Best Blog on Educational Technology

Best Blog on Educational Technology 2012

12

The winner of the Best Ed Tech / resource sharing edublog 2012….2,924 votes

–Winner: Free Technology for Teachers – Richard Byrne (219 votes)
–Runner Up: Speech Techie – Sean J. Sweeney (212 votes)
–Runner Up: Edutopia (142 votes)
–Runner Up: Pediastaff (134 votes)
–Runner Up:  Edukwest (130 votes)

Shortlisted Finalists

• Cool Cat Teacher – Vicki Davis
• Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners – Susan Oxnevad
• Doug Belshaw’s Open Educational Thinkering
• Doug off the record – Doug Peterson
• Educational Technology and mobile learning
• Educational Technology Guy – David Andrade
• Edudemic
• Edukwest
• Edutopia
• Free Technology for Teachers – Richard Byrne
• Gridjumper’s Blog
• Hack Education – Audrey Watters
• Ideas and Thoughts – Dean Shareski
• iLearn Technology – Kelly Tenkely
• Integrating Tech in the Primary Classroom – Kathleen Morris
• Kleinspiration – Erin Klein
• Langwitches Blog – Silvia Tolisano
• Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day
• Middleweb
• MindShift        
• Nik’s Learning Technology Blog – Nik Peachey
• Nik’s QuickShout – Nik Peachey
• Ozge Karaoglu’s Blog
• Pediastaff
• Speech Techie – Sean J. Sweeney
• Teacher Reboot Camp – Shelly Terrell
• TechChef4u
• Technology Enhanced Learning Blog – David Hopkins
• Technology Tidbits – David Kapuler
• The Frog Blog
• The Innovative Educator – Lisa Nielsen
• The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom – Steven W. Anderson
• wwwatanabe – Tracy Watanabe

My Top 10 Web Curation Tools As a Teacher

Hi everyone. This is a post I am supposed to publish last night but my laptop crashed on me because of a virus and I spent the whole night figuring out how to fix it. My screen was black with a white cursor in the middle, it was really a stressful night but finally I got it fixed. Be careful with the links you click on.

I got some emails from some of you asking for the some curation web tools I use so here is a list of my top 10 in no particular order.This selection is subjective and there are several other tools out there but from my own experience with content curation I find the ones below the best performing web tools. Check them out and share with us what you think of them. Enjoy

1- Scoopt.it

This is my favorite web curation tool. It allows you to create categories to which you scoop links and materials you find online. It also has a bookmarklet that you can install on

2- Livebinder

This another cool tool I use to organize and bookmark my resources. The same principle as Scoop.it you can create different binders and use the bookmarklet to help you your livebindering

3- Evernote

This is probably one of the most popular web tools but for me I use the mobile app more than I do with the web based one.

4- Pinterest

This is a visual bookmarking tool that lets you pin web resources to the different pinboards you create.


5- Educlipper

Educlipper is a relatively new web service that is gaining more and more in popularity each day. This digital educational clipboard requires invitation request

6-  Bundlr

I like how Bundlr works. You can use it to create bundles of web content. It does require a sign up which you can do using either your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account.

7- Bag The Web

Curate web content to make your own topic bags. You can publish and share your expertise with others. Bagging is teaching and learning.


8- Springpad

Springpad is another great tool to use to save your digital content. The good thing about it is that whatever you save on your computer it syncs automatically to your mobile app

9- Paperl.li

This is a web tool that allows you to create an online newspaper from the photos, videos, and articles you come across online.

10- Netvibes

Netvibes provides you with a handy dashboard where you can organize your web content, tweets and feeds.

You might also like:

10 New Educational Web Tools for Teachers

The Best 13 Web Tools for Teachers

Top Web Tools for Teachers in 2012

5 Great Organizational Tools for Teachers

LinkWithin

Source: educatorstechnology

Phonics

Below you will find our full list of printable phonics worksheets to be used by teachers at home or in school. Just click on a link to open a printable PDF version of the desired worksheet. We hope you find them useful.

