technology tools for teachers by vidya m. s

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Technology Tools for Teachers

Commonwealth Educational Media

Centre for Asia

1Commonwealth Educational Media

Centre for Asia

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The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) is an international organisationestablished by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Vancouver, Canada to promote the meaningful,relevant and appropriate use of ICTs to serve the educational and training needs of Commonwealthmember states of Asia. CEMCA receives diplomatic privileges and immunities in India under section3 of the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947.

Author: Vidya M. S. (email: vidya[at]vidyaonline[dot]net)

Vidya M. S. holds a doctorate and a post-doctoral fellowship in theoretical physics. She has a numberof publications in scholarly journals and is an educator with a passion for science popularisation,development of entrepreneurial skills among young people, and language and learning particularlyin young children. Some of her work can be seen at http://vidyaonline.net. She is a self-taughtenthusiast of modern information and communication technologies, explorations of which have resultedin a web portal vidyaonline, which has grown as a partnership for teachers, children and education.She has also contributed to various technology initiatives, including multimedia products, onlinecourses, special interest groups, curricula for ICT and repositories of digital resources. She can becontacted at vidya[at]vidyaonline[dot]net

Copyright © CEMCA, 2014. Technology Tools for Teachers is made availableunder a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 Licence(international): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

For the avoidance of doubt, by applying this licence the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and theCommonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) do not waive any privileges or immunitiesfrom claims that they may be entitled to assert, nor do COL/CEMCA submit themselves to thejurisdiction, courts, legal processes or laws of any jurisdiction.

ISBN: 978-81-88770-24-3

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the viewsof CEMCA/COL. All products and services mentioned are owned by their respective copyright holders,and mere presentation in the publication does not mean endorsement by CEMCA/COL.

For further information, contact:

Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia13/14, Sarv Priya ViharNew Delhi - 110016http://www.cemca.org.in

Printed and published by:Mr. R. Thyagarajan, Head (Administration and Finance)CEMCA, 13/14 Sarv Priya ViharNew Delhi - 110016, INDIA


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ContentsC

on

ten

tsPreface 0 5

1 Introduction 0 7

2 Learn-Teach-Learn 0 9

2 . 1 Mind Tools 0 9

2.1.1 Calendars 0 9

2.1.2 Journals 0 9

2.1.3 Mind and Concept Maps 1 0

2.2 Resource Management Tools 1 2

2.2.1 Resource Mapping 1 2

2.2.2 Resource Tagging 1 3

2.2.3 Extending File Management 1 3

2.2.4 Backups 1 4

2.3 Creativity Tools 1 4

2.3.1 Digital Storytelling 1 4

2.3.2 Data Visualization 1 6

2.3.3 Infographics 1 7

2.3.4 Content Centric Creation Tools 1 8

2.4 Conclusion 1 8

3 Online Learning 21

3 . 1 Learning Management Tools 2 2

3.1.1 Characteristics of LMS 2 2

3.1.2 Resources and Activities 2 2

3.1.3 Course Structure and Learning Paths 2 3

3.1.4 Tracking Learning 2 4

3.2 Google Apps for Education 2 6

3.3 Conclusion 2 7

4 Subject Specific Tools 2 9

4.1 Expanding the Knowledge Base 2 9

4.2 Experiential Learning 3 0

4.3 Simulations 3 2

4.4 Conclusion 3 3

List of Tools 3 5

Notes and References 3 9

Credits for Illustrations 4 0

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Preface

Way back in the 1950’s a story surfaced about a student’s answer to the question: “Showhow it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer.”The bored, smart but mischievous student came up with about half a dozen answers, allcorrect, but refused to provide the expected answer. Obviously, the student had nopatience for trick questions that belittled tools. Warned sufficiently by the story, ourattempt here is to identify and discuss the use of appropriate tools for a given educationalcontext encountered by a 21st century learner. Of such a learner, the only assumptionbeing made is that the young century has given her some familiarity with the Web.

The Web is huge. Navigating it without a clear perception of how educational goals candictate tool choices, can often result in futile meandering. A rapidly changingtechnological landscape only compounds this. Acknowledging therefore, that a giveneducational context demands certain specific types of tools, the monograph takes uponitself the task of searching, assessing and evaluating a sub set of easy and openlyaccessible tools which can extend learning and help immerse students inexperimentation and problem solving.

The attempt is to re-examine technology in teaching-learning, particularly at thesecondary level. In the present scenario of large classes, a technology tool’s acid test is toregain the benefits of the one-to-one approach to teaching and at the same time allow foran increase in the teacher’s productivity. Multiple tools are therefore, needed to addressthe multiple needs of learners. With tools becoming increasingly sophisticated butsimpler to use, our selection of tools are neither prescriptive nor closed. We hope thepages ahead succeed in communicating this. Our purpose is to emphasize the need fortools and to equip the readers with a toolkit to examine and use tools for education.

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Introduction 1One direct fall out of technologicaladvancements of recent years is thedisplacement of physical resources –equipment and books, as the primaryteaching-learning material available toteachers and students alike. Instead, thenewer digital learning space has come tostay, changing in its wake, the traditionalmethods of teaching which had remainedmore or less the same for centuries.

In any given educational context, the needis to communicate our knowledge tostudents and perhaps to even lead themtowards independent pursuits when ourown knowledge base is found wanting. Asany teacher can vouch, this is easier saidthan done. For not only is each studentendowed differently but the school systemkeeps making newer curricular demands inorder to keep pace with the changing world.

When we need to achieve something andfind it impossible to do so with purely ourphysical or mental abilities, we look for ordevelop a tool. It is interesting to note thatdigital technology made its entry first inhigher education and research as a means ofquick computation and data representation.Though the tasks were not impossible,technology’s use was deemed imperative tosave time while accomplishing complicatedand involved calculations. This provides thefirst criterion for the usefulness of a tool –minimize the time and effort spent on a task.

It took more than a quarter century todesign and develop microcomputers, latercalled personal computers, which madecomputing accessible to the school systemtoo. Acceptance improved when a non-

programing user interface, which came tobe termed as the graphical user interface,was introduced to make computers usableby non-technical users. This points to thesecond requirement of the tool – ease ofuse; eliminating a lengthy or steep learningcurve.

The early use of computers in education,before the invention of the graphical userinterface, required programming. LOGOprogramming language (Papert, 1976,1980) and later BASIC provided anopportunity to students to create their ownlearning environments. Technology thussupported the changing educationalpractice – to accommodate a learner ledapproach as the traditional teacher ledclass. It must be pointed out here thatthough the development of technology ismainly for industry and business, theconstant effort to make it easy to use allowsfor its adaption in various other fieldsincluding education. Herein, lies alimitation that was soon recognized. Theneed to adapt a technology implies the toolwas not developed primarily for thepurpose. Over the years, this limitation hasbeen addressed and tools for exclusive usein education developed.

