TeachersFirst BYOD Dream Tools: Free Tools that Work on ANY device!
This collection of reviewed resources and tools from TeachersFirst includes web tools and apps that are available for FREE on iOS (iPad, iPhone), Android, and web devices. Come here to find tools that your students can use as they do instructional activities in your BYOD or 1-1 classroom. In this collection, you will find tools and resources that include calculators, quiz creators, game makers, curation tools, interactive lessons, Venn-diagram creators, literacy accessibility tools, online time trackers, meme creators, podcast makers, translator tools, task list creators, and many other free tools that will work on any device.
Even the best device-agnostic resources have slight differences in capabilities on different devices. Encourage your students to share what they discover about additional or missing features on each type of device. Your class will quickly appoint experts for each resource or tool. TeachersFirst encourages our members (membership is FREE) to add comments and ratings to help other teachers and students who are trying these tools. Free resources and tools change quickly, so we welcome your comments on any changes that may occur to these tools and their free status.
(image credit: Jeremy Keith)
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Homeroom - Cluster Labs, Inc.
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Homeroom is an online tool and mobile app that allows you to share your class photos privately with parents, students, and others. Create an album and invite people to view ...more
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Homeroom is an online tool and mobile app that allows you to share your class photos privately with parents, students, and others. Create an album and invite people to view it. Each time you update it, the members will be notified. When you populate your album with photos, you can also add a comment. Access Homeroom and upload photos on any device. For Initial registration, you can use the app (iOS or Android), register using your Google or Facebook account, or manually using email. Once registered, you can access the tool using any device using your username and password. Invite others from any device or computer by phone number or email address. They will become members and will be able to update their photo albums. You will be alerted about the new content. Albums are private. Only the people with the invite have access to the photos.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129), images (266), photography (134)
In the Classroom
Invite parents and students to create albums of specific events, such as field trips, service projects, hands-on activities, field experiences, class speakers, and more. Anywhere photos can be used to showcase achievement, this service would be a great resource. Use for any project, class explanation of concepts, experiments, or demonstrations. Resource teachers, speech teachers, or world language teachers can collect images into "albums" for students to practice/develop speech and vocabulary. In science class, when having students collect insects, instead of having them collect the actual specimens, have them take pictures using their phones or digital cameras. Have the students upload the pictures and statistics of the specimen to the album at home, and then they can create a multimedia project using these materials. Students can snap a picture anywhere, with any device, and upload it to the web to use in class or cooperative groups. This tool would be great for clubs and performance groups as well! Do you send a newsletter home to parents? Try creating a heading made from a collage of your latest class activity. Use a program such as Mosaic Maker, reviewed here, to create a collage.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Time and Date - Steffen Thorsen
Grades
K to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Time and Date is your one-stop resource for anything concerning time zones, calendars, and weather. View current time for any place in the world, explore time zone maps, and create...more
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Time and Date is your one-stop resource for anything concerning time zones, calendars, and weather. View current time for any place in the world, explore time zone maps, and create and print personalized calendars. Explore the short news articles. Calculators and timers offer countdowns to any date. Find the number of days until a chosen date or tell the date in X number of days. Other options allow you to find the weather anywhere in the world, explore sun and moon phases, and browse through upcoming holiday events. There are also many free apps available to specific sections of this site (see the Apps link). There is a LOT here to explore!
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): calculators (36), calendars (36), DAT device agnostic tool (129), moon (86), sun (87), time (94), time zones (7), weather (177)
In the Classroom
Bookmark (or save in your favorites) Time and Date on your classroom computers for students to use throughout the year. Find out the local time and temperature in countries as you study them, and count down the number of days until spring break or the end of the school year. Use the stopwatch or timer/alarm for timing class activities. Create a personal classroom calendar. This is a perfect addition to your Calendar Math lessons in elementary school. Share the site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as you count how many days you have been in school, daily weather, or a countdown to a special occasion. The possibilities are endless using all of Time and Date's features! Include time/date conversions for online conferences you will hold with parents who are deployed or traveling in different time zones. Share meeting dates/times for Skype sessions using the time conversions so everyone is "on time." Humor your fellow teachers by warning them of the upcoming full moon and its supposed effect on student behavior!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Legend - Jay Meistrich and Grant Watters
Grades
K to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Organize YOUR way with Legend (was Moo.do). Just begin typing to create lists. Mark to set priority options and highlight important text. Drag and drop items at any time ...more
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Organize YOUR way with Legend (was Moo.do). Just begin typing to create lists. Mark to set priority options and highlight important text. Drag and drop items at any time to place in order. Use @date to automatically add items to your calendar and instantly add names from your contacts for email or phone access. Be sure to watch the video (requires YouTube) and follow tutorials to quickly learn how to organize your life with Legend. If your school blocks YouTube, you may want to view the tutorial at home.
