Resources Potpourri Final2006

Resource Potpourri: 

Resource Potpourri TIE Conference 2006 Kent Tamsen Kathy Brabec

Who are We?: 

Who are We? Kent Tamsen, Director of Educational Technology Colorado Department of Education tamsen_k@cde.state.co.us Kathy Brabec, Senior Consultant Colorado Department of Education brabec_k@cde.state.co.us

What to Expect: 

What to Expect "Potpourri." Random House Unabridged Dictionary. © 1997 by Random House, Inc., on Fact Monster. © 2000–2006 Pearson Education, publishing as Fact Monster. 22 Jun. 2006 <http://www.factmonster.com/ipd/A0597951.html>.

Collection One: 

Collection One

A Utility: 

A Utility Free PDF Writer- CutePDF Writer Create professional quality PDF files from almost any printable document. FREE for personal and commercial use! Free download, but additional software is available for purchase from the company. Source: http://www.cutepdf.com Acro Software

A Utility: 

A Utility Online Survey Tool- SurveyMonkey SurveyMonkey has a single purpose: to enable anyone to create professional online surveys quickly and easily.  Based on a subscription fee, there is also a limited free version. Source: http://www.surveymonkey.com/ SurveyMonkey

A Journal: 

A Journal Online Journal- Technology and Learning Enduring journal published each month. Journal is free, and additional resources are available on the website…Check out their copyright guide to sample one of the resources. CIO Journal is also available. Source: http://www.techlearning.com/content/about/tl_current.html CMP- United Business Publishing

A Journal: 

A Journal Online Journal- EdTech Magazine Newer journal that is published each month, with timely topics. Journal is free, and additional resources are available on the website…Also a journal with a Higher Ed Focus is available. Source: http://www.edtechmag.com CDW-G

Online Software: 

Online Software Free Online Productivity Tools- ZOHO Includes online word processor, spreadsheet, planner, chat tool, web publisher Free tools, but additional tools are available for purchase from the company. Source: http://www.zoho.com AdventNet, Inc.

Teaching Resource: 

Teaching Resource Book Reading- BookPals The Screen Actors Guild Foundation offer this excellent online reading site. Hear famous Screen Actors Guild members read quality books; complete with videos. These videos are free to stream online. Each book has free downloadable lesson plans and activities. Source: http://www.bookpals.net The Screen Actors Guild

Online Software: 

Online Software A ThinkTank of Tools/Ideas- Google Labs Google labs showcases a few of our favorite ideas that aren't quite ready for prime time. Your feedback can help improve them. Free limited usage to tools, but additional tools may be available for purchase from the company. Source: http://labs.google.com Google

Various Tools: 

Various Tools Tools and resources for libraries- WebJunction An online community in support of libraries and includes access to free resources and online courses; including resources to assist with technology planning. Free use for many of the tools and information, but online courses may have a small cost. Source: http://www.webjunction.org Funded initially through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

A Starter: 

A Starter Online activities to get you thinking- Brain Boosters Online activities that can be used with students to get them thinking. Great problem solving practice. Free use. Check out the other tools that are both free; and some for a small cost. Source: http://school.discovery.com/brainboosters/ Discovery Education

Teaching Resource: 

Teaching Resource Looking for Facts- Fact Monster Fact Monster is an online almanac, encyclopedia, dictionary, and more. Free use, although there may be some commercial products for sale. Source: http://www.factmonster.com/ Pearson Education

Collection Two: 

Collection Two

Tools for Kids: 

Tools for Kids Search Tools for Kids- Kids’ Tools This is a collection of search tools designed for kids…all in one place. This site is a sample of what can be accessed from the public library systems. Source: http://www.rcls.org/ksearch.htm Ramapo Catskill Library System- New York

Various: 

Various Resources for the US Government- FREE or Federal Resources for Educational Excellence Free resources from many different Governmental offices in one place. They are categorized by content areas. Free use. Source: http://www.ed.gov/free/index.html US Government Offices

For Presenters: 

For Presenters Resources to help with presentations- Presenters University Online tutorials, resources, and downloads are available. Online articles, free newsletter, and an ‘Ask the Professor’ feature is included. Free use, but there is some advertising. Source: http://www.presentersuniversity.com/ InFocus