Even a cursory look at the theories oflearning or the vast diversity in educationalpractice across the world is sufficient todemonstrate that teaching and learning ishighly contextual. There is no uniformity inlearning, each child being unique. Thecontext of teaching and learning vis-a-vistechnology is thus very different from skilldevelopment. Using a tool for a singlepurpose requires skill, using it for multiple

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purposes, as for instance meeting varyingneeds of children in a class, requirescreativity that stems from an understandingof both the context of use and the tool’scapabilities. Consequently, some situationsrequire multiple tools. Technology scoreson this count. With more than half a centuryof engagement with digital technologyleading to the development of inexpensivecomputers, tablets and mobile phones asone class of hardware and the other classthat includes handheld devices, digitalprobes, interactive whiteboards, digitalvideo cameras; together with a mindboggling array of software to drive them;and the Internet as the backbone of thedigital learning space, teachers have betteropportunities today to individualizelearning than ever before. Individualizationis the primary goal of technology ineducation.

Affordability is the third criterion in toolselection. Educational contexts are verydemanding in terms of resources. The mostappropriate tool for a given educationalneed may not always meet these threecriteria. The ease of use gets compromisedfirst, especially when the educational needgets very specific. Along with this, the firstcriterion, that of saving time may not befulfilled either. But the silver lining comes inthe form of movements started about twodecades ago to make software andeducational resources free and open (“FreeOpen Source Software”, n.d.; “OERCommons”, n.d.). A movement that strivesto fulfill the three criteriaes to provide awide set of tools that can meetrequirements of all teachers. The followingchapters will be devoted exclusively to freeand open tools, preferably cross-platform –software that can run on multiple types ofcomputer systems, for example on Linux,Mac and Windows; that can facilitateindividualization and fulfill the teachers’motto of Learn-teach-learn.

Before we get to the tools, we must presentto ourselves a profile of our students at thesecondary level. Our students are capableof critical thinking and deep understandingand can be expected to possess goodcommunication abilities. They appreciatethe need for rigor, perseverance andaccuracy in their work and are graduallyacquiring an eye for detail and perfection inall activities. If encouraged, they can setgoals and evaluate themselves properly.More importantly, they are comfortableusers of technology – keen on exploringnew tools and applying them to newcontexts both at school and theircommunities.

To nurture the above abilities, a teacher atthe secondary level, aware that gradation inthe curriculum, teaching methodologiesand evaluation are continuous and logicallyconnected across classes, organizeslearning in multiple settings, coordinateslearning and document achievements andprogress to complete the feedback loop forcurricular refinement.

Equipped thus, we proceed in the nextchapter to discuss a few categories of tools.The specific tool is less important than thepurpose for which it is introduced, for toolsthemselves are evolving and moreappropriate ones can be expected. Thecategories chosen are those that can help inplanning an entire academic year andorganizing learning. Chapter 3 focuses ononline tools and services, while Chapter 4discusses a few subject specific tools.

Web-based tools and mobile phone apps aregaining popularity as anytime anywheretools but our discussion will be restrictedmainly to desktop and online tools withmobile apps being alluded to in a few cases.An entire set of tools necessary formaintaining a computer, like anti-virus orsystem checking tools will however not bediscussed.


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Learn-Teach-Learn 2An academic year sees a teacher planning,teaching, monitoring, assessing andreporting. Students’ transition from theelementary level to the secondary level ismarked by an increase in analytical abilities.With greater focus on subject domains,multiple learning opportunities, includingthose that address backlogs and gaps, areneeded for achieving curricular goals.Paying individual attention to studentsbecomes that much more difficult.

Of all the tasks performed by a teacher,those devoted to teaching and facilitatinglearning must receive maximum time. Herchoice of tools must help in minimizing thetime spent on non-academic activities. Notonly would she need tools to teach betterbut also to learn continuously and keeptrack of both her teaching and learning. Hertoolkit must include tools for planning andorganizing learning, collecting and creatinglearning resources, data mining andrepresentation and finally, backup tools. Weproceed to introduce tools for thesepurposes.

2.1 Mind Tools

Calendars, mind maps, and notes areessential tools for planning and organizingones thoughts. Good planning includes timemanagement and strategic plans, and is aprerequisite for any time bound project.Strategizing requires a drawing board to puttogether available information and commonpractices of the trade to zero in on aworkable plan. While such planning can bedone in one’s mind, experience tells us that

tools, functioning as memory and organizingaids, can vastly improve our efficiency.

2.1.1 Calendars

Scheduling mandatory tasks andprogrammes of the academic year helps theteacher and her students jointly to decidepriorities and time frames. Calendars notonly help in time management but it can beused to set tasks to students and track theircompletion by getting periodic reminders.Individual calendars can also be set for eachstudent. Investing a little time at thebeginning of the academic year andperiodically updating the calendar jointlyhelps each student retain focus.Procrastinating and underestimating thetime required for tasks are the usualshortcomings that can only be overcomewith constant vigil.

Rainlendar is a simple desktop calendar.Events and to do lists can be created at theplanning phase and reminders set for eachevent and task. The advantage of this toolhas over a mobile phone which has acalendar as a regular feature, is its presenceon the desktop and the various icons thatcan be used to give a quick visual summaryof the month’s activities. The tool is howeveruseful only if teachers have personalcomputers. A more sophisticated calendarthat can be synchronized with phones andemails, Google Calendar will be discussed inChapter 3.

2.1.2 Journals

For a teacher, a journal, as an everyday

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documentation of her activities andobservations, is a tool for reflection. Acommitment to journal writing is acommitment to examine and re-examineones growth in the profession. In addition, ithelps in planning and reviewing plans andgoals. Like time management, when writingis regularly done, another habit of mind –introspection, gets cultivated. It is onlywhen we value something that we encourageour students to likewise value it.

One of the simplest tools that combines ajournal, a notepad and a calendar is theRedNotebook (see Fig. 2.1). It can beconfigured to load on start up and can beaccessed anytime from the task bar. Thetool has an automatic save – any input issaved instantaneously. This feature ensuresthat no entry is lost. Journal entries can betagged and searched either using the wordcloud or the search box (see section 2.2.2).

RedNotebook can also be a notes-takingapplication but Basket Note Pads or

Tomboy Notes are better as they aresingle-utility tools. Both these tools have theadded feature of organizing notes and sharethe feature of instantaneous auto save,which makes this class of tools valuable toan over-worked teacher. Tomboy Notes canalso be synchronized to an online storage.

2.1.3 Mind and Concept Maps

Notes emerge from ideas. Linked notes likethose created in Tomboy Notes are anelaboration of linked ideas. When wesummarize ideas with words or phrases andlink them together, we create a visualrepresentation called a mind map. Forexample Fig. 2.2 is an example of a mindmap created from notes about Earth. A mindmap thus has the potential of visuallyrepresenting snap-shots of our mind, whichcould be curricular design for an academicyear or the sequence of a teaching session ora class presentation to take students througha lesson or brainstorm an issue. Whenstudents use mind maps, they discover the

Figure 2.1: Search and statistics in RedNotebook


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ease with which thoughts and ideas can beorganized. They also discover that it is easyto collectively pool their ideas to design andexecute a collaborative project.

