113 EdTech Resources You May Have Missed–Treasure Chest New Year’s Day 2012

by Jeffrey Thomas on December 30, 2011

Welcome to this week’s edition of Treasure Chest—113 EdTech Resources You May Have Missed.

It’s really difficult to keep up with all that happens in educational technology. This is my attempt to make it just a little easier. I post a Treasure Chest every Sunday!

Happy New Year!!!!!

Featured

Ed Blog “Register”–To cut to the chase, it’s simply a register of education blogs, listing title, author, Twitter ID, subject, focus, age taught, country and so on. By using a Google form linked to a spreadsheet, bloggers can enter their own details. And by using a spreadsheet, users can sort and search to find the blogs or people they want.
5 Tips for School Administrators in 2012 | Connected Principals–About this time each year, I like to reflect on the past year and begin framing “goals” or “areas of emphasis” that will guide me through the forthcoming year. I don’t necessarily believe in New Year’s Resolutions, as they are so easy to break and forget about just days after the new year passes. It’s [...]
The 350 Best Education Resources Chosen By You | Edudemic–Developing a PLN or just trying to sort out the best source of information online can be difficult. Luckily, it’s never been easier to identify useful and frequently-updated education blogs.
The 101 Most Useful Websites on the Internet–Meet the 101 most useful websites on the Internet. The list highlights all the lesser-known websites that are worth bookmarking.
Interview: Rock Star Librarian, Joyce Valenza, Nabs Lifetime Achievement Award–Superstar teacher librarian Joyce Valenza is this year’s winner of the Edublog Lifetime Achievement Award for her tremendous contribution to the world of ed tech.
WEB 2.0 FOR SECONDARY TEACHERS – LiveBinder–free Web 2.0 tools for secondary teachers…divided by subjeect
Top 12 Most Popular Education Articles of 2011 | TeachHUB–We’re kicking off our New Year’s K-12 countdowns with the most popular education articles that ran on TeachHUB this year. Here are the top 12 TeachHUB Articles of 2011 based on your visits:
Where Geeks Are Rock Stars: Documentary Spotlights an Urban School’s Champion Chess Team – Education – GOOD–Brooklyn Castle tells the story of how chess transformed an entire school.
Apps in Education: Are We Really Evaluating the Use of iPads in Our Classroom–One of the things we need to be doing as educators is to critically evaluate the resources and learning experiences that we provide for our students.
Another View on The Consequences of BYOD–Saying “‘Bring Your Own Device’ is an IT “trend” is like saying peanut butter in school lunches is a trend. It’s not a trend, but it’s a …
How SOPA Would Kill Art & Creativity Online–If SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) passes, artists online will be at risk – especially if Big Media has anything to say about it.
peoplegogy: What Schools can learn from Successful Sports Teams–Successful sports teams have an identity, a vision, and a culture of learning and being that permeates throughout the entire organization.
Fill Your New Kindle, iPad, iPhone with Free eBooks, Movies, Audio Books, Courses & More | Open Culture–Santa left a new Kindle, iPad or other media player under your tree. He did his job. Now we’ll do ours. We’ll tell you how to fill those devices with free
Overcoming the Divide Between Curriculum and Technology Leaders | EdTech Magazine–Synchronizing the work of these departments can facilitate more effective digital learning.
Top 100 Articles of 2011 C4LPT–From nearly 500 links to articles, blog posts, slideshows, reports and (this year also) infographics that I saved in my 2011 Reading List, here are the 100 that I enjoyed and/or impressed me most in 2011
The Top 10 Tech Stories of 2011 | News & Opinion | PCMag.com–Barring the release of a new Apple product, a huge merger, or a major privacy gaffe in the next few days, here are the biggest tech news stories of 2011, as well as a few honorable mentions.
The Innovative Educator: 12 Most Useful Ways Kids Can Learn With Cell Phones–We live in a world that is increasingly mobile. In order for adults to connect with our kids and students, we need to mobilize.
Mobile Devices and the Flipped Classroom Model « The Mobile Learner–Throughout this blog, we have always looked at the application of mobile devices in learning.
It’s Time to Rethink the Hours America Spends Educating | Edutopia–Time is a resource we still haven’t figured out how to use wisely.
Jason Calacanis: “Blogging Is Dead” & Why “Stupid People Shouldn’t Write”–”Blogging is largely dead.” “There are a lot of stupid people out there … and stupid people shouldn’t write.” “There needs to be a better system for tuning down the stupid people and tuning up the smart people.”
What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success – Anu Partanen – National – The Atlantic–The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.
The Five Biggest Ed-Tech Themes in 2011 – Digital Education – Education Week–We at the Digital Education blog have tried to process a busy and pivotal year in the world of education technology
Wow! “Lessons On American Presidents” Is A Great New Site | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…–Sean Banville has just unveiled a great new site called Lessons On American Presidents.
10 Powerful and Inspiring Graduation Speeches You Don’t Want To Miss–Commencement speeches have become outlets for sharing some of the most important life lessons ever. After listening to Steve Jobs’ Stanford speech, I was inspired to round up the best graduation speeches so all of you…
Here’s What The US Education System Can Really Learn From Finland–Equality, not excellence.