Productivity: 

Productivity Free Office Suite Software- StarOffice Free software suite that includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and more. Free use for educators and education institutions. Source: http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/edu/solutions/staroffice.html Sun Microsystems

For Online Courses: 

For Online Courses Online Course Management Software- Moodle Free, open source software package designed to help educators create effective online learning communities. A large user community continues to develop and share modules and enhancements. Source: http://moodle.org/ Moodle Trust

Just for Teachers: 

Just for Teachers Online Tools for Teachers- 4Teachers.org Free online tools and resources; over 15 high quality tools and still counting. A registration is required for each tool, but it is indeed free. Source: http://4teachers.org/ ALTEC- Advanced Learning Technologies in Education Consortium

Photo Utility: 

Photo Utility Photo Editing/Presentations/Digital Story Telling- Photo Story Lets you create slideshows with digital photos and allows you to touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories and personalize the stories with titles and captions. This is a free software download from Microsoft…yes it is free. Source: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx Microsoft

Primary Sources: 

Primary Sources Talk About an Archive- The Digital Archive Primary sources galore from the National Archive. This site was designed for educators. No cost for these resources Source: http://www.archives.gov/education/ The National Archive

Photo Utility: 

Photo Utility Organize Your Digital Photos- Picassa Software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. This is a free software download. Source: http://picasa.google.com/index.html Google

Teacher Utility: 

Teacher Utility Online Classroom Timer- Class Timer An example of an online applet that can be used in the classroom for many things. Nothing to download…all online…free use Check out her other tips and resources for teachers. Source: http://www.vickiblackwell.com/timer.html Vicki Blackwell

Collection Three: 

Collection Three

Organization: 

Organization Online Bookmark/Favorites Organizer- iKeepBookmarks Allows you to upload, and keep, your bookmarks on the web for free. You can access them and share them at any time, from any computer... anywhere! Nothing to download…all online…free use; upgrade subscription can be purchased for additional features 2 Samples: http://www.ikeepbookmarks.com/browse.asp?folder=753635 http://www.ikeepbookmarks.com/ctlt Source: http://www.ikeepbookmarks.com/ Software Designs Development Corp.

Help for Math: 

Help for Math Resource for Middle School Math- LessonLinks Online modules for students, with a focus on Algebraic Thinking Skills Nothing to download…all online…free use; part of MathStar projects. Source: http://mathstar.lacoe.edu/lessonlinks/ Los Angeles County Office of Education Colorado is a MathStar Partner

Productivity: 

Productivity Online Office- ThinkFree Office Create Microsoft Office compatible documents, have access to online storage, and more Nothing to download…all online…free use. Offline software is also available for purchase. Source: http://www.thinkfree.com ThinkFree Corporation Beta Version

Presentations: 

Presentations Create and Share Presentations on the Web- Thumbstacks Make presentations - like slideshows, or outlines - right in your web browser. When you're done, you can share your presentations with anyone, anywhere, just by sending them a link. Nothing to download…all online…free use. Source: http://www.thumbstacks.com Structured Data Alpha Version Thumbstacks.com!

Productivity: 

Productivity Online Collaborative Word Processor- Writely Upload Word documents, (and others), use a simple WYSIWYG editor to format your documents, invite others to share your documents (by e-mail address), Edit documents online collaboratively with others, view your documents' revision history and roll back to any version And More Nothing to download…all online…free use. Source: http://www.writely.com Google New Subscriptions will be released in July

Scheduling: 

Scheduling Schedule Meetings Online- MeetingWizard Avoid calendar wars! Schedule meetings, view responses in one convenient place, keep personal schedules private, send automatic reminders Nothing to download…all online…free use; premium upgrades can be purchased for additional features Source: http://www.meetingwizard.com TeamWorx Innovations

Best of…: 

Best of… Interested in Blogs?- eSchoolNews Best of Educational Blogs 2006 Awards The title says it all…. Don’t forget about the free eSchoolNews website and online newsletters An Example- http://www.speedofcreativity.org/ Source: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/pdf/best_of_the_ed_blogs.pdf eSchoolNews http://www.eschoolnews.com

