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101 Web 2.0 Teaching Tools

Published on Wednesday 7th of November, 2007

Online tools and resources have made it easier for teachers to instruct students, and for students to collaborate with those teachers and with other students and parents. These "Web 2.0" teaching tools aren't magical, but they may seem to defy definition at times since they save time, help you to stay organized, and often take up little space on a computer. Some of these applications are Web-based, which means that they can be accessed from any computer.

The following list is filled with tools that will make a teacher's life easier. The categories are listed in alphabetical order and the links to each tool are also listed alphabetically within those categories.

Aggregators | Bookmark Managers | Classroom Tools | Collaboration | Course Management | Office Suites | Office Tools | Productivity | Public Content Management (Blogs, etc.) | Storage

Aggregators

The following list includes free tools that you can use to stay on top of current events, including headlines and blogs.

  1. Aggie: Aggie is an open source news aggregator that's also a desktop application. It downloads the latest news and displays it in a Web page.
  2. Awasu: Awasu is a state-of-the-art feed reader that comes loaded with features for both casual personal use and professional, high-powered information management. Use this tool for content archiving, coupled with an advanced search engine, and use advanced features to manage your configurable channels. The personal edition is free to download and use.
  3. Bloglines: This is more of a personal news aggregator than a bookmark tool, but it's sophisticated and highly useful for teachers who want to stay on top of current events in any given topic.
  4. BlogPulse: BlogPulse is an automated trend discovery system for blogs. You can apply machine-learning and natural-language processing techniques to track blog activity on key issues, people, news stories, news sources, bloggers and more.
  5. FeedReader: This is a free reader that is simple to use. It supports podcasts.
  6. Google Reader: If you use Google for its many tools, then use this reader to stay on top of news by keyword or by place.
  7. Plum: Use the "Shoebox" to accumulate bookmarks, and allow colleagues access to your "Dropbox," where they can provide Web pages, news, and more for your perusal. This is a great tool for building classroom projects or for accumulating news, sites, and images about a specific topic.
  8. RSS Reader: This RSS reader is able to display any RSS and Atom news feed (XML).
  9. Syndirella: Syndirella is an open source desktop information aggregator - a program that provides a comfortable environment for reading the information coming from multiple sources, or feeds. The most common uses for Syndirella are reading news sites and weblogs.
  10. WikiNews: Anyone can contribute, and articles are written collaboratively for a global audience. They strive at all times to meet the policy of using neutral point of view, ensuring that their reporting is as fair as possible. Since this is a wiki, you can combine this site with other objectives in a project for your class.

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Bookmark Managers

Bookmark managers make it easy to build a personal directory where researchers can tap into sites and materials that have been saved online and share them with others in most cases. The following bookmark managers are free to use, but they all have different angles. In other words, teachers and professors can do more with these sites than save a page or two.

  1. del.icio.us: This is a popular social bookmarker, but it's an easy tool to use if you have a handle on how to use tags.
  2. Diigo: Turn your students onto this tool, which works like a bookmark manager with a highlighter or with sticky notes. This is an ideal way to research for a paper or to create a new project for class. This site works much like MyStickies, but without Diigo's highlighter.
  3. Facebook: While Facebook is a social utility that can connect you with friends as well as with students, you can also use this tools to bookmark Web sites and specific Internet pages.
  4. Furl: Furl saves a cache of every bookmarked web page, so you can perform complete searches through the body of all spurled pages. Since Furl saves a particular page on their servers, you'll never lose this information even when the page has been deleted or moved.
  5. LinkedIn: Sometimes you just want to get away from the students. LinkedIn provides a way for you to communicate with your peers instead (or not), and it's also useful for bookmarking.
  6. Ma.gnolia.com: This site tends to be a little quieter and more organized. Like del.icio.us, you can see your links only or links posted by others. But, at this site you can create a group and keep it fairly well organized for class projects.
  7. Spurl: This bookmark manager operates exactly like Furl in most respects. You can download all your saved pages to your hard drive if you fear losing them.
  8. SuperGlu: This site gathers your content from popular Webservices and publishes them in one convenient place. You can use their templates to customize your links.
  9. Twitter: Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of answers that can be no longer than 140 characters and spaces per post. Use this tool to help your students keep up-to-date, as you could advertise a Twitter address that students could use to learn about school projects, reading assignments, and other announcements. You can also use this tool as a bookmark manager for research.
  10. Yahoo! Bookmarks: Yahoo! Bookmarks is not intended to be a social bookmark site like the others. Instead, it essentially allows you use your personal bookmark list at any computer. In fact, it acts and feels very much like your browser's built-in bookmark manager.

