Quizlet

Quizlet is yet another extremely useful website and study tool with tons of great uses. There's even a free Quizlet app in the App Store if you're into having your students going the mobile route when studying their content. To get started, all you really need to do is register. It's free, but like everything else on the internet these days, there is a "premium" service that you can opt to purchase for $15 a year that basically includes access to a few features that probably aren't worth $15 a year. Then again, with what you can access at the start, why even bother.

The mobile version.

Quizlet allows users log in and create, track, and organize a complete online study guide of vocabulary words or relevant terms and phrases which can then be manipulated into flashcards, spelling tests, definition tests, etc. Students can revisit their "flashcard sets" to study, and they can create an unlimited amount of sets even with the free service. Downloading the app to an iPad or iPod allows  students to take their studying to any quiet place they can find. Teachers can even create classes to monitor student progress and share vocabulary sets.

How does it work in the classroom?

Honestly, whenever my students use Quizlet to learn a lot of key terms for a project or a unit, it always seems like they begin to pick up on the terminology noticeably quicker and more accurately than if they don't use it. Not only that, but spelling of the terms is also better just because of the nature of Quizlet and the way the "Space Race" game works. The bottom line is that using my ever-informal research techniques, I feel as though I can ascertain that using Quizlet will yield more positive results than not using it.

Try it. You have nothing to lose.

Sporcle

If you're looking to kill some time or maybe even learn a little something, check out Sporcle. And let this be your warning. This website is addictive. This is a site of "mentally stimulating diversions," and even though a few of these diversions have very little educational value, there are many quizzes with some legitimate classroom connection.

The site works extremely simply. First, you just choose a subject or search for a topic and click on one of the preset games in that subject regarding some category like Human Bones or Countries of Europe. Then you're put on the clock to answer/name/type/correctly spell as many of the items as possible in the allotted time. If you're interested in keeping track of how you've done throughout your exploits with Sporcle's numerous quizzes, feel free to register. It's free, of course. You can even just create your own quiz if you can't find a quiz to satisfy your needs. Also, there's even a Sporcle app to keep you iPhoners occupied on the go.

How it works in the classroom?

Some of the quizzes are just too good not to show students. When the time runs out or when you click "Give Up," Sporcle will even display a percentage of items you typed, which would provide you, the teacher, with instant feedback of how much of the material the student remembers or at least how much they can type and spell correctly within a time constraint.

Also understand that there are plenty of quizzes on Sporcle that are pretty uneducational (Looney Tunes Characters and Super Mario Bros Enemies are still fun though), and your students will absolutely find them, but even then, they still have to demonstrate some degree of typing and spelling skill to correctly input their responses. Nevertheless, I still think there is plenty of useful material on Sporcle to help your students learn and remember some very relevant, important stuff. Check it out.

Popplet

Popplet is a fantastic tool to help promote content literacy by creating a "digital word wall" on your screen that can show relationships between terms and ideas. Registration is free, and as far as I can tell, you can create as many popplets as you need without any limits whatsoever.

The interface is as clean and simple as it gets. Once you start your new popplet, simply double click anywhere on the popplet space to create a "popple," a rectangular text box that can be formatted for assorted colors, sizes, text sizes, etc. The popples can also hold uploaded or copied images or even your own hilariously bad free-hand mouse drawings. The popples can then be arranged wherever you desire on the popplet and connected using lines to show relationships between popples or flow or anything else. The popplets can then be shared via URL so that students or other teachers can see them. Really cool.

How does it work in the classroom?

Popplet has numerous practical uses in the classroom. It can serve as a great way to keep track of ideas in a class discussion or maybe even be used as an organized "parking lot" for questions that will be revisited later in a project. Personally, I like using Popplet as a storage space for terms that we have been using during a project and showing how those terms are related and grouped. After I've amassed and organized all the terms, I'll link the popplet to the class webpage, and the students have an instant and effective graphic organizer to use as a study tool.

I think Popplet would be a fantastic tool, particularly for math, since it allows you to organize formulas and terms under categorical umbrellas such as "Triangles" or "Solving Quadratics." For many of the same reasons, it would also provide an opportunity to organize terms throughout a unit on binomial nomenclature or make a quick timeline of events from the Civil War. I suppose you could even use it in a marching band class to organize cheers by offense or defense or highlight certain parts of musical pieces. The uses for Popplet are almost limitless.

Click here to see a popplet that I created as a review for my Business Technology Applications class.

One True Media

If you're ever wanted to experience the excitement and features of Apple's iMovie but don't have access to a Mac or you're a PC die-hard or maybe you just don't have the spare time in your schedule to learn how to use iMovie, One True Media may be the answer to high quality video production you're looking for.

First of all, understand that this service is not free. In fact, it's a little steep in the cost department, seeing that it's a subscription service ($3.99 a month or $39.99 annualy). However, if you're just looking for a quick option to make a video with some pretty fancy fixin's, head to One True Media and sign up. You may even discover you want to pay them a few bucks to send you a DVD.

How does it work in the classroom?

The similarities between iMovie and One True Media are not very apparent at first, but after a few minutes playing around with it, I started to notice that the two programs are really trying to do many of the same things. Students can import video or pictures into the project and add some fairly impressive transition effects and screen captions. You won't be able to share your file without paying of course, but if you're will to whip out the rubric and grade what students produce from the One True Media preview screen, you may be impressed with what they can create. I don't think the service would be worth the subscription cost since there are many other practical and better options out there, but it is at least something different.

