Some ideas for Course Management Systems and Apps

There are a lot of course management tools available for educators, including Blackboard and PowerSchool, that allow educators to do attendance, grading, post and organize resources and lessons, and interact with students. Many of them cost money. Moodle is free, but you have to pay to host it somewhere, or host it yourself. There are some great, free alternatives available. Here's a list, in no particular order.



Google Classroom - web based, integrated with Google Apps, easy to use. Post announcements and assignments - students turn assignments in electronically, and then you can return them with a grade and comments. If you are a GAFE school, this is a great option.




Schoology -Schoology is a free course management system for educators that allows them to manage their lessons, post resources and assignments, create quizzes, link to additional resources, conduct online courses, provide one-on-one help sessions and host discussions.




Edmodo - Edmodo is a tool that many teachers already use and more are discovering every day. Edmodo is a free social learning network for teachers, students and schools, providing a way to connect and collaborate, share content, access homework and grades, and much more.





My Big Campus -  My Big Campus allows schools and teachers to create a virtual classroom to use with their students. There is a resource library with videos, web sites, wiki’s and more. You can create groups and blogs and use the messaging system. Teachers can create a classroom calendar and even create, assign, and grade student assignments. The teacher can keep up with what the students are doing through the notification system too. Teachers can upload files to share with their students.





Coursekit - Coursekit combines a variety of tools for educators to use for extending their classroom or even creating an online course. Discussion groups, assignments with grading, resource sharing, a class calendar, and a community forum are just some of the tools available. Educators can post links, videos, and other files, hold online discussions, and even write a blog post.
UPDATE: It has changed names to Lore http://lore.com/



 
You can also use Blogs, Web sites, and Wiki's to organize and share lesson materials, have discussions, and create assignments. My district uses PowerSchool for attendance and gradebook, but I have used classroom blogs, a class website, and Google resources to share resources, post information, and communicate with my students.
Here is my old classroom site and Physics blog as an example:
https://sites.google.com/site/dandradeedusite/Home
http://mrandradesphysics.blogspot.com/



I also know some teachers who use Google+ as their CMS using Circles and posting resources and announcements there and most teachers are now using Google Drive in some way to host files and share them. Evernote can also be used - share notes with students and they can share notes back to you.


What course management system do you use? Why do you like/dislike it? What would be your perfect course management system?



Related:
My most used/favorite Apps and how I use them

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Plagiarism of my blog happening right now

The other day, Richard Byrne over at Free Technology for Teachers, emailed me to let me know that a site was stealing content from my blog. The site, http://educationsideasandtips.blogspot.com/, seems to be automatically reposting entire articles from my blog. I have been using Richard's great post "What To Do When Your Work Is Plagiarized" to work to get the site shut down. There is no real way to contact the blog owner, but I have filed a complaint with Google/Blogger.



I have had a few other blogs do the same thing, but when I contacted the blog owner, they apologized and changed how they shared my content. I spend a lot of time on this blog and I don't think it's too much to ask that people don't blatantly copy entire posts, no matter whether they put a link back or not.

I have no problem with people sharing what I write about, but it should be a summary and then link to my article. Copying entire blog posts, even with a link back to my site, is plagiarism and violates the CC license and is just bad practice.

I want to thank Richard for finding this site and bringing it to my attention.

How I use Blogs and Sites with my physics classes

I use a class web site, www.physicsmedic.org, and blogs with my classes to give them resources and to keep things organized. I use Google Sites and Google Blogger.

The main site is mainly static, containing my schedule, a links section, file downloads of class files and resources, and useful information for the students, as well as sections for new teachers and some educational technology resources. I post PDF copies of handouts, lab resources, materials, lecture notes and much more there for them. Google even has a class web site template available, making it very easy to create your class site.

