Learning without borders
We asked IB World Schools and digital experts for the best of the web. The result is 20 sites (and four apps) every teacher should bookmark
1 EDMODO
A social learning network for teachers and students, Edmodo lets members post materials, share digital content and access grades and homework. It even texts students every time you post.
“I use it for everything – I couldn’t do without it. My students know to check it for work if they’re absent.”
Nan Sisemore, southeast high school, Florida, USA
2 Facing the Future
Full of free resources about global sustainability, this is packed with ideas to bring issues like climate change and overpopulation to life in the classroom – and inspire community activities.
3 PROJECT GUTENBERG
Students can choose from over 33,000 free e-books in this huge online library. From physics to poetry, biology to the Bard, bibliophiles will be able to spend hours browsing the virtual shelves, which cover 60 languages. A treasure trove for free texts.
4 ESPAñOL EXTRA
That rarest of sites which seems to have been designed to give teachers everything they could possibly need, Español Extra contains a hoard of Spanish language resources, including flashcards, tests and games for all levels. Many are free, but subscribers get access to podcasts, news articles and vocabulary builders.
“The full package for both the teacher and student of Spanish at all levels. Created with learners in mind”
David Doyle, Portsmouth grammar school, UK
5 Quia
If you’re looking for inspiration, try a visit to Quia. Browse millions of activities and quizzes in over 300 categories, created by other teachers around the world. There are also templates for creating online activities using your own content. It costs $49 a year, but is free for students to access.
6 Moodle
Moodle has quickly become the first name in virtual learning environments. The downloadable resource incorporates forums, blogs, wikis and databases to build a community where students can collaborate at any time.
7 The week in rap
If you think Ice Cube belongs in a cookery class, this might not be the site for you. But students will love hearing the week’s news headlines summarized in hip-hop form, accompanied by a video. Bling up your curriculum and earn extra street cred.
“The Week in Rap is great for promoting student interest in current affairs, which is vital for humanities studies”
Caroline Rennie, Osaka international school, Japan
8 Wikispaces
Wikis are a vital tool for online collaborative learning, and thanks to Wikispaces, they’ve never been easier to set up and use. Whether you create a subject wiki, or start one for an individual project, it’s an intuitive way for students to share and discuss information. Wikispaces offers free upgrades to educators, making getting started simplicity itself.
9 ThinkQuest
Want somewhere students can learn about everything from Cantonese opera to deforestation, and share their own projects with the world? ThinkQuest is just the place. It allows collaboration with peers across the globe, and is available in 11 languages. There’s also an annual, project-based competition with enticing prizes.
For younger students, the award-winning Brainpop is full of animated videos and interactive quizzes designed to make learning fun. Explore a large range of free resources covering subjects including maths, science, English and arts, with the option of paying to access further materials. Practice your Spanish with Brainpop Español.
11 GAPMINDER
Explore global trends and introduce students to the joy of stats with Gapminder.
This huge bank of data, on subjects such as imports and exports, education and life expectancy, can be viewed as figures, graphs or map visualizations, improving world knowledge at a glance.
“Gapminder makes statistics fascinating and relevant, with a dynamic global view. It is jaw-droppingly great”
David Harris, St Clare’s, Oxford, UK
12 Worldstat
This online database from The World Bank aims to share development statistics with students. There’s a large library of graphs and figures to wade through, but they
are organized by subject: population, environment
and economy. There’s also
a section specially designed for younger students, and each graph includes questions to prompt inquiry.
13 Merlot pedagogy
It might sound like a site dedicated to wine theory, but this pedagogy portal is a one-stop shop for the latest educational thinking. You’ll find over 1,300 materials, including links, interviews, articles and professional development resources arranged by subject.
14edistorm
Brainstorming goes high-tech. Edistorm allows users to collate ideas in real time, collaborating with others. All brainstorms are saved to revisit later and there are even ‘Idea Bots’ to help you out if you get stuck.
“This is ideal: it encourages authentic conversation and deep thinking”
Amanda Gulliver, Beacon Hill school, Hong Kong
15 Wordle
Generate a ‘word cloud’ from any piece of text. The clouds give prominence to the most repeated words, so it’s ideal for spotting patterns. Students can change colours, spacing and fonts, turning the cloud into a work of art.
16 Storybird
Everyone can be a published author thanks to Storybird. Choose from a large selection of charming illustrations, then write a story around the pictures, either working alone or collaboratively. Finished books are published online for Storybird users to
enjoy and give feedback on. Teachers can sign up for a free class account.
17 Project Explorer
Travel around the world, discover remote communities and learn about different cultures, all without leaving the classroom. With a mix of videos, vibrant photographs, articles and recipes, Project Explorer aims to create a new generation of global citizens. All material is organized by age group.
18 Arkive
ARKive is on a mission to create a multimedia guide
to the world’s endangered species. Browse videos and photos of the most unusual creatures on earth, and learn about the battle to save them from extinction.
19 Gogo news
GoGo News provides ‘Big news for little people’, and
is perfect for PYP students. New, age-appropriate news stories are added every day, with an emphasis on green issues. Sign up to the daily newsletter and you’ll never miss out on a story.
“This site is engaging, fun and dynamic. It helps me create conversations about world issues and inquiry”
Zein Odeh, Toronto French school, Canada
20. Nrich
Get free resources to enrich your maths lessons from this Cambridge University site. You’ll find games, problems and articles, arranged by age and suitable for students from age 5 to 19. As it’s updated with new material on the first of each month, there’s always something new to explore.
Want to get ahead? Get an app…
Pages
Allows you to create perfect documents – including newsletters, flyers, reports and more – quickly and easily while on the move. Students will find it ideal.
US$9.99
Fotopedia
Explore the different cultures of the world on your phone with this digital photo-book of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Free
Mad libs
Make teaching grammar fun with Mad Libs. In the paid-for version, students can play word games and create their own amusing stories.
Free or US$3.99
One globe kids
Spend a day in the life of children around the world with this innovative and inspiring app. Explore other cultures and even enjoy a language tutorial through the eyes of a local child.
US$2.99
