teachers

1. Archive's audio and MP3 library This library contains over two hundred thousand free digital recordings ranging from alternative news programming, to Grateful Dead concerts, to Old Time Radio shows, to book and poetry readings, to original music uploaded by our users. Many of these audios and MP3s are available for free download.

2. ArtistServer Free independent music, 11,000 mp3 downloads by more than 10,000 artists.

3. Audiofarm It´s the best and easiest way to find new and interesting music, audio recordings, people and friends from around the world.

4. Audionautix All music in this online collection created by Jason Shaw. Released under Creative Commons license 3.0 You are free to use the music (even for commercial purposes) as long as you credit "Music from - audionautix.com"OR provide a link to this website from yours. Music must be part of some other created works. No further permission is required.

5. BeatPick Creative Commons licenses allow the use of music for free for non-commercial projects, provided that users credit your name in association with their multimedia projects. Thus, we provide music for free for scholastic and socially involved projects, while we require that governmental funded ones pay a licensing fee. For personal use, we encourage our users to buy the albums/EPs from our site. To obtain the download of the required files, all projects must provide us with their name, e-mail and project description, allowing us to control that they are indeed entitle to such uses.

6. Brainy Betty Free Sound Clips and Music for Presentations!

7. Bump Foot Bump Foot is a non-profit netlabel in Japan. There are two main branches. Bump side : techno and house, or based on them. Foot side : ambient, IDM, or etc... other than bump side.You are free: to Share - to copy, distribute and transmit the work, and to Remix - to adapt the work.

8. CASH MusicCASH Music is a non-profit organization that hosts digital tools for musicians and labels to share their music. The digital tool allows for uploads and downloads of songs and sharing is made easy.

9. ccMixter Looking for music for a video, school project, game you're developing, podcast or just for listening in your cubicle or mobile music device? Find exactly the music you're looking for - podsafe, liberally licensed - using dig.ccMixter Music Discovery tool.

10. CCTrax All showcased music is available under one of the six Creative Commons licenses. They authorize free music download and enable the artists to promote their music while protecting their rights.

11. DanoSongs Hi, I'm Dan-O and I post my original music as free MP3 downloads here on DanoSongs.com. You can listen to the songs online or download the tracks. It's also legal to use the music royalty free in your video, game, film, presentation, slideshow or website.

12. FMA The Free Music Archive is an interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads. The Free Music Archive is directed by WFMU, the most renowned freeform radio station in America. Radio has always offered the public free access to new music. The Free Music Archive is a continuation of that purpose, designed for the age of the internet.

13. Freeplay Music Library Freeplay's first product, the Freeplay Music Library, is a comprehensive collection of High End Broadcast production music spanning all the popular musical genres, available for download either on-line or via our Portable Hard Drive.

14. FreeSFXDownload free sound effects.Stuart Duffield has been creating audio professionally for 18 years. Having worked predominately in the Games Industry, he has produced a wide range of audio for various worldwide clients and numerous high profile projects. Based in the UK, Stuart has a history of synthesising, recording, designing, processing and editing audio of all types. Having worked in-house for a number of major Game Developers, Stuart currently works on a freelance / contract basis. This involves audio design, music composition and voice production in various forms - for Games, Animation, TV and Film.

15. Freesound Freesound aims to create a huge collaborative database of audio snippets, samples, recordings, bleeps, ... released under Creative Commons licenses that allow their reuse.

16. iBeat Free Beats - Download beats, loops, breaks and samples Free beats, loops, and breaks - iBeat.org iBeat - pushing beats, loops and breaks since 2007. Free under Creative Commons licensing.

17. Incompetech Incompetech hosts a wide variety of royalty free music. You can browse their selection by genre or feel. "Feel" would include things like: Action, Relaxed, Intense or Humorous; you can select a combination of 'Feels' and it will check its database for selection matches. Clips can be played on the website and instantly downloaded as well.

18. Jamendo370,000 tracks.Free music for all. Enjoy unlimited music, it's completely free and legal.

19. JewelBeat Free Background Music. Easily search thru over 4,000 free background music and sound effects simply by using keywords. No need to download to preview - just type in keywords, listen immediately then download what you need! Start searching for free background music.

20. Josh Woodward Yes, you can freely download, share and use all 180+ of Josh Woodward songs.

21. Kompoz Kompoz is an online community that prides in collaboration between artists from all over the world. Artists post their clips on the website where anyone can download it and use it for their own productions. They can also add their own instruments or creative mix to the original clip and upload it on the website again.

22. LifeSounds LifeSounds works on the integration of music throughout the curriculum. Their desire is to build each individuals' ability to strengthen their emotional intelligence and to encourage understanding between people.

23. Musopen Set music FREE. Musopen (www.musopen.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on improving access and exposure to music by creating free resources and educational materials. We provide recordings, sheet music, and textbooks to the public for free, without copyright restrictions. Put simply, our mission is to set music free.

24. Orphan Songs The Orphan Songs website is running by Carl-Otto Johansson. Most of the music here is free to download and use. (Creative Commons).

25. PacDV This is a small database of free audio clips organised by mood or emotion such as: Warm, Loving, Serious or Lonely.

26. Partners in Rhyme Royalty free music libraries for you to download and start using right away in your commercial projects. These high quality music tracks will make your projects more effective and sound more professional.

27. Public Domain 4U Great Historical Music Recordings, Free to Download, Play, and Share. Our musical heritage is our culture. The Past should be appreciated, not neglected. These artists are so unique, they should never be forgotten. This site is designed for your musical edification. This site can not grant any commercial uses of this material.

28. Purple Planet Free Collection of Royalty Free Music available for download, composed and performed by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn Music can be used free of charge for web-based projects e.g. YouTube (see 'Using Our Music' for more info) in exchange for a link to our site. Donations are welcome!

29. Restorm This is a platform to sell music to the public. Also, you can download some of their free selection of music just by creating an account.

30. Royalty Free Music Library Royalty Free Music Library is proud to offer one of the largest offerings of online broadcast-quality royalty free music anywhere on the web. Download royalty free music from 3 of the top royalty free catalogs online:

1. Royalty Free Music Revolution - The definitive royalty free music catalog with over 1000 songs from some of the top composers in the industry.

2. Radical Music Library - Royalty free music with cutting edge productions and "indie" attitude. Created by professional composers with a long list of film and television credits.

3. Mojo Music Library - An offering of top- notch royalty free music with broader coverage on each CD for those who need a bit wider coverage for their budget.

31. SampleSwap Creative Commons Licensed Electronic Music for Commercial and Non-Commercial Royalty-Free use(Free professional-quality MP3s for DJ'ing, film scores, radio, TV, video games, podcasting, etc.). These pre-cleared songs were uploaded by artists at sampleswap.org under a variety of Creative Commons licenses. Please be sure to read the licensing information for each track carefully before using any of this music.

32. Sonnyboo 40 completely free pieces of music. For each and every single song below, all you have to do is credit the songwriter - Peter John Ross (www.sonnyboo.com) and the music is your to use for free.

33. SoundCloud SoundCloud is a website where artists share their new tracks to the world. There is a section under Creative Commons license where you can download other people's tracks. You can stream the available clips and it takes just a simple click to get the MP3 file without any registration.

34. Stock Music Boutique Stock Music Boutique library offers high quality royalty-free production music. All tracks have full music clearance ready for instant buy out. Find a track you like and use it forever at no extra cost.

18 Free Stock Photos Sites For Teachers

1. PublicDomainPictures.net is a repository for free public domain photos. You can download high quality photos, upload your own pictures, earn money to charity, get exposure and gain popularity and improve your photographic and graphic skills.

2. FreeImages is not just another clipart graphic site!.... more than 6000 original stock photos all for FREE! Free images is a high quality resource of digital stock photographic images for use by all. All images in their collection are free to use on websites and printed materials.

3. FreeFoto.com is made up of 132232 images with 182 sections organized into 3630 categories.

4. Free stock photos, easy to download, easy to browse. Use them for commercial or personal design projects of any kind! Some are even public domain, so you can use those for whatever you want. Whether you're looking for free stock designs for your project, free stock photography for your next big design or something in-between, freestockfor.us is your resource for quick downloads!

5. FreePixels offers free high resolution stock photos for use in both personal and commercial design projects.

6. Nearly 100% of their Royalty Free Stock Photos are Free Download. Every image is absolutely free, with some more options to buy individual higher resolutions. They can be used either for private or commercial purposes. In exchange, we only ask you to use the images according to our Licensing.

