K-3 Writing Contest

Once again, PBS acknowledges the brilliance in K-3 students through their annual writing contest.  The contest asks students to create short works of fiction (50-200 words for K-1 students, 100-350 words for 2nd and 3rd grade students).  There are prizes awarded for students who place.  Learn more by reading Richard Byrne's blog, Free Technology for Teachers, or by reading the contest rules on PBS Kids Writers Contest.

64 Apps for Teachers

The educational blog, TeachThought, recently released a post about apps for teachers.  Many of these apps create a more manageable classroom experience for the teacher.  Here is the complete list of all 64 Apps.  Would you add any to this list?

Scannable

After browsing through the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning blog, I discovered an exciting new tool from Evernote called Scannable. The app, which is designed for both iPads and iPhones, allows users to "scan" their documents by taking pictures of them and easily uploading them into the Scannable app.  Users can then store and share the documents from one saved location. It's a great way to organize and store hand written notes/letters, business cards, sticky notes, etc.

Google Apps Checklist

The Educational Technology and Mobile Learning blog recently released a series of checklists to make accessing and using certain Google Apps a little easier.  The checklists include Google Drive, Chromebook basic functions and features, and a Google Sites basics. They're extremely helpful for both students and faculty. Do you have any checklists to add to this list?

Memrise

I stumbled upon a new site for online learning called Memrise. It's a free service allowing the user to choose from an array of courses including foreign languages, sciences, history, and math. The lessons are a blend of flash cards and quizzes.  Read Richard Byrne's full review of Memrise on Free Technology for Teachers.

Google Classroom

Since our district's implementation of Google accounts with Google Apps for Educations, I've had many teachers wondering about Google Classroom.  It allows teachers to setup virtual classrooms where you can create assignments, make announcements to the class, have a student view, and have student grading/feedback options as well.  Eduational Technology and Mobile Learning, and educational blog, has collected videos to provide support for teachers looking to use Google Classroom.

Free Webinars and Professional Development

Edutopia compiled a large list of educational webinars/un-conferences/professional development from a wide range of educational outlets. The webinars range from helping teachers in classrooms, parent involvement, and community outreach.  Check out the entire list at Edutopia.  Any other free webinars you would add to this list?

Math Games for Common Core

Here's a new math tool aligned with the Common Core: Prodigy.  It allows teachers to create accounts for students, track their progress/data, align lessons with the student's needs.  Students will love Prodigy because it's game based learning where they have to solve Math problems to unlock different levels and prizes within the game.  Read more about Prodigy on Emerging EdTech's blog.

Classresponder

It's always important to assess our students to gather valuable information on what they learned from the day's lesson. Assessments communicate what students understand or may be missing.  One way to assess students is through Classresponder. It allows a teacher to use pre-made quizzes or create their own quizzes for students to respond through multiple choice, true/false, or short answer. It can be used on computers, tablets, or cell phones. Read this review on Free Technology for Teachers.

iPad Apps

Richard Byrne (Free Technology for Teachers) has a separate blog titled, "iPad Apps for School."  He updates it frequently and it's a great resource for any elementary teacher or parent. What would you add to his list of iPad Apps?

InstaGrok

Welcome to the New Year!!! I took a blogging hiatus but am now back and ready for 2105!!

Here's an extremely interesting and helpful tool called InstaGrok. At first glance, it's just an educational search engine, but there's so much more to it. When you attempt a keyword search, it will create an interactive mind map that the user can customize and share. The concept map, or mind map, includes links to videos, links to other helpful websites, and a dictionary definition of terms.  If you create a FREE account, you can save your maps, create journal entries/note catchers, create quizzes around your maps, and share your concept map with others. I will definitely be using this tool during research. Here's Edudemic's review of InstaGrok.