• Phonics - A Sound
• Phonics - B Sound
• Phonics - C Sound
• Phonics - CH Sound
• Phonics - D Sound
• Phonics - E Sound
• Phonics - F Sound
• Phonics - G Sound
• Phonics - GH Sound
• Phonics - H Sound
• Phonics - I Sound
• Phonics - J Sound
• Phonics - K Sound
• Phonics - L Sound
• Phonics - M Sound
• Phonics - N Sound
• Phonics - O Sound
• Phonics - OU Sound
• Phonics - P Sound
• Phonics - PH Sound
• Phonics - Q Sound
• Phonics - R Sound
• Phonics - S Sound
• Phonics - T Sound
• Phonics - U Sound
• Phonics - V Sound
• Phonics - W Sound
• Phonics - X Sound
• Phonics - Y Sound
• Phonics - Z Sound
• Phonics - Unspoken Syllables

El Sistema Educativo Finlandés

The Finland Phenomenon: Inside the World's Most Surprising School System (El fenómeno finlandés: El sistema escolar más asombroso del mundo). Es un documental de 60 minutos que describe por qué Finlandia posee un sistema educativo que ha sido situado por más de una década como entre los mejores del mundo. Es un sistema educativo muy diferente al del resto de países, y su éxito rotundo los ha llevado a ganar premios en todos los ámbitos. Los alumnos estudian menos, tienen menos tareas, en tanto que los profesores reciben un sueldo competitivo y se encuentran totalmente implicados en su trabajo. ¿Por qué Finlandia? Bob Compton, creador del documental, junto al investigador de Harvard, el doctor Tony Wagner, ha decidido averiguarlo. Los resultados se han consignado en este film. Wagner, educador desde siempre y autor del bestseller "The Global Achievement Gap" (La brecha de logros mundial), nos lleva al interior de este sistema en estos 60 minutos, pues está más que suficientemente calificado para explorar y explicar el éxito finlandés. Desde el salón de clases y a través de entrevistas con estudiantes, profesores, padres, administrativos, directores y funcionarios del gobierno, Wagner nos revela los factores que han llevado a Finlandia a poseer el sistema educativo catalogado como número uno en el mundo.

20 Things To Know About The Current State Of Teaching

Did you know that 80% of teachers are female? What about the fact that there’s more than 7 million teachers in the U.S.? More importantly, did you know teachers work, on average, more than 50 hours a week? These stats are just glimpses into the staggeringly impressive accomplishments of teachers. While this infographic focuses on the U.S., it’s important to remember that the rest of the world is performing equally important work in and out of the classroom.

If you’ve been wondering about some of the general statistics about the current state of teaching (like how many teachers work on Sundays), then this visualization is just what you need. Enjoy!

22 sitios gratuitos con Fotografías para tu blog

Muchas veces tenemos el articulo listo y lo único que nos falta es la fotografía que lo acompañara. Las estadísticas demuestran que un articulo sin fotografías tiene 40% menos de clics. Muchos tienen las aptitudes para crear sus propios gráficos  otros como yo, buscamos sitios que nos permitan utilizar sus fotografías ya sea sin costo o a cambio de acreditación de la imagen.

Aquí tienes 24 sitios gratuitos que te permiten utilizar su banco de imagen para tus artículos de blog:

1. Free Digital Photos 
2. MorgueFile 
3. Flickr Creative Commons Service 
4. FindIcons
5. Stock.Xchang 
6. Image Base 
7. Open Photo 
8. FreeFoto 
9. EveryStockPhoto 
10. FreePhotosBank 
11. Image After 
12. Studio 25 
13. Free Stock Photos 
14. PD Photo 
15. Free Images 
16. Stock Vault 
17. Free Range Stock 
18. Unprofound 
19. Photo Rogue 
20. Free Pixels 
21. CJO Photo
22. Woophy
23. Coge una foto
24. La virtu

Screenr, capturas de vídeo de tu ordenador

Screenr es una práctica herramienta 2.0 para realizar grabaciones de pantalla del ordenador de forma online, podemos grabar todo lo que vamos haciendo en el ordenador a la vez que explicamos el proceso. Por lo tanto, es ideal para elaborar videotutoriales sobre cualquier contenido que queramos explicar a nuestros alumnos pero, sobre todo, para explicaciones de herramientas 2.0 y programas de ordenador. Los Screnncast que vayamos creando con esta aplicación podemos compartirlos en la red. La herramienta se puede probar sin registro previo para ver las posibilidades que ofrece.

