Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Host virtual meetings with up to thirty participants with Kumospace. The free plan includes all of the site's core features, including unlimited floors and virtual apps. Other features include the ability to screen share, chat with individuals or the entire group, and customize your workspace. After creating an account, start your meeting by selecting the "Create a Space" button. Next, give your space a name, customize the end of the URL to be shared, and choose an option for your area. Then, share the link to invite others to your virtual meeting. Finally, choose from templates to change the background of your space, add floors, and edit privacy settings for your session and each floor. Privacy options include requiring a password for different floors or setting the floor availability only for use by co-hosts. Learn more about the features of Kumospace and how to implement them by finding videos on their YouTube Channel, located here.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): chat (38), communication (132), parent conferences (20), video (251)

Doozy is a social platform for teams to chat, create quizzes, participate in group games, and much more. Register and create an account with Doozy to create your social space. Grab the link to invite others to your game room to begin group activities. Once in the room, use chat features to interact, create a quiz or choose from the library of pre-made quizzes, or add a playlist from Spotify as part of your activity room. With the free account you get 1 meeting room, 10 participants,15 min sessions, games, quizzes, and icebreakers.

tag(s): chat (38), communication (132), remote learning (62), social and emotional learning (73), social networking (70)

Gatheround is a group chat and video conversation utility that includes guided conversation games. Add up to 20 people to your meeting with unlimited events included in the free plan. Start by clicking Create Event in the upper right corner, use Gatheround's templates or create your own to host a virtual meet and greet, watch videos together, or watch a featured speaker. After selecting a template, follow the prompts to set up your virtual event and personalize activities to suit your needs. Once your event room is set up, copy the link and share it with participants via email, text, Slack, or calendar.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): chat (38), communication (132), parent conferences (20), professional development (352), remote learning (62)

Google Jamboard is a collaborative, online whiteboard application. Use the tool options to access the pen, eraser, add sticky notes, and upload images. Jamboard also includes some limited options to change the background. Add "frames" to create whiteboard displays similar to a slide show. Email the link to your board to add collaborators using the share icon. Be sure to select the drop-down box to add collaborators as editors, not just viewers. When finished, use the three dots near the top of the page to rename your Jamboard, download your work as a PDF, save as an image. All work automatically saves within your Google Drive account.

tag(s): collaboration (86), images (254), iwb (32), Whiteboard (7)

YoTeach! is a free backchanneling app created for teachers and students. Create a room and set a password then provide the URL to your students. Once in the platform, the site's features allow you to share chat discussions, use the online whiteboard, and upload images. Additional options include a simple polling tool, a "like" button, and student participation statistics. When finished, download the conversation to your computer as a PDF. When creating your room, use settings to control privacy and moderate participants. Students can now engage using anonymous mode.

tag(s): chat (38), communication (132), social networking (70)

Telegra.ph is a simple to use web publishing tool for even the most novice creators. Click and type to fill in the title, your name, and add content. After starting your writing, you can choose the camera icon to upload images from your computer or select the brackets to paste a YouTube, Vimeo, or Twitter link. When finished, click on the publish button. That is it! Your work is now online. Just copy the URL to share. Add or delete content at any time using the link to edit.

tag(s): blogs (67), communication (132), writing (301)

Speechnotes provides a distraction-free, easy to use speech to text notepad for use with Chrome browsers. Just click on the microphone to begin speaking. Be sure to view the hints for inserting punctuation. When finished, email or print your document. Saving options allow you to upload files to Google Drive or download as a text file. This tool is for speech to text, not text to speech.

tag(s): communication (132), speech (67), writing (301)

Smudge's Early Science provides activities for introducing basic science concepts about plants and animals to children ages four and up. Follow the instructions included with each activity to drag and drop images into the correct order or sort by categories.

tag(s): animals (270), plants (140), preK (247)

Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a free video discussion tool with capabilities for sharing student responses through video. You can use Google, Microsoft, or your email address to create an account. Begin by clicking Getting Started from the top menu, then find the link to the Educator Toolkit (or scroll to the bottom menu of the landing page) and just follow the Toolkit simple steps to create a group. Be sure to copy the link for your group. Easy-to-follow directions guide you through the process of setting up a video response. Members will create a goup by clicking +Create from the left menu on your dashboard. When finished, use links to share the URL or embed your Flip into a website. Students access your Flip using the access code when sharing your topic, with the custom QR code, or through the unique URL created. In addition, share topics directly to Google Classroom, Remind, Microsoft Teams, or use the embed code to insert into a website. Be sure to investigate ideas from other educators in the at the Community Moments, found on the bottom menu. On the bottom menu you will also find the Help Center for Remote Learning. Flip is available in Spanish, too!

tag(s): assessment (130), collaboration (86), communication (132), DAT device agnostic tool (137), Microsoft (82), remote learning (62), video (251)

Track learning in real-time with Quizalize. Student answers are color-coded on the teacher dashboard for ease in identifying who needs more help. Create scrambled word or multiple choice questions, and each question can have a custom timer. View reports for each student's progress and learning gaps. Create a quiz or select one from Quizalize's growing library. Quizzes can be "gamified" by showing the teacher dashboard as a leaderboard to see progress against other users. Quizalize works on any device with a browser and Internet connection. Sign up with an email and password. Create a quiz, assign it to classes, get a code, give it to students, and let the fun begin! The free account provides 3 classes and 5 activities.

tag(s): differentiation (74), game based learning (172), gamification (75), polls and surveys (47), quizzes (88)

Looking for a quiz tool that is better than all the rest? Quizizz is a free tool. It works on any device: web browser, iOS, Android and Chrome apps. You can access hundreds of ready-made learning quizzes or create your own. Join as a teacher, pick a quiz, and use the code for a virtual room to give to your students. Alternatively, you can create your own quiz on Quizizz, even importing questions from excel/CSV files with just a click of a button. Students use the code to enter and submit a nickname, code name, or numerical name (students do not have to register). Quizziz now has to be marked as trusted by an administrator to be able to use it with your Google Classroom account, even if you have been using it. With Google Classroom students can join by signing in with their Google Account; just one click. Even better, if you assign a Quizizz through Google Classroom, all your data gets updated in your Classroom dashboard. You will get notifications when students complete assignments, and their responses and grades show. Teachers can choose to make their quiz public or private. Embed images with your questions. Check or uncheck the settings including music. You can even duplicate an existing quiz to save into My Quizizz. A created Quizizz can have randomized or non-randomized questions.

Don't miss the memes that are displayed when students answer a question; these are sure to be a hit with students. You can also customize your Quizizz by creating your own Memes. Use images of the school mascot, students pets, or favorite game characters to create a set of ten or more memes. Click the My Memes from the top menu, then the plus symbol. You are now ready to start. Be sure to Click "Start Game" after students have entered the code. Send the game link to students (or other teachers to use with their classes) by email, website, or social media. Set time limits of 30 seconds to 5 minutes for students to answer each question. This allows more time for more complex questions. Students earn points for speed and accuracy. Unlike other sites, both teacher and students can see the questions, answers, and the leader board throughout the quiz. Most other tools require the teacher to project the answers and leader board on a whiteboard. The leader board can be turned OFF in this tool as well. And, what is the best part of this tool? Two separate classes can play together using this tool. Quizziz works on any web enabled device including smartphones and tablets, and has an iOS app.

You can now email student reports to parents (even send the student reports to multiple/all parents at once), the main navigation bar has moved from the top to the left, and there is a search bar that you can access on all pages, and now you can search both your quizzes and your reports. Quizizz is now available in Spanish and will soon be adding other languages. Don't miss their new Jungle theme with music, backgrounds, and GIFs... oh my!

