Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Plant a question and watch it grow! This is a very easy to use poll creator that can be linked through class websites, blogs, wikis or any other online application. Simply type in a short question then copy the link to your site. All responses show up in the answer box below the question in a word cloud type of format. AnswerGardens can be customized to allow unlimited responses and a password. Although anyone with the link can answer a question, polls can be edited by the owner if any unwanted content is added. So watch carefully!
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tag(s): antonyms (12), polls and surveys (49), speech (69), vocabulary (238), word clouds (13)

Stencyl allows you to design and build your own games without any knowledge of programming. Download the program and use their Photo Shop "like" toolset to create the game of your dreams. Scroll down to the bottom menu to find Stencylpedia and get started by viewing videos, demos, and sample projects. Click Education from the top menu to find a Teacher Toolkit to get started. Scroll down the page to find Lessons such as Quick Start Guide and several other teaching guides. Stencyl also has a library for backgrounds and actors, or you can import graphics from your Mac or P.C. The click and drag capability empowers those with a creative game idea to see it come to reality without knowing any code. Share your game with Stencyl, or on your own site or blog. Stencyl also has tools for creating iOS (iPhone, iTouch, iPad) and Android games, but they are not free (rats!).
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tag(s): game based learning (205), gamification (83), quizzes (90)

Are you looking for fellow educators to follow on X (formerly Twitter)? If so, this wiki is a great starting point. Choose from many different categories of educators such as librarians, early childhood, professional development, and much more to begin your search. Each link leads to a list of educators to follow on Twitter along with a short description about themselves, simply click on the X (formerly Twitter) handle to go to X (formerly Twitter) and begin following. Be aware: there is a warning on the top of the main page that the wiki is now "locked down" due to spamming. You are still able to access all the links. You are not able to edit without joining.

tag(s): social networking (61), twitter (13)

The Children's University of Manchester contains excellent mini-lessons and interactive lessons for students on a variety of science, history, literacy, and art topics. Key stage 2 is roughly equivalent to grades 3-6. Topics include The Body and Medicines, Energy and the Environment, Ancient Egypt, The Earth and Beyond, Teeth and Eating, Microorganisms, the Brain and Senses, Talking Textiles, and Words. Choose a topic to learn more about (explained by a professor at the university). Then explore by choosing from activities on the sidebar. Activities include short videos, matching activities, slide shows, and more. Since this site was created in the UK, you may notice some slight spelling and/or pronunciation differences than in American English.

tag(s): body systems (40), brain (56), dental health (14), egypt (56), energy (133), environment (252), human body (93), medicine (57), organisms (15), root words (10), senses (20)

Though this site is about storyboarding for videos, the storyboard template and concepts can be used for any storytelling (books, comics, short stories, etc.). Try out this tool demonstrating storyboarding concepts. You can build your own storyboard using resources from the free media library. Be sure to watch the introductory video (2 minutes) to understand some of the terminology used on this site. Choose Storyboards by hand from the top menu bar. Follow the directions for reviewing "shot types." Next, scroll down the page to find a script "The Deal" and a "shot list" for beginners. Print the storyboard, and continue following directions. Then, watch the eight and one half minute on digital storyboarding. Your created script that can be embedded, linked, or shared. Be sure to check out the many instruction videos included on the site for tips on creating storyboards. Registration with email is required to share and save storyboards.

tag(s): comics and cartoons (55), digital storytelling (154), images (263)

Use this free site to create a private chat room where you can watch videos with others at multiple locations in real-time. Create a chat room and use the link to send to others. Use the Facebook app to post to Facebook. Watch the video synchronously while making comments in the chat window. Note: Members of the chat can change the video at any time, and it will change for all those in the private room. You can lock this function by going to settings, find this function, and choose between All members or Moderators only. Want to save the chat? Copy and paste to share later or use screenshots (command/shift/4 on a Mac or print screen on PC.) Save your room and go back later to view the chat and watch more videos with your friends. You can monitor the chat the same way you did for changing the video, moderators only. See How to Use Watch2Gether to find which video formats are supported.