I use blogs, http://mrandradesphysics.blogspot.com/ and http://mrandradesapphysics.blogspot.com/, as weekly or daily guides to what we are doing in class. I post lesson schedules, assignments (including labs and projects), links to web sites, and reminders about tests and upcoming due dates to the blogs. I have my students subscribe to the blogs via email so that they get updates whenever I add something to the blog. I also use it to share resources, like Evernote, Dweeber, Trackclass, with my students, and school news and information. The ease and quickness to adding something to a blog makes it a great tool.

You can even embed a Google calendar for your class onto your site or blog. 

The students love having these resources available to them and it makes my life much easier and much more organized.

What online resources do you use with your students?



Related:

Getting started with Blogger and Google Sites
Blog as a teaching tool
Google Calendar for Educators

Google for Educators Resources

Technology I use on a Daily Basis - updated for this year

Google adds threaded comments to Blogger

Google has announced a nice upgrade to Blogger -t he ability to have threaded comments. This means that people can reply to someone else's comment and it will show up under that comment instead of as a general comment on the post. This can make comment discussions easier to follow.

If you use Blogger and want to enable this feature, go HERE for full instructions.



Related:

Google Resources for Educators

Getting Started with Blogger

Blogger makes it easy to share your posts on Google+

  

Google has announced that you can now share your blog posts on your Google+ account with one click.

You need to link your blog to your Google+ account first. Then, after you post a new blog post, you will have a new option underneath the blog listing - "Share". Click on this and quickly share your post on your Google+ wall.

This is a great way to share your blog on Google+

How Technology Has Helped during Injuries and absences

SAVED BY TECHNOLOGY

(again)

Technology is a great resource for educators and students for a variety of reasons - differentiation, doing new things, exploring things that you wouldn't be able to otherwise, saving time and money, getting organized, and much more. However, technology has helped me in other ways due to some injuries I've had.

Since 1988, I've been involved in EMS and am a paramedic and EMS-Instructor. EMS work takes a toll on  your body and I've had a couple of injuries over the years that have affected me in school too.

A few years ago, I had to have knee surgery for cartilage and tendon damage. I scheduled the surgery for the Friday before Christmas break to limit my absences, but I was still on crutches and mobile challenged for a while afterward. Two years ago I hurt my back - two herniated discs - and have had flare ups and trouble since then. There are days were I can't stand or walk much at all.

Technology helped out - I can sit at my computer and control PowerPoint, websites, and more and mark them up as needed. I can monitor what my students were doing on the classroom computers, and I can work on lessons. I even have a remote control for my computer so I can sit in a different chair, or move to a different position and still control the remote. When I haven't been up to standing and writing on the board, I can put a piece of paper under the document camera and write on that, projecting it up to the board for all to see. When I've been out for these injuries, I've been able to communicate with my students through email and the class blogs and website. I can share resources with them through the blog and even share notes from Evernote, along with sharing my presentations and other materials. When absent, I can still assign work to them and even get their assignments from them for review, without coming into school. I can teach, even with injuries that prevent me from being mobile, or even in the classroom.

Technology also helps students who are absent or injured. Students can access assignments, resources, or me from home (or anywhere else). They can work on many assignments while at home, without needing anyone to come and pick up materials, because most assignments are on websites or downloadable from the class web site. If they are in school, but injured, like one of my football players was this year, they can sit in their chair and still do work and participate. I can lend them a laptop to use to take notes, access materials, and more, so they don't have to go over to the classroom computers, which are around the outside of the room. Class notes, handouts, assignments, and resources are all posted online for them, and I'm always available via email or the class blog.

Technology has made absences and injuries less of an issue in the classroom. It makes these things less disruptive to the whole process.

How has technology saved you?




Related Article:

Technology to the Rescue while out on Jury Duty

My Top 10 Free Web Resources for Teachers

Dave's Top 10 Lists

Educator Resources

I've been reading a lot of "top 10" lists lately and decided that I would do a few this week.

The first top 10 list I'm doing is "My Top 10 Free Web Resources for Teachers." These are resources that I use quite often and I truly believe that they help me be a better educator. They are in no specific order of preference. Click on the links for more information about each one and it's use in education.

