11 Free Tools for Creating Websites and Simple Webpages Last week I wrote about Codecademy's new programs for teaching basic HTML, CSS, and other fundamentals for building websites. But if you don't have the time or desire to build webpages from scratch there are plenty of free online tools that will do the heavy lifting for you so that you can concentrate on just adding useful content to your course webpages. Here are eleven free services for creating websites and simple webpages. Wix is a free service for creating and hosting beautiful websites. Whatfolio is a free service for creating online displays of your digital works. Weebly was one of the first website building tools that I played around with when I got started on my technology integration journey. Webs is another service that I have first-hand experience with in a school setting because a couple of my colleagues have used it for their classes. Yola is the tool that I used a few years ago to build websites for my department at school. Web Node is a simple way to build a website.
iPad App of the Week – Skitch for iPad Skitch – iPad App of the Week This is a regular feature of the blog looking at various Apps available. Some of the apps will be useful for those involved in learning technologies, others will be useful in improving the way in which you work, whilst a few will be just plain fun! This week’s App is Skitch for iPad. Express yourself with fewer words, emails and meetings…with Skitch for iPad! Free In my line of work I often have to make screenshots and sometimes annotate them. For a while I used TinyGrab, mainly as it automatically uploaded the screenshot to the web and copied the resulting URL to the clipboard so it could be pasted into an e-mail or as I was doing more frequently then into Twitter. So when Skitch for iPad was announced I downloaded it for my iPad. Having started Skitch for iPad, the first thing is to get a screenshot or an image into the app. Finally you can also start with a blank canvas (think whiteboard). So you can create arrows, shapes and add text.
Authentic Assessment Toolbox Home Page to the Authentic Assessment Toolbox, a how-to text on creating authentic tasks, rubrics, and standards for measuring and improving student learning. Inside, you will find chapters on A good place to start -- In this chapter I identify the characteristics, strengths and limitations of authentic assessment; compare and contrast it with traditional (test-based) assessment. Why has authentic assessment become more popular in recent years? After a brief overview, follow a detailed, four-step process for creating an authentic assessment. All good assessment begins with standards: statements of what we want our students to know and be able to do. Authentic assessments are often called "tasks" because they include real-world applications we ask students to perform. To assess the quality of student work on authentic tasks, teachers develop rubrics, or scoring scales. A guide to constructing good, multiple-choice tests, to complement your authentic assessments Wonder what a term means? Jon's Book
Free Technology for Teachers Choosing social media/web 2.0 tools for use in teaching and learning Connecting formal education to social media/web 2.0 tools is a relatively new area. Educational institutions hope that by purchasing a virtual learning environment (VLE) all of their learning technology needs will be met. However, the world moves fast, and some educators find that our suite of communication and collaboration tools doesn’t cater to our teaching and learning needs as well as they might. Interestingly, VLEs are usually more suited to managing rather than learning (but that’s for another day). When it comes to thinking about social media or web 2.0 tools, we are looking at tapping into the affordances such tools have towards communication and collaboration. Usually the stimulus for such a process comes from seeing or hearing about a particular tools used in a particular context. Firstly, it’s useful to have in mind a set of criteria like the Sloan Consortium’s: What type of tool? If you have no idea what’s available then you’ll probably need to talk to someone in the know.
Staff Picks: Sports Science Staff Picks: Sports Science Staff Picks: Sports Science Collisions on Ice What happens when two hockey players collide? Putting Something on the Ball When you pick up a baseball, it immediately suggests its purpose: to be thrown fast and with considerable accuracy. Girls of Summer In the 1870s, an American woman could not vote. Reaction Time Measure your reaction time with just a meter stick and some help from a friend. Human Power Why is the bicycle the most efficient way to travel? Fastball Reaction Time Are you quick enough to hit a 90 mph fastball? Baseball Time Machine Send your favorite baseball player on a journey through time. Frontside Forces and Fakie Flight The Physics of Skateboarding Tricks Styro Curveball Learn to throw a curveball, a slider, or even a screwball by throwing a Styrofoam ball. Bike Frame Materials Explore the important engineering concepts of yield strength, ultimate strength, and elasticity as they relate to building a better bicycle. Besuboru Skateboarding Glossary
My Favorite Resources for Teachers and Students I've recently posted lists of the most popular posts for past weeks and for the life of this blog, but I thought I'd post a list of my favorite resources too. Click the links for more detailed information and discussion about each resource. 1. EVERNOTE - Evernote is my favorite, and most used resource. I have all of my lesson plans, resources, web clippings, lesson schedule, meeting notes, misc. notes, task lists, reference materials and much more on here. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. And here's an article I wrote detailing all of the resources I use on a daily basis.My most used/favorite Apps and how I use them
iPad App of the Week – MindGenius for iPad MindGenius – iPad App of the Week This is a regular feature of the blog looking at various Apps available. Some of the apps will be useful for those involved in learning technologies, others will be useful in improving the way in which you work, whilst a few will be just plain fun! Some will be free, others will cost a little and one or two will be what some will think is quite expensive. This week’s App is MindGenius for iPad. MindGenius for iPad is the perfect tool for capturing information on the go.Use it for taking notes in meetings and seminars, creating quick to do lists, and anywhere else you require a fast, intuitive method to collect ideas and information and think things through.MindGenius for iPad can help you improve your personal productivity and can be used in conjunction with MindGenius for PC. Free Within my college the standard mind mapping application on the desktop is MindGenius. I was disappointed that I couldn’t change the default colours of the different branches.
Food & Nutrition Create a Personal Learning Network Creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN) What is a PLN? A PLN is a way for you to make connections and share ideas and resources. Lots of Great Resources on Personal Learning Networks Quotes about PLN's: @kylepace:Because of this PLN,not only do I grow professionally, but I have made professional connections and friendships around the world @wmchamberlain: #edchat a PLN lets us access the best of the best, not just someone close by. @djainslie: My PLN opened the world to me 'the world is open' @JasonFlom: PLN's flatten the world, removing barriers to collaboration, corroboration, and general camaraderie. @wmchamberlain: #edchat a pln gives me hundreds of intelligent people to solve my problem. @cybraryman1: A PLN is a collection of interconnected minds that share ideas and information. Functions of a PLN: Connect - Collaborate - Contribute Benefits of a PLN: Teachers become: Aware, Connected, Empowered, Confident, LEARNERS! How to get started with a PLN: are great places to start.
Paper Camera Paper Camera – iPhone App of the Week This is a regular feature of the blog looking at various Apps available. Some of the apps will be useful for those involved in learning technologies, others will be useful in improving the way in which you work, whilst a few will be just plain fun! Some will be free, others will cost a little and one or two will be what some will think is quite expensive. This week’s App is Paper Camera. Real time cartoon and painting effects painted on your camera video feed!! This really nice image manipulation app creates cartoon or sketch like images from either your photographs, or applies the filter in real time so you can see what your image will look like through the live image from the camera. You can through the interface convert live camera footage into a sketch, cartoon or pencil drawing image in real time, use the camera button to capture the image through the live filter.