Source: educ@con TIC

Biblioteca de recursos multimedia EOI Mieres

Click here.

10 Simple Ways To Encourage Student Achievement

Inspiring students to become even better than they thought possible isn’t easy. But getting them into the right mindset with these tips will help. Student achievement, from elementary school to higher ed, is languishing in many parts of the country. Test scores are stagnating or declining, grades are slipping, and students are increasingly dropping out of school.

While there is no single solution to improving student achievement, there are some tried, true, and tested methods that have proven to be very effective in raising student achievement.

Whether combined together or used on their own, the following offer some real hope in getting students to meet their true potential and excel at whatever educational endeavor is set in front of them.

1. Reassessment of standardized testing.

   Standardized tests can be a great way for educators and administrators to gauge the progress that students are making in courses. Unfortunately, the way that many tests are presently set up, focused more on instructor accountability and basic skills and knowledge, may actually be holding students back. Research from the Gordon Commission has found that accountability-focused tests, and teaching catered to them, doesn’t help students develop the essential critical thinking and problem-solving skills they’ll need to succeed in college and beyond. In order to raise student achievement, the current standardized testing systems used in most states need major overhauls so that they can gauge not only the mastery of basic skills but of deeper learning, a lack of which (many education experts believe) is seriously hampering educational outcomes.

2. Find ways to make up for budget shortfalls.

   Having a plush budget doesn’t guarantee that a school will be able to churn out students with top marks, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Things are stretched pretty thin, with many, if not most, schools at all levels of education making serious cutbacks in the past few years in light of state and federal cuts to spending. That means more students per classroom, less money for books, technology, and other supplies, and even the elimination of whole subject areaslike art and music. It’s easy to see how this can affect student achievement, so schools need to get creative to find new ways to fill in gaps in funding to keep their students supplied with everything they need. Some schools are doing just that, establishing partnerships withnonprofits and private-sector businesses that have an interest in fostering education, though critics caution that it could take quite some time to see results after years of slash-and-burn budgeting.

3. Improve teacher training.

   While policymakers have been focused on teacher quality, few have addressed what it actually takes to help teachers become better at their jobs. Many states have moved to use testing to evaluate teacher effectiveness, penalizing those who don’t match up rather than helping them to become better educators. This method may weed out some of the worst teachers, but it also may put a great deal of stress on new teachers who are promising but still need more training and guidance. Luckily, student achievement may get a bump from just this very issue in the coming years, with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan making teacher training a front-burner issue and the National Council on Teacher Quality ranking teacher-preparation programs this year. Others think technology could offer an alternative solution, with MOOCs offering teachers training free of charge, the results of which will trickle down to students through improved knowledge, expertise, and educational methodology.

4. Reform public policy on education.

   American politicians have long been searching for strong solutions to the problem of low student achievement. So far, programs like Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind have largely been ineffective and in some cases are actually hurting schools that need the most help and assistance. To really make a difference in student achievement levels, the U.S. educational system will need to make serious reforms that alter what students are taught, how they’re taught, and who’s teaching it. Furthermore, the changes need to be homegrown. While importing ideas from other nations with highly successful educational systems may seem like a good idea, many experts state that those nations succeed because their educational policies are interwoven into their larger social policies, and can’t simply be cut and pasted into educational policy in the U.S.

5. Improve relationships.

   Books, resources, and great educators all play a role in helping improve student achievement, but a much more basic factor is also in play: communication. In order to raise student achievement, schools need to foster better relationships all the way around: between students and teachers, teachers and parents, administrators and teachers, and schools and the larger community. Only when all parties are actively involved in making changes, providing support, and working together can students make big jumps in achievement and have better educational outcomes for the long haul.