Text 2 Mindmap is perhaps the easiestmind mapping tool. Text is input in a textarea. Each text line is a node. With respectto a text line, those that are indented arebranches of that node. However, a tool thatcan mimic our mind needs to achieve more.FreeMind, Freeplane, Xmind andVisual Understanding Environmentare some examples of more sophisticatedmind map tools. A few important featuresare included in description of tools in theList of tools. As a rule, maps created in suchtools can fold or unfold to gradually buildthe presentation while keeping the mainidea in focus.

Maps can be exported in multiple formatsincluding image, PDF or HTML, making it

easy to prepare organized text as handouts.

It is also possible to attach or link text,

images and documents to nodes. This

extends the mind map to include teaching

resources.

The best use of a mind map in the school

context is to create concept maps. By

showing relationships between concepts, a

bird’s eye view of a topic can be presented.

Concept maps help a teacher decide on the

order in which concepts are to be

introduced. It functions as a summarizing

tool for learners to represent what they

have learnt.

A carefully constructed hierarchical

concept map can be used to design

assessment and evaluation items that can

point out whether or not lower order

concepts, necessary for the introduction of

new concepts, have been learnt.

Figure 2.2: A Mind Map of related topics

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Text 2 Mindmap can be used to constructconcept maps as well – by insertingrelationships within brackets beforesubsidiary concepts. Another easy to usetool is Gliffy Diagrams, a multipurpose appthat can be installed on Google Chromebrowser. It is essentially a very intuitivedrag-and-drop drawing tool ideal for flowcharts (a concept map can be considered tobe a variant of a flow chart), organizationalcharts and much more.

2.2 Resource Management Tools

Many free and open repositories on the webcan help a teacher enrich her lessons. Ateacher also creates digital content andgenerates digital data that gets stored on hercomputer. A frequent user should soonexpect to be flooded with files of all varieties

stored on her hard disk or other storagedevices. With time in short supply, anefficient way of managing digital contentincluding regular backups to mitigate tosome extent the eventuality of files gettingaccidentally deleted becomes necessary.

2.2.1 Resource Mapping

Native to all computers is a file managerwith a folder structure to hold every varietyof files. More folders can be created withinthese, as per requirement, to organize filesand resources in a convenient way. Everyuser develops a file and folder naming style.Through simple and advanced searches, anyfile on the computer can be accessed.However, this is not a very efficient way ofaccessing files especially when memory failsto provide suitable search words. Mind map

Figure 2.3: Inserting files in Basket Note Pads


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tools like Freeplane or the notes tool, BasketNote Pads can be used with advantage tolink files and extend mind mapping toresource mapping. In Fig. 2.3, along withnotes, weblinks, images, an open documentfile is inserted. Video and Audio files or forthat matter any other file including archives(zip files) or executables can be inserted. Ifthe computer has suitable applications toopen them, Basket Note Pads launches theapplications and displays the file. Noticethat this facility not only helps in accessingfiles on the computer within the context of alesson or learning activity but can alsofunction as a presentation tool.

2.2.2 Resource Tagging

Resource mapping cannot be the best way ofmanaging resources when a resourcebelongs to several themes or topics. Recall

that RedNotebook uses tags to label notes

and journal entries. The same logic can be

extended to files. Tags are keywords or

labels. Any number of tags can be assigned

to a file. For example, a documentary can be

tagged using the genre, director, country oforigin, subjects areas covered, duration andso on. It can then be searched and retrievedfor any occasion or learning context. Cross-platform tools specifically suited to filetagging are available.

TagSpaces (see Fig. 2.4) is one such toolwith lots of added features. While capable ofall the conventional file management tasks –rename, create, move and delete files,TagSpaces makes it easy to tag files bysimple drag and drop actions. It allows forcolour coding tags and organizing themthematically in groups. Batch tagging –adding and removing many tags to manyfiles at a single go is also possible.

2.2.3 Extending FileManagement

Tools such as TagSpaces are designed toenhance productivity. Once a file is

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Figure 2.4: TagSpaces interface

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searched, it can be previewed as well. Thefull file preview improves upon thethumbnail or icon views presented in nativefile managers. In addition to file preview,media managers allow basic editing of filesand uploading to media sharing websites likeFlickr or YouTube.

An important source of images and videosare digital cameras. Most cameras comewith their own proprietary software todownload, edit and manage media files butthese are not adequate. As more and moreûles get accumulated, searching andretrieving a particular image or video canget tedious. Shotwell and its Windowsequivalent, Picasa are tools dedicated tothe management of images and videos. Theycan capture information from the cameralike the date and time of exposure, GPSlatitude and longitude, exposure details andso on and also provide for user defineddetails which include tags, titles, ratings anddescriptions. Larger the information set,technically termed as metadata which is aset of data that describes and givesinformation about other data, better cansearches become.

Mention must be made of another useful tool– Docear, which integrates with Freeplaneto manage pdf files. Besides a lot offunctionalities, Docear allows forannotations of pdf files and including themin the mind map.

2.2.4 Backups

With accumulation of files comes theconstant fear of losing them. Files canaccidentally get deleted, the operatingsystem can crash or the computer cansimply stop working. It is possible to copyimportant files manually to pen drives orremovable hard disks for safe keeping but

over a period of time, we tend to forgetwhere we have copied what. In our anxiety,we also make multiple copies of the same setof files. A backup tool that remembers whatwe want to keep can come handy at suchtimes.

Some of the tools we have discussed, like thenotes tools have a backup feature in additionto exporting as text or html files. Alloperating systems have an inbuilt backuptool in which preferences can be set aboutwhat to backup and where. Backup locationscan be on the hard disk or on removablehard disks. Regular backups can bescheduled.

2.3 Creativity Tools

Once an educational context is established, ateacher needs to create the environment forlearning. She can initiate this with a teachingsession, where she imparts instruction, or afacilitating session, where students can self-learn under her guidance. Whatever ateacher does, she creates a conduciveenvironment for students to create meaning(learn) for themselves. We must recall herethat as the learning style of each student isunique, a teacher has to create as manylearning environments as students. And thisshe must, to keep alive the joy of learning forherself and for her students. For this, she hasat her disposal, a wide variety of tools andboth technologies and otherwise, that canhelp students observe better, remember andconnect thoughts, think deeply to analyzeand solve problems – in short, launch off onthe path of life-long learning.

2.3.1 Digital Storytelling

Storytelling is all about packaging an ideaand communicating it so as to impact theaudience, more specifically ensuring that

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the story, along with its message istransmitted and re-transmitted eitherfaithfully or with embellishments orpersonal experiences, to conserve the ideaas well as to extend it. And this is whatteachers do all the time, except that theirfocus is seldom on fictitious matters. Byadding a digital component to storytelling,we have the liberty of using multiple mediain our narration, including the ability tomake the narrative interactive. Theeducational use of digital storytellingcentres around a learning objective andcommunicating, both the process of itsachievement and the result itself. It can be alearn-together tool with inputs from theteacher and her students.

