Sparticl

Sparticl is a new site I just found out about that is excellent for finding STEM based resources.  There are over 2500 curated resources on a wide variety of subjects.  Best of all a user can login and curate their own lists of resources and even vote/comment on them.

I highly recommend checking out Sparticl by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational Resources click here.

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OpenEd

OpenEd is a fantastic site/catalog for finding educational resources such as educational games, links, and videos.  What makes OpenEd so great is that a user can search for resources by Common Standard or by keyword.  Also, each resource is rated on a 5 star scale.

I highly recommend checking out OpenEd by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational Resources click here.

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Medium

Medium is a interesting new site designed to let users share their thoughts in a stunning way.  I like to think of Medium as a social network that contains a bunch of visual blogs that users can search through.  There are lots of educational possibilities too such as: digital storytelling, collaborative writing, and more.

I recommend checking out Medium by clicking here!!!

For a detailed review and how it can be used in education click here.

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9Slides

9Slides one of the best sites/apps around for "flipping a classroom" is now available for the Windows App store!!!  This is a excellent educational tool for adding audio/video narration to a presentation (PDF, Keynote, PPT)  Some of the ways educators are using this in the classroom is for: guided learning, Pecha Kucha style presentations, and even flipping a classroom.

I highly recommend checking out 9Slides by clicking here!!!

Also, 9Slides is nominated for "Best new Startup of 2013" for the annual Crunchies Awards.  Click here to show your support!!!

For my Pinterest board on Flipping a Classroom click here.

*9Slides is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

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QuizBean

QuizBean (formerly known as QuizPoo) is a site I was just reminded about by Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This is a great site for educators where they can create student accounts and then give them  online quizzes.  Best of all, teachers get all results sent to their dashboard and students can use QB to assess their own learning.

I highly recommend checking out QuizBean by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Quiz/Test Creators click here.

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BaiBoard

BaiBoard is a excellent free iPad app that turns your iPad into an interactive collaborative whiteboard.  This is a great way for educators or students to share content w/ others through their iPad via the web.  Also, BB lets users annotate on PDFs as well as e-sign documents.

I highly recommend checking out BaiBoard by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.

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Endless Reader

Endless Reader is a fun iOS app for beginner readers working on sight words.  This interactive app focuses on the most commonly used sight words and schools and helps reinforce them through the use of animations, puzzles, and sentences.

I highly recommend checking out Endless Reader by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Educational iOS Apps click here.

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Top 100 Sites/Apps of 2013

Well, here it is my favorite and most popular post of the year, my Top 100 Sites/Apps of the year!!!  Continuing w/ the trend from last year, readers are going to find more and more apps on the list and less sites, as the flux in mobile learning and BYOD (bring your own devices) continues to rise.  Also, you'll notice that there are a lot of learning tools for Digital Storytelling & Math.  I believe the reason for this is because storytelling is a learning tool that can be used by a wide range of educators for any subject, and Math is a very popular subject w/ lots of diverse ways to go about teaching it.  W/ that I hope you enjoy this list and as always thanks again for reading!!!

* Indicates an iOS app.
**As always any site/app that was listed on a previous year's list will not be listed on this one.