tag(s): blended learning (37), chat (41), differentiation (84), Online Learning (36), remote learning (54), social media (48), video (266)

Create gif animations easily from uploaded images using this site. Images can be uploaded from computer files, pulled from Flickr, or pulled from YouTube videos. Choose up to four images, select size and speed, then select the continue button in the right-hand corner of the screen. Images can take up to a few minutes to process before seeing the resulting gif. When the animated gif is created, share using links on the page to many popular social sharing sites or download to your computer.
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tag(s): animation (65), images (263)

Anki is a flashcard creator with a twist. The program is used everyday, and each response is rated as Easy, Very easy, Good, or Again. Very easy questions won't be shown again for 7 days, Again responses will be shown again during the same session. Choose the number of flashcards to use for each session, time to spend, and number of questions to be offered. Search by topic to find readymade flashcards or create your own. This program needs to be downloaded to your computer following the onsite directions. Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux versions are available.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), flash cards (44), test prep (69)

This simple (yet fantastic) survey creator uses images for the multiple choices instead of text. Video tutorials on the site demonstrate how to create a survey; however, the process is easy to follow. Click on Create a survey, choose a title, layout, and theme and start filling in your survey questions. Upload a picture for each response, and personalize the survey as desired. Completed surveys can be shared via url, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) or embedded into websites or blogs. Up to 100 responses are allowed using the free version.

tag(s): polls and surveys (49)

Create quick and simple custom jigsaw puzzles. Upload a jpeg image to the site. Choose how many pieces you want and the shape. Jigsaw Planet does the rest. Instantly create a custom interactive puzzle for your students to play! Change the background using tools at the bottom of the puzzle. Puzzles can be saved for your own account, shared with students via a url, or embedded into your classroom website for easy access. This site requires Java.

tag(s): images (263), puzzles (149)

Create a personalized dashboard that pulls together feeds and tools into one place -- for any topic. Optional registration allows access to updated information at anytime. This tool has power as s simple resource collector "on the fly" or as a customizable way to monitor many tools from one place. Creation of multiple dashboards requires an email address and password or Facebook sign-in. Use it the simple way by typing in any topic into the search bar; wait a few seconds while information is compiled then explore the results. Results are posted in widgets that can be moved around to personalize the dashboard as needed. A wizard will walk you through it if you wish. Tabs are also included that separate news items, videos, conversations, and more. View pages in reader format or with widgets by choosing from options at the top of the page. You can copy the url of a basic topic dashboard to access over and over. Signing in on a free account allows you to customize and save your dashboards and harness the real power to pull everything into one place.

tag(s): Research (87)

Answerbag is a collaborative online database where questions are asked and answered by you. Search through questions using categories such as arts, education, science, and more. Responses are posted in order of ratings. Email registration is required to post and answer questions. An optional poll can be added to each question. Share questions using links to email share, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and many other share tools. Warning: if you are using questions from their database, be aware, questions may update frequently so it is a good idea to take a look immediately before sharing in front of young people.

tag(s): polls and surveys (49), questioning (36)

ShowMe is an open learning community where you can learn or teach any subject. Explore topics such as math, science, world languages, social studies, art, and more. Explore the links on the home page; results are divided into subtopics. Click Learn - teachers may be especially interested in the Common Core Lessons available through a link at the bottom of the page. On that page is where you'll find a search bar, too. Creating a ShowMe of your own requires logging in or a download of the app from the iTunes store (and an iPad). The download is free. If you are worried about students seeing questionable material, you may want to provide the link directly to the video you wish students to view. At the time of this review, all material appeared appropriate.

tag(s): blended learning (37), OER (43), test prep (69), tutorials (52), video (266)