6. Create strong leadership and administration.

   Student success in school isn’t just about what their teachers do, it’s also about what their principals and administrators are doing. At some of the best schools in the U.S., principals are a constant presence. They walk through the halls, they get to know students and teachers, and they play an active, daily presence in how the school is run and led. Both in the school and in the larger administrative body, those in education have to be able to confront problems, gather data, create attainable goals, monitor progress, and hold everyone involved in the educational process accountable for their role in student achievement. Under poor leadership it is nearly impossible to make sustainable and significant changes to student achievement.

7. Develop high expectations of students.

   As it turns out, one of the secrets to raising student achievement is pretty simple: set high standards and expect students to meet them. It may sound flip to boil down student achievement to such a simple statement, but putting this into practice has shown that it’s actually a very effective method of motivating students to achieve. Teachers must create a challenging curriculum, pay close attention to student progress, and be there to help students when they are struggling. Studies have shown that raising expectations of students can help them to improve in school by developing their confidence, giving them a sense of belonging, and teaching them self-reliance. Ultimately students can only perform in the ways and at the level that their teachers expect and demand, so motivating and supporting them to achieve higher standards has a long-lasting effect on educational outcomes.

8. Ensure students master basic skills before moving on.

   Sadly, it’s often much easier for teachers and administrators to pass a student along to the next grade level before he or she has fully mastered the skills from the previous year than to hold him or her back. Over time, the disparity between what the student knows and what he or she should know grows to be so wide that the student feels frustrated, achievement drops, and school may become a punishment not a privilege. It is critical for the long-term achievement of students that they are given a strong framework for the basic skills they’ll need in reading, writing, and mathematics. Students who are given extra support and attention when they haven’t mastered a concept, often being retaught the lesson immediately, are much more likely to stay in school, get better grades, and succeed.

9. Take advantage of technology in smart ways.

   While technology isn’t essential to teaching, it can be a valuable tool in many ways for teaching today’s children. Studies have shown that students often stay engaged longer and take more of an active role in their own learning process when they use technology to learn. Additionally, technology also provides a way for teachers to meet the needs of the wide variety of achievement levels in a given classroom. Students can use educational games and learning modules to work through concepts until they understand them, each working at his or her own pace. Those who need additional support can get it from teachers. Technology also makes it easier to monitor student progress and to alert parents when students are struggling. While it is not a panacea to everything that ails education, technology can play an important and lasting role in raising student achievement when used intelligently in the classroom.

10. Constant reevaluation and improvement.

    The world is in a constant state of change, and education has to change with it. Even the best solutions for today’s students may not work in five or 10 years’ time. Sadly, many schools are sticking with outdated, unproven methods that aren’t helping students learn or meet their potential. To raise student achievement, schools, educators, and policymakers have to be willing to constantly reevaluate what’s working and what’s not, and always strive to improve, even when outcomes already seem “good enough.”

BLOG PARA COMPARTIR MATERIAL

ESTE ES UN BLOG PARA COMPARTIR MATERIAL ENTRE EL PROFESORADO DE LENGUAS EXTRANJERAS. AUNQUE LA MAYORÍA DE ACTIVIDADES ESTÁN DIRIGIDAS A LAS CLASES DE INGLÉS, TAMBIÉN EXISTE UN RINCÓN Y ALGUNOS ENLACES DEDICADOS AL ESPAÑOL. ESPERO QUE OS GUSTE :) This is a blog to share activities between teachers :) Feel free to send your activities.

http://profesdelenguasextranjeras.blogspot.com.es/search/label/reading-comprehension

HARDTalk

HARDtalk interviews newsmakers and personalities from across the globe

BBC NEWS CHANNEL (UK): Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays - 0030 and 0430

BBC WORLD NEWS: Mon to Thurs - 0430, 0930, 1530, 2130 GMT

WORLD SERVICE RADIO: Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Click here.

Ken Wilson's Blog

Forget about learners, let's hear it for teachers!






Ken Wilson's Blog

English news for students of English in three levels

Easy English news reading and listening is used in the first two levels.

Level 1 Beginners

If you are a beginner, this level is for you. Sometimes you will have to use a dictionary when you read the news in this level. But after some time your reading skills at this level can be very good. If you are a teacher, you can use even these very simple texts for you reading and listening activities. See more in the For Teachers section.

