A new school year is the perfect time to incorporate new tools to make things a little easier. We have gathered some technology tools for teachers to help with organization, planning, and funding projects.

JumpRope – Making Grades Irrelevant

JumpRope is an excellent free resource for teachers to help with organization and productivity. A free account will allow teachers to create a standards-based (CCSS) gradebook, take accurate attendance, track student behavior and character development, and design curriculum.

From the website: “JumpRope helps educators implement standards-based grading in every classroom through innovative assessment and feedback. We provide the web-based platform that great teachers and schools need to engage students with active pedagogy, purposeful planning, and authentic learning experiences. With the tools to make standards-based grading easy, teachers are freed to create, propel and inspire; and students become life-long learners.”

 

LearnBoost – Great classrooms start here.

LearnBoost is a platform for teachers to digitally organize their classrooms. With free accounts, teachers are able to set up their gradebooks, create lesson plans with Common Core State Standards, and communicate student progress with parents.

From the website: “LearnBoost’s free, all-in-one solution empowers teachers in managing their classrooms. Teachers use the intuitive gradebook software to track student progress and generate beautiful reports and analytics in real time. Plus, you can create rich lesson plans, track attendance, maintain schedules, integrate Google Apps and tag Common Core State Standards. With everything in one place, teachers can reach new heights with LearnBoost!”

Activate Instruction – A free tool to personalize learning

Activate Instruction is a new lesson sharing platform. This free site allows teacher to create, share, search for, and organize teaching resources into “playlists” for students to complete independently. “The goal was to ‘totally modularize content and deliver it to kids so that they could access resources that were tied to standards.’” Content is currently available for 6-12 with a K-12 expansion forthcoming.

From the website: “At its most basic level, Activate Instruction is a free open database of standards-aligned learning resources—but it was designed to be much more. Teachers can browse, search, rate, add, share, and organize resources. Parents and students can follow teachers to see what they posted or search for the resources they like best. When integrated with student assessment data systems, Activate makes it easy for teachers to use student assessment data to connect students with the resources that match their specific needs.”

 

Remind101 – A safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents

Need to remind students about an upcoming project, permission slip, or give last-minute directions about a homework assignment? Cell phones offer a quick way to reach students and parents. By creating a simple account with Remind101, teachers can contact students without exchanging phone numbers. We recommend getting set up at the start of the year so you can be ready for those times when last-minute communication is crucial, and a piece of paper might not make it home. Check our the Remind101 website and Youtube channel for helpful information on how to get started.

From the website: “Teachers are busy. Our mission is to make tools that are simple to use, but highly effective. Signing up takes less than two minutes on the website, iPhone app or Android app, and it only takes seconds for students or parents to join a class. Safety is a primary feature: teachers never see students/parents phone numbers, nor will students/parents see theirs. The connected classroom is rapidly evolving. Remind101 helps innovative teachers take advantage of technology in a way that frees up their time to focus on what they do best: teach.”

 

Donors Choose – Teachers Ask. You Choose.

In need of supplies for a classroom project? No matter how big or small, public school teachers from across the nation can participate in Donors Choose to gather donations to fund their projects. Donors Choose research states that 94% of teachers said their funded projects increased their effectiveness in the classroom.

From the website: “DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on our site, and you can give any amount to the project that most inspires you.”

 

Tags: Resources, Technology