7. The SXC (stock.xhng) is a website providing free-to use stock photography and illustrations. The stock.xhng operates as a hybrid of a picture library site and a social networking site; registered users may set up a personal profile, upload their photographic works to share with other users, write a blog and participate in online forums to discuss and critique each others' work.

8. The 4 Free Photos is an online community of photographers who enjoy taking pictures and decided to share them with the public to use them for free in their private or commercial projects. They hope you will find the collection of free and public domain images useful.

9. Morgue File is an easy to use free photo site. Free images for your inspiration, reference and use in your creative work, be it commercial or not!

10. From Free Digital Photos you can download royalty free photos and illustrations for websites, newspapers, magazines, video and TV productions, iPhone applications, PowerPoint presentations, forums, blogs and school work.

11. Turbo Photo offers Free stock images from 10 categories (3.4 GB). Stock images are in the public domain.

12. If you are a designer you can download high resolution RF stock images for free from Dreams Time. If you are a photographer you have the opportunity to achieve a great portfolio exposure by offering free images.

13. Image * After is a large online free photo collection. You can download and use any image or texture from our site and use it in your own work, either personal or commercial.

14. In Public Domain Photos you can access 5,000 free photos, 8,000 free cliparts. All photos on this web site are public domain. You may use these images for any purpose, including commercial.

15. The photos in the Flickr Free Use Photos Group are available for use by anyone. There is no need to give credit or to fear rights infringement. These images are posted by their creators. By posting to this group, you're allowing freedom of use.

16. Free photos and clip art from Microsoft Office Online

17. Every Stock Photo is a search engine for free photos. These come from many sources and are license-specific. You can view a photo's license by clicking on the license icon, below and left of photos. Membership is free, without advertising, and allows you to rate, tag, collect and comment on photos.

18. PikWizard offers a stunning library of over 1 million stock images and videos. These are royalty free and safe for commercial use, with no attribution required. You can also take each image and edit on graphic design software, Design Wizard!

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324 Free Tools for Teachers - Free Educational Technology

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At this article you will find 324 Free Educational Technology Tools for teachers, online educators, instructors and eLearning professionals.

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The purpose of this site is to help teachers integrate Web 2.0 technologies.

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Hey, friends! I'm eyeball-deep in EOC review, updating grades, and trying to get the most out of the limited number of days I have left with my students! A student asked earlier today why I don't have a countdown on my whiteboard - my response? A countdown will encourage us to "shut down" and discourage engagement during the next few weeks. So, nope, we won't have a countdown! Anywho - back to my post. As I was working on the companion site for my book, Illuminate (which is coming out later this month!!!), I hovered over the "+" icon on the pages menu of Google Sites. The options I saw made me squeal, friends.

When creating a new page in the NEW Google Sites, users can hover over the "+" icon on the pages menu and select "new link" or "new page." Choosing "new page" will allow you to create a page on your Google Site - no big surprise there. Choosing "new link" will allow you to add a link to any site and have the name of the site (and the link, of course) appear in the navigation menu.

This is super-exciting, friends! I plan to create a Google Site this summer to house all of my American Government HyperDocs, course glossary, and other resources. I was originally bummed when I couldn't link my HyperDocs that were created using Google Sites in the menu of the course site, BUT NOW I CAN!! Woohoo!!!

This literally just popped up as an option on my personal Google account -> hopefully it's not just a feature I've missed over the years in my haste to quickly add a page - ha!

I hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Filed Under: Tagged With: Google Sites Google Sites, Google Suite, Illuminate

Hello, all! It's that time of year again ... EOC review time! I, like you, am constantly trying to find new ways to review course content with my students that doesn't only include taking practice tests - because who really likes doing that?! As I typically do when I'm brainstorming a new activity, project, game, etc., I sat on my couch with my laptop this past Sunday evening, staring at the wall - appearing to my husband as if I had finally lost my marbles! I was really visualizing how 3 ideas would work with my students. Here are three collaborative American Government review activities to use to review for EOCs or any other time during the year!

Legends of Law
Landmark cases are so important to the study of American government, but are also quite confusing and can be difficult to remember - especially if you originally learned about the case in September or October and are being tested on it (maybe) in May - that's a different soapbox for a different day. In "Legends of Law" students work in groups to identify a landmark case based on the Constitutional issue at the center of the case, the outcome of the case, the impact of the decision on American history, etc. Students offer their classmates one "difficult" clue that, if they correctly choose the landmark case being described, they earn 5 points. If they cannot answer the question with the first clue, a second clue (worth 3) is offered. Students can work individually, in small teams, or large groups to complete this activity. As students completed their Economic Theories mini-hyperdoc, I worked with small groups of students to review cases with this game. Super-fun!

Un-"Scatter"gories
Checks and balances and separation of powers are tricky concepts to learn. Each branch of government has specific powers and has responsibilities in other branches as well. Who can do what and to whom do they do it? It's a lot to take in! Un-"Scatter"gories requires students to match powers/responsibilities of each branch of government with the appropriate branch. Start by cutting out the cards and "scattering" them on a table/desk/the floor - scattering ... see what I did there? 😉 Students should study the cards and then place them in the correct category. It's great to watch students work together to review these concepts!

Cards of Command/ Decks of Dough
This game is super-simple to make and can be played in pairs, teams, or as a whole class. To create Cards of Command, I printed a Quizlet flashcard deck that I had created dealing with various types and systems of government. To create "Decks of Dough," I printed a Quizlet flashcard deck that I made about economic terms. I cut out the cards and pitched the definitions. Just like Ellen's " Heads Up " game, students work in pair, small groups, or as a whole class to describe the terms/concepts to a student who is holding the term card on their forehead. The descriptions MUST be given using government terms. For example, if the term is Autocracy, students cannot describe the term by saying, "the first part of this word starts like another word for car." This is super fun to play and can be created using any Quizlet deck!

We play all of these games during the class period. I divide my students into four groups and give each group one game. I set a time limit - 2 to 3 minutes - per round and have the groups keep track of their points. (Point values are listed on the Legends of Law game, and I typically assign 4 points per correct response for the other three games) Repeat the rounds as much as you wish during the class period!

I hope you enjoy these collaborative review games!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Filed Under: Tagged With: 1:1 classroom, American government, EOC, review games American Government, educational technology, review, review games

Hello, friends! If you've followed my blog over the last year (thank you!) you've probably figured out some pretty exciting news - I wrote a book! A whole book about how to use technology to illuminate learning! I'm so excited to share it with you - be sure to sign up for the mailing list to be notified when Illuminate is available! I wanted to share with you a quick glimpse into what you can expect from Illuminate and why in the world I wanted to go on the journey of writing a book!

You're already super-busy ... how do you have time to write a book?!
If I had a dollar for every time I heard this question, I could retire yesterday. Yes, I am super-busy ... in addition to being a full-time high school Social Studies teacher, I'm also an adjunct instructor of Educational Technology, a blogger (duh, right?!), a contributor for several educational blogs and, most importantly, Mommy to two fabulous little girls and wife to a pretty amazing husband. So, did I really have time? Not really, but in order to do something we are really compelled to do, we have to make time. So, I made time!

I knew I wanted to share practical tips and tricks for how teachers can use technology to enhance student learning, but I wasn't exactly sure how to share that in a book in a way that would make sense and actually be user-friendly. I think that teachers can quickly turn off the idea that technology can be used positively in the classroom because sometimes, we market technology as the cure-all, silver bullet that will fix all of your problems. And, if teachers don't use all the technology all the time, it's a bad thing. One focus of my book is that it's NOT about the technology, rather it's how you USE it to enhance student learning. Pedagogy first; technology second.

My husband and I took our daughters on a vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina last summer and because they're 7 and 5 years old, we have to take turns going into "the big waves" as our daughters call it. While I was floating in the ocean, letting the waves carry me back and forth, it hit me. I'm chalking this up to one of the many "God things" that happen in my life on a daily basis. I decided to set up my book, similar to how I teach my Educational Technology class - not by the technology that is used but how we can use technology to accomplish learning in our classroom. How can we use technology to help our students engage in or explore content? How can we use technology to encourage our students to communicate, collaborate, create, and think critically? How can we use technology to assess our students, and encourage them to reflect upon what they've learned? How can technology help us motivate and encourage our students? How can teachers use technology to create meaningful connections with other teachers? I immediately ran back to the beach to share this revelation with my husband and, as he typically responds to my geekiness, he said, "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm happy that you're excited about it!" I'm telling you, he's awesome.