Top 100 Sites/Apps of 2013

1. Buncee - A fantastic new web tool for creating presentations or digital stories that can be embedded into a site/blog.  Also, this is a great way to "flip a classroom" and through an educational portal allows educators to create student accounts.
2. Geddit - This is a wonderful educational tool that allows educators to assess student learning on  any mobile device.  The way this works is that a student clicks on a ascending bar graph to determine their level of understand while teachers get their results in instant real-time.
3. EDpuzzle - Is a excellent new site that allows educators to edit/crop a video and then "flip a classroom" by adding questions to assess a student's understanding.  Best of all, there is a feature to record your own audio to add audio notes or narration to a video.
4. Educators App - A innovative site that turns teacher's webpages into a mobile app for iOS or Android.  This is ideal for those mobile learning and those schools that are 1:1 or BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).  Best of all, as a teacher updates their site, the mobile app updates as well.
5. eduClipper - A terrific site for creating a digital pin-board for curating and sharing educational content.  Also, allows for teachers to create student accounts which is ideal for education.
6. *Book Writer - A great iOS app for digital storytelling.  This app allows students to add text, images, video, and even record their own audio narration for creating digital stories.  A finished story can then be printed out via PDF or exported into iBooks.
7. AR Flashcards - One of the most popular sites for Augmented Reality that allows educators to print out flashcards on a wide variety of subjects to bring objects to "life".
8. *Mystery Math Museum - MMM is one of my all-time favorite iPad apps for Game Based Learning.  This app designed for kids 6-12, has them helping a ghost rescue dragonflies throughout 8 museums by solving basic Math equations. 
9. *Level It Books - A wonderful iOS app for scanning a book and getting a Reading/Lexile level.  Also, has the ability to maintain a class roster w/ a student's reading level as well as create a digital library of books for a teacher's classroom.
10. Quadblogging - A innovate approach to blogging that has 4 schools sign-up and blog in a "quad".  A school will blog while the others view/comment and then rotate around while a educational moderator checks to make sure everything is running smoothly.
11. UtellStory - A fantastic site for digital storytelling that allows users to upload audio, video, photos to tell a story, as well as the ability to embed a story into a site/blog.  Also, UtellStory has a educational portal for allowing educators to create student accounts.
12. Quandary - Is a free educational site/iPad app that is ideal for Game Based Learning.  The game focuses on a student's ethical and critical thinking skills while engaging them in a sci fi/fantasy themed setting.
13. *30hands - One of the simplest and easiest iOS apps for digital storytelling.  This app allows students to add a picture and then record an audio narration to tell a story.
14. Blendspace - Is a excellent site for collecting digital resources and then sharing them students.  Also, a educator can create online quizzes and assess students in real-time using these digital resources.
15. *StoryLines for Schools - Is an innovative iOS app that helps students generate their creativity and sentence building skills.  The way this works is similar to the game "telephone" where a student types a sentence and then watches as another draw a picture of that sentence.  When that is done another titles that picture and types their own sentence and the process continues until the StoryLine is complete.
16. iPracticeMath - A wonderful new site that is an all-in-one stop for a students/teachers Math needs.  This site has online activities in a wide range of topics such as: algebra, division, decimals, and more.  Also, there are lots of educational resources, worksheets, glossary, and even student tracking w/ detailed reporting for registered users.
17. *SlideIdea - Is a  terrific iPad app for creating engaging presentations/slideshows.  An educator can either create a presentation from scratch or use one of the many downloadable templates.  Once a presentation is done a teacher can share them w/ students through the use of unique ID code.  Also, an educator can use SlideIdea to poll, ask questions, or assess their students, and is great for Differentiated Instruction.
18. *Brainstormer - A fun iOS app for generating writing prompts by spinning a wheel in three different categories: theme, setting, and location.
19. eduCanon - A great site similar to EDpuzzle that allows educators to edit a video and add quizzes.  This is ideal for differentiating instruction as well as for "flipping a classroom".
20. Alchemy SmartBinder - A excellent site for creating a digital lesson w/ any kind of content.  Once this lesson is created it can be shared w/ students via a URL and can be used to "flip a classroom".
21. Super Teacher Worksheets - A fantastic resource for educators where they can find worksheets, printables, puzzles, and more to print out for students.  Also, this is a great place to find puzzle and activity generators as well as common core aligned worksheets as well.
22. *Animoby - A wonderful iPad app that turns an iPad into an interactive whiteboard.  A user has a wide variety of tools to write, type, draw or annotate over an object.  Also, Animboy is great for creating a digital lesson as a user has the ability to record their voice which makes it ideal for creating a "flipped lesson".
23. Wikispaces Classroom - While Wikispaces has been around a long time, Wikispaces Classroom is a new spinoff of the great site.  WC gives educators a place to have students create digital content in a safe controlled space.  Also, it can be used in many different educational ways such as: social networking, assessing students, project based learning, and more.
24. *Story Creator - A fantastic iOS app for digital storytelling that allows students to their audio narration to a story.  A real cool feature is the ability to enable text to be highlighted as a student reads text.
25. *Jack and the Beanstalk a Mathematical Adventure - This is a excellent iPad app for Game Based Learning that focuses on different concepts of Math in the unique take on the Jack and the Beanstalk tale.  Students will learn about different Math concepts such as: counting money, telling time, and recognizing shapes, while practicing their reading of Jack and the Beanstalk.
