beyond google

Beyond GoogleBeyond GoogleFree resources on the Internet

By Sara Dagen

Briefly…Briefly…

The Internet truly offers much in the way of freebies for teachers.

This is not an exhaustive list because I am exhausted, but I will simply highlight some sites I’ve found helpful.

Keepandshare.comKeepandshare.com

Keepandshare.com is a free online storage site and then some.

Like Google Docs, you can collaborate with colleagues and share files.

You can create cool calendars with multiple overlays.

Downside is that space is limited unless you upgrade.

Keep and share is a great way to store files and also collaborate with colleagues. It beats Google Docs in that a Word file looks and acts as a Word file, but your space is limited unless you upgrade.

You can create cool calendars in KeepandShare and use them as overlays. For instance, I created a calendar with school holidays and deadlines noted that I use as an overlay for creating my lesson plans on another calendar.

If you’re bothered by ads, then you may find this annoying. This is my documents box; space is limited, so I use it sparingly.

Slideshare.netSlideshare.net

I discovered slideshare while exploring a fellow teacher’s wikispace; it is a place to store and share your PowerPoint programs.

You simply upload your files to slideshare, and then you can embed the file in a wiki or other webspace or even email it to a friend.

Slideshare is a great place to store your PowerPoints as well as get them into a URL form for uploading to your wikispace or blog (more on those later)

This is my account on slideshare, free, of course!

You can also use slideshare to browse and locate slide shows that other people have already done—then you can save it to your computer, make adjustments so it fits your needs perfectly, and then use it as you wish.

Wikispaces.comWikispaces.com

Like wikipedia, wikispaces are meant to be changed by the user.

I’ve used wikispaces to allow students to complete collaborative study guides, to upload assignments, to do creative projects, and more.

Wikis are a free resource and great for collaborative efforts by your students. Check out my English wiki to get some ideas.

You can see I’ve created a number of wikispaces. This is my dashboard.

You can upload youtube videos, photos, slideshare files, etc. to your wiki.

Edublogs.orgEdublogs.org

One of my students’ favorite assignments are those on our class blog.

In addition to blogging, however, I’ve been able to store homework files, forms, papers students typically lose, etc. on the blog, which allows students to access at will.

A great resource is also edublogs.org, again a free resource.

Blogs are easy to use and can be used as a website of sorts, with pages and files available to students.

Workspace.officelive.comWorkspace.officelive.com

Workspace.officelive.com is my favorite find this summer.

I have been able to upload multiple files quickly and organize them on my workspace, all in their original form.

I can share and upload to my heart’s content. It offers plenty of space—free!

My luckiest find this summer has been this one. You can store loads of files, easily, online.

I’ve created many workspaces and uploaded my entire documents file onto Office Live workspace. I can then access it where I am. Discover it!

That’s all, folks!That’s all, folks!

You can see that the Internet has a lot to offer without costing you anything.

While you’re out there, check out other people’s wikispaces and edublogs to get some great ideas.

You never know what gem you’ll find!