What can you expect from Illuminate?
Expect 10 chapters that are full of ideas for how you can use technology to:

Engage in and Explore content

Create

Communicate

Collaborate

Think Critically

Reflect

Assess

Motivate

Connect

Design

I include specific instructions and ideas for using technology to enhance learning. You'll also find helpful images, QR Codes that lead to additional information, and words of encouragement. I am SO excited to share Illuminate with you!! I'll be sharing a pre-order link with you very soon!

Thank you so much for reading 🙂

Filed Under: Tagged With: educational technology educational technology, Illuminate, Technology Enhanced Learning

I wonder if John Hattie's ears have been burning over the last few months. My district has been diving into his work, focusing on the top four practices that Professor Hattie has recognized, through his HUGE meta-analysis of millions of students across the world. I've read articles, bought books, utilized my PLN, followed Professor Hattie on Twitter, and have tried to learn as much as I can about these practices that positively influence student learning. Of the top practices recognized by Professor Hattie (assessment capable learners, spaced vs massed practice, effective feedback, and reciprocal teaching), my particular focus has been on creating assessment capable learners, also known as ACL.

I'll be really honest with you - this is my 10th year teaching, and I have never heard of the phrase "assessment capable learning/learners." We've all heard of metacognition, self-assessment, using rubrics, etc., but when I heard "ACL" I immediately thought of my knees and the condition of my ACL after nearly a decade of volleyball ...

Anyway, since learning about the HUGE effect size of assessment capable learning/metacognition on student learning, I knew I had to dive in and implement this practice in my classroom. We're also in the process of rewriting curriculum, so revamping my assessments and projects/activities to follow assessment capable learning practices is a no-brainer! Here's how we're using this practice in our classroom:

Using Pre-Tests and Self-Assessments
I've used pre-assessments throughout my teaching career as a way to understand my students' prior knowledge of content. These pre-assessments have been both formal and informal in nature, and have included questions similar to what will be addressed in the unit summative assessments. I've learned, however, that I need to include two features in my pre-assessments:

1. "I don't know" as a response option on pre-assessments

2. Create learning targets using student-friendly language based on standards

Prior to learning about ACL, I discouraged my students from writing "I don't know" or the dreaded "idk" on assessments or assignments, and instead encouraged them to try to think of something they knew about the topic. However, on a pre-assessment, answering "I don't know" is perfectly acceptable, as long as it's followed by "yet." As I assigned our recent pre-assessment, I explained this to my students and shared that not knowing about a concept before they learn about it is absolutely and perfectly FINE! It's totally OK, helpful, respectable, etc., to recognize that you don't know anything about a concept ... as long as you're not accepting the lack of knowledge or understanding as the end of the road. I told my students that if they really didn't know the answer (after reading the question and response options) to feel absolutely no shame in choosing "I don't know," as long as they followed the phrase in their mind with "yet" because they will learn the concept! "I don't know" is not definitive - it's temporary!

I, like many of you, have used rubrics for projects throughout my teaching career. However, looking back on those rubrics after learning about ACL, my rubrics sucked! I was evaluating components of projects on rubrics that I wasn't teaching and shouldn't be assessing, based on my standards. I teach Social Studies - while I can help and guide my students on how to use proper grammar, conventions, etc., those aren't components I should be assessing! I've since created new rubrics that are tied to specific learning targets - as they should be! When I created and shared these new rubrics with my students, I made sure to describe the learning target (standard) in student-friendly language, which isn't something I had done before. What good will it do for my students to know what strand and which component of the Missouri Social Studies standards are being addressed? They need to understand what they will be learning and how they will be assessed, which can be accomplished by creating learning targets using student-friendly language!

As my students create their Apply product for each unit, I take time to explain and discuss the requirements on the rubric with them, making sure they understand what's expected. They use the rubric to assess their work prior to submitting the product, which allows them to see where they are, where they need to be, and what they need to do to get there. Students highlight "where they are" on specific aspects of their rubric, which allows them to visualize what they need to do to accomplish a goal. That's the foundation of assessment capable learning - students have a clear understanding of where they are, where they're going, and what they need to do to get there.

It's a terrible feeling to be unsure of what's expected in any aspect of life. Imagine how our students feel!

Check out the requirements for the Apply phase product of my students' Missouri Constitution and Federalism HyperDoc here, and the rubric for that activity here.

How do you use ACL in your classroom?

Thanks for reading this super-long post 🙂

Filed Under: Tagged With: educational technology ACL, Assessment Capable Learning, John Hattie, Learning Targets, Pre-Assessment, Rubrics

Over the past week or so, the Twittersphere has been buzzing with the news of changes to Padlet, a fantastic tool that many teachers, myself included, have used frequently over the past few years. Padlet has offered premium versions for quite some time, but the new update allows users to create three padlets beyond what is already in their account. I was a tad confused as well, so I contacted the great people at Padlet for some clarification.

As you've probably noticed by reading my blog (thanks for that!), I LOVE this tool and use it at least weekly, sometimes multiple times a day, in my classroom. I have nearly 300 padlets in my account, so when I initially read the "create three more padlets" upon opening my account, I panicked! However, after hearing from Padlet, I calmed significantly when I learned that none of my existing work would be deleted or changed in any way - MASSIVE sigh of relief - and that the space in my account was being capped at my current number of padlets + 3.

I also learned that Padlet opened previously premium features, such as font and themes, to free accounts. They've also recently added a "backchannel" wall option - more on that soon!

If you are new to Padlet, the number of "walls" you will be able to create 3. If you wish to be able to create more, you'll need to upgrade to one of their premium accounts. Check out their pricing structure here.

Teachers who use Padlet frequently may find the new premium account price ($99/year) too expensive ... and Padlet gets that. They are offering a monthly payment option ($8.25/month) and will allow teachers to pause their subscrip tion for 1-2 months/year. Padlet is also exploring a premium option that provides users with the ability to create somewhere between 3 and unlimited padlets, with a price range between free and $99/year. This should be available soon. They've also announced a scholarship program for users who need a premium account but don't have the funds with which to pay for a premium account. Information about this program will be available soon -> check out this article from founder, Nitesh Goel.

If I near the limit in my free account, I can delete old padlets that I'm not using anymore. Padlet likens this to storage on your cell phone - if you're running low on storage, you either delete apps/files you're not using, or you purchase increased storage.

So ... while I freaked out and began to panic when I initially heard the news about these changes, I understand their decision. Padlet is run by a small group of people and serves a huge (and growing) number of users all over the world. I love Padlet and think it is one of the most amazing tools to encourage students to participate and engage in learning!

How do you use this great tool in your classroom?

Thanks for reading 🙂

Filed Under: Tagged With: educational technology, padlet padlet

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Hey, friends! I'm eyeball-deep in EOC review, updating grades, and trying to get the most out of the limited number of days I have left with my students! A student asked earlier today why I don't have a countdown on my whiteboard - my response?

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Google

How to use COUNTA in Google Sheets. This helpful formula works differently than COUNT. I will explain how.

Recent Blogs

Finally! Schedule to Multiple Classes in Google Classroom. Set the time and date for each section to appear in your Google Classroom as you post assignments.

"Thank you for all of the help you have given me so far this year! The Google classrooms workshop has made my teaching more effective and my job more enjoyable. Kids are learning so much and are enjoying their learning! You rock!"

Lindsey Hagen

"These workshops really make me experiment new ways of teaching and especially new ways of thinking about teaching!!!"

SUZY PICHÉ

I went from only knowing how to use gmail to feeling like I can actually teach online effectively with all the tools in Google. I am loving slides. You have taught me more in 3 weeks than I have learned about technology in years, so a huge THANK YOU!!! You are funny, engaging, and practical. All the qualities a great teacher needs.

Paula Parker

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Google How to use COUNTA in Google Sheets. This helpful formula works differently than COUNT. I will explain how. Recent Blogs Finally! Schedule to Multiple Classes in Google Classroom. Set the time and date for each section to appear in your Google Classroom as you post assignments.

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Dr. Catlin Tucker - Find me on Twitter @Catlin_Tucker

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The best teachers are those who love to learn! My love of learning led me to a career in education and continues to drive my work today. I'm passionate about blending the best aspects of online and offline learning to actively engage students and shift them to the center of learning.

