Embedit.in is a free web tool that allows you to upload documents (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and others), images, code, webpages, vector graphics, and text into your website. You can write the documents, adding corrections or pointing out certain things, and have different privacy settings for the documents, and it has built in analytic tool so you can understand how your viewers are using your documents. - Emily R.
Can software accurately grade a students essay? According to this article from Inside Higher Ed, yes and no. A large study done at the University of Akron found that grades given by human readers and the software’s ratings were usually very similar. More than 22,000 essays written by students were used in the study.
From the article: ” “The results demonstrated that over all, automated essay scoring was capable of producing scores similar to human scores for extended-response writing items,” the Akron researchers write, “with equal performance for both source-based and traditional writing genre.” “
According to a New York Times article, Harvard and M.I.T. Team up to Offer Free Online Courses, these two educational giants have announced edX, a nonprofit partnership that offers free courses from both schools. Completing the courses earns you a grade and certificate, but you don’t get any credits. 120,000 people already enrolled in a Circuits and Electronics course in March, and 10,000 passed the midterm. Other schools are planning to offer free online courses as well, such as Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton.
The article said of the venture, “M.I.T. and Harvard officials said they would use the new online platform not just to build a global community of online learners, but also to research teaching methods and technologies.”
TimeMaps is a site that helps history teachers create lesson plans by letting them click on places on a map and giving them information about the places they clicked. It also recommends them to let their students come to the website in an attempt to perhaps inspire the student to do research in their free time. - Jay S.
The Scale of the Universe is a program that allows the user to inspect everything from atoms to planets. You use a slide to decide how zoomed in or out you are and then you click on an object and the website will tell you about that object. It is a very fun and informative tool. - Jay S.
This is a very user friendly blog. It will give step by step instructions about how to use different online tools that would be helpful in a class. It is discribed so well that I think that even elementary level students would be able to understand and complete the steps described on this site. - Jay S.
This blog is devoted to finding ways for teachers to integrate technology into classrooms. It has very in depth articles about a variety of different technologies. It discusses a variety of websites and tools I’ve never heard of. Professor Strange would probably really enjoy this blog. - Jay S.
Ask a Tech Teacher is run by Jacqui Murray, a Southern California elementary teacher who teaches her students about typing on keyboards, Photoshop, and other technology. Her blog is a veritable treasure trove of information for teachers looking for ideas to use technology in their classroom. Her blog has even won web awards for best educational technology blog. She covers a wide range of topics in her blog, from photoshop, keyboarding, Google Earth, Web 2.0 tools, Kidpix, and a ton of other things. She also answers questions from her blog’s readers and gives out tips. She updates very regularly, and is a great addition to anyone’s PLN. - Emily R.
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