Blogs I like
- Eric Barker's <h6>Barking Up the Wrong Tree</h6
This newsletter delivers life advice. Once you adjust to the many embedded links, you realize they are like shiny gems encrusted in wisdom.
- Wait but Why?
Learn about things and laugh a lot. Get this in yer inbox.
Development Tools
- A List Apart's Guide to Style Tiles
Great guide for getting started with Style Tiles.
- Audacity
Open source audio manipulation!
- Balsamiq Mockups
For site design. Wireframe mockups.
- caniuse
For front-end web development. See if CSS, HTML5, JS code is supported in major browsers.
- CodePen
CodePen is a repository of code snippets. Includes in-browser code editor with live preview.
- ColorZilla
Color Finder and Gradient Maker- for Firefox and Chrome!
- Colour Lovers
Colors, Palettes, Patterns, and more.
- Dropbox: Free Cloud Storage
Store files on the cloud. Share them, receive them...it's good. New sign-ups: my referral email is bbeekman@gmail.com
- Lego Comic Strip Creator
Make Comics with Lego Guys
- Max Design: Introduction to Accessibility
A definitive summary of web accessibility.
- Open Learning Initiative
Open source course materials, with some excellent products.
- Padlet WordPress Plugin
A WordPress plugin for embedding Padlet Walls.
- Prezi
Slideshows that zoom in and out, follow paths, and formats beautifully. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
- QR Treasure Hunt Generator
For generating QR code treasure hunts.
- Rapid e-Learning
Learn to use Rapid e-Learning, Instructional Design, Building Scenarios for e-learning, PowerPoint...
- SCORM
SCORM is a set of technical standards for e-learning software products. SCORM tells programmers how to write their code so that it can “play well” with other e-learning software. It is the de facto industry standard for e-learning interoperability. Specif
- Screencast-o-matic
Free, no-install Screencasting (video recording of your monitor)
- SugarSync: Free Cloud Storage
Excellent sync capabilities, with easy to use features. Free storage! New sign-ups: My referral email is lizepatton@gmail.com
- Teach With Portals
Here is that place where you can sign up to receive for free the educational collection of Portal 2 and its Puzzle Maker through STEAM for SCHOOLS, the school-friendly version of our game distribution service; access lesson plans and unique puzzles; and j
- Technology Enhanced Learning
Excellent, organized, thoughtful lists of e-learning tools
- Treehouse
Learn Web Design and Development! Badges, goal-setting awesomeness! App available too.
- Trello
Trello uses the kanban paradigm for managing projects- drag and drop to rearrange list items to and from lists.
- VoiceThread: Conversation in the Cloud
Web-based: Collaborate using slideshows with voice-overs. Basic free accounts, or paid classroom accounts available.
- Voki
Animated avatars that you can make talk... Publish: email to a friend or get code to take your Voki avatar anywhere... Wow... the possibilities are endless... and mostly non-terrifying
- Web Accessibility for Users with Cognitive Impairment
Ways to make your online materials more accessible to people with Cognitive Impairments and Learning Difficulties
- Web Usability Article
An Accessibility Frontier: Cognitive Disabilities and Learning Difficulties
- Why Does My Page Look Different in Different Web Browsers?
An interesting blog article weighing the pros and cons of spending lots of time on cross-browser design for outdated web browsers and Internet Explorer...
- Wordle
This site lets you paste in text or specify a web address and then creates an word cloud for you.
- WordPress Blog Tool
A Content Managment Service (CMS) that offers user blogs.
DIY Projects for Learning
- DIY.org
Gamified Learning! Do challenges, share what you make, and earn Skill patches!
- Instructables.com
User-created instructions for many creative and potentially educational DIY projects.
e-Learning Blogs and Articles
- ADL
The website for ADL, the folk who brought us SCORM. Check out articles about current, global, ground-level e-learning developments.
- Cathy Moore: Let's Save the World from Boring e-Learning
In this blog, you'll get ideas that will help you develop action-packed learning materials. Great resource to keep up with.
- Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
A blog offering many educational resources for e-learning and m-learning
- Finding Dulcinea
is ‘the librarian of the internet.’ It provides research-screened sites “connected through original narrative, providing users with information on each site before they even click on it.” FindingDulcinea provides web guides, which outline practices for
- Instructional Design
Many resources for an e-learning instructor.
- Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything
Covers many topics in e-learning, like how to create your own PLN (personal learning network), Tech Skills, Blooms Taxonomy for digital learning, leading change, critical evaluation, and more.
- Prezi is a Great Way to Engage Your Students
From ATurnToLearn, a blog post with excellent examples of Prezi used to illustrate reading concepts.
- Resources for Students
A blog with links to resources that have been specifically chosen to support students in working smarter.
- The International Society for Technology in Education
Online courses, and resources. Be sure to view the NETS (Digital-Age Skills for Learning, Teaching, Leadership, and Teacher Preparation). The NETS have served as a roadmap since 1998 for improved learning and teaching. They help measure proficiency and s
- The Internet Time Alliance
Giants of workplace learning. "The Internet Time Alliance helps our clients understand and embrace complexity and adopt new ways of working and learning. We have learned that complex problems require different thinking and innovative solutions."
- The Journal
focuses on the current issues and advancements in K-12 classroom technologies. Webinars and white papers. It the newest assessment tools, applications and platforms available to K-12 students and schools. Read reviews of products currently used in the cl
- Top 100 Tools of 2012
Here is a Top 100 Tools for Learning List as voted for by 582 learning professionals worldwide.
Food and Science Links and Resources
- Scientific Inquiry & Education – NSTA Position Statements
Scientific inquiry is a powerful way of understanding science content. Students learn how to ask questions and use evidence to answer them. In the process of learning the strategies of scientific inquiry, students learn to conduct an investigation and col
- Scientific Method: A Quick Review
Reviews the steps in the Scientific Method
- The Exploratorium's Food Science Site
Awe-inspiring collection of food science ideas, projects, and experiments.
Games
- Bookworm
A word-search-and-destroy game.
- BuzzMath
BuzzMath is a mathematical mission that leads middle school students to proficiency through supported practice.
- Cool Math Games For Kids
A busy, distracting site full of educational games and 'educational' games. Use discretion, and don't allow idle browsing.
- Free Rice
World Hunger awareness and Vocabulary Strengthening. Simple multiple choice-style vocabulary/art/etc quizzes where you accumulate grains of rice, and prevent world hunger (ACTUALLY).
- Sheppard Software
A variety of free educational games to play. I love the world geography games.
- Typer Shark
Typing Practice in game form. I play this for fun occasionally.
Google Apps
- 20 Awesome Google+ Tips for Teachers
20 Awesome Google+ Tips for Teachers is an excellent reference if you're integrating Google capabilities into your classroom.
- Aviary
Free photo editing tools and templates to create, modify and share images, (like photos, logos, presentations, audio tracks, podcasts) & more. Teams can collaborate on multimedia projects. Works directly in Google Docs.
- Google Apps for Education
Resources for optimally using Google Apps (Docs, Draw, Calendar, Mail, Sheet, Forms, and more) Google Apps is free (and advertising-free) for students, faculty, and staff at qualifying educational institutions.
- Google Apps Video Tour
Video tour of Google Apps Services
- Google Earth: Desktop
Incredible engaging resource-- Google Earth is amazing. Download.
- Guide to Going Google
A guide to start using Google Apps in your school.
- Training in Google Apps
Resources for optimally using Google Apps (Docs, Draw, Calendar, Mail, Sheet, Forms, and more) Google Apps is free (and advertising-free) for students, faculty, and staff at qualifying educational institutions. It offers shared documents and synchronous c
- WikiSpaces' Google Apps Integration
Easy-to-use integration with your course Wikispace and Google Apps.
Gradebooks
- Engrade
Engrade is the #1 gradebook and LMS on the Internet, providing over 15,000 schools and 300,000 teachers with a free and flexible gradebook, attendance tracking, lesson plan builder, and much more. Google Apps Integrated.
- JumpRope
My #1 recommendation for online grade books; in a way, this is the anti-gradebook. Mastery/standards-based report cards. They thought of everything. JumpRope, if you read this, I'd be happy to come work with you. Respect.
- JupiterGrades (formerly SnapGrades)
Free online gradebook. Paid full version with SIS and other capabilities available.