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Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom

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Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom

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In an ongoing effort to support Educators during the COVID-19 Pandemic Shaelynn Farnsworth and I continue to look for ways to use research-based instruction during remote, hybrid or face-to-face instruction. This week we look at Formative Assessment, how it works and why it can be a powerful tool no matter what your teaching and learning looks like.
One of the challenges many educators face during learning is understanding where students are on their path to understanding and how teaching can adjust. Traditionally, teaching has been a one-way enterprise with the teacher dispelling knowledge for a period of time and then assessing what the students know either through a quiz or test.

Formative assessment changes all that by providing small opportunities throughout a lesson to gauge where students are in their learning and make those subtle adjustments in the moment. There is no doubt this is easier to do when in the classroom face-to-face. Body language can tell you a lot. But also the ability to quickly and easily change instruction is just easier to do when we are are all together.

However, now we are in the midists of a global pandemic that sees many students learning remotely and the passionate educators who teach them trying to ensure they are doing just that: learning. Formative assessment can be an incredibly powerful tool to use during this time and can become a foundation to change teaching and learning far beyond these unusual times.

What Is Formative Assessment- There are many ways to describe formative assessment. Simply put, Formative Assessment is taking a pause in learning to ensure students are where they need to be for a particular lesson. The best formative assessments are subtle, giving teachers an overall picture of how students are learning and adapting to their immediate needs. Think of it as a GPS for the teacher-knowing where students are in their learning and where you should head in your teaching.

Formative Assessment could also look like "check-in" questions at the end of a lesson or class, offering valuable information on which direction to head next. Formative Assessments should not be graded assessments. At the end of the day, the goal is to get a pulse on what students know and how effectively the teacher is teaching the material.

But Why Formative Assessment-From the ASCD Book Formative Assessment Strategies for Every Classroom: An ASCD Action Tool, 2nd Edition, Susan Brookhart explains that:
Formative Assessment refers to the ongoing process students and teachers engage in when they:

Focus on learning goals.

Take stock of where current work is in relation to the goal.

Take action to move closer to the goal.

Students and teachers who are engaged in the Formative Assessment process are constantly examining how teaching and learning work as one. If we look at Hattie's Effect Size, or practices that best move student learning forward, Providing Feedback, Providing Formative Evaluation, and Self-Questioning had anywhere from a 0.64 to 0.68 effect size. What do these results show us? These studies show us that students and teachers who engage in the Formative Assessment process learn and retain more information compared to take-home homework.

Low-Tech Formative Assessment, Remotely- Technology can make the collection of data related to Formative Assessment easier, but it's not necessary. Especially now that many students are learning from home, it may seem counterintuitive to not lean on technology but technology fatigue is a very real thing and we need to be aware of the low-fi ways to not only continue to engage students but also understand where they are in their learning.

We've seen a variety of different low-tech ways to gauge student understanding:

Individual Student Check Ins-These can be great not only for formative assessment but also for the social-emotional wellbeing of students as well.

Breakout Rooms-Formative assessment can tell us a lot about what students understand the learning and which do. Now with breakout rooms in Zoom, Teams and Google Hangouts you can not only identify what students are in need but also provide more direct instruction to a smaller group.

Entry/Exit Tickets-Having a simple form that you can have students describe what they learned that day or what learning they are still having trouble with can be a valuable tool in remote learning.

Entry Ticket Ideas

Identify 3 points you remember from yesterday's lesson

The thing that has interested me most about this topic so far is__

Right now I'm feeling __ about this lesson because I ___

Exit Ticket Ideas

What 3 points are you taking away from today's lesson?

What are 3 things you are still uncertain about?

What are you hoping to learn in our next lesson?

Our Favorite Apps and Tools For Formative Assessment- We've talked about how Formative Assessment can be done without tech. However, when we add that layer into our teaching and learning, we can do so much more. Now we can not only provide both synchronous and asynchronous types of formative assessment but we can look at mastery and data over time making it much easier to make those changes to instruction that may be needed.

Nearpod- Create lessons and sync them across devices in the classroom, with built in tools for questioning, drawing, audio and video responses.

Synth- One of our favorite tools built for Formative Assessment. Available on any device, students can record their thoughts and feelings on any given lesson. There's also a questions tool where feedback can be posted.

EdPuzzle- Add an interactive layer to YouTube videos. Teachers can build in short questions at various points in the video to ensure students are getting what they need out of it. This is also great for data collection and seeing how students' progress over time.

Flipgrid- A very cool way to post video questions and gather responses. Videos can be shared so students can see where their peers are in their learning as well.

Padlet-A virtual board for multimodal sticky notes. Great for tickets out the door or reflection activities.

There are many (free!) apps and tools out there that achieve this. These are just a few of our favorites:

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Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom

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Bryan Alexander | Educator, futurist, speaker, writer

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Bryan Alexander | Educator, futurist, speaker, writer

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Hundreds of scientists contributed to this 4,000-page report, the previous edition of which came out in 2014. Their assessment of the speed and consequences of climate change is more alarming than ever. As far as I can tell APF has not shared that big, 4K document at all.

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In today's digital learning environment, technology is a valuable tool to complement good instructional strategies. However, students still need to be taught how to use technology effectively and how to be good digital citizens. To better meet these goals, we made the switch two years ago from a 1:1 iPad program to a 1:1 Macbook Air program, a transition that required extensive training and support for our faculty and staff.

​In addition to supporting teachers with their new devices, I help identify their technology needs, suggest resources, and facilitate implementation. When we select technology resources, we're looking for tools that solve particular challenges we are facing. Specifically, we choose ones that support classroom learning, help manage time-consuming tasks, and promote collaboration and transparency. Continue reading on our Editorial Page.

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In today's digital learning environment, technology is a valuable tool to complement good instructional strategies. However, students still need to be taught how to use technology effectively and how to be good digital citizens.

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Feed Your Brain Archives - Hack Learning

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Feed Your Brain Archives - Hack Learning

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TCEA's TechNotes Blog shares ed tech thought leadership, tips and tricks, and information on new products and trends.

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Minecraft Education Is a Game - and a Learning Tool!

Minecraft Education is more than a popular game. It's a platform that gives educators tools to teach collaboration, assessment, coding and more.

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We help educators around the world use technology to solve tough problems.

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The focus of this month's T&L webinar was our little ones. All three of our panelists focused on activities for our 4-8 year-old students. You can view the Youtube Live Event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ar04UABYQQ and the resources from the panel at http://edtech.team/k2cantoowebinar. Here are just a few of the ideas and strategies our panelists shared: ...

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Free Technology For Teachers – A TeacherMeade site

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A blog to share ideas about innovative, real, and relevant learning.

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Kleinspiration – Connecting Tradition and Technology

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Kleinspiration – Connecting Tradition and Technology

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Kleinspiration - Connecting Tradition and Technology

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Connecting Tradition and TechnologyTo Inspire the Seeds we Plant Today

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I am a Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver and the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the only university center in the U.S. dedicated to school leadership, innovation, deeper learning, and technology. I've worked with hundreds of schools, districts, universities, and other organizations and blog frequently here at Dangerously Irrelevant.

I am working in these key areas right now. Please get in touch if I can be of support to you!

April 9-10 - New Hampshire School Administrators Association, New Hampshire

April 12 - Fred Tjardes School of Innovation, Greeley, Colorado

April 16 - Sandwich Public Schools Deeper Learning Cohort, Sandwich, Massachusetts (VIRTUAL)

April 18-19 - Champlain Valley Educator Development Center, Colchester, Vermont

April 22 - Peak Expeditionary School, Wheat Ridge, Colorado

April 22 - Arvada High School, Arvada, Colorado

May 7 - Sandwich Public Schools Deeper Learning Cohort, Sandwich, Massachusetts (VIRTUAL)

June 7 - Durango Schools, Durango, Colorado

June 12 - Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky (VIRTUAL)

June 21-26 - ISTELive, Denver, Colorado

July 13-18 - UNITED National Principals Conference, Nashville, Tennessee

October 11 - ACTEM Annual Conference, Augusta, Maine

November 20-24 - University Council for Educational Administration Annual Convention, Los Angeles, California

December 8-11 - Learning Forward Conference, Denver, Colorado

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Technology, leadership, and the future of schools

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A blog to share ideas about innovative, real, and relevant learning.