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Classroom Tools

You need tools to help assess class progress. You need tools to help keep students and parents apprised of the students' progress. You need all sorts of tools, you need them at your fingertips, and you need them to work efficiently. Some of those tools are listed below.

  1. Chalksite: This site is one of the quickest, simplest routes to expanding your classroom onto the Internet. Teachers, students and parents have a central point to access grading, assignments, discussions and messaging.
  2. Charles Kelley Quiz Generator: Create multiple choice or bilingual tests. Though some of the quizzes generated here can only be used on this website, others can be put on your own website.
  3. Engrade: Engrade is a free online gradebook that allows teachers to manage their classes online as well as post grades, assignments, attendance, and upcoming homework online for students and parents to see. Engrade is free and easy to use. Join over 10,000 teachers, parents, and students using Engrade today.
  4. Free Worksheet Generator: Sponsored by Discovery Education, you can create your own worksheets or use over 300 ready-made worksheets created by teachers.
  5. MyGradeBook: Keep track of grades online, where parents and students can log on to view progress. This tool is integrated with Quiz Lab (see below).
  6. My Project Pages: Built by teachers for teachers, use myprojectpages.com to create structured online inquiry-based learning activities for the courses you teach that enable your students to engage in meaningful learning experiences while online.
  7. Schoopy: You can post homework in more than one location on SCHOOPY. The first place you should consider is the calendar, where you can post important dates and notices. However, you may choose to use the Assignments/Quizzes/Files tool depending on how you would like to contact students.
  8. Slideshare: Ok, so you're still with PowerPoint, but you can jazz that presentation up at Slideshare. This site takes your .ppt file (also works with Open Office and PDF files) so you can share it with your students (and the world at large). You can add music, embed videos in comments and more - all for free.
  9. Survey Builder: Survey Builder allows you to easily create and manage online surveys suitable for Internet-based oral history projects, course evaluations, and other endeavors that involve collecting feedback. You do not need to know how to build a Web page that has forms, set up a database to store entries, or do any of the other technical tasks that are normally required to produce interactivity on the Internet.
  10. Quiz Lab: Create your own online quizzes or select from a huge library of teacher-created quizzes. This tool is Integrated with MyGradeBook.Com (see above).
  11. Web Poster Wizard: This free tool allows educators to create a lesson, worksheet, or class page and immediately publish it online.

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Collaboration

Part of teaching is collaboration. Teachers need to communicate with peers, administrators, and students. The tools listed below - some free and some for a cost - will help you stay on top of your projects with ease through open channels for collaboration.

