Dave's Top 10 Lists

Student Resources

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

The second top 10 list I'm doing is "My Top 10 Free Web Resources for Students." These are resources that I believe can they students in their education. 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 - take notes, collect web clippings, share notes with classmates, get organized.

2. Trackclass - is a great, free resource for students. The site allows students to track their classes and assignments, and even will send reminders (email or SMS) for upcoming assignment due dates and test dates. There is also a note taking utility so students can take notes on it if they have a computer in school.

3.Dweeber - is a homework collaboration site that also has tools to help students learn better. It is described as a homework social network. Students sign up, for free, and can add their friends, known as "dweebs" to their network. Students can work on homework together and help each other out. It even as a virtual whiteboard so that they can work together just as if they were in the same room.

4. Drobox - 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. No need for USB drives anymore. 

5. Cybraryman  - Cybraryman has a great web site with tons of resources, sorted into different categories. The student section is excellent.

6. Digital Literacy - Our students live in a digital world and need digital literacy and how to be safe online.


7.  Google - Docs, Calendar, Gmail, Search, Tasks, iGoogle, Bookmarks, Reader, Google student blog, Blogger, Sites, Picasa - info, research, organizing, portfolios...

Google is an excellent resource for students. They can create and collaborate on projects using Docs, stay organized with Calendar and Tasks and iGoogle, save their Bookmarks, create a blog or website, upload and share photos, create e-portfolios, do research, and so much more.


8. OpenOffice and OpenOffice for Kids - OpenOffice is a free office suite that is a great alternative to Microsoft Office (and free!). LibreOffice is a new version that is being released by the same group that started OpenOffice. OpenOffice for Kids is a scaled down version targeted at kids, ages 7-12.

9. Smartphone Experts - More and more students use smartphone's these days. Smartphone Experts is a group of websites dedicated to smartphones. There are different sites for each smartphones, from Android to iPhone to Blackberry to HP/Palm webOS. They offer tips, reviews, app news, and much more, helping people to make the most of their smartphones. Since our students have these pocket computers, why not give them a resource to help them use them more effectively.

10.  Their teachers. Teachers are the single best resource for students. We can lead them to other resources like the ones above and we can help them use them. We also can help them understand and use those resources.

Share your favorite student resources with us.