26. RoomRecess - One of my favorite new sites for educational online games for grades K-5.  These games focus on a wide range of subjects such as: Math, Reading, Word, Typing, etc.
27. LaunchpadEDU - Is a excellent educational portal to support the use of Launchpad iOS apps in education.  This site has lots of educational resources such as: lesson plans, resources, worksheets, and more.
28. *Daisy the Dinosaur - A wonderful iPad app that teaches the kids the basics of programming by having them drag-drop commands and watching as Daisy preforms them.
29. *Science Heroes 1: Digestive System for Kids - Is a fun iOS app from one of my favorite educational app developers, Yogome.  This is a game that focuses on all 5 phases of digestion through 15 levels of play.
30. *Toonia Storymaker - A great iPad app for digital storytelling.  Students have a choice of up to 20 characters to choose from as well as 7 different themes to build their story.  Also, Toonia has high replay value as students are able to unlock features as they build their story.
31. *Hopscotch - A iPad app that reminds me a lot of the site Scratch for programming.  This app has students assembly blocks of code and then watching as characters preform their moves.
32. *Story Wheel - An innovative iOS app for digital storytelling that has students spinning a wheel and then recording a story to the picture that comes up.  Once a story is completed it can then be shared online or published to iBooks.
33. *Write About This - A fantastic iPad app for creating or finding Writing prompts aligned to Common Core Standards.
34. Google Connected Classrooms - Is a interesting new site by Google for educators to take their students on virtual field trips.  These field trips are all done through Google Hangouts inside of Google+ and has students visiting such places as: museums, zoos, memorials, and more.
35. *Math Heroes 1: Basic Operations - The second iOS app by Yogome to make this list that is excellent for basic Math skills.  Math Heroes has students traveling through over a 100 levels while practicing their basic Math skills (division, subtraction, etc.) while unlocking secret power-ups and features.
36. Google Play for Education - Is a new online story dedicated for education in seamlessly bringing educational Android apps to Google devices.
37. Rewordify - Is one of the most interesting sites I've come across this year.  This site allows students to enter text (or copy/paste) and then w/ a click of a button "rewordify" their sentence. This is a great way to learn how to paraphrase or even work on vocabulary by highlighting words.
38. eLearning Infographics - This is probably the best site around for finding educational infographics on any number of subjects.  Also, a user can print out, submit, or even embed an infographic as well.
39. Brickflow - An innovative site for creating presentations by turning hashtags into digital stories.
40. *Tabtor - An excellent iPad app/program that helps students learn Math.  This is done by having students watch video tutorials on a given subject and then writing their answer on an iPad.  This is a great way for educators to "flip their classroom" and differentiate instruction.
41. SchoolsWorld - One of my favorite new sites for finding safe educational videos.
42. *Tangram Chess - The second app on this list by one of my favorite Math app developers, Math File Folder Games.  This excellent app has students trying to recreate shapes by rotating, reflecting, or translating them to the other side of the chess board.  Also, this game is blue-tooth enabled allowing multiplayers players across multiple devices.
43. ClassXP - An innovative new site that uses Game Based Learning to help motivate students to get better grades.  The way this works is by giving a student a dashboard/digital environment to create an avatar and watch as they progress through the year by monitoring their grades and earning experience points (XP).  As student earn experience points they can use these to get badges as well as other digital "goodies".
44. *Easy Studio - Is an excellent iPad app for creating custom animations.  Easy Studio uses a very user-friendly stop-motion technique to have students create step by step creations.
45. The Time Tribe - A fun engaging site that uses Game Based Learning to immerse students in adventure through the past learning about different cultures and ways of life.
46. StoryToolz - A wonderful site for finding/generating word prompts as well as finding other beneficial writing tools (i.e., word count, readability level, etc.).
47. Free Tiiu Pix - A great place for finding safe educational videos and slideshows.
48. *ChemDraw - A nice iPad app for HS/College students for students studying Chemistry.  This app lets students create and draw molecules and their chemical reactions.
49. YouTube Time Machine - A fun site that allows users to use YouTube to travel through time and view favorite videos by year and subject.
50. Graphite - One of my favorite new site for finding educational sites/apps reviewed by educators.
51. *Gummii - A fantastic iPad app that has students creating an avatar and solving Math equations in a Minecraft style 3D world.
52. *Cloudart - A excellent iPad app for creating word clouds.
53. The Lost Function - Is a in depth Math game that has students interacting w/ a number of characters to solve Math equations to progress further in the game.  This game takes place in a fully immersive 3D environment and has students solving a wide range of problems such as: decimals, fractions, and more.
54. TypeKids - A great site for students to learn Keyboarding/Typing.  This game has 30 levels for students to complete as they improve their Typing skills and unlock other educational games.
55. *Experience Life - A beautiful iPad app for Health/Science/Biology teachers looking to introduce the different internal systems of the body.  This interactive app focuses on systems such as the: senses, nervous system, and musculoskeletal system.
56. NuSkool - Is an interesting new site for students 6-12th grade for learning Math, Science, English, etc through pop culture based lessons.
57. *Flowboard - A wonderful iPad app for creating stunning presentations that can be embedded into a site/blog.
58. Brainscape - An impressive site/app for creating multimedia style flashcards that can be shared to mobile devices.
59. *Shadow Puppet - A nice iOS app for digital storytelling that allows students to add audio narration to a photo.  A finished story can then be embedded into a site/blog.
