Featured 7-15-2014: Biblionasium

 

Designed to engage, encourage, and excite young people about reading, BiblioNasium is a free, social network for children in elementary and middle school.

 

 

BiblioNasium includes the tools to function as a literacy partner, helping teachers efficiently develop and propel an effective, challenging, independent reading program.

 

Differentiate reading programs to meet students' individual needs by monitoring reading logs, creating reading challenges, and helping students expand genre choices and tailor reading lists. Build and manage programs by group, class, grade, and individual student.

 

 

More that you can do with BiblioNasium:

• Track what each student is reading and at what level, using Lexile® measures provided onsite.
• Virtual bookshelves help kids keep track of what they’ve read, what they like, and what they plan to read.
• Kids can share book recommendations and books, building conversation and connections around reading.
• Mascot and reading coach Chip Manzee motivates and entertains kids, challenging them and rewarding good reading behavior.

 Tour the Biblionasium website

 

BiblioNasium has taken measures to keep information safe. Only approved friends and the registered educator can see a student’s name and school.  Other signed-in users can see the student’s anonymous username, books, and other non-personal information. No users can see student information without authorization.

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Featured 6-12-2014: TypingClub School Portal

 

The TypingClub School Portal gives you the ability to completely manage your students' typing progress. You can setup your classes, design engaging typing lessons, and track student progress.

 

Customize lessons and create lesson plans using the TypingClub School Portal. Then assign lessons to your students within a user-friendly interface.

 

The student interface is designed to be clean, simple, and engaging. Helpful instructions guide students through every step. Students receive continuous feedback and are motivated to repeat each lesson to mastery before proceeding. You also have the option to add your own instructions to each lesson to further guide your students.

 

 

The TypingClub School Portal allows you to track the progress of your students class-wide and individually with a rich set of analytics data.

 

 Watch Improve your Students' Typing with Typing Club

 

The TypingClub School Portal is available in free and paid versions. The free version includes an unlimited number of students in up to three classes for two teachers, as well as access to Create/Customize Lessons, Lesson Plan Marketplace, and Typing Games.

 

 TypingClub School Portal's free iPad app, lets students use their iPad to sign into their account and continue practicing. Whether students use a browser or iPad to practice, you will still be able to view and track their activities.

 

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Featured 5-29-2014: Writing@CSU

 

Writing@CSU is an open-access website supported by Colorado State University to provide resources to writers and teachers.

 

Writing@CSU provides access to the largest collection of web-based resources for writers and writing teachers. These materials, from more than 300 contributors, support instruction in a wide range of writing processes and genres.

 

The Writing@CSU website and the larger Writing Studio Project are designed to help writers by supplying an interactive, online space that simulates a well-run workshop featuring:

• Timely advice from teachers
• Feedback from other writers
• Helpful examples and demonstrations
• Access to tools that can help you write effectively

The Studio supports writing classes with a course management system that includes most of the tools found in commercial systems, as well as wikis, ePortfolios, blogs, and other tools that support the learning and teaching of writing.

 

 

The blogs, wikis, and ePortfolio tools can be used within courses or on their own. Depending on your preferences, your work can be completely private, shared with selected people, or open to the public.

 

Writing@CSU accounts are free and give you a personal online space where you can compose and save your work.

 

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Featured 5-21-2014: ChalkUp

 

ChalkUp is a student engagement platform designed to foster real-time school-work collaboration, learning, and studying, ChalkUp enables students to ask questions, discuss and share interesting educational content, and work with each other.

 

Dashboard is a real-time feed where you can comment on discussions, submit assignments, and even view files. Chalkup keeps all assignments, quizzes, and tests in one place.

 

Assignments can be delivered to students quickly and in real-time. Drag-and-drop a document from your computer or use one that you have stored on Google Drive or Google Apps for Education. Create folders, rename files to be organized.

 

Students can turn in assignments as easily as dragging-and-dropping, uploading as many files as necessary. Annotate and grade uploaded file submissions right inside ChalkUp. Personalize feedback with a quick note.

 

 

Messaging lets the people in your class chat in real-time and share files with each other. Teachers can send messages to students to clarify, remind, and keep them engaged. Chalkup uses 256-bit AES encryption to make sure your messages are safe.

 

The free version of ChalkUp provides 1 GB of storage per class with a file size limit of 25 MB, and all the core features including integrated flashcards.

 

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Featured 5-19-2014: Google Classroom

 

Classroom is a new, free tool coming to Google Apps for Education that helps teachers easily and quickly create and organize assignments, provide feedback, and communicate with their classes.

 

By integrating Google Docs, Drive, and Gmail, Classroom can help teachers manage assignments quickly and easily, and communicate with their students more efficiently and effectively. Classroom lets teachers make announcements and pose questions online.

 

Students using Classroom are able to better organize their work, complete and submit assignments, and interact directly with their teachers and peers. Drive folders are automatically created for each assignment and for each student. Students can readily see what assignments are due on an assignments page.

