Free Creation Tools
Content Creation Programs:
- Freshbrain.org: A scaffolded learning environment for teens to make videos, software, and other content
- uTIPu: Create your own instructional videos
- Glogster: Create mash-up image posters
- Create-A-Scape -- Map-based spaces with audio and video that can be shared with people outside your area; Founded by Futurelabs and HP Labs in the UK
- Tuxpaint: Open source online painting program ages 3-12
- Linerider: Hard to understand until you've been there -- kids lay down lines then a little guy surfs/rides them to the bottom; music adds another dimension; fun physics project
- Wordle -- Visualize words in a word grid -- free, just cut and paste-- how to use this? check out this Google Doc for great ideas to bring these into the classroom
- Etherpad -- Writing together online in a free text single-project workspace, saveable
Content Capture Tools:
- Jing -- capture visuals from the web to share -- download the free program to record and store short video, capture images and text from the web
- Zotero -- Firefox extension to capture webpages with references for research and papers, feeding into APA, MLA, and others; marvelous tool
- Snagit.com -- captures screenshots beautifully (but so can other tools now); free trial, then $38 educational version
Audio and Image Melding/Creation:
- Voicethread -- voice to go with images -- create voiced animations and messages with your class
- Audacity -- audio creation and podcasting for your class
Concept Maps:
- Inspiration.com -- lots of teachers are fan of this tool, including its simpler Kidspiration product. Not free but quite reasonable!
- Thinkingmaps.com
- Engine-uity.com
- CMap -- a free open source tool for concept mapping
- Freemind -- another free open source tool
Whiteboards:
- Dabbleboard.com
- Writeboard.com
- Imaginationcubed.com (GE) -- love the feel but have had it crash twice at bad times
- Skrbl.com
- Scriblink.com
Survey Creation:
- SurveyMonkey -- create online surveys for free for up to 10 questions for up to 100 people
- Zoomerang -- create online surveys for free to for up to 30 questions for up to 100 people
- Google Forms (in Google Docs) -- creat your own online survey that you can have feed directly into your Google spreadsheet and share with your team. More basic interface, but VERY easy to use and share for classes or research (blog from Google on this topic)