Cool
Free ToolsCool
Free Tools
Online Tools for Teachers
Mini-Surveys - #1 - #2 Activity #1: Rubrics
Workshop Overview Activity #2: Gathering & Sharing Tools
Tools looked at in workshop Activity #3: Quick Activity Tools Evaluation Rubric - printable - online - .pdf Activity #4: Quiz Tools Tools to look at later Activity #5: Hunts, Quests, Inquiries Tools Suggestion form Activity #6: Content Management MetaTools Handout: .pdf file
We will be examining and evaluating free web tools that are among the best for the classroom teacher, working with many of the tools as we do so. Each activity will be guided by a webpage or web-activity and will require participants to interact with one or more of the highlighted tools. Time will be allowed at the end of the session for participants to explore tools in depth for the purpose of beginning unit, project or activity creation.
- (optional) web page hosting and tool for .html editing
- (optional) Basic HTML coding is recommended
- Quick Tips:
- Use free trials of fee-based services to inject a little online "spice" into lessons, as well as to test - use them during your crunch time
- Look at tools as a Student: are they useful? Can they be used with minimal instruction?
- Create activities that direct students to the tools, but avoid hand-holding
- Get a parent permission to use the tools, even if the site does not require it : the under 13 Rule (COPPA)
- Use consistent passwords or a password scheme so that you don't forget how to access your work
Survey #2 - Advanced Survey - survey #13645 - 9:20-9:30
Activity #1 - Creating a Tool Evaluation Rubric - 9:30-10:00
- RubiStar: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php (requires free registration).
- Landmark Project Rubric Builder: http://landmark-project.com/classweb/tools/rubric_builder.php
Together we will edit the rubric: Evaluating A Free Teacher Tool - Workshop Rubric #1064561 and compare it to the Landmark Project Rubric #80707. Your packet contains multiple copies of this rubric to use during this workshop.
Activity #2 - Gathering & Storing Tools - 10:00-10:30 into break - In groups we will explore:
- Bookmark Tools
- Photo Storage and Sharing - a library of photos is available at the adgallery - or the portfolio - or you can also download photos at Free Foto.
- Snapfish - recommended for Windows users because of free software
- YourImageHost - view photo gallery of cigarette ads and an online portfolio
- Shutterfly - recommended for Mac OS X users because of free plug-in software for quick multiple uploads
- Document Sharing (online)
- QuickTopic - includes QuickThread, which allows you to create a QuickTopic from 2 or more email messages, and Doc Review, that allows you to post an .html document for comment and peer editing - sample forum and sample document
- Yahoo! Briefcase
- CHNM Scrapbook - login with "cool02" to "cool10" (login/password) - you will need to register with your real name too
- Curriculum Design Tools
- Teachers Universe Unit Planner
- NCRTEC Lesson Planner from NCREL
- Intel Unit Lesson Planner
- ccdt - Collaborative Curriculum Design Tool from ALPS at Harvard
Activity #3 - Quick Activity Tools - 10:45-11:30
- Survey Tools - you have 25 minutes to create a mini-survey using two of these tools. Please first take the 2 sample surveys.
- CHNM Survey Builder - if necessary, create a new account, then access the Survey Builder - as you use this tool, consider it as a tool to support investigation or inquiry as well as a data collector - sample - Tool Choice - responses will be posted to this page after review: Responses
- Sparklit mini-Survey - you will need to sign up to create a free survey
- Formsite - sample - Evaluation of Project Management Tools (this is a meaningless survey, but do it anyway)
- Advanced Survey - you will want to create a Free Account - sample - #13645
- S.L.A.T.E. - We will use this free tool to guide our evaluation of Cool Free Activity Tools - Click the link to access our interactive worksheet and use "cooltool" as the password (top right of window). Quick links to the tool homepages can be found in the navigation bar on this page.
At the close of the activity, we will quickly look at other tools available from the Landmark Project.