60. Submrge - A cool new site for learning about Gamification (Game Based Learning) in the classroom.  Submrge reviews recommends in detail what games are good for the classroom as well as how they can be integrated and what Common Core Standards they may be aligned to.
61. Voki Classroom - Voki is a site that has been around for along time that allows users to create a talking avatar.  Now, they've released an educational portal that allows teachers to create student accounts and assign/manage Voki based assignments.
62. Science4Us - A wonderful Science curriculum for K-2 students that focuses on different subjects such as: Earth, Space, Matter, etc.
63. LivePrezo - A fantastic site that turns presentations interactive.  The way this works is by taking a presentation in PDF format and then making it interactive by supply a unique code that students can use to login to.  Teachers can then ask questions while students answer and assess them in real-time.
64. Balefire Labs - Is one of the best new sites around to find detailed educational app reviews.
65. *The Human Body by Tinybop - One of the best apps around for teaching students about the human body.  This interactive app covers such areas as the: heart, eyes, lungs, etc.
66. Quest - An innovative site/Windows app for creating interactive text based adventure games (i.e. Zork) and great for learning the basics of programming/scripting.
67. SimCity EDU - A new site based on SimCity that is perfect for Game Based Learning.  This is a great way for students to play the popular PC game in a safe environment, as they build cities cans learn about: Math, Science, Economics, and more.
68. Power My Learning - A wonderful site for students to find educational games, activities, printables, and more.  Also, a educator can create a playlist for students or even find activities based on Common Core Standards.
69. BrainRush - A great site for creating flashcard style games that can be used for differentiating instruction.
70. *Tellagami - Is a fun iOS app for creating a talking avatar that can then be placed in a story.  It reminds me a bit of a Voki and great way to integrate digital storytelling into the classroom.
71. Fotor - A very powerful and user-friendly site for editing photos.
72. Weavly EDU - A great site designed for classrooms to have students create video and music mash-ups/presentations.
73. *Phrasalstein - A fun iPad app that helps students learn vocabulary and phrases in a mid-evil/horror setting.  The way this works is by having a student select a verb and preposition and watch as an animation occurs.
74. *Basher's Presidents - A nice little iOS app for learning about the US Presidents as well as play a game of putting them in the correct order.
75. Lucidpress - A excellent new site for creating multimedia collaborative documents.
76. Mathalicious - Is a wonderful resource for Math teachers as it provides lots of resources and lesson plans aligned to Common Core Standards for solving real world Math problems.
77. Taught It - A nice free site for educators to share all sorts of media (documents, photos, videos, etc.).
78. Code Monster - A cool site for students wanting to learn how to program in Javascript through 58 interactive lessons.
79. *Playback - A great iPad app for creating screencasts that can then be shared via Dropbox or exported into an mp4 file.
80. Explania - A fantastic site for finding educational animated videos on a wide variety of subjects that can then be embedded into a site/blog.
81. Metta - A great site for creating video lessons that can be used for Guided Learning or "flipping a classroom".
82. QuestBase - A wonderful site for educators that allows them to create: quizzes, tests, puzzles, etc, and then publish them online for students take.  This is a great way to assess students in real-time and a teacher can even password protect their work.
83. Math Live - Is a innovative site for teaching different areas of Math such as: numbers, patterns, shapes, and more.  The way this works is a student watches an animated video (think BrainPop) and then takes a quiz to reinforce learning. 
84. Educade - A great place for educators to find a wide variety of resources such as: lessons, videos, apps, and more.
85. *Sight Words Hangman - A fun iOS iOS app that is great for students learning how to read, vocabulary, and word recognition.  Best of all a teacher can review all word lists and even generate reports.
86.  EasyDefine - A fantastic site for uploading a list of words and getting a definition, synonym, flashcard, and more.
87. Screenhero - This is a great site/application that allows users to not only share their screen w/ others, but take over the other person's computer to help them troubleshoot problems.
88. appoLearning - A great site for finding detailed reviews (on a 100% scale) of educational apps.
89. NicerTube - A fun way to share YouTube videos and remove all comments/links.
90. Copyright Kids - A excellent resource for students, parents, and teachers looking to find out about all issues pertaining to copyright.
91. TeachQuest - A new social network for educators to share resources and collaborate w/ parents.
92. *QR Code Maker - A nice simple iOS app for creating QR codes that can be used in the classroom in many ways, such as: scavenger hunt, flipping their classroom, or mobile learning.
93. ScootPad - Is an excellent site/app that is ideal for adaptive learning that aligns w/ Common Core Standards.  Also, this is a great way for educators, parents, and students to collaborate online as well as track student/analyze student data.
94. Teacher Gaming Network - This is a cool new social network that is dedicated to Gamification in the classroom.  TGN allows educators to create educational games and share them w/ their students or embed them into a site/blog.
95. Smart Kit - A nice site for finding safe educational games and puzzles in a wide range of subjects.
96. Jukeboxlessons - A new site for educators wanting to teach or tutor online done through Google Hangouts or Skype.
97. *GazziliMath - A fun iOS app for youngsters and preschoolers learning about Math.  This beautiful looking interactive app focuses on such concepts as: counting, number sequence, addition, and subtraction.
98. Lessonwell - A interesting new site that allows educators to create digital lessons based on different types of media (photo, videos, audio).
99. Memofon - A wonderfully simple site for brainstorming and creating mind maps.  All a user has to do is fill in an outline and watch as the mind map is created.
100. Chem Pro - A great iOS/Android app for learning about Chemistry.  This app has over 80 video lessons, an interactive periodic table, and flashcards to help students learn about Chemistry.