The familiar computer based presentation(commonly but erroneously referred to asPowerPoint presentation) also qualifies as adigital storyteller. S5 is a simple time savingtool for a straight forward slideshow of textand images. A better option for creatingquick presentations would be anyconvenient word processor. No matter whatpage size is chosen, text and images can becentered on it and a page break used for thenext slide. When exported as a PDF, it can beused on any computer. The standard ‘FitPage’ option should be used to display thewhole page. Arrows or PageDown keys onthe keyboard can be used for navigation.

With a little bit of initial effort, a documentcreator like LaTeX with special packagessuited exclusively for presentations such asBeamer is ideally suited for quickpresentations that can also be re-structuredor made part of another presentation easily.The output from Beamer is again a PDF.Missing however in these PDF presentationsare the fancy transitions and rudimentaryanimations or sound effects which anywaycontribute little to the content of the

presentation, especially at the secondarylevel. Moreover, a highly structured tool asin the case of commonly used MicrosoftPowerPoint or LibreOffice Impress (withplaceholders for content and presentationoutlines) is less suited for creative work.

In a teacher centric presentation, theteacher is the active communicator andstudents are active listeners/observers/thinkers/processors of information.Presentations enhance listening skills andencourage thinking. They strengthenconceptual understanding and through theuse of multi media, enhance teaching.However, the time spent on making themmust be commensurate with the learningthat is achieved. Presentations must be inconformity with the flow of instructionalactivity of the class and enhance thelearning environment. The minimumrequirement for achieving all these is toensure that a content based presentationhas multiple examples to illustrate. Forexample, a presentation on inflorescencewould require photographs of differentflowers and plants. When the purpose is toshow photographs in sequence, any imageviewer (native to all operating systems) isadequate. Images can be sequentiallynumbered if necessary. The next-previousnavigation and the zoom and rotate featuresare more than adequate to achieve theobjective of the lesson.

Photographs and videos are perhaps themost extensively used media for storytellingand presentations. The necessary audionarration can be recorded either usingsimple recorders that come bundled withthe operating system or use offline toolssuch as Audacity to record and edit sound.Text-to-speech tool like NaturalReader orText2Speech is quicker and moreconvenient especially when our voice

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quality or modulation is poor. Audacity mayappear intimidating at first but its manyfeatures allow for experimenting with soundand mixing them, making it a good learningtool to understand sound quality and effectsas well. Text-to-speech tools are alsoproductivity tools. Listening to a textualcreation instead of reading, it saves time andhelps in proof-reading and/or editing.

There are many easy to use online tools fordigital storytelling and presentations (forexample Animoto, Cartoonist – onlinecomics tool) but mind map tools are farmore effective and interactive. The pathwayfeature in Visual UnderstandingEnvironment helps in creating pathsthrough nodes and the paths can be used tohighlight desired node in a large map. Thefolding and unfolding feature of most mindmaps are likewise beneficial in focusingattention on certain nodes while keeping thebigger picture in front.

2.3.2 Data Visualization

Simply put forward, data visualization is allabout describing data visually. Data, as thedefinition goes, refers to facts and statisticscollected together for reference or analysis.As a creativity tool, visualization is agraphical representation or explanation ofinformation. It is a way of looking forpatterns in enormous quantities of data, asin the case of demographic data or as Fig.2.5 shows, the global flow of people during2005-10.

Returning to Fig. 2.1, notice the word cloudat the bottom left corner. Picking upcommonly used words from journal entries,RedNotebook generates a word cloud;bigger a word in the cloud, more frequent isits use in the entries. RedNotebook usesword cloud as a search tool but it can alsobe used to glean the context of the entriesfrom prominent words. Wordle is an online

Fig. 2.5: Data visualization, the global flow of people


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tool to generate word clouds, which can beconsidered as a visualization of words in atext piece. Consider the potential of this toolit can be used in analysing essays ortextbooks.

2.3.3 Infographics

Data visualization with just the bareminimum textual support that conveys data

patterns and analyses is an example of an

infographic. This is a slight variant of

storytelling. A good infographic is one that

sets the viewer thinking about the data, its

relevance to the context and its implications

for doing something with the data. An

interesting application of word cloud to

create an infographic can be seen at

(“Inaugural Words”, 2011) which presents

American Presidents on a timeline and

analyzes their presidential inaugural

addresses. Another example (“World Cup”,

n.d.) is presented in Fig. 2.6.

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Figure 2.6: Example of an infographic

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Maps and charts can also qualify asinfographics and so also brochures. But thereal power of an infographic is when thepurpose of communication is quick andclear – a communication characterized bymessaging and great visual impact.

A free online tool to create and shareinfographics is - easelly. Using templatesavailable on the website and a simple dragand drop of content bits, infographics can becreated easily. If the data is chronological,timelines are an appropriate form ofvisualization. An interesting example can befound at (“Revolutionary User Interfaces”,n.d.), a timeline constructed using an onlinetimeline creator Timeline JS, that pulls dataand media details from a spreadsheet.

Good data is central in creation of good

infographics or any other learning resource.

Spreadsheets and databases are best suited

for collecting, organizing and processing

data.

Data can be collected or can be accessed

from various sources. Extracting data from

documents is however not easy. Tabula

makes it easy to extract data from PDF files

into Comma Separated Variable (CSV) or

Tab Separated Variable (TSV) file, which can

then be imported into any spreadsheet or

database or web application for further

processing.

2.3.4 Content Centric CreationTools

All creations are content centric. By terminga tool content centric, we refer to tools likeS5 in opposition to tools like MicrosoftPowerPoint. The difference is that the lattertool has a WYSIWYG (What you see is whatyou get) interface and the tool offers acertain amount of interactivity – dragging

and dropping elements, selecting the fonttype and colour, playing with effects, etc.,while the former is similar to aprogramming environment whereinstructions are compiled or processed bythe tool to generate the creation.

Another example is Text 2 Mindmap whileits WYSIWIG counterpart is Freeplane. Theneed to point out this difference is to bringhome two aspects of content centriccreation tools:

1 . Content centric tools allow the user tofocus on the content and leave designingto the tool.

2. The production, be it a document or apresentation, is of high quality generallymeeting professional standards.

The first aspect is of importance in theeducational context, where the engagementnecessarily is with the quality of contentand the style of presentation, both of whichhardly require a WYSIWIG environment.Learning to use the tool is often timeconsuming, but once a certain amount offamiliarity is acquired, time required fornew projects drastically reduces. Inaddition, as the tool takes care of designing,it is absurdly easy to accomplish complexand demanding creations like books. Forexample this monograph has been createdusing LaTeX, which has automated thegeneration of contents page, figurenumbers, cross-referencing, bibliographyand glossary of tools. LaTeX is ideallysuited for creation of scientific documentsbut it can also be effectively used to createany document.

2.4 Conclusion

A teacher’s constant concern is toencourage creativity. Experiences,observations, memory and imagination


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contribute to the development of originalthought. The best route she can take is todemonstrate creativity. Every action of hersis under scrutiny and every positiveattitude imbibed.