Activity #4 - Quiz Tools - 11:30-12:15
Working individually or in groups, we will all access a quiz at one site and then create a quiz at a different site. For the sake of comparison, we will all use the same quiz content (also provided in packet), but the format will be up to you.
- QuizStar - sample Oz Quiz - login with assigned "cool0x" password
- Discovery School Quiz Center - sample Oz Quiz - your password and login are "cooltools"
- Quia (login using the "workshop" test login (leasttern/leasttern) or create your own trial account - sample Oz Quiz or Cloze Reading
- edict VLC JavaScript QuizMaker - sample Oz Quiz
- CHNM Survey - normally a survey tool, this can be used to create quick quizzes with e-mail responses - sample Oz Quiz - responses should be available at the Public Response page.
Activity #5 -Hunts, Quests and Inquiries - 1:00-1:45 - a peak at samples
For this activity, we will be guided by a NiceNet Class site. Follow the link to NiceNet, then click on Join a Class. Enter the following Class Key (exactly): SZ00Z04C57. You will need to register - please use valid name and e-mail address so that we will have a participants list for this workshop. The links we will follow are in the Link Sharing section under Hunts, Quests and Inquiries as well as below. We recommend that you use the tools in the order listed below (they are in reverse order in the NiceNet listing). You can use the images uploaded to our ImageHost adgallery for some of these activities. In Cool Tools Resources you will find links to the same photos hosted on various web pages.
- ribit - sample: access ribit and Search, then enter "semicolon" into the keyword field
- intel Interactive Thinking Tools - sample: access the Student login for Visual Ranking. Login as a student with TeacherID "leasttern" and the Team login and password: cool01, cool06, cool11 or cool20.
- S.L.A.T.E. - click the link and use the password "smoke" - please add a short response, then notify the workshop leader that you have done so.
- Trackstar - sample: use ID#173447 or search for a Track in a subject of interest to you. Note the options available for Track creators.
- Filamentality - sample Quest: What Made it the Gilded Age Anyway?, sample Hunt: Photo Album of a Tidal Pool - or search for one that interests you. Be sure to read the Activity Formats section.
Activity #6 - Content Management MetaTools - a review of tools for posting and managing course content and engaging students in interactive communication about content. Two of these tools have already been experienced by participants during the course of this workshop. 1:45 - 3:00
- CHNM Scrapbook - instructions will be given to participants for creating a specific new account (you can make your own later) so that we can share resources - you may use cool02 - cool10 (login and password) with your real name. You will see the CoolTools folder is available to you. Open this link.
- www4Teachers - NoteStar - there are many options here, but we are interested just now in NoteStar. You may login as a student using login "cool01_11579" through "cool22_11579" with the password just the "cool0x" part. You will find that, depending on your login, you have already been assigned to a project task and to a group. Begin by reading messages.
- NiceNet - you have already registered, so please just login
- Think.com - Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain is a Professional Partner and can demo this k-6 free service for your school. Brochures are in your packet.
- Snapshot - from the KEEP Toolkit - we suggest you select the single lesson template
- Blogger.com - We include one blog tool because we feel this type of content management and delivery is furture-looking - sample - Least Tern II
top
Tools to Look at Later: Other Useful and Valuable Free Tools -
download Handout .doc (contains even more tools and some freeware)
Communication, Collaboration
- AudioBlogger - send a voice message to your Blogger blog
- AudLink - for free (for now?) service saves audio messages, including radio shows, for publication in e-mails, message boards, web pages and blogs
- BaBoo - bookmark keeper/organizer that also includes a message board (limited to other BaBoo members) and a calendar - has a nice remote window for adding URL's as you work - public and private option
- BlogDrive - an alternative to Blogger - in many ways, we perfer the interface, but it does requirs more .html and does not have a direct interface with AudioBlogger or MacJournal
Bloglines - An online aggregator with which you can manage all of the blogs you wish to view and share them with students - useful for current events, foreign news, tech news, opinions, more - sample
- Calendars.net - create a unique online calendar, invite others to share and give permissions to view/post/edit
- Google Groups - this new service (currently in Beta testing) not only enables you to create a free public or private groups, but provides ATOM (like RSS) feeds for posts - read the CoolTools group (requires that you respond to an administrator e-mail and then register) or send an e-mail to the group: Cool-Tools@googlegroups.com
- Google News Alert - click on the News tab in the homepage, then look for News Alert. Enter a key word search into the form - you are advised to test it first with a Google search. You will receive postings, many from current international news services (magazines, newspapers, organization reports), that match your search. It is easy to change or delete your alerts.