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Edublog Awards 2013

It's that time of year again for us educators w/ a blog or public forum to nominate our favorite blogs, educators, web tools, etc in a wide variety of categories for the coveted Edublog Awards.  Below you'll find my list and of course I wish everyone the best of luck!!! :-)

• Best Individual Blog - Shelly Terrell (Teacher Reboot Camp)
• Best New Blog - Karen Wright-Balbier (Karen's Korner: Using Tech to Teach and Learn)
• Best Ed Tech/Resource Sharing Blog - Erin Klein (Kleinspiration)
• Best Teacher Blog - Stacey Roshan - (techieMusings)
• Best Administrator Blog - Kelly Tenkley - (iLearn Technology)
• Best Twitter Hashtag - #edchat
• Best Free Webtool - Buncee
• Best Educational Use of audio/video/visual podcast - Ladygeeks 
• Best Open PD/Unconference/Webinar Series - Reform Symposium (RSCON)
• Best Educational use of a Social Network - TechinEDU
• Best Mobile App - FluencyFinder 
• Lifetime Achievement - Naomi Harm 

To nominate your own candidates or for more info on the Edublog awards click here.

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Geddit

Geddit is a new educational tool that I just found out about from Edshelf.  This is a wonderful site that allows students to use any mobile device to gauge their understanding of any given topic/lesson.  The way this works as a lesson is being given they click/tap a on bar (think bar graph increasing vertically) to show their understanding (i.e., 1 bar - not very - 4 bars - very).  On the the teacher's device they will receive instant real-time feedback and be able to see which students are doing good and which ones are struggling.  This is a great way for teachers to differentiate instruction and adjust their lessons to meet individual needs.

I highly recommend checking out Geddit by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...

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eLearning Infographics

eLearning Infographics is an excellent site for finding educational infographics.  Not only can a user search for infographics in a wide range of topics a person can submit their infographics as well.  Once a user finds their infographic, they can print it out, share it w/ others, or even embed it into their site/blog.

I highly recommend checking out eLearning Infographics by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational Resources click here.

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Chegg

Chegg is fantastic sites for students as it has a ton of useful resources for college aged students.  This is a great place for students to explore courses, find homework help, and buy/sell/rent textbooks.  All a student has to do is get a quote, ship the books for free, and then await payment when the book is received.

I highly recommend checking out Chegg to sell textbooks.

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Hakitzu Elite: Robot Hackers

Hakitzu Elite: Roboto Hackers is a fun iOS game that I just found out about from Edshelf.  In this game players battle robots against others while learning how to program them w/ JavaScript.  As a player gets better in coding they are able to unlock extra items such as levels and more.

I recommend checking out Hakitzu Elite by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Learning how to Program/Code click here.

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Math vs Undead

Math vs Undead is a fun educational iOS app that combines what kids love zombie, w/ Math.  This is a great game for practicing basic Math skills such as: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and more. Ideally this game is for 3rd - 8th graders and has students trying to stop zombies by solving Math equations.

I highly recommend checking out Math vs Undead by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Educational iOS Apps click here.

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My Geometric Universe

My Geometric Universe is a cool iOS app for helping students draw geometric shapes.  This works by supplying a bunch of drawing tools such as: pencil, ruler, compass, etc etc.  Once a shape is created it can then integrated into one of three digital environments: kids room, Middle Ages, or Ancient Egypt.

I highly recommend checking out My Geometric Universe by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.

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Phrasalstein

Phrasalstein is a free iPad app after my own heart.  This app designed by Cambridge University Press, is a fantastic app that helps students learn vocabulary and phrases in a fun mid-evil/horror setting.  The way this works is a user selects a verb and a preposition and then watch as an animation occurs.  Also, there are definitions, examples, and exercises that students can complete to help reinforce their Language Arts skills.

I highly recommend checking out Phrasalstein by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.