tag(s): calendars (36), DAT device agnostic tool (129), organizational skills (88)
In the Classroom
Any student would appreciate having an online time/task management tool they can access anywhere, but learning support students and disorganized gifted students need one. If they are over 13 or have parent permission, this is perfect! You may want to model using this online tool to help middle and high school students learn better personal organization. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector during the first week of school to help students set up their own accounts. Parents may appreciate learning about this site also. Use this site professionally to keep yourself organized! Make a demo account for a mythical student and organize it together so students can see how it works. Teachers in lower grades can use this tool for their own productivity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Raindrop.io - Mussabekov Rustem
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Raindrop.io is a smart bookmarking tool to "collect" online and media content. It is available as a mobile app, as a web tool, and as a browser extension for Safari, ...more
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Raindrop.io is a smart bookmarking tool to "collect" online and media content. It is available as a mobile app, as a web tool, and as a browser extension for Safari, Chrome, Opera, or Firefox. After adding the extension to your browser, a couple of clicks saves and organizes content into thematic collections. Collections can include videos, files, images, and other media. Watch the tour videos to see how it works. Add tags and notes, and drag and drop bookmarks between collections as you wish. Browse your collections using the search bar and keywords. Use Raindrop's social networking feature to create and share collections or find and subscribe to others' collections. Receive a weekly email digest of your bookmarks, or turn that feature off.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bookmarks (34), collaboration (111), curation (25), DAT device agnostic tool (129)
In the Classroom
Use Raindrop.io to create a bank of resources for each content unit within your subject or your class. Have students download and use the materials you provide via Raindrop to make their own projects, complete webquests, or to learn independently. Create a separate class account for students to curate their own lists of bookmarks and resources. Use this tool to compile web treasure hunts to learn or introduce any topic within your content area. Collect links to informational texts for students to read "closely" a la CCSS. With younger students, create collections of audio books for children to view and listen to. Share simple interactives teaching colors, numbers and more for a computer center. Have students create their own Raindrop as a place to store links for a project and ask them to attach it to attach it to their final project. Share a link to your Raindrop on your class webpage. Save pictures of class activities with a Raindrop collection to share with parents. Encourage your gifted students to curate collections of media and articles above the level of current curriculum or for individual research on related topics they are interested in. Share these "advanced" collections with all students to spark personal learning.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Send Anywhere - ESTmob, Inc
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Send Anywhere offers simple, unlimited, instant file transfers across any device. Drag and drop or click to add files. Simply click to send files. A pop-up box appears with a ...more
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Send Anywhere offers simple, unlimited, instant file transfers across any device. Drag and drop or click to add files. Simply click to send files. A pop-up box appears with a QR code and a 6-digit numerical code for downloading the file. The pop-up remains active for 10 minutes. The countdown on the screen shows the time remaining. Mobile users need to download the free Send Anywhere app to their mobile device. When sharing across computers, go to the Send Anywhere site to input the 6-digit code to receive files. Free plans offer a 10GB transfer size limit.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129)
In the Classroom
Use Send Anywhere to quickly transfer files and images between devices in your BYOD or 1:1 classroom. Student groups working on projects in class can easily gather and share files. This tool would be handy when students do not have email addresses or Google Accounts for sharing work with their teachers or peers. What a great way for students to turn in work done on their devices! Just make sure you retrieve it before the time limit expires. During curriculum development and other professional development activities, members of a department (or even the entire school) can easily share resources and documents.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Slack - Slack Technologies, Inc.