1. Evernote - Evernote is one of those services and apps that I can't live without any more. I use it for organizing my lesson plans, notes, web clippings, and so much more.

2. Twitter - Twitter is an excellent resource for educators. I use Tweetdeck to access Twitter on my computers and Twee on my Palm Pre+. I get to connect with educators from around the world and share, learn, collaborate, and teach with them. If Twitter is blocked at your school (like at mine), you can use Twitter Gadget in iGoogle or Tweetdeck and still access your Twitter account. Twitter in Education.

3. Blogger - Blogger is a great, free, easy tool that you use to create blogs. I use Blogger for this blog, but I also use it to set up class blogs for each of the classes I teach. These blogs allow me to have a resource for my students that is easy to create and update. I have links and resources on them, and then update them with their assignments, due date reminders, helpful links and resources, and much more. My students all subscribe to their class blog and get an email whenever I post something.

4. Google Sites - Besides the class blogs listed above, I also maintain a website for my students and colleagues. I use the site, which is very easy to create and update in Sites, as a place to put up more static items like the class policies and procedures, class description, and I also post files that they can download. I use it for my students and I also post resources for educators on it.

How I use Sites and Blogs with my Classes 

5. Discovery Education - Discovery Education is a great resource for educators. They have a huge amount of resources for educators, many free, in addition to their fee-based offerings. The Discovery Educator Network is community of educators who use Discovery Education resources and is another great resource.

6. Google Chrome browser - Google's Chrome browser is a fast, secure, stable web browser that I love using. It works great with all of Google's services that I use (like Blogger, Calendar etc.) and has some great extensions, like "Clip to Evernote", that make my workday easier.

7. Dropbox - Dropbox is a file sync and storage system that allows you to keep files in sync across multiple computers and backed up on their servers. There is a free account available and ways to increase your free storage. You can even select which directories and files to sync on which computers. I keep a large number of directories on my home computer in sync and backed up. At school, for security and ease of access, I sync   a select set of directories to my school network drive. It has a limited amount of space, so I just sync the files I use the most. Dropbox is a great resource and can help keep your files safe in the event of a computer crash. You can also access your files from any web browser and mobile device.

8. Google Calendar - While I use Evernote (see above) to organize my lesson plans, I use Google Calendar to organize the rest of my life. I have appointments, due dates, meetings, school calendar days, and more all in my Google Calendar. It syncs with my Palm Pre+ through Palm's Synergy system so I have access to it anywhere. I can have it send me reminders via email or text message, can attach documents to events, add notes, and even share events or my calendar with others. It is a great way to stay organized and great for teachers.

9. Aviary - Aviary offers a suite of graphics tools, online, for free. These include screen capture and editing, photo editing, and much more. They even have an educational section to provide a safe and secure environment for students. I use it for taking screen shots and modifying them to use in this blog, as well as with my students.

10. My Personal Learning Network - while not a web resource or app per se, my PLN is a huge source of information, resources, advice, and comeraderie. Every teacher needs a PLN.


Related Articles:
Free Stuff - summary of free things I use to save money at school
Getting Started with Educational Technology
Technology I use on a Daily Basis
iGoolge as Educational Tool 
Get Organized
Palm Pre and webOS

Blogging 4 Everyone

Blogging 4 Everyone is a resource for anyone who wants to learn how to blog. It has very simple, straightforward instructions for starting a blog including a video.

It does not mention Blogger, so here is my instructions for getting started with Blogger.

This would be a good resource to use if you want to create your own blog or if you are trying to get your students using blogs in class.

Getting started with Blogger and Google Sites

I use Blogger for this blog, and for my class blogs. I have a blog for each class and I post assignments, announcements, reminders, and links on the site. Students can also post questions and have discussions. Here is the link to my AP Physics class blog as a reference.