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Quizsocket

Quizsocket is a nifty little site that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This site is designed for educators to assess students in real-time by having them login to a site (teacher generated code) on any device and then answering questions.  A teacher can give these multiple choice quizzes either orally or on a board and then have students answer on their code specified Quizsocket page.  One item to note, is that a quiz can not be created on Quizsocket it is only used for gathering answers and assessing students in real-time.

I highly recommend checking out Quizsocket by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Quiz/Test Creators click here.

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Otter

Otter is a neat little site that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers for creating a teacher webspace/page to host information for students.  This site allows educators to create a space where they can create events, add them to calendar, share announcements, and upload files/homework.  While it might not be as robust as other sites like Weebly or Wix, it does create a nice place to create an online syllabus.

I highly recommend checking out Otter by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Website Creators click here.

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Google Play for Education

Google Play for Education is a new dedicated online store that looks to be competing w/ Apple in using Android apps on Google tablets.  I've known about Google Play for awhile but recently read on ClassThink that Google Play is now available.  This is fantastic curated site for educational Android apps.  Best of all, a school using Google Play for Education can purchase an app online and then push them out to other devices.  Or they can create a "image" of a tablet and using a built in service on the tablet to transfer it to another.

I highly recommend checking out Google Play for Education by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...

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Sentence Reading Magic

Sentence Reading Magic is a wonderful free iOS app that I just found out about from Edshelf.  This is a great app for beginning Readers that helps them build sentences as well as work on their Reading skills.  For building sentences a student has to move the words into the correct position and the Reading section has users reading a sentence (2-3 words) and then tapping on a picture to see if they are correct.

I highly recommend checking out Sentence Reading Magic by clicking here!!!

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World's Worst Pet

World's Worst Pet is an excellent free iPad app for vocabulary.  This common core aligned app lets students play through 4 different games to learn over a 1000 words.  This is done through a variety of activities such as: word context, word sort, synonyms and antonyms.  Finally, there is a nice section on writing prompts which is ideal for educators looking to spark students creativity in writing.

I highly recommend checking out World's Worst Pet by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Educational iOS Apps click here.

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15 Sites and Apps for Augmented Reality

"Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. (Wikipedia)"  AR has been around for awhile but is really starting to garner interest in the educational community/sector.  Using augmented reality is a great way to incorporate 21st century technology into the classroom using different types of apps, sites, and equipment.

15 Sites/Apps for Augmented Reality

1. AR Dinopark - A fantastic iOS app for bringing augmented reality dinosaurs to life.
2. AR Flashcards - One of the most popular sites/apps for using augmented reality.  An educator can choose from a wide selections of flashcards to print out w/ AR images built in to view on a mobile device.
3. ARSights - A fantastic site that incorporates AR w/ Google Earth and allows users to view landmarks in augmented reality.
4. Augment - A free iOS app for viewing 3D AR models.
5. Augmented Reality Brings New Reality to Learning - a fantastic article from Edutopia on how to integrated AR into the classroom.
6. Aurasma - Probably the most popular site/app for viewing augmented reality images.
7. colAR Mix - A great free iOS app that turns a AR enabled coloring book into a 3D augmented reality experience.
8. Daqri - A free iOS app that enables user to view 4D augmented reality enabled images.
9. Fetch! Lunch Rush - A free iOS app that is a fun multi-player game where players try to keep up w/ the sushi orders.
10. Junaio - A augmented reality browser that lets users view AR enabled images.
11. Our Discovery Island: Phonic Tricksters - A fun free iOS app that uses augmented reality to learn phonics by capturing Tricksters.
12. PopAR Viewer - A great free iOS app that allows users to view augmented reality objects as well as create books, cards, puzzles, and more.
13. Science AR - A fantastic iOS App for viewing educational AR enabled posters.
14. Wikitude - A very popular AR browser to view augmented reality objects.
15. Zoo-AR - A fun iOS app for viewing animals and insects in augmented reality.

Bonus - Drew Minock & Brad Waid are the famous educators of Two Guys and Some iPads and are leading the way into integrating augmented reality into the classrooms.

For my Pinterest board on Augmented Reality click here.

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Google Connected Classrooms

Google Connected Classrooms is a new learning adventure by Google that allows educators to take students on "virtual field trips" using Google Hangouts inside of Google+.  These field trips can take students to museums, zoos, memorials and more.  Also, there is a nice calendar that shows which field trips are coming up, and all field trips are archived for viewing at any time.

Thanks to David Andrade's great blog for the tip!!!

I highly recommend checking out Google Connected Classrooms by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...

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QuickCast

QuickCast is a nice free screen casting app for Mac (10.7) that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  It allows users to record up to 3 min and then share via unique URL or embed into a site/blog.














I highly recommend checking out QuickCast by clicking here!!