Level 2 Intermediate

Intermediate student is a student who can communicate in simple English words. You usually studied three or five years. Sometimes you studied more years but you didn't use English and you forgot some words. When you don't understand words in this level, please use a dictionary. When you read short news every day, after some time it will be easier for you and you will understand many easy English articles. But when reading English at this level is very difficult for you, try to read stories in Level 1 for some time. When you understand basic English in Level 1 very well, go to Level 2.

Level 3 Advanced

Advanced student is a student who can communicate about everyday things in English. You usually studied six or more years. Your reading skills and listening skills are very high. You understand a lot but not all. The short news can help you listen to English online. We try to choose articles which have words which are used very often in everyday English. When you know English words from this level very well, you can speak with everybody without big problems. When you understand everything in this level of English, you should be able to understand almost all native speakers.

When you understand everything in one level, it is time to go one level up. English news at a new level will be difficult at the beginning but with some practice you will understand more and more. When you use English news every day, after some time, usually three months, you can understand everything in the level. Have fun and learn fast.

Example of a story in three levels

We offer one short story in three levels. Every level of English has different words. For Level 1 and Level 2, we use basic English which people use very often. Level 3 has no limits. All English words and grammar are used in Level 3. Here is an example of news in three levels of English:

Level 1 Beginners

There was a horrible moment for a young girl. Children gave food to animals at Seaworld. One dolphin took a fish together with the girl’s hand. Dolphins are friendly and intelligent but the girl’s parents didn’t like what the dolphin did. The parents wanted to show this video to other people. They wanted to give information about it. It can be dangerous to give food to animals.  The girl had some small problems with her hand. People from Seaworld said that workers at Seaworld saw what the dolphin did. They came quickly and helped the young girl.

Level 2 Intermediate

There was a shocking moment for a young girl. Children were feeding sea animals at Seaworld when one dolphin took a fish together with the girl’s arm. Dolphins are known for being friendly and intelligent but the girl’s parents weren’t happy about the dolphin’s behaviour. The parents wanted to share this video so others can make a decision about the risks connected with such activity. The girl was injured but the injuries weren’t very bad. Seaworld officials said that animal care staff were at the attraction when this happened and immediately responded and helped the young girl.

Level 3 Advanced

That was the shocking moment. A dolphin attacked a young girl who was feeding a pod of sea creatures along with the children at Seaworld in Orlando. Dolphins are known for being friendly and intelligent but this attack shows another side to the animal. This girl’s parents state on the video, “We wanted to share this video so others can make an informed decision about whether or not the risks at yourself or your child are worth the experience.” Bite marks and bruises on her hand were the visible scars. Her parents say they are thankful the injuries weren’t worse. Seaworld officials said, “Educators and animal care staff were at the attraction when this happened and immediately connected with the family. A member of our health services team was in the area at dolphin cove and quickly responded and treated the young girl.”

LINK: http://www.newsinlevels.com/

101 Websites That Every Elementary Teacher Should Know About

As class sizes keep growing, it becomes harder and harder to find the time to look for new elementary teaching materials, while still giving your kids the personalized attention they need (and deserve!).

After all, you can only be pulled in so many directions at once,right?

With that in mind, I put together this list of websites for elementary teachers, hoping that you’ll finally be able add something fresh and fun to your lesson plan.

Now, you don’t have to skim the results of hundreds of Google searches to find a handful of useable internet resources—I’ve already got 101 of ‘em!
 

 

GENERAL / MULTI-SUBJECT

1. GoEd Online Elementary
GoEd Online is more than just a blog—it’s a one-stop shop for teaching materials! There are over 1,300 downloadable eBooks and games for elementary teachers, including resources for early childhood, English (ELA), math, science and social studies.

Click here to check out our elementary materials.

2. FunBrain
FunBrain has over 100 fun, interactive games that develop skills in math, reading and literacy. Plus, kids can read a variety of popular books and comics on the site, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amelia Writes Again, and Brewster Rocket.

