Every teacher worth their salt knows that education has turned well and truly technological, with a Twitter account and an online profile some of the most important tools for the modern educator. But the sheer volume of contacts, sites and resources online can make it difficult to sift through and find the clearest, most valuable information quickly. Busy teachers don’t have time to surf hundreds of sites per day to pick up the latest news and hot new resources. Streamline your surfing with our top 10 sites for connected educators.
1. Edmodo
A safe and simple platform to connect both with other educators and with the students in your class. Pick up new tips and resources, share content, set and collect assignments, generate grades and post notices.
2. Edutopia
From its fantastically well-stocked education video library to online debates and conversations on teaching, schools and classroom management, Edutopia is a key resource for every 21st Century teacher.
3. Skype Classroom
A free global community, Skype Classroom allows teachers to connect with other educators, their own students and other classes from all over the world, without leaving the classroom. From swapping lessons with another teacher to inspiring collaborative education projects like the global weather project, the platform encourages mutual exploration, learning and cultural exchange between teachers and students alike.
4. Twitter
Twitter is an essential resource for any connected educator, as it forms the hub of many online Personal Learning Networks and provides a constant stream of up-to-the-minute information on the hottest new ideas and resources in education technology. Use it to connect to other influential educators and follow hash tags like #edtech, #elearning, #mlearning and #edchat to stay abreast of the latest developments and debates from educators around the world.
5. Collaborize Classroom
A free collaborative education platform for students and teachers, Collaborize claims to “reduce grading time by up to two hours per week” and boasts nearly two million lessons served. The online topic library is a great resource for accessing online curricula and lessons, whilst topics and assignments can be created and shared virtually, enabling savvy teachers to use the same content for different classes, thus cutting back on preparation time and printing.
6. Classroom 2.0
Classroom 2.0 is a free online social network for teachers interested in all things web 2.0 and edtech. With over 70,000 members from 188 countries, it is one of the most vibrant online teaching communities and a great place to tune in to topical debates and exchanges of information and great resources.
7. Edublogs
A safe and reliable blogging platform designed specifically with school and educators online, this is a fantastic site for hosting your free classroom blog or school information page. It is designed to be extremely simple and user-friendly to encourage students to get into blogging and includes a whole host of tools and features, from video-embedding to posting podcasts and documents.
8. Project Gutenberg
An essential resource for any connected educator, Project Gutenberg is an online library boasting tens of thousands of free e-books. A fantastic way to access old and rare texts, and a brilliant resource for research, cheap document access and student exploration!
9. PBS Teachers
PBS Teachers is a brilliant umbrella site featuring education news, updates and links, teaching resources and an entire teachers’ community, all under one (virtual) roof! Great for reliable, pertinent information on questions like internet security and education technology school policies.
10. Schoolology
Another great free platform for the connected educator to stay in touch with students and other teachers alike. With diverse content shared in the public resources section, it’s a great way to channel information and ideas from other educators.
What are your top sites for connected educators? Let us know and share your top tips in the comments box below!
Images in order courtesy of Flickr, familymwr, kjarrett, popofatticus
Feature image courtesy of Flickr, LeonArts.at
hiii sir nice site….