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Voki Classroom

Voki Classroom is a new educational portal from the very popular avatar creation tool, Voki.  This is a wonderful safe way for educators to create a class w/ student accounts (no student email necessary) and then assign Voki based assignments.  Once a student completes an assignment a teacher can then preview/moderate which assignments can be displayed online or set them to private (ideal for COPPA).  Finally, there is a wide selection of lesson plans for educators to look through on the Voki Classroom portal.

I highly recommend checking out Voki Classroom by clicking here!!!

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Shadow Puppet

Shadow Puppet is an excellent free iOS app for digital storytelling that I've known about for sometime but was kindly reminded via a promotional email.  This is fantastically simple app for students to use to create digital stories by adding their photos and then recording their voice over for narration.  Best of all, a finished story can then be embedded into a site or blog.

Click here for an example of a digital story created by Shadow Puppet.

I highly recommend checking out Shadow Puppet by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Digital Storytelling Sites/Apps click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Digital Storytelling Sites/Apps click here.

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The Time Tribe

The Time Tribe is a new (beta) site that I just found out about from Graphite that is ideal for Gamfification.  This is a free site geared for students 5th on up for learning about History and different cultures/artifacts.

Here are some more benefits to using Time Tribe in the classroom...

• Immerse them in culture and past ways of life
• Help them imagine what it was really like to live in the past, while exposing them to new ideas and ways of life
• Prod them to consider complex issues from multiple viewpoints
• Foster empathy and responsible global citizenship
• Empower them to crave a personal path through an epic story

Below is a brief demo...

I highly recommend checking out The Time Tribe by clicking here!!!

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Blendspace

Blendspace is a site I just found out about from Edshelf that reminds me a bit of MentorMob.  This is a site that allows educators to create interactive lesson plans by adding digital content such as videos in one location.  Also, a teacher can use Blendspace to assess and monitor students in real-time as well as give them online quizzes.

I highly recommend checking out Blendspace by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo....

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educatorsAPP

educatorsAPP is a free site that turns teacher's websites into mobile apps for any platform.  This is ideal for 21st Century Learning, Mobile Classroom, and those 1:1/BYOD districts that use mobile devices on a everyday basis.  Best of all as a teacher updates their website the mobile app gets updated automatically.

I highly recommend checking out educatorsAPP
by clicking here!!!

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Create your own App

Justin Holladay the man behind Math File Folder Games has designed an online course for teachers who want to learn how to create their own educational apps w/out needing to know programming.  This is a fantastic inexpensive course that will guide teachers in the process of developing their apps from scratch into getting them on the App Store and being used by students in their class or around the world.

I highly recommend checking out this course entitled, Teacher Created Apps.

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Super Teacher Worksheets

Super Teacher Worksheets is one of my favorite resources for educators.  This is a great place for teachers to find all sorts of resources such as: printables, worksheets, puzzles, and more.  Also, there is a innovative puzzle & math generator to create your own worksheets from scratch.  Finally, a user can also search for common core aligned worksheets and even smart board resources too.

I highly recommend checking out Super Teacher Worksheets by clicking here!!!

*Super Teacher Worksheets is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

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Flowboard

Flowboard is a wonderful free iPad app for creating stunning presentations.  This is done through a very easy to use touch drag-n-drop interface for adding images, text, video, and more.  There is even a nice selection of templates for users to create stunning interactive presentations.  Best of all, a user can share their presentations via a unique URL or embed them into a site/blog.

I highly recommend checking out Flowboard by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Presentation/Slideshow Creators click here.

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SpellingCity

SpellingCity is a site I've mentioned before that is absolutely fantastic for all a teacher's vocabulary and spelling needs.  This is a great safe site to use for students where educators can create their own word lists and then import them into educational games to reinforce learning.  Also, SC has a free mobile iOS/Android app that integrates seamlessly w/ the website for mobile learning.

I highly recommend checking out SpellingCity by clicking here!!!

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30hands

30hands is a wonderful free iOS app that is ideal for digital storytelling and mobile learning.  This is a very user friendly drag-n-drop app that allows students to create digital stories by importing photos from their iPhoto library.  Best of all, a user can add narration to a slide by recording their voice.  Finally, a finished story can then be published to their iPhoto library or shared to the 30hands Collaborative Learning Community.  There is even a very simple to follow walk-through that shows how to create your first story.

I highly recommend checking out 30hands by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Digital Storytelling Sites/Apps click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Digital Storytelling Sites/Apps click here.

*30hands Learning is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

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Answer Pad updates

Answer Pad one of the best educational web tools/apps for turning a classroom paperless and flipping instruction has just released a bunch of updates.  Rather then try to explain, I'll just copy/paste in the info from their email...