3. e-Learning for Kids
At e-Learning for Kids, you can search through educational games by grade level or subject. There are materials for grades 1-6 in math, science and language arts.

4. Turtle Diary
Over 1,000 educational activities, games, animated lessons, printable worksheets, interactive storybooks and more.

5. FueltheBrain
Have your elementary students practice their math, science and language arts skills with games and interactive activities from FueltheBrain!

6. Free Rice
This website allows your students to review English vocabulary and grammar at varying levels of difficulty. For each correct answer, the website will donate one grain of rice. Have your students play Free Rice when they finish early and keep track of how much rice your students have contributed to combat hunger.

7. Mr. Nussbaum
Mr. Nussbaum is a website with tons of interactive games and activities for math, language arts, history, geography, science and more.

8. SmartyGames
Free games for learning how to use money, tell time, count and read. Also, you’ll find mazes, memory games, puzzles, Sudoku and more!

9. Ask Kids
The Ask Jeeves search engine for kids.

10. KidsClick!
KidsClick! is a web search site designed for kids by librarians -- with kid-friendly results!

11.Librarians’ Internet Databse
Find websites you and your students can trust in this directory that has been compiled by librarians.
 

Wheel of Fame Customizable TV Game Shows

12. YouTube
With millions of YouTube videos, there’s bound to be something that’s relatable to your lesson. There are step-by-step tutorials, news clips, editorials, short documentaries and more. Recently, YouTube launched an education-specific version of the website called YouTube for Teachers.

13. TeacherTube
TeacherTube is exactly what it sounds like—YouTube for teachers (not to be confused with the Youtube-specific version above!). The design of the website is getting a little outdated (it’s reminiscent of past versions of YouTube), but there are many educational videos to choose from.

14. Appolicious
The education section of Appolicious is a listing of thousands of educational applications with descriptions and reviews. It’s a great place to go if you’re looking for something new, or just to check something out before you buy it.

15. IMDb
Use IMDb, the internet movie database, to see if there are any movies that are relevant to the topic you’re teaching. If you find one, you can also check the rating to make sure it’s appropriate for your classroom, and read reviews to see what others have thought (and to see if it's historically or scientifically accurate!).

16. Pinterest
A colleague and fellow GoEd Online blogger (can you guess who?) got me hooked on using Pinterest! There’s no end to the great elementary teaching resources you can find on there. Educators from all over the world have created boards that are PACKED full of great stuff.

If you want to check out what we’ve found on Pinterest, follow us.
 

17. Learnist
This social network is kind of like Pinterest for people who want to learn about different things. Users create and share collections of knowledge. It is still in its beta phase and requires an invite to get full access, but it’s very cool already! The “education” topic is full of great posts about using tech in the classroom, industry trends and shared resources.

 

EARLY ELEMENTARY

18. Seussville
Because everyone loves Dr. Seuss… This website is full of interactive whiteboard-friendly games, activities, printables and ideas for lesson plans focusing on the subjects made interesting and accessible (and discussible!) by Dr. Suess' stories.

19. Sesame Street
Sesame Street has a variety of activities that help students work on basic skills like counting, forming sentences, recognizing different shapes and objects, etc.

20. TheColor
TheColor is home to hundreds of free online coloring pages that don’t even have to be printed. Everything is interactive and done online! Your pages can be saved to your gallery and shared with your students’ families. This is a great activity for students who finish early.

21. FunFonix
FunFonix (it's the pronunciation that counts!) has a variety of early elementary phonics worksheets and online phonics games. Their worksheets are completely customizable!

22. Phonics Student Online Components
Sadlier Phonics has a number of grade-appropriate online games and activities for students PreK-6.

23. Alphabet Zoo
An entertaining interactive game for early elementary students who are learning how to match their upper and lowercase letters.

BONUS:
Starfall (Recommended by Kirsten)
This website is a free resource for young students to practice letters and sounds! Its phonics-based approach is perfect for PreK, kindergarten, first grade and second grade.

ENGLISH (ELA)

24. Grammar Ninja Game
This fun game helps your students learn the different parts of speech! There are three levels of difficulty that can be assigned to your students.

