Let’s say you could recommend ONE and ONE ONLY website to a teacher to use with a class. The kind of ‘sure fire winner’ that not only engages the imagination but also the thinking? What would be your one pick?
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I’ll kick it off with a favourite http://www.ietherpad.com Edit shared documents in real time. Free, easy and quick to set up and share.
There are so many! One that I would encourage teachers to use though is Bubbl.us. A free online brainstorming/mindmapping tool. http://bubbl.us
I like the Global Projects on the Global Education website.
http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/pid/3533
The free online projects help students develop an understanding of global issues and potentially interact with others around the world. However ‘engaging imagination and thinking’ might depend on how the teacher encourages use of the spaces.
I would have say the Google suite (Docs, Google+, Maps, etc) would be my go to, and one stop shop, for everything my class needs to connect, collaborate and create.
This was a highlight of the CEGSA conference last weekend, create a website in 20 mins YES!!!!
First sign up for a gmail account
then
https://sites.google.com
Penny Collins was the presenter
Brilliant! Good for you Ruth, well done!
Hi Ruth,
Couldn’t agree with you more regarding Google Sites. Our school has recently adopted Google Apps for Education, and the sheer excitement experienced by students who are creating websites to use as e-portfolios for assignments and other evidence of learning is simply brilliant!
Keith.
Thanks Keith
I know Ruth and she will be delighted that her posting has received a response.
I will email you a great link Monday as thanks
I would absolutely connect with this NING. Joyce ( who is the key admin) is an OUTSTANDING librarian who uses tech and is quite savy. It has a wealth of resources.
http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com/
Thanks Michelle, I’ve had a look and passed on to a great teacher-librian I know.
Arthur from Switzeland via Facebook sends this Dear Mark,
As a science teacher, my favourite and most used website in classroom is http://www.heavens-above.com.
You select your location from a database or by coordinates und immediately can see when to watch next time the intetnational space sta…
See more
Love these wee Web 2.0 tools:
http://www.penzu.com
An online journal that isn’t a public forum – a great chance for students to record their ideas in a traditional looking form, but with the benefits of online, web 2.0.
http://www.fotobabble.com
A great site for little people to bring photos alive and to create personal voice with a 2D image!
. . . and of course a little blog that aims to keep teachers informed with a collection of online tools that excite teachers and kids to extend their learning opportunities . . . 🙂 http://mylittlespace.edublogs.org
http://www.edutopia.org
This is good place for those who want to do some ‘big picture’ thinking and rethink how education is experienced. Teaching is evolving, from the possessors of knowledge to facilitators. The motto, developed in recent years holds true; Empower, Enhance and Inspire.
I’ll second this one. Edutopia is a vibrant community of educators, academics and administrators. Lots of interesting discussions about many different topics.
Keith.
One is so impossible. Love all the tools mentioned already – so I’ll go with a favourite content repository Wikimedia Commons “a database of 10,811,796 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute”.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
It’s impossible to choose just one site. I love all the tools above – but I’ll nominate a favourite content repository. Wikimedia Commons: “a database of 10,811,796 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute”
http://commons.wikimedia.org
Hi Mark,
I would definitely give this research , technology and comprehensive based site to a new teacher.
Thanks Maureen, your contributions are always so valuable.
I will send you a great link I cam across on Monday. take care.
Would recommend Khan Academy: http://www.khanacademy.org/ “Sciencey” but great for 21st century leanrers.
Thanks Bob I know people will find that site useful.
I will email a great link to you on Monday as thanks.