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (137), game based learning (172), gamification (75), polls and surveys (47), quiz (67), quizzes (88), spanish (102)

This tool is a great way to take videos and add your own voice or add questions within the video. YouTube videos are viewable in edpuzzle even if your school filters block them! Search for educational videos from sites such as Khan Academy and Learn Zillion. Use the sliders to choose the video section, then insert your voice or comment on the video. Create a series of questions to go along with your selected video and insert them into the correct part of the video. There is no need for students to watch the whole video to access the questions at the end. Follow the on-screen directions to chop the video for the section you need, add your voice, and choose where to add text-based questions. Create a class and add students into the class either in the dashboard or after creating the video. Use student codes to access the video. At the bottom of the page, on the far right click the "Help Center" button. There is also a short demo video hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, find the video you want to use and embed it in edpuzzle. It will be viewable when used through edpuzzle!

tag(s): assessment (130), communication (132), DAT device agnostic tool (137), questioning (30), remote learning (62), video (251)

Use this free slide-based multimedia app to put lessons and other material on any web browser OR iOs and Android devices. Build your presentations using pre-made templates. The site does offer ready-made presentations (some free). The interactive, pre-made videos and text presentations are from Ted-Ed, Khan Academy, Nearpod, and others. Some include questions to answer as you work through the presentations. What is the best part of Nearpod? There are now three different presentation modes.

When in the "live presentation" mode (in person or remote web conferencing), teachers control the lesson's pace, and students do not move to the next screen until advanced by the teacher. With the "student pace" mode, students progress through independently, whether at home or in class. The third mode is "front of the class;" you project your presentation, and the students do not use their devices. Use the teacher version of the app to push out the presentation to your students. For the first two modes, every student uses their own student app to follow the screens and answer the questions. This provides immediate feedback about every student. The feedback can be emailed to the teacher for later review. This formative assessment tool is invaluable and a unique part of the app. The tool also includes drawing for students to work out problems. Teachers can identify students who are not "on task" and not working within the app when a little red light pops up. Absent students can complete the assignment at home.

The free version of Nearpod is called Silver; you get 100 MB of storage, 40 students per session/lesson, access to 20+ formative assessments, 7,500 pre-made interactive lessons, 1,000 pre-made interactive videos, and more. How many lessons and videos will depend on your storage.

tag(s): assessment (130), classroom management (128), DAT device agnostic tool (137), differentiation (74), Formative Assessment (61), gamification (75), Learning Management Systems (22), multimedia (42), Online Learning (39), personalized learning (8), playlists (10), remote learning (62), slides (44), Teacher Utilities (133), teaching strategies (38)

Ask meaningful questions and see responses in real-time while creating an exciting, game-like environment. Build instant polls, quizzes, or responses through a simple drag and drop interface. Once you create your account, be sure to take the Intro Quiz to learn how to use this tool. When you start the quiz, you will be prompted to open a new tab, create a nickname, and enter the game pin. Now you will be able to take the quiz to learn how Kahoot! works AND be able to see what a teacher sees in your original tab. You will have to go to the Main tab to launch the next question in the Quiz. Find ready-made quizzes on the public Kahoot! menu by entering search terms. Create questions, quizzes, and polls with an optional uploaded image. Kahoot! also has a team option. Groups can use one computer to answer questions. The best part about the team option is it allows groups wait time to discuss their answer before submitting it. The teacher gets the data back instantly, and it is stored on the site or can be downloaded. This is superb for checking the knowledge of your audience/students or to see if they are still paying attention and understand concepts.

tag(s): assessment (130), DAT device agnostic tool (137), Formative Assessment (61), game based learning (172), gamification (75), polls and surveys (47), quizzes (88)

Powtoon is an amazing, free, animated presentation tool. Sign up for your free account then choose from one of many templates available to edit, or start from scratch. Next, start making magic! Create your title and description. Modify slides by changing text, font, image holders, and props. Preview your creation at any time with the play button. Stop and make changes as needed. Change styles easily by choosing a different style within the program. Select from the royalty free music options offered by Powtoon to enhance your presentation. Share the finished presentation via social media buttons on your page to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other popular pages or export to YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then using YouTube may not be your best option. Use the embed code provided to easily embed in your website or blog -- or simply share your Powtoon using the URL provided. Exports are not included with the free membership plan. Email is required to register and use Powtoon.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animation (61), digital storytelling (140), movies (51), multimedia (42), slides (44)