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Slack is a real-time messaging and video tool for teams that includes archiving and search features. Create channels for different groups or teams to include messages, files, images,...more
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Slack is a real-time messaging and video tool for teams that includes archiving and search features. Create channels for different groups or teams to include messages, files, images, and more for sharing. Drag and drop files work with Google Docs, Dropbox, and others making it easy to share across several different platforms. Easily search Slack archives to find discussions, documents, and more. Slack's now offers free voice and video calls between teammates.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): artificial intelligence (294), chat (40), communication (122), DAT device agnostic tool (129), microblogging (14), organizational skills (88), social networking (56)
In the Classroom
Share this resource with high school students working on group projects for better group communication, managing workflow, and more. Take the time during the first week of school or as group projects approach to model how to plan and manage group processes using such a tool. Use this tool with school clubs, as well. Manage professional discussions by creating channels for different departmental or grade level teams.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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My Live Chat - mylivechat
Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Create a polished, professional live chat on your blog or class site with this FREE tool. Create a "How Can I Help You?" message to pop up as parents and ...more
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Create a polished, professional live chat on your blog or class site with this FREE tool. Create a "How Can I Help You?" message to pop up as parents and students visit the page. When in an active chat, visitors receive a pop-up asking if they wish to join the chat. This tool is compatible with every platform and mobile device. Be sure to check out the demo tab to understand how to use the tool on your website. Add the HTML code to your site to add the chat box and features. Use this tool to analyze site traffic so you can identify what is most used by students and parents.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chat (40), communication (122), DAT device agnostic tool (129)
In the Classroom
Create a chat message pop-up for the most frequently asked questions students and parents have about finding items on your classroom site. Offer a set time for office hours published well in advance for parents and students to drop in and ask questions about assignments, homework help, or any other questions that they may have. Set up a chat time early in the school year for "meet and greet" so parents discover your website, or for those who are unable to attend back-to-school night! Cut down on email! Encourage students to identify the questions they (or their parents) have the most as you develop the scope for your chat. ESL/ELL teachers can use the chat to provide extra written language practice for their students in an engaging way! Use the chat with your colleagues in a Teacher Lounge format to help each other in the appropriate use of technology, content sharing, or professional development.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Toggl Track - Toggl
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Easily track time spent on projects without time sheets! Enter your task and click to begin tracking. View the day-by-day breakdown of time spent on the activities. Generate summary,...more
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Easily track time spent on projects without time sheets! Enter your task and click to begin tracking. View the day-by-day breakdown of time spent on the activities. Generate summary, detailed, or weekly reports. Use this tool to create teams and generate team reports. Invite members by email and mark team data as public or private as needed. Use multiple machines in the day? No problem. Time is tracked across multiple devices including Android and iOs.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (134), DAT device agnostic tool (129), organizational skills (88), Teacher Utilities (211), time (94)
In the Classroom
Introduce this tool to students as you talk about study skills and homework habits at the start of the school year. Make it part of your lessons on "how to study" or part of your first long term project, especially with disorganized middle schoolers (and gifted students). Have students track how they are spending their time outside of school and make resolutions about how they can adjust it to improve grades, etc. Even teachers need to track time spent on activities. Record time spent in preparing lessons, collaborating, maintaining your PLN, communicating with parents, extra-curricular activities, and more. This tool is beneficial with student groups and tracking time spent on activities. Be sure that students break down the specific responsibilities needed for the project and separate them out to the group. Students can show the work they completed as well as the summary report of time spent. Students can use this information as self-reflection upon completion of any class project and see the possible impact of time well spent!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Remind - Remind 101
Grades
K to 12
12 Favorites
1 Comments
Remind is a safe and easy way to send reminders to students and parents via text message. When sending a text, the site is set up so that students & ...more
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Remind is a safe and easy way to send reminders to students and parents via text message. When sending a text, the site is set up so that students & parents do not see the teachers' phone numbers, and vice versa. Create an account. Any phone that can receive text messages will accept these. Communication through this site is safe and secure. You only see the names of your students, not their phone numbers, and they only see your name -- not your cell phone number. With Remind, you can schedule reminders for the future, translate your message into 70 languages, send photos, PDFs, voice clips, and see who has read your messages.
Be sure to obtain parental permission FIRST, as standard messaging rates apply. Be sure to click the Security Overview to read about Remind's FERPA and COPPA compliance.
tag(s): chat (40), communication (122), DAT device agnostic tool (129), microblogging (14), Teacher Utilities (211)
In the Classroom
Set up accounts for all your classes, and even your extracurricular activities, to send homework, project, and supply reminders. Remind students of upcoming events, practices, or things they need to bring to class or practice. You could also use this to communicate with parents (allow them to sign up for text message updates at back-to-school night). Share this site in the first week of school to save time throughout the entire year. Remind parents of big tests, report cards, field trips, deadlines, back-to-school night, sneaker days, conferences, and more. Set up a faculty reminder group within your school for emergency closures and more.Comments
Love this site! I'm using it to send reminders to students about overdue library books and/or fines!Terri, VA, Grades: 9 - 12
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Smithsonian Science Education Center Games - Smithsonian Science Education Center
Grades
K to 2
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Enjoy science activities correlated to Common Core and National Science Standards at this site from the Smithsonian Science Center. The initial game offering, Shutterbugs: Wiggle and...more
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Enjoy science activities correlated to Common Core and National Science Standards at this site from the Smithsonian Science Center. The initial game offering, Shutterbugs: Wiggle and Stomp, offers the opportunity to describe movement and motion while visiting exotic animals from the zoo. Game difficulty levels scale up or down based on your response and adults receive printable reports of mastered words. Coming soon is a Memory Match game. These games are device agnostic. Click on the actual game and scroll to the bottom of the page for links to download free app versions from the Google Play or Apple stores.
