Resources of Interest

As teachers or tech coordinators that integrate technology into your classrooms, I'm guessing you are always looking for good resources. As a teacher librarian, I have had some success in finding resources that can be used in the classroom. So, this blog entry will contain suggestions for technology tools you might want to try.

All Things Google:

Iowa is quickly moving to Google Apps. As a way to help the process, a web site has been created with links to resources. I'd suggest checking out the Google Apps Iowa site. I'd also suggest joining an Iowa Google Group and participating in the discussion. Webinars have also been held. However, if you haven't had the opportunity to attend one, they are being archived. In addition to the Iowa Google site, there is also a Google Apps for Education Online Training Center.  There's a plethora of resources available at this site. 

Other Google resources I've found:

• Thirty One Interesting Ways to Use Google Docs in the Classroom
• Mary Fran's Google Sites Tutorial
• Google Tools for Schools Boot Camp
• Google Search Shortcuts

 I've also bookmarked many more web sites highlighting Google and Google Apps using Diigo. You can access all my Google bookmarks here.

Web 2.0 Tools

It's almost impossible to think about technology without considering Web 2.0 tools. The primary problem, however, seems to be sifting through all the available resources and finding the best ones. Fortunately, there are people who take the time to do this and make recommendations for tools they deem to be "the best." On Twitter, Jane Hart's Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010, was recommended a number of times. How many of these tools are you familiar with?

I hope some of these resources will be useful. If you have any questions, feel free to email me, pbuysman@nwaea.k12.ia.us.