- LearnBoost
Free Gradebook and Lesson Plan Software.You can manage your classroom, track student grades, create lesson plans, mark attendance, view reports and more! There's iPad Accessibility too!
- ThinkWave Educator: free online grade book
ThinkWave Educator is a free, easy-to-use, online grade book. ThinkWave saves time by automating grade calculations, organizing assignments and generating detailed reports. Google Apps integrated.
iPad Recommendations
- BrainPop
BrainPOP creates proven and award-winning educational resources including animated movies, interactive quizzes, activities, high-interest readings, and more. Students can explore hundreds of standards-aligned Science, Math, Social Studies, English ..
- Instructables: e-Books or e-Pubs
'Pro' Membership is required to download, but you can still view the Instructables on the web if you don't mind ads. Several fascinating titles of DIY subjects with some of the best projects Instructables.com has collected.
- iPads in Education
A well curated selection of articles relating to iPads an Tech.
- LearnBoost
Free Gradebook and Lesson Plan Software.You can manage your classroom, track student grades, create lesson plans, mark attendance, view reports and more! There's iPad Accessibility too!
- Panasonic App for Projectors
Free iPad app: for Panasonic Projectors with Wireless Networking
Lesson Plans
- Education World
Lesson Plan of the Day
- Listenwise
From NPR -- stories to listen to and learn from.
- Planbook: Archive, share, find lesson plans.
Planbook: Archive, share, find lesson plans. Google Apps integrated.
- Read Write Think
Classroom Resources and Professional Development
- Scitable
Scitable is a free science library and personal learning tool brought to you by Nature Publishing Group, the world's leading publisher of science. Scitable currently concentrates on genetics and cell biology.
- The Guardian's Education Series: How To Teach…
(UK) Interesting guides to teaching various subjects in simplified ways.
Literacy
- Cursive Writing: Animations
Animated examples of cursive penmanship.
- Grammar Reminders
Infographic!
- inklewriter
inklewriter is a tool for writing interactive stories.
- Playfic: Old-School Text Adventures
Create your own Text Adventures... Create a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' style story.
- Storybird
Create short, art-inspired stories. Web based, free.
- Tar Heel Readers
DIY e-books: read and share e-books.
- The Lexile Framework for Reading
Find the reading level of a book, and many resources for teaching reading.
Online Collaboration
- A List Apart's Style Guide
A modern style guide.
- Glogster
Graphic Blogs: Teacher and Student accounts available.
- Notestar
Web Based Collaborative Note Organizers for Project-Based Learning
- Padlet
This is what we all needed! Padlet is a tool for collaboration. Create boards, and invite participants to stick up comments, images, links, and files. Padlet is web-based and free--with paid options for schools or companies offering more control.
- Stixy: Collaborative Bulletin Boards
Post images and documents, annotate with sticky notes. This is a collaborative, easy to use, very open-ended app.
- Trello
Columns of moveable content, integrated with other apps. For your to-do's and your workgroup's kanban
Online Course Repositories
- HippoCampus
Resources for the study of Science and Humanities
- M.I.T. Open Courseware
Free online courses from M.I.T.
- MERLOT
MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching. A repository of multimedia lessons, learning materials, guest experts, and more.
- The National Repository of Online Courses
The National Repository of Online Courses (NROC) is a growing library of high-quality online course content for students and faculty in higher education, high school and Advanced Placement.
- World Lecture Hall
Free online course materials from around the world.
Oregon Links and Resources
- Code Oregon
Oregonians can learn to code for free, from Treehouse and Workforce OR.
- Family and Community Together (FACT)
Oregon parent training and information center, for families experiencing disability
- Oregon Environmental Literacy Plan
No Child Left Inside
- Oregon Healthy Kids
Healthy Kids provides no-cost, low-cost and full-cost health coverage options for uninsured Oregon children and teens up to 19 years of age. Coverage lasts for one full year and covers all health needs, including doctor visits, dental care, vision, mental
- Oregon R.I.S.E. (Respect, Inspire, Support and Educate)
The Oregon r.i.s.e. Center encourages, educates & empowers families to collaboratively achieve unlimited success for their children and youth with disabilities.
- PGE Educational Videos
Great video units teach kids to conserve.
