SummercoreLearning2008

This page has links to Web Resources that can be used for multiple disciplines.  Many of the resources are “Web 2.0″ – interactive, collaborative web services.

Make Your Own Web Site
Want to make a class website?  This one is easy and free:
doodlekit

Alternatives to Microsoft Office
Microsoft is no longer a necessity these days, and this is particularly important for our kids, many of whom won’t have copies of Office to work with at home.  Here are two online versions of office that permit students to work collaboratively on office-type documents:

- Zoho

- GoogleDocs

And here is the “open source” version of MS Office, free for downloading.  It’s actually quite good!
OpenScource

Web Quests
A web quest consists of a well-defined task, steps to accomplish that task, links for research, and a grading rubric, all so that students can work independently/collaboratively on a project that, according to Bernie Dodge, the inventor of web quests “requires higher level thinking, not simply summarizing… including synthesis, analysis, problem-solving, creativity and judgment.”  There are thousands of excellent webquests online in all subject areas.  Many of them, however, need to be adapted to be on target for any given class.  Using one of the free web sites is a great way to set up a web quest. The mother of all web quest databases includes subject and grade level searching, and if that fails, google search– all on the same page.

San Diego City Schools has compiled a list of good web quests

zwebquest is both a library of existing web quests and a free, downloadable tool for making your own.

Online Video
YouTube for Teachers – you can make your own videos and upload them, or just take advantage of other teachers’ work.  Safe place for students!

Hundreds of documentaries free for viewing online or embeding in your web site.  Small downside: there are commercials dropped in randomly (not many, but they’re placed suddenly and nonsensically).

Mind Mapping (think Inspiration)

Game Templates
Every game show imaginable, for use in your classroom

*These tools are courtesy of another “friend” at pbwiki summer camp

This entry was posted on July 29, 2008 at 4:20 pm and is filed under Technology in Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.