Useful+Tools

="I do not fear computers. I fear lack of them" =

Educational Blogs and Wikis
[|Newell-Fonda Tech] A blog from the Technology Director of a 1 to 1 school in Northwest Iowa

[|Mr. Frerich's Blog] What is life like for a Technology Coordinator in his first year of a 1:1. this blog reveals many of the ups and downs.

[|Learning Is Life] This is the blog of a second year teacher from Waukee, IA as he works to integrate and use technology in the classroom. This blog offers lots of practical advise and real world application of some online tools.

[|Leading With Technology] This blog offers an administrative perspective to technology integration in schools. Written by an AEA employee who works with teachers and administrators to assist them with their technology needs.

[|Dr. Z. Reflects] Leigh's blog offers the perspective of a teacher educator and the work he does in technology is incredible. I am fortunate to sit on the ITEC board with him and truly value his opinions.

ITEC Wiki This is the official wiki page for ITEC. It includes information from the conference including handouts and slides of presentations made at the 2010 conference in Iowa City.

1:1 Best Practices This wiki has a number of resources on it that all pertain in one way or another to the 1:1 initiatives that are occurring throughout the state.

Simply Connect an educators starting point to find other educators who you can collaborate and connect with. Whether your collaborative conversations continue via Twitter, Ning, Facebook, Skype, or any other communicative medium, the goal is to have your collaborations end with ENHANCED STUDENT LEARNING.

Educational Websites
[|K12 1:1] This website is full of information for those schools that are considering going 1:1 and has resources for those schools that have gone with a 1:1.

[|CASTLE] CASTLE is the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. This site offers lots of good information for administrators who are looking to lead the way in the integration of technology in education.

[|1to1 Schools] Established by CASTLE and Scott McLeod, this site offers perspectives on 1:1 initiatives, best practices, and useful materials.

[|Apple Education Resources] Working in a school that is predominately Apple, this site has information for educators and IT staff. It is an excellent starting point for everything from quick how to's to in depth knowledge base articles.

Web 2.0 Tools
 to me there is no greater web 2.0 tool than twitter. It is the basis for my Personal Learning Network. Twitter gives me the ability to reach numerous people in a timely fashion. For those interested, my twitter handle is @llennon

Wikispaces is invaluable as a free resources to house such wonderful tools as this PLN.

If you have a need for online collaboration and editing, from mail to spreadsheets to documents, this is the place. There are so many things that are possible with google docs. Take a look and see if it is right for you.

Are you tired of PowerPoint. Although I firmly believe that it is never the software, but the presenter and how they use it that makes presentations go great, Prezi offers a new perspective to creating animated presentations.

Looking for online storage, flash drives been through the wash one too many times. Dropbox offers online storage of up to 2GB for free and then you can purchase more if needed.

Online photo editing has been made simple. In a 1:1 intitiative, you do not always have to purchase the software to do digital assignments. Many are offered free. Pixlr is one such piece of software.

An online application that visually shows verbage of any file.

Looking for a video to use, watch, or share. It is probably on you tube. Create a school channel and share the successes you are having.