  1. BackPack: You can keep your to-do lists, notes, ideas, and calendar online with Backpack, a simple web-based service that allows you to make pages with to-do lists, notes, files, and images. Backpack also features a calendar and reminders that can be sent via email or to your cell phone at predefined times. BackPack works with IE 6 or 7 (PC), Firefox 2 or later (Mac, PC, or Linux), Safari 2 or later (Mac). Backpack is a month-to-month service so you can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your free access at any time. Use this tool in conjunction with Writeboard, where you can use an online text tool to create and collaborate.
  2. Basecamp: Projects don't fail from a lack of charts, graphs, stats, or reports, they fail from a lack of clear communication. Basecamp solves this problem by providing tools tailored to improve the communication between people working together on a project.
  3. FirstClass: Using a personalized Web page as a communication hub, teachers can send messages to the principal, pick up student assignments, change homework tasks for that evening, or have students build their own Web pages. FirstClass will run on a single server with one administrator for any number of users. This tool is not free.
  4. Gliffy: This diagram editor is easy to use, and you can save your work on their servers for free. Gliffy Online has two ways to make document sharing simple. Collaboration enables others to see and edit your work by simply entering their email address. Publishing creates a read-only, or public, image of your diagram that you can easily embed in a wiki, blog, or other type of web software.
  5. LiveText: LiveText is a Web-delivered subscription service for teachers featuring collaborative lesson-building activities. Simple and easy to use, LiveText uses lesson planning as a focus for engaging the educational community. This is not a free service.
  6. Mindomo: Mindmapping is a highly productive method of visual brainstorming that you can use to plan projects or to map out a knowledge base. Mindomo has an interface and feature set that rivals other free standalone mindmapping applications such as Freemind. Maps are shareable but require you to register and login to save them.
  7. Notecentric: Organization is key when you have your head pushed in the books. This web based note taking application is an easy way to store and share class notes with friends and help your organization efforts. Account holders can easily invite friends to join in on certain notes for simple reading or collaboration purposes. NoteCentric also has RSS abilities, so sharing and reading through feed readers is possible.
  8. NoteMesh: Add some social flavor to your note taking with this collaborative wiki style class note taker. Users can post their lecture notes, or contribute to existing lecture notes. NoteMesh wants to get classmates to collaborate to create a single definitive source for lecture notes.
  9. Vyew: Vyew is an online meeting service that brings people and content together. The free version is limited to 50 pages, 20 participants, and themes. But, the number of sessions is unlimited.
  10. WebOffice: Like FirstClass, WebOffice creates a virtual office environment for real-time meetings, and with the purchase of additional audio and video components, creates an experience that's almost like being there. This is not a free service.

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Course Management

You may need more than simple classroom tools like a quiz generator. You may need content, the ability to communicate, organization tools and more. The following site offers at least one of these tools in combination with other capabilities. Most are open source and/or free.

  1. ATutor: Administrators can install or update ATutor in minutes, develop custom templates to give ATutor a new look, and easily extend its functionality with feature modules. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based instructional content, easily retrieve and import prepackaged content, and conduct their courses online. This is an open source tool.
  2. Bodington: Bodington is a free open source virtual learning environment/learning management system in use at universities and colleges worldwide.
  3. ClassCentral: ClassCentral provides the necessary tools for class and individual communications, grading and grade reporting, coursework and assignment publishing, content building, document sharing, and more. And, it's all free.
  4. Dokeos: Dokeos is a learning management system used in more than 600 companies and public administrations to manage e-learning and blended learning programs. This is open source software.
  5. Drupal: Drupal is an open source project that offers a flexible framework to set up a social learning environment or a more traditional learning environment.
  6. EduTools: The EduTools site has been re-launched as a community-driven site, beginning with the Course Management System (CMS) site.They continue to offer feature-by-feature product comparisons and decision-making supports. In addition, the site now includes the ability for any user to submit reviews for new products that haven't already been reviewed or to add their own feedback as to how well specific products have implemented various features.
  7. eFront: Easy to use, visually attractive, SCORM compatible, open source e-learning and human capital development platform.
  8. eStudy: eStudy is an open source e-learning and collaboration platform for colleges and universities. In addition to usual course management facilities, eStudy provides special support for role-play simulations in computer science.
  9. LAMS: LAMS (Learning Activity Management System) provides teachers with a highly intuitive visual authoring environment for creating sequences of learning activities. These activities can include a range of individual tasks, small group work and whole class activities based on both content and collaboration.
  10. Merlot: A free and open resource designed primarily for faculty and students of higher education. Links to online learning materials are collected here along with the ability to connect with peers.
  11. Moodle: Moodle is an open source course management system that is taking the educational world by storm. It provides all the sophisticated high-level functionality of an educational CMS and more - and there are no license fees. More about more colleges and universities are turning to Moodle to create, host and deliver their courses online.
  12. Sakai: Sakai is a community of academic institutions, commercial organizations and individuals who work together to develop a common Collaboration and Learning Environment (CLE).
  13. Schooltool: SchoolTool is a project to develop a common global school administration infrastructure that is freely available under an Open Source license. SchoolTool encompasses three sub-projects including a calendar and resource management tools, a student information system, and the ability to track which skills students are acquiring in their classes and at what level of competency.
  14. Sloodle: Sloodle is an open source project that aims to develop and share useful, usable, desireable tools for supporting education in virtual worlds, making teaching easier. If you have enough technical support or nous, and your own server, you can download the Sloodle source code and install it on your own Moodle installation. Otherwise, you can try out a few elements on the Web site.
  15. WordCircle: This is a course management tool and learning community for teachers, students and those looking to create and conduct online web courses. This is an open source project.