This attractive library of Shakespeare's literary works is organized just as you want it: each poem, comedy, history, and tragedy is bound in its own volume and placed in alphabetical order on the appropriate shelf of the bookcase. The titles link to the 1914 edition of The Oxford Shakespeare at Bartleby and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare from Jeremy Hylton at MIT. This is truly a delight for librarians, English teachers, or any lover of literature! You can find the actual text of any Shakespeare work.
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tag(s): literature (222), shakespeare (99)

ThinkExist is a Quotation Search Engine and Directory with over 300,000 quotations by over 20,000 authors in the English language. Find quotes by author, topic, keywords, or contributors. Narrow your search by subtopics such as nationality or theme such as love or wisdom. Membership to the site isn't required to find and share quotes; however, registration with email allows you to save favorite quotes, receive a quote of the day email, and become a contributor. This site does include significant advertisements that seem to adjust depending on what you search. Preview and monitor young people suing the site. Depending on what search terms they enter, the ads may not be "student appropriate."
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tag(s): famous people (19), quotations (19), search engines (48), writing prompts (61)

Blog your way into the latest social technology using edublogs. Use the free service to set up a blog as a student, teacher, or campus. This education friendly tool avoids some of the "public interaction" that can offer inappropriate content. Upgrade to more advanced features, to include more options. The additional information on blogging makes this site very valuable even if you already have a blogging platform. Find a plethora of advice, tutorials, PDFs, and lesson plans for blogging. This site is a great reference site for all who are beginning to use blogs, or even look for more varied and effective ways to blog with students, or even other classes. Compare this tool to other free blogging tools mentioned in TeachersFirst's Blog Basics for the Classroom . 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.
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tag(s): blogs (65), communication (129), writing (325)

Watch and listen as popular authors talk about their nonfiction books on this C-SPAN companion website. Book TV features 48 continuous hours of nonfiction books every weekend. You can easily explore the archived programs, video library, or books and topics by searching the title, author, category, keyword, or browsing all of the listings. Watch the online videos or listen to podcasts of interviews with the authors from Book TV's After Words. There is a lot here to explore, and it appears to be ever-growing! You can find past telecast videos on YouTube, as well, in case you want to be able to download them to use offline. Click the YouTube menu. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): biographies (94), independent reading (81), interviews (17), politics (118)

This is a "Wheel of Fortune" style guess-the-title game. There are 60 seconds on a visible count-down clock. To start, you must type in a nickname. (You could simply type in your initials.) The challenge is to quickly type in letters to guess the title of the displayed picture. Immediate feedback is provided and as the seconds tick away; clue letters appear to provide hints. The titles are not limited to books, stories, or movies. As a matter of fact, they could be just about anything that names the picture. When the 60 seconds are up, a new picture automatically reloads.
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tag(s): main idea (8), puzzles (149), vocabulary (238)

If you are looking to satisfy your appetite for creative, meaningful writing prompts to suit any young writer, this is just the place to quickly find over 700 instantly generated ideas. All that you have to do is click on the "click here for your story starter" button. If you don't like the one you see, keep clicking for different story starters until you find the one that suits your fancy. Then, start writing!

tag(s): creative writing (124), writing (325), writing prompts (61)

Quiz Factor offers quizzes that are not about your typical "education" topics. There are both popular and specialist subjects. Some topic examples are: Animals and Nature, Cinema and Actors, Fashion and Design, History and Politics, Religion and Traditions, Science, Sports and Games, Technology and Manufacturing, and many more. At Quiz Factor you can climb the Leaderboards and win prizes. There are three types of quizzes: The Ladder, Time Trials, and True/False. You can also make your own quizzes. (At the time of this review, this feature was "coming soon.") This site is from the UK, and some questions in the General Knowledge section test facts you would know if you've been to the UK.

tag(s): animals (295), cultures (180), design (79), fashion (12), quiz (67), quizzes (90), radio (20), religions (95), sports (82), substitutes (25)