BUILD A CLASSROOM SITE or INTEGRATE INTO YOUR CURRICULUM
(remember.....MOST are FREE)
BUILD A WEBSITE FOR YOUR CLASS
CLASSJUMP - FREE & easy. This is a simple and easy to use option. Has a built in calender option for assignments. Can upload documents with your assignments (vocabulary, reading lists, etc.) mine, lotsexamples,
SCHOOLRACK - FREE & easy as well. Not set up as well for detailed assignment listing as ClassJump. Has a student/parent sign up option for communicating. Can upload documents easily - newsletters, spelling lists, etc.) example
EZClassSites - FREE. I did not find this as easy to use as I thought it should be but someone else may not have the confusion I did when trying to set up a classroom site here. May be worth a look.
WEEBLY - FREE. This is still a new one for me but so far I like it. Little more complicated than classjump or schoolrack but more like a website & has multimedia options for your pages. NOT as good as ClassJump for posting assignments for your students. BETTER for posting video, discussions, etc.
Google Sites - FREE. Can be a pretty involved process unless you use one of their templates. Offers a LOT of options. Good if you plan on having alot of elements to your site such as documents, photos, video, calendar, etc. But, may be more than needed for a single classroom website. Examples: Arkoma School; Mrs. Richau;
WikiSpaces - FREE and must be INVITED to join. Is set up to be interactive so would reccomend for space per class/organization. Still learning this optionn as well. Newbie alert!
Yola -
WEBSITES TO USE WITH OR AS AN ASSIGNMENT
Epals - FREE a classroom email teacher/student OR student/student communication. Students emails incoming and outgoing must be approved by the teacher before the sender can receive and only to another epal account user. Use for student/teacher communication or assignment submission. For class to class communication within the school district. ALSO, can link your class to others around the WORLD for penpal exchange.
Penzu - FREE online journal. Students can use as a daily journal or use for class notes. Use as class writing assignments and/or encourage students to write out their thoughts here in PRIVATE instead of on a blog or social network for all to see. Entries can be "shared" via email if using to grade. For a printable easy how to for students: HOWTOPENZU
Penzu Classroom - $49 per year. In addition to the free journal, a teacher can manage a class with assignments & grades. Is a great option for online or blended classes.
STUDENT TESTING OR SURVEY ONLINE
Think about using to get students opinions on some HOT topics in the classroom, class voting, statistic analyses, etc. One classroom used it to review for end of year testing. Can be used for teacher meetings as well.
Socrative - This online testing option can replace clicker response. Students do not have to sign up to use. Create quizzes with their excel template and when student complete the results can be downloaded back out to excel. I found this a very simple & fast option. Apps are available for iPad, iPhone, iPod, android phones, and Kindle.
Poll Everywhere - No sign up needed. Can respond via text or website. Not good for true testing but good for surveys/polls. Open ended responses are especially helpful. CONS- cannot regulate who is providing response. PROS- easy & fast. Good for opinion
Monkey Survey