20 Free Web Apps to Use in the Classroom

Guest post from education writer Karen Schweitzer. Karen is the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes about college online for OnlineCollege.org

Teachers who are looking to transform their classroom with new technology can find many free resources online. Many of these resources are web-based and do not require any download. This list provides 20 free web apps that work particularly well in the classroom:

mySchoolog - This online application allows students to organize their school life with to-do lists, class schedules, success graphs, and email reminders.

Edmodo - This private social platform was created specifically for teachers and students. Edmodo works a lot like Twitter with built in privacy controls. The site can also be used to share notes, links, files, assignments, and much more.

Engrade - Engrade is an all-in-one suite of tools that can be used to create an online portal for students. Engrade works well for teachers who want to post homework, class events, a gradebook, attendance calendar, and other items online. This app also helps with parent-teacher conferences.

SnapGrades - SnapGrades is a popular web-based gradebook for teachers. The app makes it easy for students and parents to check grades online at any time.

SchoolTool - SchoolTool is free administrative software that was created for schools by a non-profit organization. The software provides a free gradebook, attendance book, class calendar, and much more.

SimplyBox - This free web-based service is perfect for teachers who want to capture, organize, and share pieces of the web with their students. SimplyBox supports multiple languages, including English, French, Japanese, and Spanish.

Hooeey - Hooeey is a free web application that records web browsing and allows links to be used later in a fun and productive way. Every link that is recorded can be tagged, commented on, and retrieved at any time.

Mikogo - Mikogo makes it incredibly easy for teachers to share their desktop with students in the classroom. It also works well for online parent-teacher conferences.

Cramberry - Cramberry is an excellent web-based application for classroom use. This flash card site allows teachers to create online flash cards and track students' progress.

Flash Card Machine - Teachers can use this app to create web-based flash cards for students. Flash cards can include text, audio, and images.

Revisions - This free Michigan State University resource allows students to collaborate on writing assignments. The tool can also be used for teacher and peer reviews.

Scriblink - This free, web-based whiteboard allows students to collaborate, write, and share ideas in real-time without registering for an account or downloading software.

Wridea - Wridea is a free web service that can be used to brainstorm, record, and share ideas. The service offers built-in chat and many other features to make brainstorming and collaboration easier.

Sketchcast - Sketchcast is a web-based sketch pad that can record sketches created by a mouse or graphic pen. Users can also describe an idea into a microphone to create a hands-free sketch.

RIA Materials - The RIA (Rich Internet Applications) Project provides a wide range of web-based materials that assist in language learning. Materials include an audio recorder, video recorder, podcasting program, worksheet generator, and interactive exercises.

MIMEA - MIMEA (Multimedia Interactive Modules for Education and Assessment) is a series of web-based video modules, interactive exercises, and assessment tools for language learners.

NumberNut - NumberNut is best described as an interactive, web-based math textbook that can be used by students at any level. The book is split into two sections: basic math and advanced math.

Spelling Wizard - Created for younger students, this free Scholastic resource takes the stress out of memorizing spelling words.

FreeRice - This innovative web-based game from the United Nations World Food Program allows students to build English vocabulary and work to end world hunger at the same time.

Smithsonian Panoramic Virtual Tour - This free web application from the National Smithsonian Museum of Natural History takes students on a panoramic virtual tour of the museum.

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Milton Ramirez