PowToon

If you're sick of PowerPoint (and if you're not, you should be...'cause your kids are), check out PowToon. PowToon is an extremely easy-to-use presentation app that gives you only the coolest and most effective options from the presentation heavyweights like PowerPoint and Keynote and wraps them up into a nice tidy little package for you or your students to utilize quickly to create a sleek, visually appealing self-playing presentation. You even have the option to insert video.

You'll have to register with an email address, and you'll only be able to export five of your presentations to video before being cornered into choosing to purchase their premium services or not. Whatever. I guess we can make as many email addresses as we need.

How does it work in the classroom?

PowToon is a great way to introduce projects or even basic assignments because it allows you to create a self-playing presentation that can be viewed time and time again and paused on whatever content needs to be seen again for a longer period of time. You can create a presentation that outlines the steps to beginning a new project as well as a checklist of the items that are required to be completed by the first checkpoint and maybe even a rubric. Post that video in a place where your students can access it, and they'll be able to refer to that presentation throughout the duration of the project. If nothing else, it provides the students with a different method of getting that information than having to listen to you, the teacher, just preach it or by reading it from a sheet of paper.

Students can also create their own PowToon as a simple product for a project. The interface is so easy to use that kids will pick it up in no time, and the finished product looks so professional that it surely will wow anyone who views it.

Spelling City

If you're looking for a one-stop shop to ensure that every student at every level of learning and learning style understands their vocabulary words and content-specific terminology, Spelling City is very close to what you need. The free service allows anyone to create and take spelling tests and play a few games to assist in learning the words and terms. Doesn't sound too special. However, Spelling city will even read the a vast majority of the terms and a relevant sentence aloud through headphones or speakers in a not-at-all-creepy, un-computerized voice for all of us auditory learners out there.

How does it work in the classroom?

Teachers or students can enter their vocabulary words for a project or unit into the site and have instant access to the spelling tests and the free games. I can't guarantee that they'll learn everything they'll need, but I will say that using this sites services will definitely help. There are oodles of extra features that you can get for registering for premium membership including student login access, extra games and activities, and access to student records and data. Whether or not that sounds like your cup of tea, the free services are are more than worth your time and students' time.

B-Movie TV

I'm convinced that Hollywood (and Bollywood) only churns out B-Movies in order for the rest of the world to have fun ridiculing them and making Youtube clips from their most hilariously bad parts. Now your students can enjoy those fine nuances of the lousy B-Movies of yesteryear and learn a little something in the process while they create their own subtitled or voiced-over clip of their own.

Grapheine Design, the comedic geniuses who brought you the classic Bombay TV, have also added B-Movie TV, a different, yet all-too-similar version of Bombay TV with clips from unintentionally hilarious low-budget films from half a century ago for your students to use as the backdrop for whatever material they wish to insert into them.

How does it work in the classroom?

By just visiting the site, your students can choose the video clip they wish to use and simply type subtitled text that will show on top of the video. If your class has access to microphones for student use, they can also use them to add their own voices on top of the video clip to "put words in the mouth" of the speaking character from the film. Hilarity will ensue. And so will information retention.

Why is this useful in a class, you ask? It simply serves as another option to help students to remember important information. Instead of just saying to themselves "Remember the Quadratic Formula," students can say to themselves "Remember that ridiculously awesome video of the 1960s spaceman telling me how to use the Quadratic Formula?" That could make the difference between remembering it and not remembering it.

Look.

Personalize funny videos at Bombay TV by Graphéine - Agence communication

That took, like, 45 seconds. Seriously.

SplashTop

Looking for a free cheap for a way to control your desktop PC from anywhere on your network? SplashTop makes it happen. Here's what you need:

• Download this app for your iPad or even your iPhone (!)
• Download SplashTop Streamer on the desktop you want to control

The streamer works on PC as well as Mac, which is good news for the ever-growing population of loyal Apple fans, and the app will cost you $1.99 for your iPhone or $4.99 for the iPad. The Streamer service is free. Once installed and after a brief, easy set-up period, you'll be able to control your desktop or laptop from the comfort of your iDevice as if it was touchscreen-operated.

How does it work in the classroom?

If you're running a classroom management software, for instance, SMART Sync, then you can use SplashTop on the same machine running SMART Sync and use those features on your iDevice while you aren't near your desktop. In other words, you can have the ability to constantly circumnavigate your classroom and never have to take your eyes off a single student's computer screen.

Even if you're in the school building but there is a substitute in your classroom for various reasons, you can use SplashTop to monitor what students are doing in your class even while you're away as long as you can access the network. You can even install the SplashTop Streamer on all student computers and access those machine whenever you need to access them.

Primary Wall

You may think Primary Wall is geared a little more toward the elementary side of teaching, and to that, I shall channel my inner Lee Corso and say, "No so fast, my friend." Content literacy is an integral part of instruction at any level of education, and this tool provides an easy and effective means of promoting it. Primary Wall is basically nothing more than a cutesy background picture on which you can post and edit little digital sticky notes. That's it really. However, the cool thing about it is that the sticky notes are broken into sections for a title, comments, and an author.

How does it work in the classroom?

The fact that these "walls" can be shared and constantly edited make Primary Wall very useful while students are still learning new terms and ideas. Teachers can create digital word walls for each individual project and have a space for students to see each word and a definition for the word. Oh, and if anyone would like to edit the wall, they can put their name on it at the end in the box for the author's name.