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| Digital tools and online resources are transforming modern classrooms. |
Classrooms are constantly evolving, and the internet plays a huge role in that evolution. Here are some of the top online resources out there for teachers, so you can find the help your students need and stay up to date on everything going on in the educational world. No matter what subject you teach or level of students you instruct, these online resources can help you make your teaching more effective and your classroom environment more efficient—helping you help your students succeed.
Write.as
One of our favorite free writing websites is Write.as, which allows you to create and embed rich text in other websites. It's a simple tool that makes it easy to create your own personal webpage in seconds—but its real strength comes from its ability to get embedded on any third-party website with ease. When someone views content you've embedded with Write.as, they'll see exactly what you've written; in most cases, there won't be any blurring or cropping on third party sites as there would be with an image overlay. If that sounds appealing to you, head over to Write.as and give it a try!
Awesome Screenshot
If you're taking screenshots in Chrome, Awesome Screenshot is a must-have tool. Awesome Screenshot lets you capture anything that appears on your screen and share it directly to Facebook, Twitter or Google+. It works just as well with Word documents and PDFs as it does with fullscreen apps, like games. Awesome Screenshot also has an image editor for cropping images and adding annotations. This app is compatible with both Chrome and Firefox. My students love getting creative when using different online tools, especially those that help them learn better. And I love being able to recommend websites that are fun AND educational! says Jennifer Morrow from her home office in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Morrow teaches 4th grade at Riverside Elementary School and recently tried out Awesome Screenshot for herself! The kids really liked how easy it was to use, she said. It's so simple – they can use it all by themselves. In addition to making blogging easier (for teachers), one of my favorite features is sharing content directly through social media – something many schools block on school computers (because reasons). Awesome Screenshot has been such a time saver, Morrow said.
Google Forms
This free, web-based platform allows teachers to create and administer surveys for a variety of purposes in their classroom. It's useful for everything from basic questionnaires to complex research projects, and can be integrated with other Google services (such as Drive or Docs) to send out information or to import results into spreadsheets. And, because it's cloud-based, it can easily be accessed from any device. In addition, Google Forms is also part of a suite of tools designed specifically for schools. If you're looking for an easy-to-use survey tool that's free, then Google Forms is worth checking out. Note that there are versions available both on Chromebooks and on iOS devices as well!
Newsela
Provides students with personalized articles. Give students choices in topics and have them write their own questions after reading an article of the day. This is a great way to get your kids writing that all important 5 paragraph essay! Or give them less choices and let them turn what they read into creative writing. Either way, Newsela is one of my favorite apps for classrooms. For free or $8 per month (what I do) you can choose from millions of articles on everything from scientific breakthroughs to personal reflections and memoirs. Put it on your school's site or share with home ed families through Edmodo. You can even create competition by choosing different topics for different grades. I had my 6th graders choose their topic and then race each other to publish it first! Your classroom will never be boring again. See more about how to use Newsela here . PBS Learning Media : Offers thousands of video clips from PBS shows and additional resources that cover nearly every subject area at every grade level imaginable. These clips are excellent for reviewing basic skills as well as advanced content areas such as AP Physics or AP Calculus . Many teachers swear by using videos as part of their daily lessons. And because most videos are accompanied by interactive exercises, lessons become fun and interactive rather than just listening to a teacher talk about something. The only downside is if you aren't careful, there's no limit to how much time your students spend watching videos during class time!
ThingLink
A web-based tool that lets users embed interactive images and video into their website. It’s great for creating multimedia presentations or enhancing photographs, and is a super simple way to add interactivity to your site. Your students will love it! This service is free if you register. You'll need to join their community of teachers, but membership is free as well. There are some limitations with what you can do with images (size, etc.) but in general, it's a great tool for educators.
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