25. Scholastic Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension
Use these printable graphic organizers with your elementary students on a variety of reading comprehension activities. They are great for literary elements, reading assessment, reading comprehension, curriculum development and more.

26. ReadWriteThink
ReadWriteThink is a comprehensive collection of classroom resources for teachers. It includes searchable lesson plans, student interactives, activities and printouts. With this collection, students can explore elements of books and stories; develop characters' create poems, comic strips, newspapers, flyers and more.

27. SpellZone
An online English spelling resource that includes free units, games and word lists.

28. Spellathon
Practice spelling with free interactive spelling games that are compatible with interactive whiteboards, mobile phones and tablet PCs.

29. TVOKids: Spelling Bee Game
This game plays just like a real spelling bee. Students hear the word and get one chance to spell it. They can have the word repeated and can also read a definition.

30. Shel Silverstein
If you love Shel Silverstein and his poetry, you need to check this out. There are two versions of the website—the high-bandwidth version is more glitzy, but they both have the same basic content. There are fun games and activities, printables and you can even watch animated videos of some of Shel’s poems. The coolest thing about the videos is that some of them are performed by Mr. Silverstein himself!

31. ManyThings
This website is a fantastic resource for ESL teachers and students alike. It has an extensive collection of spelling games and activities that are great for non-native speakers. My favorite is the Catch the Spelling Game.

32. Forvo 
Forvo is the world’s largest pronunciation dictionary. It’s very valuable for ESL students because they can look up any word and hear it pronounced by an authentic English speaker.

33. Storybird
Storybird is a website that allows you to combine pictures and drawings to tell a story. It is very user-friendly and you can have several students all working together on the same story.

34. The Story Starter
This automatic generator comes up with over two billion (no joke!) creative ideas for writers. It was named to Writer’s Digest Magazine’s list of 101 Best Websites for Writers in 2012.

35. Creative Writing Prompts
When your students need inspiration, this site is the place to go. It features more than 300 detailed creative writing prompts, as well as journal ideas. You can also use the writing prompts as great warm-up activities each day.

WEB 2.0 WEBSITES

91. Prezi    
Prezi is a really neat cloud-based presentation program that allows you to zoom in and out. If you don’t mind your slides being public, you can sign up for a free account with 100MB of storage.

92. Online-stopwatch
Online-stopwatch is a web-based stopwatch that is easy to display on an interactive whiteboard and can count up or down. Use it for timed exams, writing assignments and standardized tests.

93. RubiStar 
RubiStar is a free tool to help teachers create quality rubrics. Registered users can save and edit rubrics online. You can access them from home, school or on the road.

94. Discovery Education’s Free Puzzlemaker
Puzzlemaker is a tool that helps you create and print customized word searches, criss-cross puzzles, hidden message puzzles and more, all using your own word lists.

95. Gliffy  
You can use Gliffy to create attractive and professional graphic organizers like Venn diagrams and flow charts. Unfortunately, full access to their services requires a fee, but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial!

96. Mindomo  
Mindomo is another online mind mapping tool. It’s neat because you can collaborate in real-time with others and share/embed what you’ve created. You can create up to three free mind maps!

97. Tagxedo 
Tagxedo is an awesome word cloud creation tool. You can turn customized text, websites, blogs, Twitter accounts and more into stunning designs based on the frequency of words found in the medium. There are numerous designs and color schemes to choose from, and the results can be saved to your computer or shared.

98.  Wordle
Create beautiful word clouds from text that you provide. Like Tagxedo, it gives prominence to words that appear most frequently. You can save, print and share your creation.

99. Animoto 
Use Animoto to easily create presentations and videos with your own images and music, or choose from a library of stock files. Teachers can apply for a free Animoto Plus account.

100. Bubbl.us 
Use Bubbl.us to create colorful online mind maps. It’s great for class discussions and brainstorming sessions.

101. Vimeo  
Vimeo is kind of like YouTube in that it is a place for you to easily upload any kind of video you create—even high definition. A free account gives you access to 500MB worth of storage each week that you can use for a variety of things like customizing your website or blog.