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Many scientists, even physical scientists, assert that the Holy Grail of science is to understand human consciousness. This human state is even hard to define, but is characterized by a state in which we know what we believe, know, and imagine, know what we decide and plan, and feel what we feel. That explains nothing.

The problem in understanding is not only that the mechanisms must surely be complicated, but also that we don't have good non-invasive experimental tools. There are only two useful tools, a metabolic proxy of neural electrical activity (functional fMRI) and scalp monitoring of electrical activity (the electroencephalogram {EEG), or its magnetic field counterpart. Among the problems with fMRI are that it is only an indirect measure of the actual signaling within the brain that generates thought and feeling and enables consciousness. Its time resolution is about one-second or more, whereas signaling in the brain occurs on a millisecond scale. Although the EEG monitors activity on the appropriate time scale, it has very poor spatial resolution, inasmuch as voltage fields over various regions of cortex overlap, because the voltage extends in progressively diminished amplitude throughout the conductive medium of brain from its source of generation to other source generators. Although the EEG does monitor the appropriate target (electrical activity), that activity is an envelope of the algebraically summed signals from heterogeneous neuronal ensembles, which are nerve impulses and their associated postsynaptic potentials nearest the sensing electrodes.

By Davidboyashi - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Nonetheless, we do know many useful things about brain function that are surely involved in conscious functioning. Neuroscientists have discovered much of this in lower animals from invasive procedures that are not permissible in humans. In summary, we can list the following brain functions that are relevant to consciousness:

The brain is a network of richly inter-connected networks.

Functions are modular. Different networks have different and shifting primary functions, and some may be selectively recruited when their function is needed.

Some networks can perform multiple functions, depending on which other networks have recruited them into action.

Some aspects of functional connectivity of different networks differ in unconscious and conscious states.

Wakefulness and consciousness are not the same. Wakefulness is necessary but not sufficient for consciousness.

A great deal has been learned about the neural mechanisms causing wakefulness but that has not helped much in understanding consciousness.

The messaging signals of brain are nerve impulses and their neurotransmitter postsynaptic effects.

The summed voltages of the messaging have electrostatic effects that alter the excitability of the neurons within the voltage field.

The frequency of bursts of impulses and their EEG envelope impose important effects on gating and throughput of information as it propagates and is modified throughout the global workspace of networks.

There are multiple neural correlates of consciousness, but we have not identified with certainty which ones are necessary and sufficient for consciousness.

Oscillatory electrical activity is thought to have a key role in selective routing of information in the brain. Oscillations seem to modulate excitability, depending on phase relationships of linked neuronal ensembles. Two prominent hypotheses have been advanced as crucial for consciousness, and they are not mutually exclusive:

Phase-locked activity in two or more ensembles (coherence)

Inhibitory gating that directs pathways for propagation within networks.

The key to discovering mechanisms of consciousness is to identify all the neural correlates and then winnow the list to those that are both necessary and sufficient for consciousness. Sometimes, important discoveries occur when you study the opposite of what you want to study. This principle is manifest in studies on brain function during various states of unconsciousness (like anesthesia, coma, or non-dream sleep). A recent review of research compared the neural correlates of unconsciousness with those of consciousness. The evaluation showed disrupted connectivity in the brain and greater modularity during unconscious state, which inhibited the efficient integration of information required during consciousness. Additionally, the review made the key point that the neural correlates of consciousness that matter are the ones that occur in consciousness but not in unconscious states. Of particular relevance are the correlates related to functional connectivity among networks, because multiple lines of evidence reveal that this connectivity degrades during unconscious states and returns when consciousness resumes.

In rodents, multi-array recordings in visual cortex indicate that connectivity patterns are the same during anesthesia as in wakefulness. Perhaps this indicates that rodents do not have the needed network architecture to enable consciousness. They can be awake but not conscious. Being awake is clearly necessary for consciousness, but not sufficient. In addition (if you don't believe me, see the classical U-tube basketball-game video on inattentional blindness). At any given instant, we are only consciously aware of the specific cognitive targets to which we attend.

Statistical co-variation of activity in linked networks is a measure of functional connectivity. The activity in linked networks may randomly jitter or be in phase or locked at certain time lags. Operationally, the connectivity may enable one group of neurons to mediate or modulate activity in another for past, present, or future operations. The temporal dynamics of these processes differ depending on the state of consciousness.

A very popular view on consciousness among neuroscientists these days is that higher-order thinking, especially conscious thinking, is mediated by extracellular voltage fields that oscillate in the range of 12 to 60or more waves per second. Changes in oscillatory frequency and coherent coupling of the oscillations among various pools of neurons are thought to reflect the nature and intensity of thought.

The issue arises as to how these voltages, commonly called field potentials, can influence the underlying nerve impulse activity that causes the oscillation in the first place. The messages of thought are carried in patterns of nerve impulses flowing in neural networks. Field potentials are not signaling, at least not directly. They may well indirectly influence messaging by electrostatically biasing networks to be more or less able to generate and propagate nerve impulse traffic.

Neuroscientists attach much importance to the temporal dynamics of EEG voltage frequencies. For example, at one time neuroscientists believed that 40/sec synchrony was critical to consciousness, but later studies revealed that this synchrony can be maintained and even enhanced during anesthesia. Later, investigators thought they had found a crucial role for higher frequency gamma synchrony, but that too is now called into question. This gamma synchrony can be present or even enhanced during unconsciousness. However, the spatial extent of synchrony may be the meaningful correlate of consciousness. Widespread synchrony breaks down during unconsciousness, while more localized synchrony remains intact or even enhanced.

Numerous studies show a breakdown of functional connectivity during various states of unconsciousness. For example, fMRIs reveal cortico-cortical and thalamocortical disconnections during sleep, general anesthesia, and pathological states. EEG analysis shows similar connectivity breakdowns. Additionally, the repertoire of possible connectivity configurations that can be accessed diminishes during unconscious states and is restored as consciousness resumes. This obviously limits the robustness of information processing that can occur in unconsciousness. Conscious selective attentiveness likely requires a different repertoire of connectivity than inattentive consciousness.

Neuroscientists are also discovering the importance not only of multi-area coherence at a given frequency band, but also that the phase synchrony to two different frequencies can also modulate network communication. Cross-frequency coupling of the alpha and beta oscillations with higher frequency gamma oscillations can amplify, inhibit, or gate the flow of nerve impulses throughout circuitry.

Future advancements will surely include more emphasis on monitoring functional connectivity as the brain shifts into and out of various states of consciousness and unconsciousness. I think, however, that we will not make definitive progress in consciousness research until we make progress in one area of theory and another of tactical methodology.

The theory deficiency lies in models of neural networks. Computer models of man-made networks yield interesting results, but they are probably not relevant. Brains do not work with the same principles that computers do. Moreover, brain networks have intrinsic plasticity that cannot yet be duplicated by computers.

The method deficiency is that we have no non-invasive way to monitor the actually signaling in even a significant fraction of all the neurons in all the networks. Moreover, even if we had a way to monitor individual neurons noninvasively, it would likely be necessary to selectively monitor neurons in defined circuits. Ultimately, we may confirm that some things are just not knowable. Surely, however, we can learn more than we do now.

Bonnefond, Mathilde et al. (2017). Communication between brain areas base on nested oscillators. eNeuro. 10 March. 4(2) ENEURO.0153-16.2017. doi: https://doi.org/101523/ENEURO.0153-16.2017.

Mashour, George A., and Hudetz, Anthony G. (2018). Neural correlates of unconsciousness in large-scale brain networks. Trends in Neurosciences. 41(3), 150-160.

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This blog reflects my views on learning and memory. Typically, I write summaries of research reports that have practical application for everyday memory.I will post only when I find a relevant research paper, so don't expect several posts a week. I recommend that you use RSS feed to be notified of each new post.

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Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their conscience. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their conscience. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their conscience. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their

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Categories Tags east, science north, south, west

I beginning to recognize a barrier to my happy Kerbal'ing. When I start building my vehicles, I tend to add features to them. In fact, I find myself adding things just about every time I return a vessel to the VAB. The temptation is just too great for me, playing in this sandbox.

At issues is my inability to keep up with it all, when the ship launches. You would think that coding routines into Kos (Kerbal Operation System) would solve this dilemma, and it certainly helps. However, as I continue to add, I continue to alter my code, ultimately causing problems that I spend hours de-bugging.