Tools

The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators | Edudemic–Whether you’re new to education technology or a seasoned professional, there’s always something new to learn when it comes to edtech.
30 Webtools to Transform a Classroom – LiveBinder–A tour of Web 2.0 resources for the classroom
Best apps for your new tablet or smartphone | News | TechRadar–Best apps for your new tablet or smartphone Top free and paid apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone : TechRadar
The Innovative Educator: The Innovative Educator’s Picks for the Google Chrome Extensions in The App Marketplace–There are a ton of free apps that are great for productivity and education.
LiveMinutes: Live Sharing & Collaboration Tool With Skype Integration–LiveMinutes, a web application, integrates multiple collaborative tools into a single, slick interface. It allows you to hold live meetings with other members
Secure Your Files: 3 Encrypted Dropbox Alternatives–Dropbox brought cloud-based file synchronization and storage to the masses, but it’s been hindered by high-profile security problems. Fortunately, you have another option — an alternative service that secures your files with local encryption and decryption. The encryption keeps your files private, outwitting hackers and preventing rogue employees from snooping around.
A few great resources for polishing your technical skills | TechRepublic–Have you already resolved to brush up your technical skills and knowledge in 2012? Wil Limoges shares some great online resources that will get your …
My Favorite Apps Of 2011: The Best Of The Best–2011 has been an intense year for me. I started writing for MakeUseOf early May, and it has been an absolute blast so far. I often like to take an in-depth look at a single app or website when I write (although I’ve been known to write up the occasional round-up)
Top Movie Apps for iPhone and Android – Android Movie Apps, best android movie apps, iPad Movie Apps, iPhone Movie Apps–Tired of all those newspaper subscriptions? Or ever found yourself in front of a cinema and didn’t know anything about the movie that’s playing?
The 10 Best Productivity Apps of 2011 – The Next Web–Here’s TNW’s list of the 10 best productivity apps of 2011
Facebook Messenger for Windows is more than a chat app — and you can get it now | VentureBeat–Facebook has made the download link available in the Help Center. Facebook is busy perfecting a Messenger desktop application for Windows that compacts the best of Facebook — chat, ticker and notifications — into an always-accessible, dock-able miniature window.
Insync (“Dropbox For Google Users”) Gets Major Revamp, Goes Free | TechCrunch–File synchronization and sharing platform Insync has been around for over a year now, and today, the eponymous startup has rolled out a totally revamped version of its “Dropbox for Google users”.
8 MS Word Templates That Help You Brainstorm & Mind Map Your Ideas Quickly–Brainstorming your ideas visually helps with clarity and allows you to connect ideas and interlink them together. That’s where mindmapping took off. You might know zilch about it, but even age old habits of doodling your ideas is better than a blank page. But you don’t have to draw aimlessly because MS Word offers you a few free templates to structure your ideas and sharpen your thought process.
150 Best Windows Applications Of Year 2011 [Editor's Pick]–At the dawn of 2011, we provided you with a list of 150 best Windows application of 2010. This, year we covered not only Windows software, but also Mac OS X