All the preparation, planning and creating isof no consequence if the learning outcome isnot up to the mark. Her keen observation issometimes inadequate to gauge her studentsprogress. And nobody knows better thanher that grades and marks are not adequateproofs of learning. The simple tools ofyesterday have matured considerably toenable her to constantly track eachstudent’s progress. The design anddevelopment of learning management

systems with integrated learning analysis

tools that collect analyse and report data

about learners and their learning has vastly

encouraged her to explore different

teaching techniques. This takes us to an

entire new dimension of technology tools.

While such systems can be installed on the

school’s hardware, online deployment of

learning systems either as free or paid

services rid the teacher of managing

complex software and hardware but instead

allows for setting up a highly interactive

learning environment that she had always

dreamt about. In the next Chapter, we

discuss a few online tools and complete

learning management systems.

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Online Learning 3When a teacher plans a learning session, she

is always aware of time constraints that

prevent longer classes or greater detailing

or more question answer time and

discussion. Worse, she is aware that her

sessions address everybody in general and

nobody in particular. Teachers everywhere

have continuously worked towards

overcoming the limitation of a switch-on

switch-off class which interrupts thought

and forces compliance with a single method

of learning. Possibilities of technology

solutions to such issues emerged only after

the Internet became ubiquitous. However,

as graph 3.1 shows, successes and larger

acceptance of e-learning took time.

Online learning liberates both teachers andstudents. The teacher is not restricted tojust resources that she can deploy in herclass but can invite her students to access alarger variety of resources. She can alsoextend her interactions beyond the class.Device liberation has also come about witheasy synchronization of computers, hand-held devices and mobile phones. This bringsin many new possibilities, each attemptingto eliminate one or the other constraint sheconventionally faced. Students can choosewhen to learn and what to learn and fromwhom. Teachers can employ multipleteaching-learning methodologies for thesame curricular goals and offer learningstyle choices to students. Teachers can

Figure 3.1: e-Learning Hype cycle (“eLearning Fundamentals”, n.d.)

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create, share, modify and re-use digitallearning resources.

We have already encountered a few online

tools in the previous Chapter. Almost all of

them allow for sharing of content,

collaboration and linking services, as we will

see later on in this Chapter. This introduces

a connectedness in the workspace,

extending beyond the school boundary. A

collection of tools can create a complete

solution for a given educational context.

We examine a few such solutions in this

Chapter. Incorporating such solutions

requires a higher level of technical comfort,

especially for installing and maintaining

them, than the simple tools we have

encountered so far. To overcome this

difficulty, Software as a Service (SaaS) is

increasingly becoming popular. A SaaS is an

online hosted software or application and

users subscribe to the service to use it. The

service provider takes on the responsibility

of installing, maintaining and providing

tutorials. While most of them are priced

solutions, some are offered free.

3.1 Learning Management Tools

The name says it all. When the learning

environment has been designed and

learning resources created, attention is

turned to their management to ensure that

learning goals are met. Management

consists of defining the rules of the learning

environment, deploying learning resources,

opening enrollment, facilitating learning,

setting up assessment and evaluation, and

finally concluding the learning session –

exactly the same process as in a face-to-face

learning situation. A Learning Management

System (LMS) can be deployed on the

school’s server to extend the school work or

can be a complete virtual school where

teachers and students meet online.

3.1.1 Characteristics of LMS

Except for increasing the ease and

efficiency, administrative tools of LMSs are

similar to those encountered in schools.

They make it convenient to announce

courses, enroll students and collect

payments, set up the learning environment

(equivalents of classrooms and labs), assign

teachers, collect statistics (termed as logs),

establish communication between teachers

and students and maintain records. The

distinguishing features are those pertaining

to delivery of the course and tracking

students’ progress and performance. Thus,

LMSs score are in their ability in

personalizing the learning environment for

each student. Multiple tools are available

for customizing them to every teacher or

student’s style. Taking the example of

Moodle, we examine a few general features

of LMSs with the focus being on

personalizing learning.

3.1.2 Resources and Activities

Learning is centered on content. Theadvantage of digital technology is the

facility of packaging content in multiple

formats – text, multimedia, video; and

including as many of them as necessary in a

course. Contrast this with just the textbook

or a few reference books that a typical

classroom affords. A file manager facilitates

uploading files, searching and including

selected resources in courses. With the

proliferation of online repositories like

Flickr and YouTube and the ease of

integrating them with the LMS, the choice of

learning resources has increased. This is less

of a challenge than building activities


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around them. LMSs have picked up thischallenge as Fig. 3.2 shows, and builtvarious interactive elements that includediscussion forums, collaborativeworkspaces, peer assessments, continuousteacher grading, surveys and lessons withmultiple learning paths where the choice ofpath is decided on by tracking previouslearning etc. The list keeps increasing withevery passing day. Available in a modularmanner, the course creator has the option toinclude only those that suit the pedagogy ofher course.

3.1.3 Course Structure andLearning Paths

A course structure in an LMS is visible tostudents like a contents page but clearlyshows the path to be taken – resources to bestudied, activities to be accomplished andassignments to be submitted. The format ofthe course can be varied. It can be a timebound course with specific learningexpected in a certain time frame orthematically structured with no time framespecified or can be totally discussion based.

Figure 3.2: Types of resources and activities in a course

Online Learning

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While any style can be chosen, a teacher hasthe option of offering the same course inmultiple formats as resources and activitiescan be re-used or ordered difierently. Thecourse can be structured tightly or madeflexible, building new learning sessions asand when students are ready to get to thenext level.

The online nature of the LMS not onlyprovides for instant messaging together withsynchronous and asynchronouscommunication between the teacher andstudent but also between the whole class ora sub-class. The hallmark of a good LMS isplenty of opportunities to address theminutest of learning needs of each studentas quickly as possible.

3.1.4 Tracking Learning

The learning path to be taken can be decidedeither by the teacher or by the student. Thepath includes accessing learning resources,creating products of learning ordemonstrable evidences of learning,assessment of learning and the inevitablefinal evaluation for certification. On an LMS,there is ample scope for experimenting witheach of these aspects and establishing

appropriate learning environments. Whenmost of the transaction is digital, we have agreater scope for showcasing and trackinglearning over a period of time, comparingindividual showcases to ascertain theeffectiveness of the designed learningenvironment – in short, archiving proofs oflearning as a good feedback loop for theiterative process of learning. This isfacilitated to a large extent by digitalportfolio tools. A portfolio is a collection ofcreations including, if desired, adocumentation of the process of creation.Allowing all students to present theirachievements in the form of portfolios andpreserving them to analyze learning orconvert them into learning resources iseasily achieved in LMSs. Mahara is apopular and versatile electronic portfoliothat integrates with LMSs like Moodle. Asingle page of a portfolio with variedartefacts (content creations) is shown in Fig.3.3.

