My Top 10 EdTech Resources of 2010

I present what I consider to be the top 10 Tools/Websites/Resources for teachers and students from 2010.  These are in no particular order because I believe they are all great, but for different reasons.  They might have been around before 2010, but were an important addition to education this past year.

1.) Glogster
A resource that allows students to use creativity and several other tools to share knowledge with fellow students through the creation of a digital poster.  The incorporation of organizing the Glogs by categories for students and teachers to search through was a great addition to an already outstanding product.  To see my previous posts about Glogster, CLICK HERE.

2.)  Diigo has been one of my most favorite tools to use this year.  With so many websites out there that teachers can use with their students, it is important to organize them in a fashion that is easy to use and find.  I always suggest to teachers that they use it by creating list separated by the different units that they teach, then when it is time to plan a lesson they can find the resources.  I also suggest tags based on vocabulary as well.  Diigo is not just a site for saving websites, it is also a great site to network with other educators who are saving and sharing resources. 

3.) Skype was a resource that I always knew about, but never really got into until this year.  I created an account initially to be able to talk with distant family and for them to see my children.  I then realized the educational benefits as I started seeing it being used at conferences and reading about it being used in the classroom.  Then, this year, I had the privilege of setting up Skype for a teacher to continue to teach her class while she was home with a broken foot.  She was able to keep her AP classes on track.  It was a great experience.  CLICK HERE for other posts about Skype.

4.) SimpleBooklet.com is a site that was a fairly new product that came out during the end of this year, and is an easy way for students to publish a booklet for projects.  You can read a PREVIOUS POST about SimpleBooklet.com to learn more about it if this is the first you have heard of it.  I highly recommend it for student projects. 

5.) Personally, Prezi has been one of my favorite tools to use for presentations.  I enjoy the ease of embedding YouTube videos as well as the ability to zoom in and out which allows more focus on important aspects of a presentation.  CLICK HERE for several of my previous posts where I discuss using Prezi as an alternative to PowerPoint. 

6.) Creaza is an all in one web resource that allows you to create Mind Maps, Comics, and edit Audio and Video.  When using this site for the first time I found it easy to use and efficient at meeting my needs.  The audio and video editing tools are very simple to use and are an adequate tool to create digital stories.  You can see my PREVIOUS POST for more information. 

7.) Common Craft Videos have been a great addition to my own understanding of several web 2.0 tools.  What is also great about their videos is they have several related to Money, Society, and Going Green.  I highly recommend viewing them if you are a social studies teacher.  I also came across a great blog post where the teacher shared how he had his students create their own version of Common Craft videos.  What a great idea.  You can read my PREVIOUS POST about Common Craft to learn more. 

8.) fotobabble is a site that I think is really interesting because it allows for the user to create talking photos.  It would be a great way for students to present information about a person, place, thing, or event.  I great tool for geography teachers as well to play "Where am I Game."  Here is a great blog post where a teacher discusses how to use it integrating another one of my favorite sites, Wallwisher.  There is also an app for iPhones as well for easily recording over photos.

9.) As mentioned above, Wallwisher has been one of my favorite sites to use with teachers.  I have seen it used in various ways in the classroom with students as well.  You can easily embed it into a website for students to access, or create a link for students to discuss a multitude of topics.  The great thing about Wallwisher is how easy it is to use and setup an account.  You can see my PREVIOUS POST for more ways to use Wallwisher in the classroom.

10.) ToonDoo has been a great addition to the classroom for many teachers.  It makes creating comic strips very simple with a drag and drop interface.  You can upload your own photos as well and add in dialogue.  You can also create a book of comics to create a storyline.  See my PREVIOUS POSTS for more comic sites and ways to use them in the classroom.

BONUS - Twitter.  Well, because you should just use it.  Just read all my PREVIOUS POSTS to find out why.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!