- Portland Public Libraries
offer many services besides the loaning of books. Public libraries now commonly offer e-books and digital audiobooks for rental by download. The Multnomah County Library’s site has a research tool with a large...library... of periodicals, databases, and
- SPED Acronyms: from the Oregon Department of Education
A long list of Acronyms relating to SPED... Too many, I think.
Pinterest and Other Bookmarking
- Delicious
Share bookmarked links- privately or publicly, for collaboration.
- Evernote
Web Clipping and Storage- sync and use with most devices
- LiveBinders
It's a Web Based 3 Ring Binder you can share... Upload documents, photos... SHARE the binder with others.
- Pin it to Win it, a marketer's guide to Pinterest
Infographic!
- Pinterest
Pinterest is a social networking web clipping and cataloguing service. It is being used by educators to collaboratively collect resources for student projects.
Portfolios
- Digication e-Portfolio
Digication is an e-Portfolio tool for students to showcase and share their work online with their family, friends, and teachers. Google Apps integrated.
Research
- Ask for Kids- a search engine
A search engine built for typing questions in, getting answers out. Boolean is Better, of course...and is a learned skill. Until then, this is a good tool to make searching more accessible.
- AwesomeLibrary
Kid friendly, reviewed articles. Search a reviewed library of resources for research
- Collection of excellent resources about online research.
How to Search, determine credibility of sites, scholarly sources, and more!
- EasyBib
EasyBib is an intuitive, dead-simple online bibliographic management tool. It's the most popular tool of its kind, used by over 20 million students from high school to college. Google Apps integration.
- Kid-friendly Searches: Metaengine
Helps you find the optimal search engine based on what kind of information you are looking for.
- kidsclick.org
A kid-friendly search engine designed by librarians. Subject based, safer search for academic purposes.
- Think Tank
"ThinkTank is designed to help students develop a Research Organizer (a list of topics and subtopics) for reports and projects. Based on the subject assigned, the students can refine it by choosing from a variety of suggestions.
- Why no Wikipedia in my Bibliography?
Why you can't cite information from Wikipedia, but can use it as a jumping off point for research.
SPED LINKS AND RESOURCES
- Criteria for Writing IEP Goals
An annual goal is a statement(s) of what a student with a disability can reasonably be expected to accomplish in a year's time or the duration of the IEP. This article takes you through a questioning process and gives criteria for writing appropriate edu
- Intervention Central
Neat site! This is a great resource for RTI. Features probe-generators (for CBMs/progress monitoring), behavioral and academic intervention supports and resources.
- SPED Acronyms: from the Oregon Department of Education
A long list of Acronyms relating to SPED... Too many, I think.
- Western Oregon University Teaching Research Institute
Educational research, teacher education and instructional technology, SPED, and TBI resources.
- Wrightslaw: Special Education Law and Advocacy
Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities.
Teacher Reading List
- Information Literacy
Resources for teaching about Information Literacy
- New Literacies and 21st-Century Technologies
The mission of the International Reading Association is to promote reading by continuously advancing the quality of literacy instruction and research worldwide. This link takes you to their position paper on 21st Century Literacy.
- Rethinking Schools
As U.S. education policy increasingly forces schools toward scripted curriculum and standardized tests, Rethinking Schools provides an alternative vision of schooling, based on the creative commitment of teachers and grounded in students’ daily lives. Ret
Technology is Amazing
- Awesome HTML5 Canvas Animations
Incredible demonstrations of HTML5. Fun for all.
- code.org
Make and play games, learn to code... These are fun learning modules for all ages!
- IFTTT
IFTTT is a service that lets you create powerful connections with one simple statement: If this, then that. We call 'this' the Trigger, and 'that' the Action. Together, it is a Recipe. Triggers, like having a photo of you tagged on Facebook, set off res
- iPad Apps and Bloom's Taxonomy
Shows examples of Apps organized according to Bloom's Taxonomy.
- LOGO; a programming language
LOGO is a programming language built for teaching programming concepts.
- OpenCulture
A stockpile of free cultural & educational media on the web.
- Tagxedo: Word Clouds with Style
Customizable, pretty word clouds.
Wikis
- WikiSpaces
Class wikis can be used to blog, network, learn, and share.
- WikiSpaces' Google Apps Integration
Easy-to-use integration with your course Wikispace and Google Apps.