Mahara is available as a SaaS or for freedownload and installation. Apart fromportfolios, LMSs have many other tools totrack learning. A teacher can set conditionalactivities that restrict students from

completing the course if certain tasks are

Figure 3.3: A portfolio work with Mahara


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Online Learning

not completed. She can set a final evaluationto rank the student and based on theperformance in all activities, allows for thecompletion of the course. She can choose tokeep the student informed of the progress ateach stage or consolidate all performancesto declare the final score. Likewise, a studentcan track his or her progress byparticipating in self-assessing activities anddecide whether to get to the next level ornot depending on the performances.Opportunity for multiple attempts can easilybe configured. Complete flexibility can bebuilt to ensure students have the maximumexposure to learning activities whichinclude self, peer or teacher assessment andreview.

A model implemented in Moodle, shown inFig. 3.4, is an example of the elaborateness

in assessment that can easily be achieved ina digital course delivery. Multiple choicequestions, short answers, surveys and pollsand more such possibilities that areavailable in almost all LMSs; some of themallow for combining tools to developcomplex assessments. The designedassessments can be used independently forevaluation or in the context of a learningsession. Advanced options like rubrics orportfolios are also available. Rubrics aredescriptive tools that convey the quality ofwork or learning. Criteria of assessment orperformance is clearly communicated and arubric score gives adequate pointers tostudents for improvement.

Pre-made rubrics for almost all schoolsubjects and activities (Rubrics4Teachers,n.d.) as well as online tools (Rubistar, n.d.;

Figure 3.4: Assessment model in Moodle-Workshop module

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iRubric, n.d.) where rubrics can be created,shared and downloaded are available.

The advantage of using these tools as a partof an LMS is the ease of performing thecomplicated and memory intensive task oftracking each student’s progress. LMSsprovide for very elaborate and explicit logsof students’ activities on the learningplatform (see Fig. 3.6). Data on number ofresources accessed, time spent on studyingcourse materials or participating inactivities, details of student-teacherinteractions and other such information isreadily available to teachers either in theraw form for her to interpret them or viainbuilt data analyses tools. LMSs arecontinuously improved to meet thedemanding needs of educators.

3.2 Google Apps for Education

Google began as a search engine and iscurrently one of the most popular webservices for searching the web and for theever increasing array of applications (apps)that can be deployed for many purposes,including education. Qualifying as anytime

anywhere tools these applications need justa web browser, more specifically Google’sChrome browser. Eliminating elaborateinstallations or separate user licenses,Google provides almost all digitalexperiences in an intuitively accessiblemanner, especially for non-technical usersof the web. All services and applications canbe accessed with a single account. Inaddition, many networking and servicewebsites allow access with a Google login.

Google has bundled apps for education thatincludes Gmail, Calendar, Sites, Documentsand browser. And all applications have thewell known Google’s powerful search facilityinbuilt, so also the facility of sharing. GoogleCalendar has all the advantages of a desktopcalendar and the ability to sync with otherapplications including desktop calendars,email and mobile devices. Calendars createdin other tools can be imported into it. A highutility feature is the ability to createmultiple calendars including addition ofinformation like sunrise-sunset times, moonphase, etc. and can also share them.Calendars can be added for all academicscheduling – projects, activities, resources,tests, etc.

Figure 3.5: Accessing logs in Moodle


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Google Drive is an online storage. Any filecan be uploaded to the drive. Files can bestored in folders and shared. The powerfulsearch helps in quick retrieval of files. Filescan be synced and accessed from anywhere.

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides areapplications that allow for online creation ofdocuments, spreadsheets and presentationswith the additional option of sharing themor inviting others to collaborate on them.

Perhaps the best starting point to access allGoogle applications is the Google Chromebrowser. Applications can be accessed fromthe browser, making it an alternate desktop.One can also access the Chrome Web Storewhere apps can be searched and installed.Chrome also facilitates online access ofmany applications including the Calendar,Gliffy, Gmail and Drive.

3.3 Conclusion

Actual learning is fostered better whenstudents are directly involved in a learningexperience rather than just listening toteachers’ presentations or lessons. We havementioned earlier that each student has a

particular learning style. Fortunately,technology provides both time and tools tocater to each student’s needs. This mayappear unmanageable at first but a littleeffort at deploying LMSs will yield richdividends.

With the days of desktop computing quicklygiving way to online and mobile computingthe focus of technological developmentstoday is increasingly seen in these areas.Connectivity is demanded but the ensuingease of use, especially with regard totechnology maintenance worries, more thancompensates for the cost of connectivity.More enamouring are the new possibilitiesof learning that have emerged, some ofwhich we have hinted at in this Chapter, tomeets the cherished goals of teachersalluded to in the Introduction.

Online learning calls for some adaptationand a change of mindset. Designing onlinelearning is also not an easy task. Timedeployment for designing the learningenvironment and creating digital contentcan be enormous and should be justifiedonly if learning that accrues is superior tothat from conventional methods.

Figure 3.6: A few educational apps in Chrome web store

Online Learning

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Subject Specific Tools 4We have encountered many interestingtools in previous chapters that help inorganizing activities, tasks and creating orusing resources. However, when it comes tointroducing students to specific subjects,the focus is on enlarging their knowledgebase by systematically familiarizing themwith the techniques of study, instrumentsand measures specific to a subject domain.Students need to acquire the discipline ofthe particular discipline, be it science or thearts or technology. Conceptualunderstanding comes with long hours ofengagement with the subject and students atthe secondary level need to make abeginning of getting into the rigors ofsystematic study that can enhance theiranalytical abilities.

Subject specific tools therefore, are notsimple tools to achieve a given task butelaborately designed software that take intoconsideration both the requirements ofsubject learning and the need for openended pursuits to explore and internalizeconcepts. We propose to discuss thecharacteristics of a few subject specific toolsin this chapter. Learning the tool andexploiting all its functionality however,requires some effort.

The availability of innumerable tools forevery subject, with newer ones gettingadded almost on a daily basis, makes itdiûcult to provide a comprehensive list ofsubject specific tools. Highlighting toolcategories that are best suited to subjectexplorations and self-learning, ourdiscussion is limited to only a few tools ineach category to serve as illustrations.

4.1 Expanding the KnowledgeBase

The web is an alternative to printed booksand a vast collection of all varieties of digitalresources. The OER movement has resultedin the establishment of many onlinerepositories. Resources can be searched,

used and adapted. An example is OER

Commons, is an aggregator of open

educational resources. Search results can be

filtered on a number of criteria as shown in

Fig. 4.1. Belonging to the same class are

many others, notably Wikipedia, Curriki and

institutional repositories like that of NASA.

Maps and globes are inevitable to the social

science class. Roll up maps and globes can

be used to explore not only places and

physical features but also geographical

information such as latitudes and

longitudes. A major limitation of physical

aids is that their details are fixed. Virtual

globes and maps score over them. Based on

very high resolution satellite maps, they

afford a much greater detailing. They allow

zooming in and out, enabling the selection

of an altitude at which a place is viewed.

Based on data, they are completely

searchable. They switch-on and switch-off

features, making the interface as clutter free

as one wishes. These maps and globes make

excellent teaching aids. At the same time,

they lend themselves to independent

exploration by students and problem

solving, enabling setting of projects,

assignments and assessment of

performance.