tag(s): animals (274), DAT device agnostic tool (129), habitats (103), motion (55), preK (322)
In the Classroom
Be sure to check out the "About Our Games" portion of the site for game features and information. This site is excellent for use as a classroom center or on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to share the link with parents on your classroom newsletter or website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Whereby - appear.in
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Create video conversations including up to four people instantly with Whereby (formerly Appear.in). There is nothing to download, and no registration is required. Add a name for your...more
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Create video conversations including up to four people instantly with Whereby (formerly Appear.in). There is nothing to download, and no registration is required. Add a name for your room and click "create." Allow access to your computer's webcam and microphone, and your room is all set up. Send the link to others to click and join in. Claim a room to access privileges, including customizing your room's background and locking it when empty. Free plans include a URL for one room with up to four participants and meetings lasting up to thirty minutes.
tag(s): blended learning (29), chat (40), communication (122), DAT device agnostic tool (129), remote learning (32)
In the Classroom
Whereby is a perfect tool to use for your blended learning or remote learning classroom. Use it for any subject for small group interactions, such as small group projects, literature circles, writing consultations, and more. Connect up to four whole classrooms across the country for book clubs. Connect experts, such as authors and scientists, with classrooms of children. Create connected learning experiences with other students, especially those in older grades. Connect world language classes to classes in different countries. Students interested in graphic design can connect with an expert or artist from afar and share their current work in a virtual critique. Connect students with mentors or older students for help with homework. Teachers can hold "office hours" to provide homework help and address student questions. Whole buildings can collaborate and share professional development with others in their own district and beyond! Of course, you will want to pretest whether this service works in your school since some filters block access to such "interaction."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brainly - Michal Borkowski
Grades
7 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Brainly is a social networking site for homework help. Use this tool on ANY device! Created for students of all ages, Brainly allows you to post questions and also respond ...more
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Brainly is a social networking site for homework help. Use this tool on ANY device! Created for students of all ages, Brainly allows you to post questions and also respond to other questions. The site's point system encourages you to return and participate within the network. Use the "Ask a question" box to post any homework question. Choose a subject and type the question. View questions others ask by browsing the latest questions or within subject categories. View questions and responses without creating an account. However, an account is required to post questions. Registration requires an email address or Facebook account. Although Brainly states that it is a homework help site for all ages, registration requires that users be 13 years or older.
tag(s): artificial intelligence (294), DAT device agnostic tool (129), homework (26), social networking (56)
In the Classroom
Share Brainly as an online homework help resource with your students. If you aren't comfortable with students receiving too much homework help, ask students to let you know when this resource has been used and have them provide feedback on what they learned. This is also an excellent opportunity to discuss the reliability of your information source and recheck to ensure the answer is correct. If they see the responses as "hints" more than trustworthy answers, they will learn well. Often, students learn best from each other. Encourage your students to provide answers for other students through Brainly. Offer bonus points for debunking any Incorrect answers they find at Brainly and submitting them to you! List this resource on your class website or wiki. You may need to explain to parents that this resource is permitted, provided that students understand that any answers they receive should be verified.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Diigo - Education - Diigo, Inc. 2010
Grades
1 to 12
9 Favorites
0 Comments
This interactive social bookmarking and collaboration tool does so much more than any ordinary bookmarking tool. It is a research curation tool, knowledge-sharing community, website...more
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This interactive social bookmarking and collaboration tool does so much more than any ordinary bookmarking tool. It is a research curation tool, knowledge-sharing community, website annotation tool, and social information network all rolled into one "cloud" package. To get started, check out the About link. You will find information and videos on the uses of Diigo. Set up an account, being sure to click the FREE education edition upgrade. This is a device-agnostic tool, available on the web but also available for free as both an Android and iOS app. Use it from any device or move between several devices and still access your work. App and web versions vary slightly. At this time Diigo is experiencing issues with the "Top 10 Tags" from the menu on the left.