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Office Suites

The tools listed below behave just like any other commercial office suite applications. The only difference is that they're free to use.

  1. Google Docs: Google has managed to replicate Excel, Word, and PowerPoint with Google Spreadsheets, Docs, and Presentations, respectively. You can upload, create, and store all these files online, and then download them to other office applications and save them on your hard drive or share your work with others online. Google surrounds these tools with their famous search application, access to online books, and a scholars' search for online documents. The tools for teaching are virtually endless.
  2. KOffice: KOffice is a free, integrated office suite for KDE, the K Desktop Environment for Linux and Unix workstations. KOffice features a full set of applications that work together seamlessly to provide the best user experience possible, including a word program, spreadsheets, a presentation tool, and more.
  3. Open Office: Download this free office suite to replace Microsoft Office tools. OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project that includes key desktop applications such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites. OpenOffice.org also works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office, and the vendor-neutral OpenDocument standard from OASIS. You can also save files in PDF format.
  4. ThinkFree: This beta system offers Word, Excel, and PowerPoint clones that run in any browser for free. These are java applications, so they take a moment to 'warm up' before you run them, but once you have the program running the process runs smoothly and quickly. ThinkFree opens and saves to standard Microsoft Office formats such as .doc, .xls, and .ppt on your hard drive. They can also save documents to PDF, something you can't do with Microsoft. If you want to save files on ThinkFree's servers, you have 30 megs of storage space to use for free. This is a truly intuitive tool, especially if you're already familiar with Microsoft Office.
  5. ZOHO: Zoho is an office productivity suite that works much like Google Docs in that you have access to spreadsheet, word, and an online presentation tool. You can upload, save online, download, and share. Plus you have access to other tools such as mail, project management software, and more that make this suite perfect for classroom projects.

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Office Tools

Oh sure, you have a stapler, a copier, and access to other tools. But, what if you could gain access to file converters, presentation tools, and other management resources from almost any computer? Or, if you could download some tools and use them from your computer at any location? These tools could make your life a little easier or at least help you out of a jam.

  1. CoComment: This tool keeps track of all the online conversations you're following in one convenient place, and informs you whenever something is added to a conversation.
  2. Cute PDF: No adware, spyware, or malware involved. Just download and go to town making PDFs from just about any document file. This is freeware.
  3. Document Converter eXpress: Neevia Document Converter eXpress makes it possible for anyone to instantly convert their files to PDF or Image without the need of installing special software. There is a 1 MB restriction.
  4. Empressr: Upload video, images, text - you name it - to create an online presentation. This is the first Ajax/Flash-based presentation web application, and it's an interesting way to get your online class projects together for free.
  5. PIMv2: One of the lightest, easiest tools around to zip and unzip files. And, it's free.
  6. scanR: Take a photo of a document, send it to scanR, and then check your email. Voila! A 'scan' without a scanner. It's easy and free.
  7. SURFTP: If you need to gain access to your Web site and you're at a computer with no FTP client, no worries. Just use SURFTP to take care of the job.
  8. The Phone Company: Send faxes from your browser or from your email client. There is no guarantee that this service will work, but it may be worth a shot if you need a fax and you're not at the office...
  9. Thumbstacks: This is a new site for making and sharing presentations on the web, much like PowerPoint presentations.
  10. yousendit: You can use the free trial to send large files (like that dissertation!). This tool replaces the need for FTP transfers, overnight couriers and unreliable email attachments.

