TOO COOL (PERFECT FOR SCHOOL): Here we go again! We've got our favorite edtech teacher and administrator tools for the week right here, as highlighted in our Instruct newsletter. Our fave S'Cool Tools are:
Free! It’s time to get in the mix, so to speak. Here at EdSurge, we’ve received a number of emails from teachers about including Office Mix in our list of S’Cool Tools, so here we go! Office Mix is, as one teacher put it, “PowerPoint on steroids.” The platform allows you to turn PPTs into interactive online lessons or presentations, with digital annotations, quizzes, and interactive apps with exercises and lessons from the likes of Khan Academy and CK-12 Foundation. Just keep in mind: Mix requires Office 2013 SP1 to work on your device.
Free! Kudos to parent Tim McCalpin for suggesting this “wise tooool.” Learn2Earn’s WhooosReading is an online platform where students can log how much they read, write book review, and answer questions about the books they’ve read. McCalpin adds: “For every positive thing [my son] does on the site, he earns 'wisdom' points to customize his profile character, which is an owl. I've never seen him so excited about reading before!” Hoot, hoot to that! And another hoot to reading and sharing site BiblioNasium, which just chalked up over a million entries and ratings for children’s book titles. Go, Reader Nation!
Free! For all your California educators, the Cali Dept. of Education just released Digital Chalkboard, a collaborative online platform where you can meet other CA educators, find 300,000+ digital resources for your classroom, get involved in various PD opportunities, and build a community outside of your schools. Perfect timing for Connected Educators Month!
Free! TeachersPayTeachers popularized the “teacher as seller” revolution. Expect to see more pop up. Launched in mid-September, teachers can also find resources and earn latte money at Teachwise. Teachwise aims to be a marketplace for Pre-K to 8th grade educators. There is currently a ton of free materials. The site is free for “amateur” buyers and sellers; upgrade to $44.95/year and earn royalties up to 90% on your sales.
