My Favorite Sites for Teaching Online
It has been my pleasure to teach online since 2008. I got the lucky call in March of that year, and since then I’ve experienced so much “good stuff” by way of teaching online. I’ve become a better teacher because of the processes my organization has in place, and I’ve learned so much about Web 2.0 tools.
If I had to list my favorite tools, it wouldn’t be hard. So, here they are in no particular order:
1. Screencast-o-matic – When I want to provide some lecture-type notes for my students or walk them through a process in the course, I use Screencast-o-matic. I have the ability to upload my finished videos to my account or even to YouTube. Shoot, I can even download it to my computer. I’m limited to 15 minute recordings, but really, who’s paying attention past 15 minutes, anyway?
2. Voki – I’ve been using Voki for quite some time, and I’ve even had my students use the site to create their own speaking avatars. Great for providing feedback, introductions to units/modules, or just as a way to communicate in a new way with my students, Voki is really fun to use. You can have an alien or a dog or a worm or just a normal human deliver whatever message you’re trying to convey (there are plenty of avatar options). And then, you can either use text to voice, your computer’s microphone, or the telephone to voice your character. Use the link to share or even embed with html into your course.
3. Canva – Making graphics is one of my favorite things to do. When they are crisp and clean, I like them even more. Canva is an online image and graphic creating tool that has the ability to be free. If you choose all free elements, you pay nothing. If you need something that costs, you can choose to pay. Just look for the “Free” or “$1” label. Canva keeps your images in your account, and you can even come back and edit later if you need.
4. Jing/Screencast – Similar to Screencast-o-Matic is Jing. The difference is that Jing is an application you download onto your computer. With this resource, you can take a screenshot or make a video. Limitations to time are less strict. Then, you can upload Jing to your Screencast account. Screencast has both free and paid options. With the free option (which I have), you are limited to the bandwidth usage per month. Pay a little bit for a year, and you can have unlimited bandwidth. Through Screencast, you can embed or link out to your Jings. Additionally, Screencast allows you to upload your own videos (like, I make videos via iMovie sometimes) to your Screencast account.
5. Google Voice – Google is amazing. Props to the people who created all of the options for Google including one of my most recent favorites, Google Voice. Working online means that I need to be able to talk to my students to have the synchronous conversations that make what I do different from other forms of online classes (ones where students just point and click). Google Voice gives me a free phone number from which I can call my students for voice-to-voice or text them. The cool thing is that I can have transcripts of the texts to record in my Communication Journal (important to keep up with!) and refer back to later.
Be sure to visit my blogger friends as they share some of their Back to School ideas:
Baking in a Tornado has some Kit Kat Brownie Bars for you. I think she’s trying to make us all gain 10 pounds just by looking at this scrumptious picture!
Stacy Sews and Schools has the perfect solution for nap time! A cozy nap mat cover that will allow your kiddos to have a comfy spot!
Home on Deranged has some great app ideas, too. But these are aimed more at your kids! Check out her list and see if there are some you weren’t aware of!
The Liebers is giving us a how-to for making a personalized pencil pouch. She also has tips for being more organized for the school year. I could definitely use more organization!
Eileen’s Perpetually Busy has a great plan for taking a road trip back in time. It’s a giant map showing where you’ve been on your summer vacations surrounded by photo memories. Then, when the kids get back to school, they can show their teacher exactly where they went! How cute is this?
Someone Else’s Genius is notorious for her awesomely crafty wreaths. This month, she has a Back to School wreath that’s simple AND cute.
Evil Joy Speaks has solutions for redoing a table so you can do your homework!
I’ve heard of some of these. Faculty here use them for their classes. I need to try them out so I can offer some troubleshooting if needed.
I’ve never heard of these! Very cool! I homeschool two kids, so some of these might come in handy. Not to mention that the kids could have some fun with them as well.
Would love to see which ones come in handy!
Oh, these are fabulous!! I bet I could find a use for them in our homeschool!!
Thank you!!
Awesome!
Great resources. I can see the applications for those of us who don’t teach as well. I already use Canva and I’m excited to try out Google Voice and Voki to start with.
Yes! I should have pointed out that there are some seriously smart ways to use these other than with school!
I can’t wait to utilize these with my kids! Super excited to explore them more in depth!
Wonderful to hear! Please let me know what you think. 🙂