 

 Watch Previewing a new Classroom by Google

 

Classroom contains no ads, does not use your content or student data for advertising purposes, and is free for schools.

 

 

A limited number of educators are being invited to try Classroom. Teachers can apply for a preview. By September, Classroom will be available to any school using Google Apps for Education.

 

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Featured: 2-12-2014 Easyclass

Easyclass is a new LMS (Learning Management System) for teachers and students designed to simplify materials, assignments, tests, grades, and more.

 

Easyclass allows educators to create digital classes where they can store the course materials; manage discussions; give assignments, quizzes, and exams; grade results; monitor due dates; and provide students with feedback.

 

Benefits of Easyclass:

• Easy to learn and use.
• Saves time.
• Additional resources can be used to enhance learning.
• Useful for Blended Learning initiatives.
• Connect with like-minded educators to exchange ideas, get advice and share resources.
• Stay connected with students.
• Teach responsible digital interaction, good digital citizenship.
• Students have easy access to assignments, class notices, and course content. 

Each instructor gets 2GB storage space to store your course materials online and share with your students. Easyclass services are free and promise to remain free.

 

 Watch Easyclass | New Technology In Education 

 

Easyclass  addresses the fundamental concerns of privacy and safety. There are no advertisements. Educators have full control of class management. Content created in the digital classes can be viewed only by the class members. 

 

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Featured: 12-19-2013 Class Charts

With Class Charts you get data-rich seating charts and streamlined behavior management tools. It is even possible to collaborate with other teachers and work together to address behavior issues.

 

Class Charts lets you optionally include and display key data about each student which can be used to intelligently position students in the classroom to maximize learning. Use icons or photos to identify students.

 

The seating plans you create in Class Charts can also be a behavior management tool which you can use collaboratively with colleagues to track and analyse student behavior. Quickly give behavior points and get detailed reports of behavior for classes or individual pupils. 

 

You can add students individually with the Quick Add feature or you can upload a spreadsheet containing all student data. 

 

 

Class Charts uses industry-standard SSL encryption for data transfer and key database fields, safeguarding student information. They are registered with the Data Commissioner* and all staff have enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks. 

 

 Watch a video overview of Class Charts

 

Class Charts works on any Internet-enabled device, so there is no software to download or install, and Class Charts is totally free to use.

 

*The UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.

 

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Extra: 12-6-2013 Otter

 

Free simple websites for teachers hosted by Otter make it easy to keep parents and students in the loop.

 

What Otter enables you to do:

• Homework uploads let you accept digital homework assignments from your students.
• Send classroom announcements to subscribed parents and students via email or text message.
• Maintain a classroom calendar with class-specific tags.
• Store your commonly needed files such as syllabi, homework examples, etc  

  

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Featured: 11-26-2013 ThinkWave Educator

ThinkWave Educator is a free online grade book with a flexible grading engine, powerful reporting, and easy access for students and parents.

 

Versatile grading options let teachers use an all-points grading system or a flexible grading system that can include points, letter grades, check, check plus, and more. You can also create your own assignment types and use weighting.

 

ThinkWave Educator generates reports as professionally-formatted, ready-to-print PDF documents. Reports can be designed with an image, header, and multiple other customization options. 

 

Students can upload their homework files with a simple upload function. Files are immediately available in the grade book, organized by assignment and date. 

 

An intutive, easy-to-use interface can be learned quickly. ThinkWave Educator allows you to keep multiple classes in a single grade book making it easy to access different classes.

 

 

ThinkWave Educator is completely web based, no software to install. Teachers can access data from anywhere with an Internet connection using any modern web browser.

 

 Watch a video overview of ThinkWave Educator

 

ThinkWave Educator is available in a free, ad-supported version, or as a premium version for $49.95 (USD) annually per teacher. 

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 11-18-2013 Cometdocs Mobile App

 

Cometdocs is a popular, free, online document management system that has served more than 3 million customers. Document sharing, transfers, and storage are among the many many free services it offers. You can now experience the benefits of Cometdocs’ features on your smartphones and tablets.

 

 

The Cometdocs mobile apps give you the ability to do document conversions to and from multiple formats on-the-go from iOS and Android devices. Transfer large files to anyone from your mobile device. There is no limitation on converted pages or size.

 

Find the document on your device, and open it with Cometdocs. The file is then uploaded to your Cometdocs account, after which you can choose the conversion type you desire. Shortly, the converted file will be available. 

 

Supported conversion formats:

• Converting from PDF to Word, Excel, Images, HTML, and AutoCAD, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Text, PowerPoint, and more.
• Converting to PDF from numerous formats such as jpg, xls, xlsx, doc, docx, pptx, ppt, rtf, png, pub, and more

 

Your documents can be accessed from anywhere - your desktop browser, mobile phone, or tablet. Have them with you and ready to be edited or converted at all times. 