This tool can be used as a basic bookmarking tool, simply allowing YOU to save, sort, and access your own bookmarks from ANY computer or mobile device (once you are logged in). You have the choice whether your bookmarks are public or private. You can gradually ease into more advanced and interactive features: highlight parts of sites and save or share those annotations, add sticky notes to parts of websites, pictures, screen-shots, documents, audio, and more. Do group collaborative research. Organize your bookmarks by tags. Unlike sorting bookmarks into file folders, adding tags permits you to put multiple tags or "labels" on one site. The same site you tag for book reports could also be tagged for biographies, for example. Additional Diigo features include groups (a way to share and exchange bookmarks with a certain group of Diigo users), messaging, and search features. You can search all the public bookmarks made by others and discover other people with similar interests, already bookmarked and ready for you to mark as your own. There are many groups you can join, such as those with a specific teaching interest or hobby. See "Tools" for many helpful options, including bookmarklets to make bookmarking instant on multiple devices. Bookmarklets drag directly to the toolbars on your computer and are well worth it. It goes beyond simple bookmarking and adds options like highlight, capture, send, read later, comment, search bar and Diigo message options. You decide your own level of use and desired tools to be shown on the bar. If choosing not to install the toolbar, then there is an applet called Diigolet that will be used in its place. It is not as strong a tool as the toolbar, but will work well if the toolbar installation is not possible. Check our sample group. You can also install a widget on your blog (or class web page) that will show your bookmarks there.
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This tool can be used as a basic bookmarking tool, simply allowing YOU to save, sort, and access your own bookmarks from ANY computer or mobile device (once you are logged in). You have the choice whether your bookmarks are public or private. You can gradually ease into more advanced and interactive features: highlight parts of sites and save or share those annotations, add sticky notes to parts of websites, pictures, screen-shots, documents, audio, and more. Do group collaborative research. Organize your bookmarks by tags. Unlike sorting bookmarks into file folders, adding tags permits you to put multiple tags or "labels" on one site. The same site you tag for book reports could also be tagged for biographies, for example. Additional Diigo features include groups (a way to share and exchange bookmarks with a certain group of Diigo users), messaging, and search features. You can search all the public bookmarks made by others and discover other people with similar interests, already bookmarked and ready for you to mark as your own. There are many groups you can join, such as those with a specific teaching interest or hobby. See "Tools" for many helpful options, including bookmarklets to make bookmarking instant on multiple devices. Bookmarklets drag directly to the toolbars on your computer and are well worth it. It goes beyond simple bookmarking and adds options like highlight, capture, send, read later, comment, search bar and Diigo message options. You decide your own level of use and desired tools to be shown on the bar. If choosing not to install the toolbar, then there is an applet called Diigolet that will be used in its place. It is not as strong a tool as the toolbar, but will work well if the toolbar installation is not possible. Check our sample group. You can also install a widget on your blog (or class web page) that will show your bookmarks there.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bookmarks (34), collaboration (111), curation (25), DAT device agnostic tool (129), forum (2), organizational skills (88), social networking (56)
In the Classroom
Teachers even in very early grades can use Diigo simply to share links with students and parents. To get more ideas on the potential education uses of this site, see this SlideShare powerpoint here. Use this tool easily in your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classroom since all students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have.Assign students a research topic and allow them to use Diigo collaboratively to collect and share resources. Share teacher-selected options (complete with comments or directions) easily using Diigo. The research and conversations created through highlighting and annotating what they read can greatly enhance both their research skills and their online interaction on academic level skills. Or use Diigo to post discussion assignments on specific articles or even parts of articles using the highlighting tool. Find a relevant article for your subject, highlight the part that you want students to read. (If students are younger, keep it short to reduce the intimidating reality of too much information for kids.) Attach a sticky note with a discussion question for the students. Have them comment on the link in a "class discussion" as a homework assignment. If you are fortunate enough to have all students with computer access in your class and at home, such as in one to one laptop program schools, you can organize many assignments using Diigo. Use this site to help all of your students stay organized. Share this resource with your (not so organized) gifted students to help them manage projects and not "lose" the information they "found somewhere." Post assignments, readings, online interactive labs, and more. The site even allows students to submit responses by adding a comment. Of course others will see what they said, so you may not want the comments to be the only thing they do! If you assign gifted students to do projects beyond the regular curriculum, consider having them curate and annotate a collection of resources on a higher level topic. For example, extend your study of World War II by having them collect web-based primary sources showing the propaganda leading up to the war, political cartoons during the war, and advertisements from the time. Have them annotate the collection explaining each artifact and how it reflects the sentiments and biases of certain groups. That same collection could provide other students a class opportunity to interact with "objects" from the time. If you have contact with other teachers of gifted students, they could collaborate across different schools or classrooms.
Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Kahoot! - Mobitroll
Grades
K to 12
9 Favorites
1 Comments
Ask meaningful questions and see responses in real-time while creating an exciting, game-like environment. Build instant polls, quizzes, or responses through a simple drag and drop...more
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Ask meaningful questions and see responses in real-time while creating an exciting, game-like environment. Build instant polls, quizzes, or responses through a simple drag and drop interface. Once you create your account, be sure to take the Intro Quiz to learn how to use this tool. When you start the quiz, you will be prompted to open a new tab, create a nickname, and enter the game pin. Now you will be able to take the quiz to learn how Kahoot! works AND be able to see what a teacher sees in your original tab. You will have to go to the Main tab to launch the next question in the Quiz. Find ready-made quizzes on the public Kahoot! menu by entering search terms. Create questions, quizzes, and polls with an optional uploaded image. Kahoot! also has a team option. Groups can use one computer to answer questions. The best part about the team option is it allows groups wait time to discuss their answer before submitting it. The teacher gets the data back instantly, and it is stored on the site or can be downloaded. This is superb for checking the knowledge of your audience/students or to see if they are still paying attention and understand concepts. Scroll past the 3 plans that cost money to find the basic plan that allows for upto 40 participants, multiple choice quiz questions, 5 teams, and more.
tag(s): assessment (144), DAT device agnostic tool (129), Formative Assessment (47), game based learning (302), gamification (93), polls and surveys (43), quizzes (91)
In the Classroom
This is a powerful formative assessment tool that is also fun! Create pretests to offer to gifted students to "test out" of already learned material. Students can easily see the choices and choose answers using a browser on a laptop or any device. Make it a class challenge! Use this tool at the start of a new chapter or unit. Project your quiz to the entire classroom using a whiteboard or projector. Students can easily see the choices and choose answers using a browser on a laptop or any device. Use the Team choice when reviewing for a unit test. Students can see who is at the top of the leaderboard during the play and can even ask questions while going through the quiz. Use this tool often to obtain a snapshot of each student's understanding of content.Comments
What makes a good web tool? In my opinion, a web tool should be two things. They should be easy to look at, and easy to use. When you use these tools you need to be able to see clearly what a site does and the purpose it serves. Not only do you need to be able to see what you are doing, but do it easily. If it takes students more effort and energy to use a web tool or website, they will stop using it. You have to be able to keep the attention of the user. Beyond that an education tool needs a few additional items. Education tools need to be fun and interactive to continuously grab the attention of students. Students should have fun when using the site/tool.Ad, , Grades: 0 - 12
Kahoot fits all the above criteria. Not only is it fun and easy for students to use, but easy for teachers to set up and use for students. Kahoot is a fun quiz tool that teachers can use to build discussions, polls, and quizzes for the classroom. Students can then log into the quiz using smartphones, tablets, or computers. The tool is designed for students and works for students. Kahoot is well thought out, and well executed. This tool really brings the learning experience to students who are so familiar with technology.
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My Study Life - Virblue
Grades
7 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
My Study Life is a web-based and mobile app for a student to manage classes, tasks, and assignments. Features include tracking tasks, adding exam dates, managing classes, and notification...more
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My Study Life is a web-based and mobile app for a student to manage classes, tasks, and assignments. Features include tracking tasks, adding exam dates, managing classes, and notification reminders of upcoming events. Enroll through email, Facebook, or Google. Once enrolled, add course schedules to set up a schedule. After entering courses, add tasks with due dates or exam dates. All tasks and information displays on the homepage along with approaching due dates. My Study Life shows both tasks completed and unfinished.
tag(s): classroom management (134), DAT device agnostic tool (129), Learning Management Systems (20), organizational skills (88)
In the Classroom
Start the school year off by sharing this tool with students for planning homework assignments, tasks, and exam dates. Create an account to share with your learning support teacher and specialists to collaborate and know upcoming events in each other's classrooms. Share with parents as an option for student use. Use this site personally to keep yourself organized! If you have students aged 13 and up, encourage them to choose a consistent planning tool like this one to stay organized. Share this site with gifted elementary students to help them stay organized and manage their life. Promote organizational skills with your learning support or gifted learners.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Flipboard - Flipboard
Grades
3 to 12
3 Favorites
1 Comments
Use Flipboard to collect, explore, and share information from many sources, all in a magazine-style format. Flipboard can hold specific articles and images you choose or a dynamic "feed"...more
