TestMoz is a great resource to know about as a teacher, as it allows you to create online tests for students. The pros are that it is totally free and students don’t need to register to take tests. In fact, you don’t even need to register to make a test. I’m honestly not super sure how this works, since there are seemingly no rules or limitations.

    It’s nice to have options when it comes to technology. Although Google Docs seems to be the Ace of Spades for this type of technology, it’s nice to have other options. This one’s great for those who don’t have a google account or don’t want to get one (although it’s free, so why not?). For ease of use, though, TestMoz is great and a real front-runner.

    Culture Crossing is a website that makes me very excited to have in my arsenal of resources! It is a great resource for research on a specific country. Yet, instead of the generic information that is usually listed in most online encyclopedias and research forums, the information on Culture Crossing is quite intriguing, interesting and unique. For example, you can find the cultural norm for eye contact in Portugal, or cultural taboos in France. These pieces of information could be really useful in reports/presentations about countries around the world. Information like this is hard to find. Yet, with Culture Crossing, it’s all compiled in one place for your ease.

    Capzles is a great way of sharing slideshows online. It reminds me much of Voicethread, yet with a sleeker look and feel. It looks more like an iPhoto slideshow, which I really like. I’m not sure if having the ability to comment on pictures would make Voicethread better than Capzles. But, I do appreciate the simplicity and ease of Capzles - that counts for a lot. This would be a very useful tool for sharing pictures from a field trip or other class outing, class trip, missions trip, choir concert or other weekend event.

    KidBlog is education’s version of blogging! It’s free and safe: teachers have complete jurisdiction over what is posted. You can create a group and  students can join that group with their own blog profile (of course without their personal information listed or anything). Students’ e-mail addresses are not displayed anywhere on the website or even to the teacher: privacy you can count on. Teachers can set the settings so that they have to approve every comment posted on the blog before it is posted. Now, I’m not sure if I would want to do that as it would cause an e-mail deluge. But, it’s nice to be able to have that capability. That would ensure that no cyber bullying would occur. The good news is that it would only be your class in a group, so if there was bullying it would be within your class, not within the infinite bounds of the internet (definitely a different story).

    My senior AP english class in high school had a blog similar to KidBlog and it was a very useful way of discussing the book we read over the summer together. By the time we got to school, I already knew my classmates’ thoughts and opinions to a certain extent. We had done so much discussion outside of class on this blog that when we got together we were already on well down the road of class.

    Blogs like this, if utilized by all students, can be very, very effective. It also saves class time for things other than discussion.

   

    Flockdraw is a cool piece of technology that digitizes a classroom staple: the whiteboard. Using Flockdraw, you can collaborate with multiple other people online on one “whiteboard”. Now, yes, the initial thought that comes to your mind is probably let’s go doodle together. When I think about that, I think, “I have better things to do with my time”. But there are more uses for a whiteboard than drawing! From illustrating ideas to brainstorming, Flockdraw could be a very useful tool in online collaboration and idea sharing. The only drawback is that you all must be online at once, which is very difficult the older and busier a person gets.