Free Online Tools for the Classroom!
There are so many free tools available that foster collaboration in the 21st Century classroom and it can be overwhelming to figure out how to utilize them. I thought it might be fun to list some ideas on how to use online tools to engage students and create a successful classroom. These tools are a new way to engage students and make the classroom more interactive. If you have any ideas to add or if you use these tools for different classroom projects, let us know we would love to hear your ideas!
- Create a modern day pen pals program where students can correspond to students in another classroom across the country or across the globe through Skype. A modern twist on a classic classroom activity.
- Exchange lesson plans and ideas on a social network. This one is for the teachers; there are many social networking sites that are geared toward you specifically. These sites offer ideas and support from your fellow educators.
- Start a classroom blog on blogspot.com where students projects are featured and they can find important classroom information. This offers a sense of community to your classroom outside the classrooms walls.
- Create a classroom Wiki where students post research and reference materials for the whole class to use. This can be a great tool and also help teach students important lessons about researching.
- Have a poetry contest using twitter. Hold a poetry contest on Twitter where students have to use 140 characters or less.
- Have students work together to collaborate on a video project and post them on YouTube. This can be rewarding for students and you as the educator as well.