 

 

 

 

 See a short how-to-use guide for Cometdocs mobile apps

 

The Cometdocs app for iOS or Android is available free of charge. To use Cometdocs from your mobile app, you need to have a registered account.

 

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Featured: 10-31-2013 Chronicle

Using all the features of the iOS platform, Chronicle from Powerhouse Education provides teachers with an app designed to efficiently inform instruction and chronicle student growth.

Utilizing multi-media technology, Chronicle enables teachers to quickly capture, and share, student progress with text, photos, audio, and video. Teachers can select any type of note and designate it as an artifact, a note that the teacher would like to recognize as a benchmark of student progress.

Chronicle's unique Traffic Light allows teachers to quickly assess understanding, achievement, or progress by tapping the corresponding traffic light signal next to each student, assigning the student the color red, yellow, or green.

Chronicle allows you to easily import Common Core Standards and incorporate them into your daily teaching routine.

The Chronicle Gradebook offers a number of rich, informative features, such as easily accessible comments, color-coded tracking of student progress, and quick calculation of class average.

 Watch the Chronicletrailer

Powerhouse Education was founded by husband and wife teachers, Andy and Ellen Raupp with the aim of "providing teachers with the tools to effectively and more easily implement educational best practices, knowing that empowered teachers will yield stronger, more successful students."

Chronicle is $19.99 (US) from the iTunes Store. It requires an iPad running iOS 6.0 or later.

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Featured: 9-12-2013 Net Texts

Net Texts helps schools replace or supplement traditional textbooks with customized multimedia courses delivered to students' iPads, Android tablets, and laptops.

Teachers can use NetTexts' Content Management Website to select existing courses or to create new ones by mixing and matching items from the NetTexts library with their own educational material. Courses can include videos, slideshows, e-books, PDFs, text, audiobooks, and Web links.

Students then use the NetTexts iPad, Android, or web app to download and view these courses. Students will feel more engaged and have more ownership of their learning, whether reading the latest assigned e-book or watching a 'flipped classroom' video.

Net Texts consulting services help your school get the most out of Net Texts. Teachers will be trained how to use the content management site and mobile apps, how to find Open Educational Resources, and how to create high quality content.

Net Texts can build customized OER courses based on teachers' recommendations, syllabi, and state standards. A school or district can replace textbooks with a multimedia curriculum based on OER, saving money on textbooks for years to come, as Net Texts courses can be updated with new material at any time.

 Watch Introducing Net Texts: The Digital Backpack for Your iPad

Net Texts courses contain teacher-created material as well as Creative Commons-licensed and other open education resources from the Web.

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Featured: 12/4/2012 TeamViewer [Tools]

TeamViewer is all-in-one software for remote support and online meetings. Remote control any computer over the internet quickly or use TeamViewer for online meetings.

Remote Support and Remote Access features:

• Remote Support with no need for any client side installation.
• Remote Administration lets you access remote computers and servers 24/7.
• Remote Access to your data and applications anytime, anywhere.
• Home Office access of your office computer.

Online Meeting and Online Presentation features:

• Online Meetings may have up to 25 participants.
• Online Presentation can facilitate professional development and communication.
• Training Session can cut costs by conducting training online.
• Online Teamwork enables collaboration on documents in real-time.

Control remote computers via a web browser using TeamViewer. You easily connect to a computer and control it from your mobile device, iOS or Android, too. All versions of TeamViewer include full file transfer with file and folder copy.

Watch a TeamViewer Overview

All TeamViewer versions use full encryption based on 1024 bit RSA private/public key exchange and 256 Bit AES session encoding. This is the same level of security as https/SSL and is considered safe by today's standards.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

11/8/2012 GinkgoTree [Tools]

Easily create a course which integrates any media you want with GinkgoTree. Organize all your course material in one place for simple editing, sharing, and distributing.

GinkgoTree lets you use your own content, incorporate open source material such as a YouTube video or Project Guttenberg book directly in Ginkgotree. Also, use copyrighted materials like books and journal articles you already use, with appropriate permissions.  

Share a private link with your students to start teaching when you begin a new course. Give them the opportunity to interact with all those resources without ever leaving Ginkgotree. Your Ginkgotree coursepacks can be shared with other educators as well.

Comment on any of your students’ public notes and posted questions. You can also make public notes for your students and private notes for yourself.

Add selections from the books you already use, including your own hand-written notes. GinkgoTree does the scanning for you, free. Finish your coursepack, attach the provided shipping label onto your pack of books, and drop them in the mail. GinkgoTree will scan the pages you’ve specified, insert them into your coursepack, and return your books within a few weeks.

Watch an episode of the Today's Campus Innovation Interview Series in which Kirsten Winkler talks with Scott Hasbrouck, co-founder and CEO of GinkgoTree.

Less expensive for students than traditional textbooks, Ginkgotree costs up to $40/semester ($30/quarter) to use.

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