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Use Flipboard to collect, explore, and share information from many sources, all in a magazine-style format. Flipboard can hold specific articles and images you choose or a dynamic "feed" from a web source such as CNN, a social media hashtag, or a favorite blog. Most Flipboard consumers read their magazines on mobile devices, but you can manage and access your magazines from the "web tools" page (the link from this review) on a computer. Create your personal magazine(s) with things you care about: news, staying connected, social networks, and more. Create an account with Flipboard and then connect with LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or YouTube. Click the More panel to browse other categories and add them to your magazines. Drag the Flipboard button to your bookmarks bar or use the Flipboard app on your smartphone or tablet. Find an article you want to add to your collection? Click the + button next to the article to save it, or simply click "Flip It" on your computer's browser toolbar to add that web page to your magazine. Edit your magazines online and share with friends and colleagues. View your RSS feeds or follow your news stream in social media with this magazine-style interface. Most of the tutorial videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. Flipboard is a device-agnostic tool. Load the free app on mobile devices.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129), news (224), social networking (56)
In the Classroom
Create a class Flipboard account and create magazines for each unit studied throughout the year. Add information that is useful for student understanding, application of concepts, or materials to be used for projects. Create a magazine of great articles and information to read or search through. Consider creating a Flipboard magazine for student current events or happenings. Use this for reports on various topics such as food issues, diseases, political information, cultures around the world, and more. Make a customized "feed" for more advanced information on a topic for your gifted and advanced students. Students can curate a Flipboard of pictures or videos from the web on a specific topic to share with their classmates. Create a Professional Development Flipboard with other teachers. Teacher-librarians may want to collaborate with classroom teachers to create magazines focused on specific content for students to use during research units. Challenge your middle and high school gifted students to curate a magazine for themselves on a topic of individual interest, creating a "PLN" they can use for years. For example, a student interested in rocketry can locate and add blogs from rocket scientists, NASA feeds, and other relevant sources. Talented writers may want to collect feeds from literary publications and author blogs. They will probably also discover related Flipboards created by others. As gifted students' interests change, they can curate other topical "magazines" to keep learning, even if the topics do not fall within the traditional curriculum. You may find that the personalization of learning is something ALL your students want to do.Comments
There are amazing collections on this site.Cindi, NC, Grades: 0 - 6
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ChordU - Bitan Sardar
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
1 Comments
ChordU uses the latest technology to recognize and share chords from favorite music tracks. Search for a song, or browse through trending tracks and other popular favorites by genre....more
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ChordU uses the latest technology to recognize and share chords from favorite music tracks. Search for a song, or browse through trending tracks and other popular favorites by genre. Select a song to view on YouTube and play along using the visual chord display. Choose from a variety of instruments, including guitar, piano, and ukulele. Other options allow users to select from simple and advanced chords, tune chords to personal preferences, and view them by the chord slider or chord sheet. Registration isn't required; however, it allows you to save favorites for later use. Videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. Be sure to look for alternatives for sharing the videos on classroom computers.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129), music theory (47), musical notation (34)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use in any music classroom. Demonstrate how Chordify works on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this site for teaching any piece of music. Share a link with students for practice at home. If your school blocks YouTube, you can share the link with your music students on your class website for them to try at home.
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Comments
Thanks for sharing. I have been using Chordu for the last few yearsSuper, , Grades: 10 - 12
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Duolingo - Duolingo
Grades
1 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Duolingo is a free, online language learning class. Sign up with your email. Make a selection from Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, and many others. Earn points...more
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Duolingo is a free, online language learning class. Sign up with your email. Make a selection from Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, and many others. Earn points on different levels as you work towards mastery. Practice provides both seeing and hearing the words. Your responses require choosing the English translation and also spelling the words in the "new" language. Put your knowledge to work in the immersion section and translate a document or even upload a document of your own. Check the vocabulary you have learned and your progress toward mastery. Track your weekly progress. The discussion section answers individual questions. Duolingo is free for schools. There are free iOS and Android apps for Duolingo.
tag(s): arabic (11), chinese (38), DAT device agnostic tool (129), french (72), game based learning (302), german (49), hebrew (17), italian (32), japanese (53), multilingual (82), OER (42), Online Learning (34), portuguese (21), russian (25), spanish (112)
In the Classroom
Use Duolingo in your world language classes as another form of practice and enrichment. Have students sign up to compete against each other in a fun game of language mastery. Have world language students use the immersion tool to help read and translate authentic text. For an ENL/ELL classroom, provide extra, specific practice in beginning English. ENL/ELL students can also use the immersion section to check their own written documents and connect with other ENL/ELL students. Offer this site as a supplement when you study cultures from around the world. Gifted students are sure to enjoy the challenge of learning some language phrases. Is your class remote learning? Duolingo has a guide just for that! Scroll down the home page and find Duolingo for Schools, then click Bring Duolingo to Your Classroom. Find the Guide for using Duolingo at home at the top right of the page.
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Google Keep - Google, Inc.
