Online Tools: Suggestions from TeachersFirst
This editor's choice collection offers timesavers and organizational tools for teachers. They include "utility" sites for teaching tasks such as seating charts, rubrics, and certificates. Other tools facilitate parent communication, such as text messaging or online conferencing. Our editors have also hand picked simple, timesaving, creative tools from the TeachersFirst Edge. These tools organize to-do lists (for yourself or for students), convert files, remove ads from web pages, check web site readability, write a one-time blog, generate an online signup sheet, make a simple graphic organizer or chart, create online corkboards or stickies, and much more. Mark your Favorites using your free TeachersFirst membership, so you can find them quickly!
For a full listing of reviewed "creation" tools by category, try the TeachersFirst Edge, today's hottest tools for creating teacher and student projects online.
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AppInventor - Learn to Build Android Apps - David Wolber, Univ of San Francisco's Democratize Computing Lab
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use with any computer coding course. AppInventor has many tips and guidance for the classroom. Materials target students from middle school and higher. Work together as a class or assign as a self-paced activity. Share with students interested in learning computer coding as an excellent resource. If your school has an after-school computer club, use these training modules to encourage interested students to practice on their own. Once students get the hang of beginning programming tips, encourage them to make apps for other courses such as videos explaining photosynthesis, book readings from authors, or different genres of music and art.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
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turnitin - Source Educational Evaluation Rubric (SEER) - turnitin
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (31), media literacy (109), rubrics (38)
In the Classroom
Share this rubric with middle and high school students with your projector or on an interactive whiteboard. Ask students to suggest a popular site for referencing in papers and projects. Use the rubric together and evaluate the site. Break students into small groups and have them evaluate several sites. Make these sites you have already evaluated, and then have the students evaluate them until you know most students agree on what makes a Highly Creditable site compared to a Creditable or Discreditable site. At the end of the activity give a quick assessment. This way students who do not feel sure about evaluating a site have the opportunity to let you know. Consider using Quizalize, reviewed here, for a more in-depth assessment.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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QuickRubric - Clever Prototypes, LLC
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): assessment (130), rubrics (38)
In the Classroom
Use this online tool to create original rubrics before introducing a new project. Be sure to review the rubric with your students on a projector or interactive whiteboard, to be certain that they understand your expectations. As you approach the project deadlines, consider reviewing the rubric again having students mark or highlight key terms in the rubric that will help them get a better evaluation. Have a question and answer period at this time. Rubrics can be created for any task or project. For example, prepare rubrics for silent reading time, science labs, skills tasks in physical education, and all presentations. Visit Rubrics to the Rescue to see examples of topics and wording.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Intel Teach Elements - Online Professional Development Courses - Intel
Grades
K to 12tag(s): professional development (288)
In the Classroom
Gain a better understanding of digital learning tools and techniques by taking Intel's professional development courses. Share with other faculty members as part of your school's professional development. Take a course together with fellow staff members and discuss content and how it works in your teaching situation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Takeout Tool - Google
Grades
K to 12tag(s): organizational skills (82)
In the Classroom
The Google Takeout Tool is perfect for use when changing email accounts or using multiple accounts. Archive all desired files then upload to your new account when ready.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Plickers - Nolan Amy
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): assessment (130), DAT device agnostic tool (125), game based learning (263), gamification (94), qr codes (15), questioning (34), quiz (61)
In the Classroom
Create greater student engagement and increased student interest in your classroom with Plickers. Students give their input anonymously. Print out Plickers' cards and hand out to students. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to explain how the Plickers cards work. Create questions, with or without images, and add multiple choice answers. Project your questions and possible answers. Have students hold up their card in the position that reflects their answer. Use your mobile device and Plickers mobile app to scan the cards. You will see a bar graph with student responses on your mobile device. These can be saved to your Plickers account. Use Plickers to answer exit questions or to see what students remember from the previous day. Use for formative assessment to identify misconceptions that students may have at the start of a unit. There are cards with larger fonts for young students or the visually impaired. ENL/ESL teachers could use this for vocabulary or sentence structure practice. Unless your school or district has access to a matte-finish for laminating or matte-plastic pockets, you may want to collect the cards at the end of class.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Word Counter Tool - wordcountertool.com
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): editing (84), process writing (34), word choice (12), writing (305)
In the Classroom
Post a link to the Word Counter Tool on your webpage for parents and students to use at home to check the length of written assignments. Use this tool when teaching summarizing. Provide students with a lengthy summary then challenge students to reduce the word count.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Is It Down Right Now? - isitdownrightnow.com
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Mark this one in your Favorites and remind your student to use it before they call out, "The page isn't opening!" in the middle of class. Make it one of the required tools as part of "ask three before me." If you have a class web page, this is a handy way to find out if your web page service (or district-provided web page server) is having trouble "serving up" the class page. Tell savvy students who are unable to access web sites to use this tool and take a screen shot of the results if a site assigned for homework is "down" for prolonged periods. This is simple "proof" worthy of a get-out-of-homework-free card if they can show that the site was down for three hours on the night of the assignment!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dice Roll - S Riley Teacherled
Grades
K to 8tag(s): game based learning (263), mental math (18), operations (70), probability (115)
In the Classroom
Have fun in your classroom with virtual dice on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this with young students just learning to count. Have students take a guess about what number will "win." Use as an incentive and allow a student to roll the dice to meet a class goal. Set a goal of a large number, and every time a small goal is achieved, roll the dice and keep adding. Keep track until the class achieves the sum given. Practice basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division facts. Have team competitions and choose winners by even/odd, the greatest/least sum, greatest/least product or quotient. Allow students to work in small groups to play the mathematical practice games. For larger digits, roll two die simultaneously and get the greater number. Do the same to get double or triple digit numbers. Encourage your students to practice at home and play against their parents. Any time you need a dice, go to your bookmarked site. In older grades study probability and chance. Use the data and create line plots or graphs in various forms. Be sure to incorporate mean, median, and mode.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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HomeRoom Mom - School Family Media
