Favorite Web Tools of 2014

Favorite Web Tools of 2014


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Here are my favorite web tools of 2014.

  • Evernote should certainly be the first on this list! I have been using it as my e-notebook for a long time. Also, the students in my 1:1 iPad class are using it as their electronic portfolios. They take their notes on the lessons, write their reflections, and keep their products online. It’s great that writing notes on their Evernote has turned into a habit for me and for them!
  • Plickers is a treasure! It’s so much fun and a very simple tool to get feedback or to collect real-time formative assessment data. The best part is that your students don’t need to have any device! Seeing the positive reaction of the students and the teachers has been amazing this year!
  • EdPuzzle is one of the most multi-tasker tools I have ever tried! It helps you to crop your own videos or other videos from different video sharing platforms. You can record your voice over a video, or you can add audio notes. If you like, you can add quizzes or questions to a video as well!
  • WeTransfer is not a teacher tool but I have used it a lot this year to share files online! You don’t need to sign up to send your large files. Simply upload it, write the e-mail and send it! It will also send you a notification when the receiver downloads the file!
  • Write About is the best digital storytelling so far this year! It has many picture prompts that you can assign your students to write a story about. You can even challenge your students to record their voices as they tell their stories.
  • Clyp.it is my new option for Vocaroo. Record your voice and share it with others or you can upload an audio and get a link to share it!
  • Knock on this door to explore where the door will take you! A great web tool for brainstorming, using adjectives, describing places, feelings!
  • I love Google apps and here is my favorite one this year! Story Builder just gives us another perspective to create our stories! Write your story and see how your text turns into an animation.
  • I have started using student selectors this year. Like that, I can give each my student a chance to speak all through the lesson! This one and that one are my favorites.
  • I know that Padlet is not a new tool in the market, but we have used it in so many ways in our lessons this year, because it doesn’t ask you to sign up to use the wall. I think this makes this tool one of the best on my list this year!

Here are mine, what about yours?

cross-posted at ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org

Özge Karaoglu is an English teacher and educational consultant in teaching young learners and teaching with web-based technologies. She is the author of Minigon ELT book series, which aims to teach English to young learners through stories. Read more of her ideas about teaching English through technology and Web-based tools at ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org.