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Productivity

If you need to get something done quickly, there's no better method than to organize your mess. Pull notes, dates, to-do lists and more together with the following tools.

  1. 30 Boxes: 30boxes is a calendaring tool that has the extra feature of allowing you to track headlines from RSS Web feeds. You can add your calendar to Google's Blogger (see #1) or to your MySpace page. Share it with friends, family, or with students who need to know when that project is due.
  2. Assignment Calculator: You might think this tool is for students, and you're right. But, you can use it to see if your assignments are reasonably timed. Or, you can create a handout to show students that they can get the work done and you'll show them how to do it.
  3. BackPack: You can keep your to-do lists, notes, ideas, and calendar online with Backpack, a simple web-based service that allows you to make pages with to-do lists, notes, files, and images. Backpack also features a calendar and reminders that can be sent via email or to your cell phone at predefined times. BackPack works with IE 6 or 7 (PC), Firefox 2 or later (Mac, PC, or Linux), Safari 2 or later (Mac). Backpack is a month-to-month service so you can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your free access at any time. Use this productivity tool in conjunction with Writeboard, where you can use an online text tool to create and collaborate.
  4. HiTask: Dragging and dropping goodness makes this task tracker a fun tool to use to stay on top of things. Colored tags can be applied so users can easily identify and review important items. Meetings or reminders can be set by dragging their instance onto a calendar and into a time based schedule. Members of teams can also be assigned certain tasks by dragging the task onto the person's name. It's a very clean and east to use application. It does not allow for unlimited information, but there is an option for a $12/year for a premium account.
  5. Meebo: Talk to contacts on GoogleTalk, Yahoo, MSN, AIM, ICQ and Jabber from any Web browser. You do need to remember your id and password, however.
  6. mySchoolog: This online application tracks and organizes school lives. Lessons are entered and organized into categories, with weekly schedules built by dragging and dropping lesson planners and times for each class. There is a to-do list where appointments and homework lists can be made and the ever-important reminders can be set and sent out via SMS or email.
  7. MyTicklerFile: MyTickerFile is a calendaring tool for managing reminders and projects. This one differs in that it uses 43 folders: 31 "day" folders and 12 "month" folders, allowing you to break down tasks by date priority. Students and professors can record and manage short-term and long-term reminders and project tasks.
  8. Neptune: Neptune is simplicity in to-do list management, allowing you to set up various folders with one or more tasks. Order tasks in each folder by priority. Neptune will e-mail you each day (if you want) with a list of the topmost task for each defined project. Task items can also be e-mailed to Neptune or uploaded from a file. Note taking allows HTML formatting, images, and limited math formulas.
  9. Remember the Milk: If you're a list freak, this tool is right up your alley. You can manage your tasks even when your computer is not connected to the Internet. You can choose to receive reminders via email, SMS, and instant messenger (AIM, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Skype and Yahoo! are all supported).
  10. TiddlyWiki: This is a reusable, nonlinear notebook that you can use to keep track of projects. This tools works with all major desktop browsers on Windows, Macintosh and Linux and many mobile browsers such as the Apple iPhone and the Nokia 770/N800.

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Public Content Management (Blogs, etc.)

Use blogs to teach, to build classroom community, to create class projects and more. The sky's the limit on what you can do with these tools (just ask Jeff at TechLearning). What's nice is that these blogs are free to use, although some may be free to specific groups of educational professionals or learners. And, these content management systems range from very, very easy to use to somewhat sophisticated (that is, you might need to know some code for installation or maintenance).

