The number of tools on the web now is overwhelming, and it is difficult to know which ones to use in classrooms, and which ones are worth spending the energy and time on. Some tools have steep learning curves and others are simple but not appropriate for our discipline. I have noticed, for example, that there are hardly any tools for teaching technology and programming although we use the technology and programming to teach other disciplines.
We don’t have to learn everything all at once. The first thing we need to do before using a tool is ask the following questions:
- what is my goal? what do I want to accomplish in the end?
- will this particular tool help me accomplish my goal?
- if so, is it an intuitive tool or does it need a steep learning curve? [if the latter then I need to assess whether I have the ability to spend so much time on it or not]
- how much will it cost? most good tools are free unless you want additional features which might need you to pay].
As this year comes to a close, I would like to show my top 14 tools that everyone must have no matter what the discipline:
- Flashcards: Smartfm flashcards with audio. http://www.ediscio.com/ flashcards. Students can even download them to study offline. You can let students create their own flashcards and they will learn more as they create them
- Voice collaboration voxopop – great for language learning in particular and PodOmatic Like voicethread but in audio— It only needs a microphone.
- Video/interview tool Wetoku . Let your students conduct interviews with others. It only needs a webcam and registration and you’re all set to go.
- Messageboard/forum: Voicethread: the best alternative to a forum or messageboard because it is visual and incorporates audio/video and text. Suitable for all disciplines.
- Mindmapping: mindomo and mind42 Just online thinking tools that could be used to map ideas and structures. Drawing to express complex ideas.
- Wallwisher: virtual post it notes.
- Wordle. A great tool to generate discussion based on keywords
- Animation: Sploder: creating animation; SketchStar creating cartoons and animation. Or create your own beautiful animation puzzle with this great tool Qunadry software. Only issue with this is that it requires a slightly more advanced knowledge of technology and requires download of the quandry software but the results are outstanding. “Action mazes can be used for many purposes, including problem-solving, diagnosis, procedural training, and surveys/questionnaires.”
- Timelines: xtimeline – multimedia timelines with videos, photos and text
- Documents: writewith: upload documents, share with other people, chat, assign tasks, and track everybody’s actions with a comprehensive history. Or create a virtual book with Bookrix. Embedit.in a tool to let you embed docs in your site with markups and analytics.
- Collaboration: besides wikis, there is Etherpad. Even though Google recently bought it and its fate is unknown, it continues to be a great tool for collaboration. Students may collaborate on research papers and documents they are writing.
- Website builders: Hipero and Wix [flash-based designs].
- Quizzes: create your own quizzes and share them at proprofs. Also educationalpress where you can Create free educational worksheets such as flashcards, game boards, and quizzes to print directly from your browser.
- Worksheets: from teachnology. While it is not a free tool, the worksheets are free and maybe used for different projects. It also has worksheet generators to create your own specific worksheets.
If you want more tools, please visit my social networking wiki. One tool I have not tried but seen at work is a free online content management system called RCampus. Definitely worth a second look because it provides a complete CMS similar to Moodle.
Any other tools? certainly there are plenty more, but if you have some must haves, please do not hesitate to let me know.