Teachers+Top+Tech+Tools

=For resources on the Top Tech Tools For Education 2011 Check out the Top Tech Tools Livebinder= media type="custom" key="10901012" media type="custom" key="10901132"

‍‍Rank your favorite tech tools
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Technology Tools and ResourcesTop Technology Tools for Your Classrooms 2011
Identify your top ten technology tools for your classroom this year. [|https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiytWqgCZjxwdHVnRWVFZDQzR0M2aWRodnJfd3lWNUE&hl=en_US#gid=0] ===‍‍Spend some time exploring the Resources on the livebinder site===

Think about the ways that technology can make the following tasks easer or better? tinyurl.com - shortens urls fur.ly - puts multiple urls into one url wikispaces livebinders ||  || voicethread wikispaces ||  ||
 * Gathering information ||  ||   ||
 * Organizing Information || bit.ly -shortens urls
 * Communicating ||  ||   ||
 * Collaborating || edmoto
 * Co-Creating/ Expression ||  ||   ||
 * Differentiating Instruction ||  ||   ||

Top 5 BAck to School Tools for Teachers:
By [|Audrey Watters] / August 16, 2010 6:56 AM

American consumers will shell out an estimated $2.6 billion for back-to-school supplies this fall. That's up [|1.7%] over last year, incidentally, an indication that even in tough economic times, there's no escaping the lure of the 64-box of Crayons. And as parents and students are shopping for their back-to-school supplies, educators are preparing a whole other set of tools for the classroom. We asked educators what is the one new tech tool they are most looking forward to taking into the classroom with them this fall - hardware or software, a new tool, or just one that's new to their class. The responses were pretty diverse, but here are the most popular answers:

1. The iPad: Mobile Learning
The iPad and Twitter tied for the number of votes in our back-to-school survey. But if you combine those teachers who listed the iPad with those who voted for tablets, along with the shout-out for the 15 netbook mini-lab, then the educators who responded are most excited about bringing mobile hardware in the classroom. Many teachers noted this will be their first experience with 1-to-1 technologies.

2. Twitter: Real-Time Information
It's not surprising, perhaps, since requests to complete our survey were passed around via Twitter, that many educators who responded said they were looking forward to incorporating Twitter into their work routines this fall. Teachers said they planned to use Twitter as a microblogging tool in the classroom, as a way to communicate with parents and the community, and as a part of a teacher's own professional development and [|personal learning network].

3. Google Apps for Education: Cloud-Based Collaboration
Several teachers who responded said they're looking forward to using various apps in the Google Apps for Education suite this fall. Some teachers said they're planning to have students submit their assignments or complete quizzes using Google Docs, Spreadsheets, and Forms. Other teachers said they're looking forward to having students collaborate on projects via Google Apps.

4. Blogs: Student Portfolios
Blogging remains an important and popular classroom tool as blogs can be incorporated into the curriculum at almost every grade level. Indeed, the teachers who mentioned blogs as their most anticipated tool ranged from those working in elementary school to those teaching at the college-level. Several teachers indicated they planned to use blogs for portfolio-based assessments.

5. Sharing and Collaboration Tools: 21st Century Teaching and Learning
Other than the repeated responses of "iPad," "Twitter," "Google Apps," and "blogs," the answers we received on our back-to-school survey were remarkably varied, and many of the tools only appeared in one answer. But one thing that over twenty of the products teachers mentioned had in common: they were tools for sharing and collaboration, tools like as Wikispaces, [|VoiceThread], and [|SlideShare]. In general, then, these are the most anticipated tools for the school year. That educators are incorporating these tools into the classroom isn't a surprise as collaboration is an important part of 21st century teaching and learning. Despite all the money spent on back-to-school supplies (and all the money spent on equipping school districts with various hardware and software), it is notable that most of the tools that teachers mentioned are available for free (or have a free version). Thanks to the educators who filled out our survey. If you have another tech tool you're looking forward to bringing into the classroom with you this fall, please let us know!

VoiceThread Resources
[|Seventeen Interesting Ways to Use Voice Thread in the Classroom] Tom Barrett developed this slideshow of effective tips for integrating VoiceThread in the classroom.

[|7 Things You Should Know About...VoiceThread] (PDF) The Educause staff presents another of its excellent "7 Things" series analyzing the educational strengths and weaknesses of using VoiceThread in the classroom.

[|Using VoiceThread for Digital Conversations] Lots of great resources here for effective use of VoiceThread, including links to sample projects, rubrics, and how to assess participation in VoiceThread projects.

[|VoiceThread4Education Wiki] A comprehensive collection of VoiceThread examples for the classroom, including an excellent PDF tutorial for teachers as well as tips and best practices.

[|VoiceThread Examples] Examples of VoiceThread projects in a variety of subject areas including: language arts, world languages, math, social studies and science.

[|VoiceThread Gets Even Cooler!] Joyce Valenza describes the New York Public Library's exciting new partnership with VoiceThread which provides over 700,000 historical images free of charge to VoiceThread users.

Google Docs Resources
[|Google Docs in Plain English]  (video)

The Common Craft staff members have created an excellent short video to illustrate how Google Docs facilitates collaborative learning projects.

<span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|Google Docs and Spreadsheets: Collaborating in the Classroom or Library]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Christopher Case describes how Google Docs & Spreadsheets have transformed his classroom and offers tips for veteran users as well as first-timers who want to make the most of these tools.

<span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|Google Docs]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The Tech Learning staff provides tips on getting the most out of Google Docs and includes examples for collaborative use in the classroom.

<span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|Teach Collaborative Revision with Google Docs]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The Google for Educators site contains helpful articles from //Writing// magazine with student-friendly tips and revision techniques. Also included is a teacher’s guide with ideas for using Google Docs to create innovative lesson plans encouraging multiple revisions and peer editing.

<span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|Google Docs Tutorials]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Atomic Learning provides a series of free tutorial mini-movies showing how to use Google Docs’ main features, with special sections on publishing and collaborating.