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Google Earth is one of the most popularvirtual globes. Combined with Google maps,they enable a variety of teaching-learningactivities. They also have features wherelocations can be added, descriptions andphotographs inserted to customize the globefor lessons or activities. Bhuvan and OpenStreet Map also provide similar features.Field Papers is a software that overlays onOpen Street Map and constructs a ready toprint map. Activities like history walks oridentifying trees in the neighbourhoodbecome easy.

Combining data and an urge to fightdevastating ignorance, tools likeGapminder are applications for generatinginteresting data visualization that providesfact-based worldviews. Gapminder compilesdata on various indicators from different

sources to build views that everyone caneasily understand. The tools and otherteaching resources can be downloaded fromthe website and used offline for suchvisualization and data analyses.

4.2 Experiential Learning

A hands-on approach to learning mustfollow teacher’s instruction for a thoroughconceptual understanding and/or adequatepractice with techniques and procedures.More a student engages with the subject,deeper will the understanding be. Tools thatprovide for extended engagement with thesubject to examine and explore many ‘whatif’ situations are ideally suited to triggerinterest for and deep thinking about thesubject domain. Such tools often succeed in

Figure 4.1: Filtered search at OER Commons


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providing a greater conceptualunderstanding of the subject.

Mathematics generally requires more

practice – to overcome the phobia and to

apply it to other domains. GeoGebra (it

takes the name from geometry and algebra)

is a very convenient and useful tool that can

save a lot on paper! It can construct almost

every conceivable geometrical object (latest

version can do 3D too). Object drawing is

interactive – can be moved around,

modified, measured. It has an algebra pane

which provides algebraic representation.

Data can be plotted from a spread sheet (see

Fig. 4.2). By putting a tracer on it is possible

to observe how the plot of a function

changes. Attaching a slider to any variable

allows a simulation to be created. This

function can be used for standalone

assignments. Questions can be framed and

students encouraged to interact with the

GeoGebra diagram. Better still, this tool can

be easily plugged in into most LMSs and is

also available as an app in Google Chrome.

Spreadsheet software are used to tabulate

data and also represent them as graphs. The

cells of a spreadsheet store data as well as

functions enabling us to make calculations

on the rows and columns of numbers.

Datasets can thus be developed. These can

then be represented as Bar charts, pie

charts, x-y plots, etc. Spreadsheets are

particularly useful in statistical, financial

and other similar data applications.

There are many software, including

GeoGebra, that are especially used to

visualize mathematical functions. The

algebraic and geometric pane of GeoGebra

demonstrates how it can be used to plot and

view different functions.

An electronics class would benefit from acircuit drawing program. While any drawing

Subject Specific Tools

Figure 4.2: Workspace in GeoGebra

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program would be able to draw circuits,having a set of ready made icons and tools,which is built around electronics would be agreat time saver. XCircuit is one suchgeneric drawing program tailored formaking circuit diagrams. KiCad is a moreinvolved tool while CircuitLab is an easiertool available as a Google Chrome app.

An introduction to chemical structures suchas crystal lattices or organic moleculeswould need appropriate visualization whichcan help communicate the geometry ofthese molecules. An ability to rotate these inspace would be an added feature. Manysoftware have been developed ranging fromsimple to use 2D chemical structure viewersto those that draw complex DNA structuresand even enable computations. Avagadrois a very simple and intuitive software,

which helps in building molecular models,rotate them in space, measure bond angles,bond distances, etc.

Kalzium extends Avogadro to include aPeriodic Table of Elements, chemicalreference, chemical equation solver, and adata plotting application.

4.3 Simulations

Equipped with the right knowledge base andtools to analyze available information toexperiment with ideas and apply them toreal situations, students can be trained ortrain themselves to synthesize and integratewhat they know to simulate scenarios andprocesses. Simulations are interactivecomputer programs which allow a user tochange variables and see the effect of the

Figure 4.3: Workspace in Avogadro


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Subject Specific Tools

changes on the system. These are very

useful in helping students explore the

subject, solve problems and can also

become a useful self-assessment tool.

GeoGebra can be used in this mode. Defining

appropriate sliders or radio buttons, it

allows the user to vary values and see the

effect of such changes. GeoGebra Tube is a

collaborative library of applets created with

GeoGebra.

A variety of science simulations are

available, some of them downloadable and

some others as online tools. Online Labs,

PhET and NetLogo are good examples. A

number of javascript libraries have been

developed to simulate and allow students anopportunity to explore scientificphenomena. The Easy Java Simulationsis one such authoring tool that can helpanyone create interactive simulations.

4.4 Conclusion

Using a tool or creating a tool calls for aclear view of the end result – the exact taskto be accomplished. Working back from this,the ability to understand the process orprocedure of accomplishing the tasktogether with the skill to wield the tool is tobe gained. Therein lies the challenge.Therein lies the fascination.

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List of Tools

Animoto http://animoto.com

Creates videos and presentations by incorporating images, video clips, audio andtext. A limited free version is also available.

Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

An audio recorder and editor. It handles almost all popular types of sound files.

Avagadro http://avogadro.cc/wiki/Main_Page

An advanced molecule editor and visualizer designed to be used in computationalchemistry, molecular modeling, bioinformatics and related areas.

Basket Note Pads http://basket.kde.org/

A notes taking application that allows for grouping notes and data. Can also make todo lists. Notes can be exported as html.

Beamer http://sourceforge.net/projects/latex-beamer/

A LaTeX package for creating presentations. A Beamer presentation is created likeany other LaTeX document. A few extra commands need to be mastered. Manytemplates are available on the Internet to lessen this task.

Bhuvan http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/bhuvan_links.php

A gateway to Indian Earth observation. Offers visualization of multi resolutionsatellite images, is a platform for Government data, can enriching maps with people’sinputs, provides disaster support services and more.

Cartoonist – online comics tool http://animoto.com

Creates cartoons or multimedia stories using backgrounds, characters, props, imagesand text. A limited free version is also available.

CircuitLab https://www.circuitlab.com

An electrical circuits designing tool available as a Google Chrome app.

Docear http://www.docear.org/

Maps PDF files which can be annotated. Includes many more features for searching,organizing and abstracting. Annotations can also be imported.

easelly http://www.easel.ly/

An online tool to create infographics that can either be built from scratch orassembled using templates available on the website.

Easy Java Simulations http://fem.um.es/Ejs/

A free authoring tool written in Java that helps non-programmers create interactivesimulations in Java or Javascript, mainly for teaching or learning purposes.

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Field Papers http://fieldpapers.org/

A tool to create a multi-page atlas of anywhere in the world. Once printed it can takeninto the field to record notes and observations about the area, or can be used as apersonal tour guide in a new city.

Flickr https://www.flickr.com/

An online photo and video management and sharing website.

FreeMind http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

A mindmapping tool that can also organize hierarchies. Has an emphasis on foldingnodes and is a knowledge and content management tool.

Freeplane http://freeplane.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

A mindmapping tool that organizes ideas in nodes. Nodes can be freely positioned orconnected. Has different export options. Files can be linked to nodes and add-ons canextend its features.