Managing a space program is difficult with the cognitive problems caused by the medication I'm on.

Anyway, pictured is a vehicle that I've built to ferry new modules to my "Space Station Perseus."

Sadly, I killed three Kerbals yesterday, playing Kerbal Space Program. They were to carry the Turquoise, a small space station, into low orbit, about 100 kilometers. Unfortunately, I had not adequately secured the station within its fairing, and it broke apart on the launch pad, igniting a booster and causing a massive explosion.

The rocket intended to carry the "Turqoise" space station into low orbit.

I always add features to modules holding live Kerbals, that allow me to press an abort button (<Delete> key) that detaches the module from the rest of the rocket and fires small solid fueled rockets to lift it away. However, yesterday I had neglected to have the fairing deployed with an abort, trapping the Kerbal' module while trying to make its escape.

Components of the "Turquoise" space station.

Like most of my mishaps, I blame my clinically diagnosed ADHD.

(???,)

Categories Uncategorized

One of my early attempts into orbit, achieving a spectacular fall after a 35 meter ascent

I've been playing around with a video game. I have spent, by far, more time with this game than all video game play in my life prior to retirement. And I'm feeling a bit guilty for it. All of my tech work has always been for production, since teaching my self to program TRS-80 ( Radio Shack Model I & III) computers in 1982 so that I could write programs for my students ( the school system having appropriated $0 for software). With these machines that have so changed my life, I have spent nearly all of my time coding, writing or preparing slide decks for my presentations.

At about 26 Kilometers, my Kerban pilot decided to do a space walk. Alas he locked his keys in the capsule and burned up during the descent.

I've had a professional interest in video games, however, especially as research was starting to reveal the powerful learning taking place as kids were playing these games. World of Warcraft (WOW) and Minecraft were especially interesting to innovative educators. A friend of mine started a special class for at-risk high schoolers where he gave them missions or quests to perform as teams in WOW. Then they would debrief with discussion of strategies, not just in achieving the mission but also how they collaborated with each other. The students also wrote reports, as newspaper reporters, about their various missions and their strategies and methods. They were developing skills in math, problem solving, communication and more by actually using those skills in meaningful ways.

These three Kerbans made it into an orbit whose apogee was around 1.4 million kilometers and perigee was somebody's basement on the far side of Kerbal.

" Authentic Learning" ( an instructional approach that allows students to explore, discuss and meaningfully construct their own learning within meaningful contexts) was a term being used a lot among education leaders, until No Child Left Behind corrupted public education, shifting emphasis to rote memorization over functional understanding.

I am thoroughly enjoying the experience learning to play Kerbal Space Program (KSP). Its Wikipedia article defines the game as:

"..a space flight simulation video game developed by Mexican developer, Squad. In the game, players direct a nascent space program, staffed and crewed by green humanoid aliens know as 'Kerbal.' The game features a realistic orbital physics engine, slowing for various real-life orbital maneuvers such as orbital rendezvous."

The first time that I explored KSP was in 2013, preparing for a keynote address at a conference for the National Science Teachers Association. I wanted to use the game as an example of an educational science simulation. Sadly, with only a few days to acquaint myself with the game, I was able to compellingly demonstrated how a rocket can blow up on the launch pad.

Today, after much learning and practice (orbital mechanics is hard), I can finally establish a good circular orbit around the planet, and even loop around the moon. But there is much more that I can't do you.

Almost ten years later, I'm in orbit, finally figuring out how to use the orbital maneuver tool that helps you aim your rocket in the correct direction, know when to start your burn and how long to burn, in order to achieve your desired outcome.

More to come!

¹ Wikipedia contributors. "Kerbal Space Program." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 13 Sep. 2022. Web. 15 Sep. 2022.

I wrote this in my head last night when I was supposed to be sleeping. I also spent some time thinking about how to split some hickory logs to create borders for my wife's rhododendron garden.

A Million of Us

We are a million children of fathers and grandfathers, mothers and grandmothers, all who thrived in times other than our own.
We are a million descendants of immigrants, who, as individuals, made the decision to leave what they knew, to make a new future.

We are a million descendants of an Age of Enlightenment, when great thinkers shared new ideas to escape the tyrannies of belief and wealth and corruption.

We are a million descendants of an Age of Enlightenment, when great thinkers shared new ideas to escape the tyrannies of belief and wealth and corruption.

We are a million descendants of families, who learned to thrive in a new world of untamed wilderness.

And we are a million descendants of those who practiced the habits of growth, celebrating its liberty, while hiding its abuses.

We are a million descendants of great men and women, who designed a government and made laws that benefited each of us, instead of benefiting themselves.

We are a million descendants of horrendous crimes and we are the descendants of the victims of those crimes.

We have used the might of an enormous and rich land, and a million individuals of like mind to right great wrongs, and, too often, inflict great harm.

But we are starting to learn,
That there is much that we will need to know,
In order to realize our nation's "state of becoming" in a rapidly changing world,
Instead of recreating a "state of being" that was lost in some mythical past.

And we are starting to seek a new enlightenment,
Of new ideas that will,
Like before,
Deliver us from the tyrannies of belief and wealth and corruption,
So that we might live in a land where everyone is healthy and educated,
And free to not only be satisfied with comfort,
But be inspired to pursue a million dreams.

dfw

Mark Thiessen, contributer to FowNews

Among the "Top News" stories in my news app yesterday, there was an opinion piece [ https://fxn.ws/2V6JIaH] from FoxNews, written by Mark Thiessen, a FoxNews contributor from the Washington Post (plus a former speech writer for George W. Bush). He introduced a recent Columbia Journalism Review poll that found that half of Americans have "hardly any confidence at all" in the media. That's less confidence than we have in congress. Then he goes on to use this bit of information to attack CNN and The New York Time's coverage of the continuing debate over the legitimacy of Brett Kavanaugh's right to be a Supreme Court Judge.

Thiessen's attack may have a valid basis. I don't know. But my concern, as one who wants to be able to trust the news, is that the author did not have the courtesy of providing us with a link to the original CJR report. In fact every link that he did provide pointed to other FoxNews stories, - a giant red flag when evaluating online sources.

With little effort, I found the CJR report [ http://bit.ly/2NoPcfS ], and found it interesting that most of the people who have "hardly any confidence.." in the media are Republicans, white, have little or no college and are retired or self employed. The CJR's poll also indicated that 80% of the respondents get their news from television, the Internet or social media. Only 6% get their news from news print, and 5% from news apps.
Where we go to get our news seems a more critical issue to our condition today, than Brett Kavanaugh's "ding-donging phase."

Sinclair Research's launch advertising for the ZX81. High-profile advertisements such as this were used to promote the benefits and value for money of the ZX81.

After I had taught social studies for a few years we started to hear talk about personal computers. They could fit on your desk, were fully programmable to perform a multitude of functions and could be had for prices ranging from a few hundred to a thousand dollars and more. Their practical applications were hardly imagined and were noticed only be a subset of a subset of nerd types.

I am starting to wonder now if we're on the verge of a new emerging and equally surprising technology, do-it-yourself satellites. That's right, satellites in low earth orbit, built with commercial off-the-shelf components and designed for scientific research.

nCube, 10cm CubeSat created by University students in Norway.

They are called CubeSats, typically about 10 centimeters cubed and weighing about 3 pounds. They can be launched as part of the payload of commercial rockets or deployed from the International Space Station.

There are three reasons why I believe that they may be coming to a high school (or middle school) near you.

1. Our exploration of space has continued with NASA's exploration of the solar system with robotic space craft and the successful rocket launches by commercial interests including SpaceX and many others. Our interest in Space exploration remains high as shown in a June 2018 Pew Research report which reports that 72% of surveyed believe that U.S. remain a world leader in space exploration. Also indicating increase is a survey reported by Centauri Dreams, that Americans believe that space exploration is a good investment, increasing from 49.5% (1988) to 59.3% (2007) to 69.1% (2018).

2. Increasing commercial interest in mining asteroids for precious metals and iron, cobalt and nickel for space construction; and weightless manufacturing.

3. A probable increase in the demand for professionals with knowledge and skills related to a space industry, including: electronics, computer science, geology, chemistry, astronomy,exobiology, engineering, astrophysics and philosophy.