I use Google Sites for my class website, which I use to post reference information, links, resources, and files for download. Many of my colleagues ask me how to do this, so I figured I would put up some links on how to get started using Blogger and Google Sites.

Both Blogger and Google Sites are extremely easy to use. You will need to create a Google Account first. I suggest you go to Gmail and create a Gmail account and use that for all of your Google correspondence. Once you have a Google Account through Gmail, you can use that for all Google Products. I also use Google Chrome Web Browser, iGoogle, Picasa, Google Desktop, Google Maps, Google Search, Google Docs, and Google Mobile products.

Getting Started with Blogger:

Go to Blogger.com and create a blog. Blogger will guide you through the process. It is beyond simple. Once you have named your blog and picked a layout, you will ready to go. If you can use the internet and use word processing software, you can create your blog.

Great Blog Article on Getting Started with Blogger

Blogger Help Site

Getting Started with Blogger - YouTube video

Creating your Blog with Blogger - YouTube video

Blogs in Plain English (YouTube/Google Video)

Getting Started with Google Sites:

Go to Google Sites and create a web page. Google sites will guide you through the process. It is beyond simple. Once you have named your site and picked a design, you will ready to go. If you can use the internet and use word processing software, you can create a website.

Introduction to Google Sites

Google Sites Support/Help Page

Video Tutorial to Get Started with Google Sites (YouTube)

Google Tutor - getting started with Google Sites

Articles I have done about Blogger and Google Sites

Blogging as a Teaching Tool

How I use a website and Blogs with my Classes

Technology I use on a daily basis

General Google Information and Resources:

Google Support/Help Page

Google Operating System Blog

Google Tutor - great resource

Have some fun and play with Blogger and Google Sites. As you get more comfortable with them, you will be able to do much more with them. Good luck!

What technology I use on a daily basis

(updated 01/15/10)

Last month, I was asked to list my top 3 tech resources, which I wrote about HERE and which will be featured in October's issue of NEA Today magazine.

Recently, a colleague asked me what technology I use each day and how does it help me or my students. So, here is my answer: (all of them are free)

1. Email - I use email for communication. All of my students have my school email address, and I give it out to parents also. I can send messages to my students, communicate with parents, and communicate with other educators. You can get a free email account from Google.

2. Evernote - I use Evernote as a note taking system. I have my notes organized by topic. I have reference notes, lesson plans, tech tips, and much more on here. What I really love, is that I can access my notes from any internet enabled computer or cell phone. I also like the ability to "clip" web sites into a note in Evernote. What's great, is that hyperlinks on the web page are kept when clipped into Evernote. You can also attach files to your notes. Free accounts can only attach images (JPEG/PNG/GIF), audio (MP3, WAV, AMR), PDF, and digital ink files. I try to convert most of my files to PDF anyway for cross-platform support. (Here is some info on how to create PDF files for free on your computer, or online. ) You can also share notes and notebooks with others.

3. iGoogle - I use iGoogle as my start page to keep myself organized. With one glance, I can see my task list, schedule (calendar), bookmarks, time/date, Gmail, RSS feeds and more. I can also access my Google Docs from this page. For more on iGoogle, go HERE.

4. Engrade - Engrade is a free online gradebook for teachers. I have all of my classes listed here and each student is given an access code so that they can see their grades any time they want. I also give access codes to the parents so that they always know how their student is doing. It is accessable from any web enabled computer and you can generate multiple reports and export the data if needed.

5a. Sugarsync - Sugarsync is an online system that backs up your files and allows you to access them from any web enabled computer or smart phone. There is a free, 2GB capacity account available. What is really great is that it keeps your files in sync among multiple computers. Make a change to a file on computer A, and it is automatically uploaded and sync'd with their servers and any other computers you have specified. You can even open/edit a file directly from their server and it will automatically sync the changes you make. I keep my school files on here so that I can work on them and access them at home and on any computer at school.