Gapminder http://www.gapminder.org

A tool to build fact-based world views to learn about global patterns and trends.

GeoGebra http://www.geogebra.org/

A free mathematics software for all levels of education that joins geometry, algebra,tables, graphing, statistics and calculus in one easy-to-use package.

GeoGebra Tube http://geogebratube.org

Is a collaborative library of applets created with GeoGebra.

Gliffy Diagrams https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/

A Chrome app that also works offine and can create diagrams and flowcharts quicklyand easily for presentations, wikis or web pages. Requires Google Chrome browser tobe installed.

Google http://www.google.com

An ever increasing collection of web applications including a very popular searchwebsite and email service. All services and applications can be accessed by creating afree user account.

Google Earth http://www.google.com/earth/

A virtual globe, map and geographical information tool.

Kalzium hhttp://edu.kde.org/kalzium/

An information rich application on the periodic system of elements.

KiCad http://opencircuitdesign.com/xcircuit/

A program for drawing electrical circuits, design of printed circuits and more.

LaTeX http://latex-project.org/

A general purpose document creator for high quality complex documents andpresentations that can easily conform to a pre-decided consistent design.


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Mahara https://mahara.org/

An electronic portfolio for recording evidences of learning. Students and teacherscan display their creations.

Moodle https://moodle.org/

A learning platform for personalizing learning. Can be installed locally on the schoolserver or hosted on the Web.

NaturalReader http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

A Text to Speech software with natural sounding voices. Can convert any written textincluding PDF files into spoken words.

NetLogo http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/

A programmable modeling environment.

OER Commons https://www.oercommons.org

A ggregates open educational resources.

Online Labs http://www.olabs.co.in/

Offers subject-wise content, simulations, animations and lab videos. Access to OnlineLabs is free for schools upon registration.

Open Street Map http://www.google.com/earth/

Is built by a community of mappers that contribute and maintain data about roads,trails, caf´es, railway stations, and much more, all over the world.

PhET http://phet.colorado.edu/

Provides interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena.

Picasa http://picasa.google.co.in/

An image organizer and image viewer for organizing and editing digital photos, plusan integrated photo-sharing website. Available for Windows and Mac systems.

Rainlendar http://www.rainlendar.net/cms/index.php

A customizable calendar application which stays out of the way but keeps allimportant events and tasks always visible on the desktop.

RedNotebook http://rednotebook.sourceforge.net/

A diary and journal. It includes a calendar navigation, customizable templates,export functionality and word cloud. Entries can be formatted, tagged and searched.

S5 http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/s5/

A simple slide show system that generates presentation slides and printed handoutsfrom the same file.

Shotwell https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Shotwell

A personal photo management tool on the Linux platform. Also imports from cameraand edits images.

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Tabula http://tabula.nerdpower.org/

A text mining and data extraction tool. Data can be extracted from PDF and importedinto spreadsheet or database applications for further processing and analyzing.

TagSpaces http://www.tagspaces.org/

A data manager to organize files by tagging them.

Text 2 Mindmap https://www.text2mindmap.com/

A simple mindmapping tool that takes tabbed text as input to generate mind maps.Maps can be downloaded as images.

Text2Speech http://www.text2speech.org/

An online tool. After entering text, a voice can be selected to convert text to audio.The resulting mp3 file can be downloaded.

Timeline JS http://timeline.knightlab.com

A tool for building visually rich timelines using a simple spreadsheet. It can pullmedia – images, video and more from a variety of sources and has in-built supportfor Google Maps, YouTube, etc.

Tomboy Notes https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Tomboy

Simple and easy to use notes taking application. Has the potential to help inorganizing ideas and information. Can be synchronized with Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/ an online free storage, sharing and a synchronizing service).

Visual Understanding Environment http://vue.tufts.edu/

Provides a flexible visual environment for structuring, presenting, and sharing digitalinformation.

Wordle http://www.wordle.net/

An online tool that generates a word cloud for a text piece composed in it or pastedin the text box available under ‘Create’ menu.

XCircuit http://opencircuitdesign.com/xcircuit/

A program for drawing publishable-quality electrical circuit schematic diagrams andrelated figures.

Xmind http://www.xmind.net/

A mindmapping tool to clarify thinking, manage information, brainstorm andorganize work.

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/

A website to share originally-created videos.


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Notes and References

eLearning Fundamentals. Retrieved fromhttp://www.leerbeleving.nl/wbts/1/history_of_elearning.html

Free Open Source Software. Retrieved fromhttp://freeopensourcesoftware.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Hype cycle. Retrieved fromhttp://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp

Inaugural Words: 1789 to the Present (2011). Retrieved fromhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/17/washington 20090117_ADDRESSES.html

iRubric, a part of RCampus: A complete education management system, Retrieved fromhttp://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm

OER Commons. Retrieved from https://www.oercommons.org/

Papert, Seymour (1976, June). An Evaluative Study of Modern Technology in Education, MITArtificial Intelligence Laboratory Memo No. 371. Retrieved fromhttp://www.papert.org/articles/AnEvaluativeStudyofModernTechnology.html

Papert, Seymour (1980). Redefining Childhood: The Computer Presence as an Experiment inDevelopmental Psychology. Retrieved fromhttp://www.papert.org/articles/RedefiningChildhood.html

Revolutionary User Interfaces. Retrieved fromhttp://timeline.knightlab.com/examples/user-interface/

Rubistar, an online rubric makers. Retrieved from http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

Rubrics4Teachers, Pre made rubrics covering a variety of subjects. Retrieved fromhttp://www.rubrics4teachers.com/

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Credits for Illustrations

Some of the graphics in this publication are taken from the following sources.

Figure 2.1: Retrieved from http://rednotebook.sourceforge.net/screenshots/rednotebook-1.1-2.png

Figure 2.3: Retrieved from http://basket.kde.org/screenshots/basket-note-pads.png

Figure 2.4: Retrieved from http://www.tagspaces.org/content/v1.7/tagspaces-tagging.png

Figure 2.5: (CC BY-NC-SA) Screen shot from http://visualizing.org/visualizations/global-flow-people

Figure 2.6: (CC BY-NC-SA) Retrieved from http://www.visualizing.org/visualizations/world-cup-2014-schedule

Figure 3.1: (CC BY-NC-SA) Retrieved from http://www.leerbeleving.nl/wbts/1/cycle.gif

Figure 3.2: Retrieved from https://docs.moodle.org/24/en/File:activity_chooser.png

Figure 3.3: (CC BY-SA) Retrieved from http://mahara.ucs.ac.uk/artefact/file/download.php?file=55982&view=2579

Figure 3.4: Retrieved from https://docs.moodle.org/24/en/File:workshop_grades_calculation.png

Figure 3.5: Retrieved from https://docs.moodle.org/27/en/File:logging.png

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technology tools for teachers by vidya m. s

Education

limited free version

google chrome app

notes taking application

google chrome browser

subject specific tools

oer commons

online storage

hard disk