- Friendship Through Education: ePals - connects teachers and students with a global learning community through teacher design projects - locate more online collaborations at Least Tern's listing: On-Going Online Projects
- MyBookmarks - Windows users can download software to enable them to upload Bookmarks from the Desktop - does not work with Safari or IE for Mac - bookmarks can be public or private - has a 5000 character storage space for text - exports to browser bookmarks folder
Online Inquiry Resources for math and science selected by ENC (Eisenhower National Clearinghouse)
- TeacherWeb - this teacher/student/parent site builder has some communication issues of its own, but it does offer some interesting tools for collaboration, and teacher sites are free; it is worth a look if you work with beginners or have little budgetary support
- Wikipedia - free online encyclopedia to which your students can add!!
Assignments, Lessons
Assign-a-Day - a monthly assignment calendar - this is an excellent tool for project planning
- Discovery School's Lesson Planner - when you register with Custom Classroom, you can archive your lessons
- Homework Station - we like the clean look of this tool's pages, but the server seems to be down frequently
- Project Poster - tool for students to use to create basic project web pages - hosting for a month - this correlates with TrackStar and NoteStar
- Scholastic.com - Tools for teachers are extensive and growing - be watchful of quality
Teacher.Net Homepage Maker - generates the .html for an assignment web page - you will need a web host to use it, however, and a web page editor or a text editor (or First Class) - sample page
- Web Worksheet Wizard - quickest way to generate a focused listing of web resources - hosted online - see our example at #43425
- YourHomework.com - the free service is handy for teachers, but we don't like the commercialization of student and parent tools
Professional Development
- Google News Alerts - register to receive e-mail notification of "news" on topics you indicate (keywords) - access this through the News tab, then News Alerts
- Hewlett Packard Business Center - Online Classes - for those wishing to get their feet wet with networking, advanced web design, and applications such as Dreamweaver and Publisher
- Link-to-Learn - based upon the idea that "professional development is your own responsibility" (which I do not fully agree with), this is an extensive site of tutorials and information packages covering most technology "skill and info" topics
- On-Line Practice Modules cover most of the basic school applications (beginner) - from Internet4Classrooms
- PBS Teacherline - free registration for access to teacher discussion boards, facilitated courses (including Math Academy) and lessons supporting PBS broadcasts
- Tapped In - free online virtual community for educators - daily open discussions and the opportunity to create a private room for a specific collaboration - sign up to get the weekly calendar via e-mail notification
- MyT4L - used to be "Snacks" and is now and extensive collection of tutorials for teachers, lesson plans, and planning guides - free use limits teachers to only some of the 20 odd applications
Quizzes, Activities
- Easy Test Maker - create and print short tests in several formats, including short answer
- PBL (Project-Based Learning) Checklists - templates and a tool for creating checklists (similar to rubrics) - from HPR*TEC
- Prioritizer - Least Tern has adapted a simple JavaScript from the JavaScript Source to create a 15-item prioritizer that can be used for any activity
Quizlab - like Quia, a fee-based tool, but because it has fewer options, it is easier to use - email reporting of student scores to the teacher is one option
- Time Line Maker - students can use this tool to create a vertical or horizontal timeline of up to 9 events - there are templates available, although limited
Collaborations Selected resources for collaborative projects. More are listed at Who's on First - Resources
- The Case of Grandpa's Painting - an online interactive media literacy or art study activity that lends itself to collaboration - there are more and more of these becoming available - this one is notable for its pace, clarity, and obvious educational focus