Twiddla is an online meeting space and collaboration tool that is like having a whiteboard skin placed over any website or image so you can draw and more. Discover options available in the practice area named the Sandbox. Choose options for collaboration such as a url, uploaded image or document, or collaborate together on a blank screen. Use the Invite button to share the collaboration url via email or copy/paste. Take a snapshot of your session at any time and export as an image. Pro Accounts offer additional features, such as screen captures and password protection. Receive these services free as an educator, find the directions in the FAQ.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): design (85), editing (90), iwb (32), note taking (34)

With the Mentimeter presentation tool, you can create free polls, word clouds, real-time question and answer sessions, and quizzes that provide instant feedback from audiences or classes. All of these can be in person, remote, or hybrid. After joining with your email address, your dashboard will appear. Use the top menu bar to find the question mark in the upper right corner; click it, and you can watch any number of "How to" videos (most under two minutes), even one on how to get started. Choose from various themes, create a question and a set of answer choices, or participants respond with their words. When finished the slide will provide the URL and ID code for your presentation. Participants choose or enter their answers using a mobile device or their computer. You can generate a QR code quickly for the fastest linking. View results instantly (a plus for interactive presentations or classes). Results can also be embedded on a website. The most popular mobile platforms support Mentimeter. The free membership provides unlimited projects/polls. Each individual poll/project allows unlimited regular slides, two question slides, and five quiz slides.

tag(s): assessment (130), Formative Assessment (61), polls and surveys (47), presentations (14), word clouds (13)

Popplet combines a great number of features for creating mindmaps into one package. Share and collaborate with others. Create detailed and easily customized mindmaps. After creating a free account, click the "public popplets" tab at the top to see many differnt kinds of example Popplets for inspiration. Change the color of Popplets (mindmap boxes). Draw or insert images and videos from Flickr, Facebook, You Tube, and even your desktop. When you begin your Popplet, follow the mini-tutorial that appears to quickly learn the features. Create one Popplet for free. Though Popplet looks simple and limited, it is probably one of the easiest to use. Have an iPad? Use the Popplet app!

tag(s): concept mapping (17), mind map (24), myplate (19)

This animation tool will help create a video or a video slideshow with pizzazz. Add personal sounds, videos, and other media to create the next level of video for your classes. This tool is great for schools without access to other free video or multimedia creation software. Create 30 second videos including music choices from over 300 soundtracks. A typical thirty second video requires twelve images making this a reasonable choice for projects with middle and high school level students. Also look through their many templates making this video creator easy to use for anyone. Students ages 13+ can set up their own Animoto account if they have a school email, but their account won't be connected to your teacher account, therefore, they will need to email you their completed video links. A better solution for some teachers may be to consider using a "class set" of Gmail subaccounts, explained here; this tells how to configure Gmail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Using Gmail subaccounts will provide anonymous interaction within your class. You will also recieve emails from Animoto when videos are completed and passwords are changed. You can also use the Gmail subaccounts for students under 13, with appropriate parent permission. See this Animoto Blog Post, about how teachers can set up student accounts.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): animation (61), images (254), movies (51), photography (128), slides (44), video (251)

Padlet is an application to create an online bulletin board that you can use to display information for any topic. There are seven different layouts to choose from that allow you the ability to present information in various ways, create maps, and make timelines. Easily create an account and build a new board. Add images, links, videos, columns for sorting or refining organization, and more. Return to your Padlet to add additional information at any time and collaborate with others. Settings offer options to make Padlets open for public contributions, private, or moderated by you (you approve all contributions before they show). Free accounts allow you to make 3 Padlets that include search, themes, stats, premium wallpapers, and cross-device support for uploaded videos. You can always delete an old Padlet to make a new one. Find Video tutorials and Examples by scrolling to the bottom menu and finding "Support" on the left side of the page. This is a device-agnostic tool, available on the web but also available for free as both an Android and iOS app. Use it from any device or move between several devices and still access your work. App and web versions vary slightly.

tag(s): bulletin boards (14), DAT device agnostic tool (137), images (254), timelines (45)