Some high schools have already started designing and constructing CubeSats, some already in orbit. Here is a list with launch dates from nanosats.eu:

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology [LD:2013-11-20]

Max Valier Technical High School [LD:2017-06-23]

Woodbridge High School [LD:2018-11-11]

University High School [LD:2018-12-03]

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology [LD:2019-10-19]

IRIM - Croation Makers (Croatia) [LD:2020-12-31]

Ithica High School [LD:2020-12-31]

Raisbeck Aviation High School [LD:launch canceled]
First high school team to design, fund, build, test, launch, and communicate with an imaging CubeSat and a 3D-printed chassis-using polyether ether ketone, PEEK.

Palos Verdes High School [LD:2020-12-31]

University High School [LD:2021-12-31]

Arnold O. Beckman High School [LD:launch canceled]

Valle Christian High School [LD:launch canceled]

University High School [LD:2021-12-31]

As engineers work to design better telescopes, both earth- and space-based, another kind of astronomy is taking place and teaching us astonishing things about our galaxy. Even though the Kepler space telescope ran out of fuel 8 months ago, the 1.38 terabytes of data (my calculation) that it generated is still being examined - by a new breed of astronomer who writes code at a computer, instead of watching the sky through lens.

They are developing smarter algorithms to scan all that data to identify objects and phenomena that were previously hidden in the digital noise. René Heller, of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, and his colleagues recently uncovered 18 new planets. All of them are small, with the largest being just a bit wider than two Earths. One of the worlds is among the tiniest Kepler has yet found; it's just 70 percent of Earth's width. Another orbits in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, where the temperature might allow liquid water to remain on its surface.

Anna Alfonso has written a good description of data astronomy ( The State of Data in Astronomy) in her blog, data iku.

There are now 3,972 confirmed exoplanets, worlds that are orbiting other stars, according to NASA's Exoplanet Archive.

Initial Source: https://on.natgeo.com/2IlA7Xv

I do not know how many times I've said to myself that, "I've learned my last programming language." But it's what got me hooked on computers, that in 1981 the only way to making them useful was to learn to program them.

Interactive area graphics representing data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Click the Image to see the interactive version.

During the last years of my advocacy work I became fascinated by infographics and data visualization. Data viz was more captivating because there was magic there, "..making numbers tell their story," I use to say.

Anyway, reading about some of the visualizations being featured in the dataisbeautiful sub/reddit, I learned that a lot of people were using a language called R. Above are a couple that I've been working on for the past week or so. Click them to see the interactive versions.

An Ancient Repository of Knowledge

What was at the core of much of my advocacy for retooling education came from a condition that can best be illustrated by the Knowledge Doubling Curve. Recently adjusted by Faras Batarseh of the London School of Economics, it states that Until 1900, knowledge was doubling roughly ever century. However, by 1950, it was doubling every 25 years. 2000 saw it doubling every 12 months. Today, says Batarseh, " knowledge is doubling every day."1

There are a number of logical reasons, but it leads to a society that is plagued by VUCA.

Volatility is about the nature and dynamics of change, and the nature and speed of change forces and change catalysts.

Uncertainty, describes the lack of predictability and a loss of the sense of awareness and understanding of issues and events.

Complexity, considers the multiplex of forces leading to and confusion.

Ambiguity, represents the haziness of reality and the potential to misread information.

Change is the new normal and there is not a single area of study or interest that is not in affected..
and..
Change has embowed a new significance to the word, current.

Public school instruction can no long afford to lag decades behind what is known today about science, health, mathematics, philosophy, and even history. It's the reason I use to say (back when people were paying attention to what I had to say.)

We need to stop teaching students how to be taught, and start teaching them how to learn for themselves.

We will have achieved real education reform, when no teacher believes that they can teach the same things, the same ways, year after year; and when we are providing them with the resources and the time to retool their classrooms every day.

For this technology-rich and information-driven world, the best thing we can be teaching our children is literacy - learning-literacy.

¹ Batarseh, F. A. (2017, September 21). Thoughts on the future of human knowledge and machine intelligence [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2017/09/20/thoughts-on-the-future-of-human-knowledge-and-machine-intelligence/

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2¢ Worth - Seeking to Express the Shakabuku

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Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their conscience. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their conscience. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their conscience.

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Dr. Lydia Gonzalez, author of "Bad at Math: Dismantling Harmful Beliefs That Hinder Equitable Mathematics Education," talks about the societal norms that make it acceptable to be "bad at math" and how these beliefs can be detrimental to learning. Dr. Gonzalez emphasizes the importance of broadening our understanding of math and its relevance in everyday life. We also discuss the critical role of relationships and a growth mindset in effective teaching, particularly in math subjects that many find intimidating. Let's explore how to dismantle harmful beliefs in math education and create a more equitable learning environment. Snow notes and transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e819 Sponsor: This show is sponsored by Microsoft. Check out their new AI Course . All opinions are my own. Once a year, I have a newsworthy topic that I accept that has advertorial content. This is the show for 2023 with Microsoft. 00:00:00 - 00:00:33 : Introduction John D. int

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Cool Cat Teacher Blog is at coolcatteacher.com

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Blogger. 10 Minute Teacher Podcast. Teaching students with new tools, enthusiasm, and belief that teaching is a noble calling. This is an archive of my blogger blog since I started blogging here before I set up www.coolcatteacher.com

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Teach Junkie - Inspiration, downloads, activities and more!

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Learning is Messy - Roll up your sleeves and get messy

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Learning is Messy - Roll up your sleeves and get messy

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new, exciting things to do with their students. Here is the link to access the Cirriculum Corner https://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/thecurriculumcorner123/blog/ Ms. Cassidy's Class I really enjoyed Ms. Cassidy's Class blog! Ms. Cassidy actually invites you [...]

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Organized Classroom - Less Stress, More Effectiveness for Teachers

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Organized Classroom - Less Stress, More Effectiveness for Teachers

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Organized Classroom - Less Stress, More Effectiveness for Teachers

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Hey y'all! Google Slides are an amazing tool that can be used in soooooo many amazing ways. If you are able to embed in your Learner Management System...Google Slides make putting information out there in easy ways! Here is are some quick examples of how to use Google Slides in BrightSpace/D2L that I put together for my teachers.

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Ewan recently marked the tenth birthday of TeachMeet ( Ten years on from the very first unconference for educators: TeachMeet is 10) where he shared his memories of that first meeting in the Jolly Judge. Unfortunately, I was unable to join the birthday party... but it did start me thinking about my own memories (some of which I shared on his facebook post). It also started me thinking about the name "TeachMeet", how we came to choose it and the bullet (or bullets) we dodged not choosing a different name. I have not used this blog much in recent years abut it seemed right to post about naming TeachMeet in this blog since this is where it all started for me.

Ewan has described the proto-TeachMeet in the Jolly Judge. He claims he always had a "stick it to the man" agenda. That may be true for him. Me? I just thought it would be fun to go to the pub with Will Richardson. Ewan also explains that this meeting was called the "ScotEduBlogger Meetup" and states (as if it was obvious) that this name was limiting and that " TeachMeet was born..." (as if it was a painless birth). I remember the choice of the name emerging more slowly, I remember online and offline discussion, and I remember choosing just in time to get the word out for SETT (as SLF was then called).

The discussion about "What to call this thing" mostly took place on the Scotsedublog wiki. On 8 June 2006, Ewan created a page titled newtechmeet and posed the question:

We need a name. Not something too bloggy, not too techy. Suggestions?

Later that same day, John Johnston added this as the first suggestion:

How to stop worrying and love the blog.

On 10 June 2006, I responded with the following list:

Read/Write Roundtable
Read/Write Roundup
Read/Write Rammy
Classroom 2.0
SETT 2.0
ScotEduSlam
ScotEduBlog Bash
ScotEduBlog Mashup

...I made more suggestions that day (not all of them serious) and eventually posted TeachMeet as a possible name.​ Credit where credit's due. I explain on the wiki discussion page that I came up with the name after toying with variations on the newtechmeet page name. I commented, '...as a wise man once said, "It's not the tech, it's the teach."' For the record, the "wise man" was Ewan McIntosh. It is something he said while at Jordanhill. I ripped it off and have been using it without accreditation ever since!

Almost immediately after posting the TeachMeet suggestion, I edited it to turn it into "ScotEduBlog TeachMeet". I thought any meetup would be all about blogging. And in my defence, I wasn't the only one thinking this way. For example, on a number of occasions, John Johnston defended the inclusion of "blog" or "blogging" in the title. In retrospect, it was much better to lose the "blog" since it has allowed TeachMeet to grow and expand beyond its blogging origins.