How-To

50 tips to get you started with your new Mac | News | TechRadar–50 tips to get you started with your new Mac Got a Mac for Christmas? Get up and running with these tips : TechRadar
How to use your new digital camera | News | TechRadar–How to use your new digital camera Setting up and using an SLR, CSC or compact camera : TechRadar
Master Facebook’s Timeline With This Handy Guide | PCWorld–Here is a soup-to-nuts guide on getting started with Facebook Timeline and advanced tips for protecting your privacy and looking your best online.
How to update Firefox or Thunderbird addons to work with a new release–Have you ever got used to a Firefox or Thunderbird addon that you really like, or just can’t live without, and then a new version of either Firefox or Thunderbird is released, and suddenly your addon no longer works?
Use the Alt Key To Access Properties In Super Quick Time!–Normally if you want to access a folders properties, you have to right click on it, the select properties from the context menu. But not anymore! Now all you have to do is hold down the Alt key on your keyboard and double click the folder.
Time-Saving Touchscreen Secrets | Upgrade Your Life – Yahoo! News–Read ‘Time-Saving Touchscreen Secrets’ from our blog Upgrade Your Life on Yahoo! News. Touchscreens can be quick and convenient, but frustrating if you’re entering large amounts of text. If you’re one of the 22 million lucky people who got a new iPad for the holidays — or one of the 200 million people who already own an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad — here are my top tips [...]
How To Find Out Who Recently Unfriended You On Facebook–Facebook lets you do many, many things. Whether you love it or hate it, you can’t deny the fact that it has opened doors to things we previously couldn’t do. But despite its shady reputation regarding anything to do with privacy, there are still some things you can’t do with Facebook. One of these things, is seeing who deleted you from their friend list.
Facebook Chat Just Got Infinitely Better: Try This New Gimmick Now–You can make the profile pictures of Facebook users and pages show up inside your chat windows.
5 Twitter Changes and How to Make the Most of Them | Social Media Examiner–Review of the latest changes on Twitter: Twitter brand pages, embeddable tweets, Twitter mobile clients and TweetDeck improvements.
5 Tips for Teachers to Navigate Facebook’s Features and Risks – SchoolBook–Many teachers view Facebook as a digital monster, poised to steal their privacy and set them up for ethical breaches with their students. Facebook’s consultant for education offers concrete tips — how to set your privacy restrictions, where to click to get ‘help’ — for using the social media tool, and provides some suggestions for using it safely in teaching.
How to Use the Google Plus Creative Kit to Edit & Spice Up Photos–Learn How to Use the Google+ Creative Kit to Edit and Spice Up Your Photos.
Save MS Office Documents Directly to Dropbox–Here’s a time saver to save Microsoft Office documents directly to your Dropbox.
The 10 hottest tip lists of 2011 | TechRepublic–Before its transformation into Five Apps this year, the Five Tips blog played host to more than 650 tips. Here are the tips that topped the charts.
Basics To Know Before Moving From A Windows PC To An Apple Mac–Changing phones, email providers or web browsers is something that takes a lot of conviction and adjusting to; imagine if you felt compelled to change your …
Infographic: Get More Out Of Google | HackCollege–There’s a lot more to efficient googling than you might think!
Hardware Upgrade: How To Install New RAM – How-To Geek–RAM is one of those upgrades everyone seems to skimp on when buying a PC, only to later wish for more. Regretting your underpowered memory purchase? Here’s how to speed up your machine by installing some additional memory.
Free Technology for Teachers: 7 Visually Appealing Ways to Publish Documents Online–Here are the services I’ve used to host my ebooks and some others that you might consider using.
Install Dropbox on Your Kindle Fire–It’s annoying not being able to access popular apps like Dropbox via the Amazon App store. You have Dropbox on all of your other devices, so why not add it to your Kindle Fire too? Here’s how to get it.
How To Use Google+–Waiting for a Google Plus invite? Google is rolling out the service in waves and you can expect it to become a ubiquitous social option in the coming months.