TAPit app update should be live by Monday. Includes an update for Answer Pad+ users: Paperless solution. When you create an answer sheet, if the teacher uploads the pdf file to the library, when assigning the test, click the Display pdf box and the pdf will be displayed on the iPad app for a paperless solution. The paper test slides in on top of the answer sheet by clicking the pdf icon. The sheet can be dragged around, altered in size, with zooming for text size etc. It's pretty cool. We have this on the browser version, but we are going to be updating the browser version to be the same as the iPad app- it's much smoother.

Also, on the teacher side, just released: Again for Answer Pad+ users: Take an image that you have uploaded in the the Go Interactive Template library, or just use one of ours- you can now add test to it  ( eg, Type in a question), or add a drawing to it before sending it out. An example of this is the coordinate grid. The teacher could take the grid, draw a shape on it, send it out and ask the students to draw the reflection. In addition you can also take an image and add an interactive response type to it. So you could take a graphic and add ABCD to it, a slider or a fill in for eg.

If you would like a brief demo on how to use Answer Pad w/ your class let me know!!!

I highly recommend checking out Answer Pad by clicking here!!!

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Math Heroes 1

Math Heroes 1 is a fantastic iOS app for kids for learning their basic Math skills.  My 8 yr old loves playing this game to practice his addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication skills in this fighting-style game that has over 50 levels of fun.  This game has a high replay value as there are lots of hidden levels and powers to unlock.  Best of all there is a Parental dashboard where parents/teachers can track students progress and adjust what skills they should focus on.

For more Yogome educational apps click here.

I highly recommend checking out Math Heroes 1 by clicking here!!!

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ClassDojo

ClassDojo is one of my favorite Web 2.0 sites for educators.  This is a fantastically simple tool to use to manage student behavior.  This can either be done online or w/ their free mobile app.  Also, it has a very kid friendly user interface w/ characters that keeps interested and engaged.  Finally, CD has one of the best teacher resource sections I've seen.  There are lots of resources here to share on how to spread the word and integrate ClassDojo into the classroom.

I highly recommend checking out ClassDojo by clicking here!!!

Be sure to sign up and take the quick and easy tutorial to learn how to get started!!!

*ClassDojo is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

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Educade

Educade is a new (beta) site that I just found out about from Edshelf.  This is an excellent site to find free educational resources such as: lesson plans, videos, apps, and more.  Not only can a user search by subject and grade level, but they can build "backpacks" to save their favorite content.

I highly recommend checking out Educade by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational Resources click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Educational Resources click here.

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Math File Folder Games

Math File Folder Games is easily one of my favorite companies for finding Math iOS based apps/games.  These games are unique in that many of them are bluetooth enabled and can be played by multiple players at the same time on multiple devices.  Also, every game has the ability to email scores so parents/teachers can see how a student is doing.

Here is a list of the different games available by MFFG...

5 Dice: Order of Operations Game

(Cost: FREE!)
5 Dice: Order of Operations Game is a math app intended for upper elementary and middle school students that helps students enjoy practicing their order of operations. Read More Here

4 Dice: Fraction Games

(Cost: $1.99)
4 Dice: Fraction Games is a math app for middle school and upper elementary students. The goal of the game is to present fractions in a way that is both conducive to learning and fun. Read More Here

Ordered Fractions: Comparing & Ordering Fractions

(Cost: $1.99)

Ordered Fractions game begins by pressing the button that rolls the dice. Students then insert these numbers into the boxes on the board, which creates the fractions. Students then position the fractions in ascending order by comparing fractions. Read more here

Grid Lines: Ordered Pair Game

(Cost: $1.99)

Grid Lines is a Battleship-style math app used to teach students the coordinate plane. Students will get practice plotting points on a coordinate plane by playing a game similar to Battleship. Read more here

Skip Math: Skip Counting Games

(Cost: $0.99)
Skip Math is a simple math game that helps practices skip counting. Skip Math is a a Doodle Jump style math game in which a girl or boy who jump from platform to platform counting by a certain number. Read more here

Tangram Chess: Transformation Games

(Cost: $1.99)

Tangram Chess For Kids, Translations (slides), Rotations (turns) and Reflections (flips). Every game of Tangram Chess has its own story. Some are long-drawn out strategic affairs; others can be quick, but complicated, tactical battles. The winner is the player who can out-think his or her opponent, and make the best plans for attack and defence. Read more here

Jack and the Beanstalk a Mathematical Adventure

Hi, my name is Jack. I know you have all heard of me before, I'm the guy who climbs an enormous beanstalk to retrieve the princesses amulet. But today I would like to tell you the real story of HOW I was actually able to accomplish such a feat.  Read more here


*Math File Folder Games is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

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