Grades
K to 8tag(s): classroom management (108), field trips (6), holidays (246), parents (53), preK (291)
In the Classroom
Share Homeroom Moms on your class website as an excellent resource for use by your homeroom mom (or dad), tutors, and other classroom helpers. Bookmark and save for use when planning class parties, finding holiday activities, and much more. Use this site to help YOU get organized!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classmill - Tariq Rauf
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): classroom management (108)
In the Classroom
Create your course and offer it to your students for greater interaction and learning through community building. Find great ideas from other existing courses. Teachers of gifted can use courses to challenge students in their areas of interest. You can also have gifted students create or collaborate on a student-made "course." Explore the topics yourself for some new, engaging topics to round out your own expertise. Allow students to enroll in a course that would fit into their career goals as an exploratory opportunity in that field.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GraphFree - Donovan Harshbarger
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): calculators (31), charts and graphs (177), data (178)
In the Classroom
Use GraphFree in place of expensive graphing calculators that many students may not have. Be sure to provide the link on your teacher page or blog for easy access. This is a wonderful tool for use in the 1:1 classrooms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Random.org - Dr. Mads Haahr
Grades
K to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (125), gamification (94), probability (115), resources (80)
In the Classroom
Use Random.org to generate any kind of list you need such as groups for field trips, random dates for history research, and random places on a map. Use the name generator to select a student to do an activity or to answer a question. Allow students to use the name generator to choose the classmate who comes next. Use the generator tools as part of your probability unit to chart how often names or coins appear with random selections.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Free Online Stopwatch - Ummay
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (108), organizational skills (82)
In the Classroom
There are many uses for this practical online tool. At the beginning of the school year, display on your interactive whiteboard or projector to time or count down any classroom activity. This will get the students in the habit of checking how much time they have left. Project the Stopwatch or Timer while students take a test, solve a drag and drop, practice speeches, rotate between learning centers, or join cooperative learning groups. When rotating between centers or taking turns in a cooperative learning group, schedule the time sequence to keep everyone on track. Use the Date Countdown to share days until any important event via social media. Share this tool on your class website for students to use at home (to practice taking timed math practice tests, practice for a speech, and more).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MediaFire - MediaFire
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (125)
In the Classroom
Use MediaFire to transfer files and images between devices quickly in your BYOD or 1:1 classroom. Student groups working on projects in class can gather and share data easily from anywhere. Use for any work that students may wish to collaborate on. They can easily make documents public or private and share them with others. What a great way for students to turn their work in to you when completed on their devices! During curriculum development and other professional development activities, members of a department (or even the entire school) can easily share resources and documents with one another.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Random Name Generator Tool - Instant Classroom
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (108), probability (115)
In the Classroom
Use the Random Name Generator to select a student to do an activity or to answer a question. Allow students to use the name generator to choose the classmate who comes next. Create your list at the beginning of the year and SAVE it to use throughout the year. Use the Random Name Generator as part of your probability unit to chart how often names appear with random spins.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Group Maker Tool - Instant Classroom
Grades
K to 12tag(s): Teacher Utilities (184)
In the Classroom
Although a bit awkward and slow to get started, this tool is helpful for creating random groups for many purposes. It is best to create your class list ahead of time then you can easily create groups anytime on the fly! Use this tool to create groups for cooperative learning, class plays, presentations, computer centers, field trips, and much more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TrackStar - 4Teachers.org
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bookmarks (31), curation (22), gamification (94), webquests (8)
In the Classroom
Create an Internet activity that is useful for students and allows them to work independently or with a partner in class or at home. Demonstrate on an interactive whiteboard or projector how to use the track. Be sure to put the URL for the track on your class website. This tool would be great for flipping your classroom. Students could read and view the sites at home and come to class with their work and their questions ready for a discussion. Create a bank of resources for each content unit within your subject or classroom. Use for web treasure hunts to learn or introduce any topic within your content area. Use for directed research. Search the ready-made tracks by subject, grade level, theme, track number, etc. to find one to use with your class. Collect links to informational texts for students to read "closely" a la CCSS. Students or student groups can create Trackstars of the resources they use for a project. Use with faculty and staff to showcase a variety of tools for professional development. Create Tracks you can share with other teachers in your building or district. If you would like to know more about webquests see TeachersFirst Webquest 101Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Copy Paste Character - Konst & Teknik & Martin
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to easily find symbols for use on your class webpage, newsletters, and lessons. Share with students as a resource for finding characters and symbols for use on any project. Add this link to your class website for students (and families) to access at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Trading Card Creator - ReadWriteThink
Grades
2 to 9tag(s): back to school (52), biographies (93), book reports (26), characterization (18)
In the Classroom
Use the main character in a story your class recently read and demonstrate this tool using your projector or interactive whiteboard. Social studies classes can portray a famous person or event in history. Science classes can develop trading cards for plants, planets, cells, or just about anything else you study. In a geography class, use cards to describe a place. Students can use trading cards to help them remember facts and vocabulary from any class. Teacher-librarians can encourage students to make trading cards about books or authors. Use cards at the beginning of the year for students to create a trading card about themselves. After sharing with classmates, post them on a bulletin board for back-to-school night.Comments
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