  1. Blogger: Create an account, name your blog, choose a template and begin posting. Google purchased this company, so if you're addicted to using Google tools, then this free blog is a convenient extension of their services.
  2. CMS Matrix: It would be impossible to list all content management systems here, so this site does it for us. Compare up to ten different systems and visit their Web sites through links maintained on CMS Matrix. Make an informed decision with their help on systems that range from ACM Ariadne Content Manager to zwook.
  3. EduBlog: Powered by WordPress, these free blogs for teachers, researchers, librarians and other education professionals can help you to communicate to students and to your peers.
  4. ESLBlogs: Also known as Edublogs, these free blogs also are powered by WordPress and they're free for teachers and students at all levels and English language students.
  5. Geeklog: Geeklog is a PHP/MySQL based application for managing dynamic web content. "Out of the box", it is a blog engine, or a CMS with support for comments, trackbacks, multiple syndication formats, spam protection, and all the other vital features of such a system. Use plugins to radically alter its functionality. Available plugins include forums, image galleries, and many more.
  6. LiveJournal: You can use LiveJournal in many different ways: as a private journal, a blog, a discussion forum, a social network, and more.
  7. SchoolNotes: Create Notes for homework and class information and post them on the web in seconds using this free community service. Parents and Students can view notes from teachers through school zip code.
  8. TeacherTube: Think YouTube for teachers and educators, as this site's layout and focus is similar; however, TeacherTube seeks to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. Site can be slow to load at times.
  9. UniBlogs: This is essentially a place where university and college students can get their own free blog.
  10. WordPress: This tool is free, and you can set it up on a personal Web space or use the free spaces offered at this site. WordPress is known for its excellent community support.

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Storage

Nothing beats a backup for storage; however, when you need to share files or if you need to gain access to files from another computer, online storage and transfer is the way to go. However, we don't suggest uploading student test papers to grade on vacation in the Bahamas. That's counterproductive.

  1. Diino: The 2GB free account is limited to two users logged in at the same time.
  2. FlipDrive: Use your FlipDrive account to securely store your files online and then access it from any web browser; backup and protect your critical and most important data from computer crashes and viruses. This site is free to use for thirty days, and charges after that time will depend upon amount of storage you need.
  3. HyperFileShare: Share files with unlimited transfers up to 250MB and unlimited space - all for free. If you share files privately they keep them for 30 days from the last download. If you share files for community (publicly), they may keep them longer.
  4. MediaMax: MediaMax, powered by Streamload, gives you a private and secure place to upload, store, access, and share your personal videos, photos, movies, music, and files.Get 25GBs of free online storage (yes, that's twenty-five gigabytes) with upload limits of 10 megs. MediaMax also provides larger storage and uploads for very reasonable prices. This system uses folders and tags for easy organization and accepts drag-and-drop file transfers.
  5. OmniDrive: Access, edit, and share your files from any browser. You have 1GB free storage with drag-and-drop file transfer capability and subfolders for organization.
  6. Orbitfiles: Sign up to get a free 6000Mb Platon account. Pay a small amount for unlimited storage.
  7. Scribd: Free unlimited storage
  8. Yahoo! Briefcase: YB provides 30MB of storage (you can buy more if you want it) and allows you to keep your files private, make them public, or allow limited access to friends who also have Yahoo! accounts. Files can be stored by folder, which makes organization easier.
  9. YouSendIt: Use this resource for sending large (up to 2GB) files to others, even through Outlook with their plugin. YouSendIt isn't intended for long-term storage, as files stored here are deleted after seven days. The drawback is that they're now advertising a 'free trial,' but they don't state how long this trial lasts or how much it will cost to continue service once the trial period has ended.
  10. XDrive: AOL provides this service, where you can store 5GB personal hard drive on the Internet.

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