The other mistake I made was to limit it to Scotland. I thought this was something for Scottish educators, hence my addition of the "ScotEdu" bit. I thought it was for my chums and friends of my chums. I was even more wrong about that! Thankfully, smarter people than me were in charge of picking the name!

I did have some vision though. I suggested: " What ever we call it, if we think it might become a regular event, we should stick a "2006" at the end." I thought this was something that had legs and that it would be repeated. OK, I thought it would be annual event, but nobody is perfect.

By the end of June, we had the following list of possible names and had started to vote for our favourites:

Read/Write Roundtable
Collaborative Communication Colloquium
Classroom 2.0
SETT 2.0
ScotEduSlam
ScotEduBlog Bash
ScotEduBlog Mashup
ScotEduBlog TeachMeet
TeachMeet
EduBarCamp
Bloggers Anon... and on and on
Blog on
How to stop worrying and love the blog
Mashup Impossible
You've Got eLearning
Lord of the Webrings
Hello Mr Chips/Mrs Chips

Ewan called us to order, drafted four possible logos based on the two most popular choices. (Both Ewan and I liked "EduSlam", but clearly we were outvoted!) It was down to "TeachMeet 06" and "ScotEduBlog 06". We then voted again to choose our favourite logo. On 29 June, the decision was made and this logo was added to the wikipage.

Clearly, the right name was chosen. We ended up with a name that didn't limit us to our Scottish roots. A name that allowed us to talk about more than blogging. A clear example of the wisdom of crowds! (And, it has to be said, the wisdom of Ewan, whose gentle prompting pushed us in the right direction.)

We had a name, we had a venue, all that was needed was to organise and deliver the event. As we made our plans on the wiki, I don't think any of us knew just how successful TeachMeet 06 was going to be. But that is a whole other story...

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Ewan recently marked the tenth birthday of TeachMeet ( Ten years on from the very first unconference for educators: TeachMeet is 10) where he shared his memories of that first meeting in the Jolly Judge. Unfortunately, I was unable to join the birthday party...

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Moving at the Speed of Creativity | Weblog of Wesley Fryer

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Moving at the Speed of Creativity | Weblog of Wesley Fryer

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Moving at the Speed of Creativity - Weblog of Wesley Fryer

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So many things have been going well in my media literacy, computer programming and engineering middle school courses this semester I should be blogging about our classroom learning every day! In this post I'd like to briefly reflect and share about an InfoPics lesson we are doing today as part of our "Froot Loop Conspiracy...

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Beth’s Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom — This blog focuses on education, technology and learning.

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Beth’s Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom — This blog focuses on education, technology and learning.

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The Tech Savvy Educator | a practical guide to integrating technology in the classroom

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The Tech Savvy Educator | a practical guide to integrating technology in the classroom

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a practical guide to integrating technology in the classroom

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Tammy's Technology Tips for Teachers – Helping teachers make better classrooms, one mouse-click at a time.

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Tammy's Technology Tips for Teachers – Helping teachers make better classrooms, one mouse-click at a time.

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Tammy Worcester Tang, former classroom teacher, specializes in finding unique and creative, but most of all, effective ways to use technology in the classroom.

Tammy offers some fabulous free resources and ideas here at her website, and is available to come to your school or conference to lead sessions and workshops that are guaranteed to excite your teachers and engage your learners!

Click here to see Tammy's welcome letter.
Quick links to Tammy's most popular posts:
Self-check Quiz Templates
Give your students a custom online quiz and the computer will grade it for you!

URL Shortener & QR Code Generator
Need to get students to a site with a long URL? This tool can solve that problem!

Print onto Sticky Notes
Yep - Using a simple method, and a regular printer, you can print onto 3 x 3 sticky notes!

Lots more!
Just click the links in the navigation bar at the top of the page

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Tammy's Technology Tips for Teachers - Helping teachers make better classrooms, one mouse-click at a time.

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Tammy Worcester Tang, former classroom teacher, specializes in finding unique and creative, but most of all, effective ways to use technology in the classroom. Tammy offers some fabulous free resources and ideas here at her website, and is available to come to your school or conference to lead sessions and workshops that are guaranteed to excite your teachers and engage your learners!

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Webinars

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Is Your School Lanyard Aggressive?

Well.... You are not the only owner of a School Lanyard that is a trouble maker. Educators are welcome to post their Lanyard Shenanigans here and / or laugh at the postings. Just remember: You are not alone.
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Don't want to miss a webinar? I highly suggest signing up for my newsletter where I will keep you updated with upcoming webinars and a rare miscellaneous other thing or two. Learn More Well.... You are not the only owner of a School Lanyard that is a trouble maker.

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The Shake Up Learning Blog by Kasey Bell offers educational technology and digital learning resources, tips and tricks, tutorials, Google cheat sheets and more to educators across the globe.

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Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

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Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

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A new study, published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, is the first to explore the effects of MDMA therapy in couples where one member is suffering from PTSD. New Atlas reports: This preliminary study investigated the feasibility of incorporating two MDMA sessions into a previously established PTSD therapeutic regime known as CBCT, or cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy. As opposed to traditional PTSD therapies focusing on the individual, CBCT is designed to help improve relationship functioning for couples, while still improving PTSD symptoms in the individual patient. The new trial recruited six couples, in which one member of the couple had a pre-existing PTSD diagnosis, and explored the feasibility of incorporating two MDMA sessions into the CBCT protocol, which traditionally involves around 15 therapy sessions conducted over several months.

The new study reports the addition of MDMA to the couples therapy protocol resulted in effects that were, "on par with, or greater than, those achieved with CBCT alone." Improvements were detected in both relationship outcomes and individual PTSD symptoms. The effects were most significant at the six-month follow up implying the MDMA therapy confers compelling long-term benefits. It is important to note the study was uncontrolled, so any efficacy comparisons to CBCT alone can only be garnered by examining prior CBCT studies. However, this feasibility study does establish the addition of MDMA to the pre-existing therapeutic protocol is safe and it does not negatively interfere with other PTSD treatments.

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Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

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A new study, published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, is the first to explore the effects of MDMA therapy in couples where one member is suffering from PTSD. New Atlas reports: This preliminary study investigated the feasibility of incorporating two MDMA sessions into a previously established PTSD therapeutic regime known as CBCT, or cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy.

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Technology News, Analysis, Comments and Product Reviews for IT Professionals | ZDNet

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Technology News, Analysis, Comments and Product Reviews for IT Professionals | ZDNet

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News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations

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ZDNET news and advice keep professionals prepared to embrace innovation and ready to build a better future.

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Lifehacker - Tips and downloads for getting things done

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Lifehacker - Tips and downloads for getting things done

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Boing Boing - A Directory of Mostly Wonderful Things

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Boing Boing - A Directory of Mostly Wonderful Things

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This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

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Mashable is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company.

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Gigaom | The industry leader in emerging technology research

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Gigaom | The industry leader in emerging technology research

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Gigaom | The industry leader in emerging technology research

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Technology news, trends, research and analysis covering the digital world and how it affects you.

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TechCrunch - The latest technology news and information on startups

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TechCrunch - The latest technology news and information on startups

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Welcome back to Found, where we get the stories behind the startups. This week Becca and Dom are joined by Neil Batlivala, the CEO and co-founder at Pair Team, a startup building infrastructure to hel

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TechCrunch | Reporting on the business of technology, startups, venture capital funding, and Silicon Valley

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IT news, careers, business technology, reviews | Computerworld

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IT news, careers, business technology, reviews | Computerworld

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IT news, careers, business technology, reviews

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Computerworld covers a range of technology topics, with a focus on these core areas of IT: Windows, Mobile, Apple/enterprise, Office and productivity suites, collaboration, web browsers and blockchain, as well as relevant information about companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Google.

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IT Business Edge | News, Analysis, and Trends

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IT Business Edge | News, Analysis, and Trends

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Engadget | Technology News, Advice and Features

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Engadget | Technology News, Advice and Features

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Find the latest technology news and expert tech product reviews. Learn about the latest gadgets and consumer tech products for entertainment, gaming, lifestyle and more.

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Read the latest news and updates about Google Cloud.

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Windows 10's Redstone 5 update has a "Sets" feature that adds tabs to almost every window on your desktop. But it also changes how Alt+Tab works, since those tabs appear in the normal Alt+Tab switcher you use to switch between windows.