Online Tutorials: 

Online Tutorials Online Tutorials and Courses- ActDen The digital education network of online tutorials and courses for many popular applications. Resources are free and all online. Source: http://www.actden.com/ ACT360 Media

Sounds…: 

Sounds… You Need Sounds?- Find Sounds A tool that helps you find sound files on the web. Explore and have some fun. Source: http://www.findsounds.com/ Comparisonics Corporation FindSounds Search the Web for Sounds

Teacher Resources: 

Teacher Resources Resources for Teachers by a Teacher- E.L. Easton Materials for Teaching and Learning A new site to me, but it includes teaching resources that I have not seen before. This site is another example of a teacher collecting resources, and sharing with others. Appears to be updated frequently. Source: http://eleaston.com/ E.L.Easton

Collection Four: 

Collection Four

More for Teachers: 

More for Teachers Resources for Teachers- Filamentality This site has been helping teachers find and share resources for years. Access other teacher’s collections, and create your own. Check and contribute often to this growing list of resources. Originally supported by Pacific Bell, and now AT&T. Source: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/ AT&T Education

Math Resources: 

Math Resources Online Resources for Math- The MathForum This is an internet mathematics library! Includes resources galore. One of the educational ‘Durable’ websites. Source: http://mathforum.org/ Drexel University

Statistics: 

Statistics Resources for Statistics- Student’s Classroom From NCES, this site includes statistics galore, including resources to help students understand and work with statistics. Check out the Create a Graph online resource! Source: http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids National Center for Educational Statistics

Physics: 

Physics A Great Science Resource- PhET Physics Education Technology Fun, interactive simulations of physical phenomena that make bridges to the real world, from the Physics Education Technology project at the University of Colorado. All free resources that are downloadable. Source: http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phet/web-pages/index.html University of Colorado

Simply the Best: 

Simply the Best The Best Educational Resource Site- Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators It’s all here…This site has been providing links to great resources for years. Make this your first stop for valuable and TESTED resources. Source: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/ Discovery Education

Online Tutorials: 

Online Tutorials Online Tutorials and Courses- KidzOnline Online courses and tutorials, complete with lesson plans and other resources. Resources are free and all online, with videos available. Check out the special section for girls called ‘gURLTech’. Source: http://www.kidzonline.org Kidzonline Originally supported through the Nortel Foundation

Free Software: 

Free Software Free Software for Elementary- Owl and Mouse Educational Software Mapping, reading, puzzles, and many more types of software are available. The company also sells software, and additional free titles are added periodically. Source: http://www.yourchildlearns.com/ Owl and Mouse Software

Online Games: 

Online Games Online Educational Games- Sheppard Software Geography, animals, chemistry, vocabulary, quizzes, are some of the categories available. The company sells software, but there are many free online games available. Source: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/ Sheppard Software

Trade Journal: 

Trade Journal Trade Magazine- ComputerShopper Yes, we all have seen this, but have you looked closely? Packed with ads, but there are also trade articles, and resources available. Print, online, and email newsletter versions are available. Source: http://www.computershopper.com SX2 Media Labs

Simulations: 

Simulations Free Simulation Software- Crocodile Clips Download free software for teaching elementary students the first principles of electricity. Students can simulate working with circuits using the software and actually see light bulbs going on when the parts are connected correctly. It is a safe way for kids to practice. Additional software available for purchase. Source: http://www.crocodile-clips.com Crocodile Clips of Scotland

Reading: 

Reading Reading Software- StudyDog This is commercial software that is a complete early reading program (preK-2nd grade) Software is for purchase…BUT is free for families who qualify for free and reduced lunch Source: http://www.studydog.com/ StudyDog

Bonus Links: 

Bonus Links You’ll have to write your own descriptions, but they are bonus links… NoodleTools http://www.noodletools.com Colorado Links http://www.cde.state.co.us/colinks Google Earth http://earth.google.com

Contact: 

Contact Kent Tamsen, Director of Educational Technology Colorado Department of Education tamsen_k@cde.state.co.us After June 30th… Kent Tamsen, Director of Technology Widefield School District 3 tamsenk@wsd3.k12.co.us