5b. Dropbox is a service that allows you to sync your files on your computer with their system as a backup. This also allows you to access the files anywhere. You can also sync the files across multiple computers. This means that you have automatic backup of your files and 24/7 access to your files. I have it set up to sync a folder on my home computer and school computer so I don't have to worry about having multiple versions or forgetting a flash drive.

There are also Dropbox apps for iPhone, Android, iPad and there is one coming for Blackberry. There is an independent app for Palm webOS, but you can also access the mobile site from any web-enabled phone. Imagine being able to access all of your files on your smartphone!

One feature that is very nice is the fact that it works with network drives like we use in my district. Some of the other cloud file storage and sync systems can't work with network drives. I was very happy to see this was able to be done with Dropbox.

6. Blogger - Blogger is a free blogging tool from Google. I use it for this blog, as well as for a blog for each of my classes. These class blogs are a great resource for my students. I have important links on the side and then I post what we are doing in class, links for extra help, and more on there. My students have all subscribed to the blogs via email, so they get an email whenever I make a new post on the blog. Students can also hold discussions on the blog.

7. Google Sites - I use Google sites to create a free website for my classes. I have one website that I use for all of my clases - www.physicsmedic.org. On the site I have class rules, reference information, links, and files from class (presentations, handouts, etc.). I also have sections for new teachers and about educational technology.

8. Hardware: I have a teacher station computer in my classroom, along with 8 student desktop computers. I have a printer for the student computers and a printer for my computer. I also have an LCD projector connected to my computer, and a VCR and DVD player connected to the projector. I also use a Keyspan remote to wirelessly control my computer from anywhere in the room. Auxillary speakers are also a must.

I also use a Palm Pre+ smart phone to keep connected. I can access all of my files (and edit them), Google accounts, email, the web, and much more with it (it even makes phone calls).

9. Other software: our school computers run Windows XP. I also use the following software on my school computer: Google Chrome web browser, Stardock Object Dock (a great dock to launch programs from), Picasa (photo organizing and editing), GDoc Backup (backup my Google Docs to the hard drive), PowerCalc (Microsoft Scientific/Graphing Calculator), OpenOffice (office suite) and CutePDF writer. All of this software is free.

I have also switched to using Aviary's clipping extension for Chrome to clip graphics from the internet and edit or modify them.

So, you now know what I use for educational technology on a daily basis. There is much more that I use from time to time and I have a huge number of web sites that I use for information, reference, or with my students.

Please share your resources too.

How I use a website and blogs with my classes

I use a class web site, www.physicsmedic.org, and blogs with my classes to give them resources and to keep things organized. I use Google Sites and Google Blogger.

The main site is mainly static, containing my schedule, a links section, file downloads of class files and resources, and useful information for the students, as well as sections for new teachers and some educational technology resources.

I use blogs, with this as a start page http://mrandradesclasses.blogspot.com/, as a weekly or daily guide to what we are doing in class. I can post assignments, links to web sites, and reminders about tests and upcoming due dates to the blogs. I have my students subscribe to the blogs via email so that they get updates whenever I add something to the blog.

The students love having these resources available to them and it makes my life much easier and much more organized.

How do you use the internet in your classroom?

Blog as a teaching tool

I have started to use blogs in my class as a teaching tool. Since I teach physics, I'm not using it as a writing assignment, but rather a better way to communicate with my students. I'm also trying to eliminate as much as paper as possible. 

I post their assignments to the blog and the students go there to get the assignment. I do this for homework and any classwork that they are doing as a group (I have 8 computers in my classroom). For assignments that include graphics or graphs, the students can email me their work. But, if the assignment is just text, they can post it as a comment to the assignment announcement. I have the comments moderated, so I don't publish them until all groups have submitted them. That way, the first group done is not giving away the answers to the other groups. 

I also put an alternative assignment for any students that were absent from class that day. This way, they can check it from home and do the work on their own.

So far it is working out pretty well. Visit the blogs to check out what I'm doing. I'd appreciate any feedback and advice also.

AP Physics Blog

Physics Blog

EMT-B Blog