There are so many fantastic resources and site for teachers out there. One that I would recommend for every classroom teacher is http://www.electrocity.co.nz/
This website is a great little game about tourism and environmental issues in New Zealand, but what I think is really important is that it’s an excellent example of what is capable of in the realms of online learning. Although simple, the game actually develops a complex understanding of the issues at hand in a way that is enjoyable, interactive and intelligent.
http://www.catchmentdetox.net.au/
Hi Mark,
This is an interactive game / learning tool that forces the user to think about the consequences of an action. (For every action there is an aqual and opposite reaction!). By managing this catchment it forces mathematical and scientific thinking by assessing the economic, environmental and cultural affects of a single action. Probable not suitable for students younger than 8/9 but it I think that it would be a good site to use as a class, with the teacher to mediate the options for the catchment. It shows that there is an interaction between social and economic and that there is a distinct flow-on effect to the environment. Sometimes short term gain has dramatic and irreversible results. It is time limited to 100 actions approx so it would be useful as a study tool for a term or so as a class.
With my training i am obviously bias with the topic, but this is a growing area, and in the future everyone will need to have a concept of the footprint they can leave on the environment!
Regards
Stewart Mc
Stewart, this is an awesome link and I can’t describe how pleased I was to see your name pop up! I am running this site as a sandpit testing ground for the environment currently in preproduction for principals all over Australia. Isnt it interesting on the map on the front page where people are visiting from.
I have directly sent your link to my sustainability education focus schools in WA, SA and NT.
Thanks again
Ive tweeted a thanks out to via the twitter.com/sparvell
Another corker from Stewart Mc via email
http://australianmuseum.net.au/BlogPost/Web-2U/Recommended-apps
TakingITGlobal for Educators! http://www.tiged.org
Lots of free global education resources, a vibrant community of globally-minded educators to connect and collaborate with, and excellent professional development courses in global education and global project-based learning: pd.tiged.org
Kate 🙂
Earlier this year I completed a short course through TIGED PD ‘Introduction to Global Education’ and it was incredibly powerful and worthwhile! Recommended.
Michel from Austria sends via email:
I frequently use the following website http://www.schule.at . It is a website that includes all subjects that are taught at Austrian schools. It offers general information on various subjects and also a vast collection of links referring to these subjects. I personally go to news sites mostly in order to get the latest information on various English speaking countries. I mainly focus on environment, politics and education.
http://prezi.com/ for it’s ability to be applied as a collaboration and presentation tool with unlimited potential. The Prezi desktop option has made this tool a worthwhile addition to the classroom with limited or poor internet connection. I like Prezi for how it’s application to the classroom is open ended, creating critical thinkers.
Dominic Taylor
Beerwah State School
Queensland, Australia
Great recommendation Dominic! I love Prezi too.
This is cool http://www.livescience.com/
Morris
Great Resources recommended by Rex from Northern Territory via email
Some interesting ideas listed in these two sites;
http://kathyschrock.net/ipadblooms/
http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy
Another corker from our friend Stewart
Mark,
Found this site a while back for anyone interested in Ancient Egypt. It covers from Mesopotamia, thought to the Royal Family of Egypt.
I found it well set out and comprehensive, but written well for students to interperate.
Regards
Stewart mc
http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/index.html
Michelle from US has suggested this via email
howdy!
Here is a blog from an outstanding professor which is just starting up….watch it — he is good– and you all are on par with each other professionally and you will enjoy the conversation! Hope all is well with you!
:O)
michelle
http://ost4education.blogspot.com/
Edmodo (http://www.edmodo.com/). A fantastic free social learning tool that has been broadly adopted in many NSWDEC primary and high schools.
Students use Edmodo to communicate with their teacher and with each other, post work including work created using web 2.0 tools. Most embed easily into edmodo, respond to polls, feedback on peers work, reflect on own work, access assignments and submit them for marking, collaborate and communicate on group tasks (there is a small group feature – a group w/in a group) and much more.
Teachers use Edmodo for managing project based learning, communicating with students, homework activities, connecting with other classes from around the world, professional development and sharing by joining any of the communities online, as a rss reader, a library of digital resources and sharing these resources and much, much more.
This tool allows the classroom to expand beyond the 4 walls and promoted any time, any where, any place learning.
Cathie
This is an excellent resource….I use it a lot! Especially maths zone and science zone- great for immersing kids and introducing them to topics.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/