Digital Learning Environments

Here is another extremely resourceful site for teachers.  Not only does this one page provide a wealth of links to Web 2.0 tools but also includes resource pages on topics such as digital storytelling, Web 2.0 from A-Z, Animation Tools, web tools for collaboration, web tools for math, and more! 

Among the various resource pages on this site, there is a 4-part series called "20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have."

I wholeheartedly agree that this list begins to give teachers an idea of the skills they will need.  Here are those 20 skills you should have a good working knowledge of to be considered a "tech-savvy teacher." The list includes these 20 skills:

1.    Google Tools Knowledge
2.    Google Earth Knowledge
3.    Wiki Knowledge
4.    Blogging Knowledge
5.    Spreadsheets Skills
6.    Database Skills
7.    Social Bookmarking Knowledge
8.    Social Networking Knowledge
9.    Web Resources in content area
10.    Web Searching skills
11.    Web2.0 Tools
12.    Interactive White Board skills (SmartBoard and Promethean)
13.    Website design and management skills
14.    Presentation Tools
15.    IM knowledge
16.    Video and Podcasting
17.    RSS feeds
18.     Mobile and Handheld Computing
19.    Virtual Worlds
20.    Collaboration & Communication Tools

As part of this series, there are four pages that provide links to specific tools used to address each of the 20 skills above.  All in all, another resource that is jam-packed with tools for you to choose from!

Enjoy!

22 Best Apps for Education

Brought to you by CollaborationIdeas.com, this blog post provides teachers with yet another plethora of mobile learning apps that you can incorporate into your classroom - online and face-to-face! These apps are all for iPad or iPhone and are inexpensive at $4.99 or under. Most are even free to use and enjoy!

Some of the FREE highlights include: 

LeafSnap - great if you're students are studying botany of any sort.  It has great graphics - actual photos and not illustrations. 

Vocabology - excellent vocabulary building app with audio pronunciation of the words! 

Flashcards+ - build your own custom flashcard decks.

Human Anatomy - great visuals of the human body, including muscular system and skeletal system. 

If you visit CollaborationIdeas.com you can also find collections of a variety of tools and ideas to help encourage collaboration in your classrooms.  For instance, Education 2.0 - Updated Tools and Resources is another great find!  I'm sure you'll find many more great pages on this site too!

COFA Online Teaching Gateway

For anyone interested in learning almost anything about teaching online, this site is a comprehensive landing spot! This site is very well organized and provides rich, professional content about the various aspects of online teaching.  Visitors to this site are provided with free and reusable video content as well as professionally-done, supplemental PDF files. Also, these supplements contain several additional sources of information will add to your library of online teaching tools.

The areas this site covers includes Content, Planning and Teaching, Case Studies and a Technical Glossary.  Under the Content, Planning and Teaching area you will find videos and materials on topics such as Planning Your Online Class, Engaging and Motivating Students, Managing Your Time When Teaching Online and much more!  The Case Studies area highlights topics such as using blogs, wikis, Twitter, podcasts, eBooks and audio in online learning. Again, these individual videos come with supplemental PDF files for furthering discussions with your colleagues.

This is an excellent resource provided to us by the Australian Teaching and Learning Council under the Creative Commons license.