A lot of times, I get questions about where to find new tools and approaches. While seemingly everyone knows the information is free and open on the Web, it is difficult to find what you want amongst the barrage of information. None of us have time to spend hours sifting through Google search results for a new tool or approach. So it's important that we have some quick go-to's that can reward us within five to ten minutes.
Aggregators
Whether or not you're familiar with the term, aggregators are all over the internet. A large portion focus solely on news. For example, if you type in news.google.com, you'll get an aggregation of current news from around the world that are usually ranked by current and historical trends and importance. Many other sites like the Huffington Post attempt to be a blend where contributors weigh in or reflect on a topic before sending you off via the link to the original content.
If you apply this concept to edTech, you end up with something like edshelf.com. Edshelf is an aggregator for edTech tools for your classroom. They're sortable and searchable to help you quickly find what you need or would like to try.
Quick Search
Edshelf is a small company run by a couple of teachers who needed a way to separate the wheat from the chaff in regards to edTech. You can sort tools by type, level or subject. You can also view "Collections" of tools (similar to Pinterest) put together by other educators. Each tool has a summary and important information as well as reviews from other teachers. Here what's I really like:
- Easy & Quick to Find the Tool You Need
- More Accurate Reviews than the App Store
- Collections Link Similar Apps or Tools
The overview video below really details how to use edshelf and what it can do. You can try it for yourself at edshelf.com.
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