- KDN - Kids Design Network - by registering your class for one of the projects, you can connect real-time to an engineer, who will advise and critique the student work (requires scheduling a time) - upper elementary, middle
- iEARN - projcts connecting Youth to Youth
- Global Virtual Classroom - a non-profit organization supporting global collaboration through web-page design competitions (among other things)
- Save Our Insect! - Grade 2 science study - use this with BugScope (access a powerful microscope to view your own specimens)
- CIESE Online Classroom Projects - Stevens Institute of Technology - projects are collaborative, data driven, primary source in focus - aligned to NJ standards - grades 5 and up
Quests & Hunts
Best Web Quests - links to selected quests in just about every subject area
- CyberBee - selected elementary and lower middle quests and hunts - this comes with popups
- Web Quest Generator - printable template
- WebQuest Template - printable template to help you structure a quest (also in your packet)
- Web Quest Matrix - use the menu on the left to access All (Search) or the Top, Middling or New quests
Images, Clip Art, Media
- The Amazing Picture Machine
- CoolText - create original graphic logos, titles and buttons for the web
Free Clip Art
- Free Foto - royalty and copyright free photos exclusively for education
- Iconbazaar.com - but note the permissions policy and point students to it
- ImageShack - with this hosting tool, every image has a discrete URL - Sample
- iPhoto Library Manager 2.0 - allows user to have multiple iPhoto libraries
- Phlog - a photo blog to which can post images (with titles) using your e-mail account - handy when you work at multiple stations or have many students uploading
- TrueColor Myimage - online image editor and file converter - some effects and basic transformations - accepts jpg, gif and png - try it out by adding an "anti-smoking" text to our LuckyStrike image (download it HERE)
Reference & Research
- Furl - a new bookmark keeper that includes a toolbar shortcut and which captures the entire page, including links, so that you will have it even after it disappears - currently in Beta
- Google Toolbar - Windows users can search Google for highlighted text from any web page
- KarTOO - graphically displays metasearch findings - fascinating but requires good keywords when used with kids
- OneLook - metasearch tool of many types of dictionaries
- TekMom's Search Tools for Students - search multiple search engines from one web page
Templates, Rubrics
- MyT4L has a free rubric builder, graphic organizer templates, and guides for planning student projects
ThinkingGear - a new site that provides an online rubric builder and (soon to come) archive - promises more tools to support inquiry and PLB - Sample Rubric
- Youth Learn Planning guides - Project and inquiry-based in focus, these guides and assessment rubrics are intended to help teachers and groups to structure and evaluate student and teacher learning experiences.
Miscellaneous
- BugScope - access a powerful microscope to view your own specimens
- GCalc - free online graphing calculator
- HRP*TEC Letter to Congress template - easy to use template for students to use to write (with locator) to Senators and Representatives
- Locator - find an exact longitude & latitude anywhere in the USA - you can also copy a search form to place on a class web page
- Typing Pal - we are not huge fans of keyboarding in computer class, so we offer this free, online keyboarding course as a tool; teachers can access student records - the program meets all of the critieria Least Tern as identified as essential for a student keyboarding program (see It Fingers).
- Tiny URL - an essential tool if you are sharing images, deeply linked resourcs, or database resources with others - it translates a long URL (like an amazon.com book link) into a unique short one:
Quiz Content - Please use this question content so that we can compare outcomes. Vary question formats (multiple choice, short answer,T/F) if the option exists.
- Which of the following does not have webbed feet: (platypus, duck, frog, whale)
- What part of speech is "blue" in this sentence: My favorite color is blue. (adjective, adverb, noun)
- What is the capital of Nebraska?
- Sam left his home at 10:25 am and arrived at his meeting three and a half hours later. What time did he arrive? (3:30pm, 1:25pm, 1:55pm)
Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain 2/3/07
esky@leasttern.com