Grades
4 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Use Google Keep to save notes directly to your Google Drive account. This tool requires that you have a Google account. Unlike some similar services, such as Evernote,...more
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Use Google Keep to save notes directly to your Google Drive account. This tool requires that you have a Google account. Unlike some similar services, such as Evernote, reviewed here, notes kept in Google Keep are saved to your Google Drive account. Use Google Keep for notes, voice notes, lists, and photos. Access these on any web enabled mobile device. Keep works best with Chrome browsers (there is an extension for Chrome, also) and Android phones, but our editors had no issues using other browsers as well. Google Keep can also be also used with any school's Google Apps account. Keep is colorful, which is part of the design. Be sure to use the colors as an organizational tool. Keep has a low learning curve and is very simple to use. The quick note feature is invaluable: just type your notes in the text box without logging in or switching screens. To leave a voice note, tap the microphone icon and speak. Archive items easily when you are done. Though Keep is a more generic, basic tool, its value is in its simplicity and ease of use.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129), note taking (34), organizational skills (88)
In the Classroom
Take pictures of things to do, buy, or finish. Create checklists of steps in a project. Place all of your notes in one place so you do not forget. Use this tool easily in your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classroom since all students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have. They could "keep" assignment information, reminders, and more. Consider creating a class account that can be used by all students. Spell out the use of the site and what is allowed and not allowed -- and the penalties. Even though all students have the same login, create different notebooks for different tasks that students can use to upload information to be shared by all. Create separate accounts for student groups who can then share their notebook with other groups. Use Keep to snapshot and share links, documents, files, and pictures for any group project or class work. Whole class accounts can be used by a class scribe during class and accessed from home for review, by absentees, etc.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Newsela - Matthew Gross
Grades
2 to 12
19 Favorites
2 Comments
Newsela offers four leveled news articles at five reading levels for teachers to choose from. The articles will be available for four weeks; Newsela Lite is free for any teacher ...more
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Newsela offers four leveled news articles at five reading levels for teachers to choose from. The articles will be available for four weeks; Newsela Lite is free for any teacher to access four pre-selected news articles, select and lock reading levels for students, see alignment to state standards, schedule assignments and set due dates, access students' quiz scores, and respond to students' writing prompt submissions and annotations. Many of these features were on the "premium" account until the 2023-2024 school year.
In case you're wondering - Newsela features current events stories tailor-made for classroom use. Click "Products" on the top menu and slide down to browse content in subject areas (social studies, science, etc.). Stories are student-friendly and can be accessed in various formats tailored to different reading levels. Use Newsela to differentiate nonfiction reading. Newspaper writers rewrite a story four times, resulting in a total of five Lexile levels per story. All articles feature embedded Common Core-aligned quizzes that align with reading levels, allowing for checking comprehension, customizable assignments, writing prompts, and annotations. An account is required to use Newsela, both for teachers and students. However, students sign up using a teacher- or parent-provided code rather than an email address. Click the Resources tab at the top to find guides and short webinars. Teachers can create classes and assign reading-level-specific articles to individual students or download printable PDF copies of the article in any of its reading-level versions. There is no outside advertising.
In case you're wondering - Newsela features current events stories tailor-made for classroom use. Click "Products" on the top menu and slide down to browse content in subject areas (social studies, science, etc.). Stories are student-friendly and can be accessed in various formats tailored to different reading levels. Use Newsela to differentiate nonfiction reading. Newspaper writers rewrite a story four times, resulting in a total of five Lexile levels per story. All articles feature embedded Common Core-aligned quizzes that align with reading levels, allowing for checking comprehension, customizable assignments, writing prompts, and annotations. An account is required to use Newsela, both for teachers and students. However, students sign up using a teacher- or parent-provided code rather than an email address. Click the Resources tab at the top to find guides and short webinars. Teachers can create classes and assign reading-level-specific articles to individual students or download printable PDF copies of the article in any of its reading-level versions. There is no outside advertising.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129), differentiation (92), guided reading (31), independent reading (83), news (224), reading comprehension (146), remote learning (32)
In the Classroom
Achieve two goals here: help students improve their reading comprehension and keep them current with what is happening in our nation and the world. When assigning articles, choose to have the class read at one reading level, or select individuals and set the reading level for them. There are five categories from which to choose. You may want to set up different articles at different learning stations on the computers in your room. Have the students rotate daily through the stations, completing one or two a day until they have completed all five articles. Since Newsela is cloud-based, even students absent from class can easily complete the missed work. If you and your students are teaching and learning remotely, or you have a blended classroom, Newsela will work perfectly for those! Teachers of gifted students can utilize this site to accelerate or enrich their students' reading skills. Find each student's individual levels for reading nonfiction. Teachers of Learning Support and ENL//ESL students will love this alternate way for their students to meet nonfiction/current events requirements.Comments
This is an excellent article. Thanks for sharing this information. Please keep sharing content like this.Cassandra, IL, Grades: 0 - 12
This is an excellent site and allows differentiation while everyone is reading the same text.Renee, NC, Grades: 0 - 5
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