iOS

100 Best Apps for iPhone / iPad in 2011–The finest that the App Store has to offer .. The best thing about buying an iPad or an iPhone is the moment you realize quite how many apps there are to …
Three Popular Paid iPhone Apps Gone Free Just In Time For Christmas! – Download Now | Redmond Pie–We’ve chosen three apps which would previously have set you back some cash, but are now available for absolutely nothing. Some are free for a limited time, and one has changed its business model completely.
Top 10 iOS Apps of 2011–We scoured our iPad and iPhone devices for the best apps released in 2011.
Most Popular iPhone Apps and Posts–2011 gave us iOS 5, one of the best upgrades to Apple’s mobile operating system, and plenty of great apps. Here are the most popular iPhone-related posts and apps this year.
Which iPhone should you buy? | News | TechRadar–Which iPhone should you buy? How to choose an iPhone and get the best deal for you : TechRadar
5 Simple (But Hidden!) Tricks All The New iPhone/iPad Owners Should Know | TechCrunch–This one’s for the curious newbie; the moms, pops, and younger siblings of the world; the Android converts who may be feeling a bit out of place. It’s a collection of things I’m regularly surprised to find that other iOS device owners don’t know.
A List of Apps to Install on Your New iPad–The list includes apps to handle your photos and videos, music apps, productivity apps, a few essentials to meet all of your social media needs, and of course a few games to keep you entertained.
Must Have Kids Apps for New iPad Owners | iPad Feed–It’s not unusual to see young children sporting iPads and iPhones nowadays, and I’m guessing that some of you out there even surprised your kids with a
30 of the Best Apps For Your New iPhone–You just got a new iPhone, and now you need some great apps! The App Store can be a daunting environment to get used to, so we thought we’d take the time to
Apps in Education: More Kindergarten iPad Resources–This is a great list of Apps and Websites that provide age appropriate content for Preschool and Kindergarten students
Best iPad and iPhone car charger: 5 tested | News | TechRadar–Best iPad and iPhone car charger: 5 tested In-car chargers for your Apple phone or tablet : TechRadar
Top 50 Must-Have Apps For Your iPhone, iPod Touch–Top 50 Must-Have Apps For Your iPhone, iPod Touch
Apple iOS: Five Ways to Find Free and Discounted Apps–There’s certainly no shortage of apps available for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Sorting through them all is a daunting task. Here’s a look at five ways to help you find new apps that are free or discounted.
10 Best Sports Games for iPhone–For those who want to get in on the action virtually, check out the top 10 iOS games for sports fans.
How to manage your files with your iPhone | News | TechRadar–How to manage your files with your iPhone Apps to help you share and view files on your iPhone : TechRadar
Gube Curates Kid-Safe YouTube Videos for iOS–iOS: Kids these days watch a lot of YouTube videos, and if you’re worried about your child watching something inappropriate you can use the Gube app instead of handing them unrestricted access to YouTube. Gube curates thousands of educational and fun videos for your child in your choice of four age categories.
Best iPad keyboard case: 5 reviewed and rated | News | TechRadar–Best iPad keyboard case: 5 reviewed and rated iPad cases with built-in Bluetooth keyboards tested : TechRadar
Top 7 iPhone apps that are now free – AGBeat–Apps for your iPhone or iPad are great ways to get the most and best use out of your devices. Think of it as customizing your phone or tablet to fit your
How To Set Up iTunes Match For The First Time – The Definitive Guide–With iTunes Match finally released to us here in the UK, I signed up and have been using it for about a week now. Here’s my definitive guide to exactly what iTunes Match is, and what it isn’t; as well as a quick guide on how to upgrade all your matched songs to high quality 256kbs versions. Hopefully along the way I’ll answer any questions you have about the service too.
Best Of iPhone Apps 2011–The year is finally coming to a close and we are now getting ready to see what 2012 has in store. However, today we will take a look back at the best apps of 2011 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. There have been many popular applications that were released or were a hit this year. The applications ranged from those geared toward photography to social media, and even one with both all in one app.
HowStuffWorks “10 iPad Apps for Teaching Kids About Science”–There are several iPad apps that teach kids about science. Take a look at our list of 10 iPad apps for teaching kids about science to get started.
The Official 500px App: Enjoy Photography Wonders On Your iPad–A few days back, we covered ISO500, a third-party client for the popular photo hosting service, 500px. That app was specifically for the iPhone, but what’s

Android

Android Apps to Support Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy–Android Apps to Support Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Top 100 Best Free Android Apps–There are more then millions of Android Apps available over internet. However to get the Best of the Android Apps and that too which are available without any …
The Top 30 Android Apps And Games Of 2011 | TechCrunch–The best Android apps are thus the ones that can both push the technological envelope while also remaining accessible to the vast majority of users. This is no easy feat.
Big Fat Canvas – A Great Drawing App for Android Tablets–Big Fat Canvas – A Great Drawing App for Android Tablets
Monitor And Track Internet Data Usage Stats On Android Phone–Do you want to monitor internet data usage on your Android phone or tablet device? Check out these free applications which lets you track data download usages on Android and save money on excessive bills.
Free Technology for Teachers: Awesome Apps to Try on Your New Android Device–All of these apps are free so there is no risk in trying them out.
11 Awesome Apps for Students To Try On Their New Android Devices–If one of your children or students received a new Android device during this holiday season here are eleven apps that you and they should check out.
Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich Android OS: An In-Depth Look | PCWorld–Let’s delve deep into a detailed review of what’s new in Android 4.0 and how it measures up.
How to build an Android app | News | TechRadar–How to build an Android app Two ways to create simple applications for Android : TechRadar
AppAware For Android: A Comprehensive Social Network For Apps & Games–With apps such as AppLovin and Hooked, we’ve already seen some fun ways of discovering and sharing the best Android apps and games with your buddies.
Five Cool Wallpaper Apps For Android–List of five great wallpaper apps for your Android device.
12 Android Apps For Small Business Owners–Many small business owner are utilizing Android devices to automate their jobs and free up their time. The list here show you all the useful apps in the Android market that you can utilize …
How to keep track of data use on your Android smartphone–If you’re on a limited data plan with your Android Smartphone, it’s difficult to monitor your data usage. Here’s a look at a handy widget that keeps track so you avoid extra fees.
Free Office Suite for Android- Kingsoft Office–Free Microsoft Office suite for Android with Kingsoft Office. Open Office 2010 documents and spreadsheets in Android with Kingsoft
6 Free Photo Editing Apps for Android–Top and Best Free Photo Editing Apps for Android. Edit Photos using the free editing tools on your Android smartphone.
QR Droid App To Scan And Generate QR Code On Android || Free Software–QR Droid is a free Android app to manage QR code on Android device. Download QR Droid app to scan and generate QR code for absolutely free.
5 Free Radio Apps For Android || Free Software–Here are 5 Free Radio Apps for Android to listen your favorite radio programs anywhere, anytime. Install any Radio App for Android Free.
Make Your Android Child Friendly – Block Internet Access, Applications–Famigo Sandbox lets you create a kid friendly section on your Android device which prevents them from using applications, surfing the web, make or receive calls, send text messages and perform other activities. You can allow them to play games and use specific applications while blocking internet access and access to other

Miscellaneous

83 Free kindle ebook downloads–83 Free kindle ebook downloads
Top Ten Learning Resources of 2011 | OpenSesame Elearning Marketplace for Online Training Courses–My top resources of 2011: Sites, articles or resources I visited over and over again, sent to colleagues, memorized or otherwise relied upon, in no particular order.
Top 20 Tweeting Geographers | The Creative Education Blog–After the success of our top 35 science tweeters post we’re heading into the sunlit halls of the umanities this week, focussing on
Probably the best blogs by maths teachers around the world | Great Maths Teaching Ideas–There are some really great blogs out there…
Computer Programming for Homeschool Students by Richard G Baldwin–Online C#, Java, and JavaScript tutorial lessons designed to teach you how to program in C#, Java, and JavaScript. Content ranges from Introductory to Advanced.
Social Media Statistics of the Day Infographic–Social Media Statistics of the Day
5 Features That Should Come Standard In WordPress (And How To Get Them) – ManageWP–Manage WordPress Sites from One Dashboard – ManageWP.com
Top 20 Mathematics Posts for 2011 Mathematics and Multimedia–It’s year end again and it’s time for our year end summary. Here are the top 20 mathematics articles written in 2011.
The Other Steve Jobs: Censorship, Control and Labor Rights–The death of Steve Jobs has rocked people the world over, affecting everyone from the most hardcore Apple fanboy to Barack Obama to all those gathered outside the new Apple store in Shanghai. While Steve Jobs will be remembered for revolutionizing personal computing, the music industry, consumer mobile products, film animation and even fonts, the other side of his legacy is one of hyper-control:
15 Free Charlie Chaplin Films Online | Open Culture–A few things to know about Charlie Chaplin. He starred in over 80 films, reeling off most during the silent film era. In 1914 alone, he acted in 40 films, …
5 Free Websites To Find Lyrics To Songs || Free Software–Here are 5 free websites to find lyrics to songs for those who are lyrics freak or for those who practice singing. Try Lyrics Website free.
The Short Films That Saved Pixar | Open Culture–When Steve Jobs became the majority investor in Pixar in January 1986, the company looked nothing like it does today. Back then, Pixar was mainly a …
Mac vs. PC Pros and Cons List–Previously, we posted about some of the differences between Apple and Microsoft in terms of OS X and Windows, but also some of the programs and applications that each company develops