Posted August 11th, 2015
By Kris Powers
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced its 2015 Best Websites for Teaching & Learning at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference held in San Francisco in June of 2015. AASL's annual list honors internet sites that "foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation and collaboration".
Four of the top Media Sharing websites selected by the AASL in 2015:
1. Tackk: Ridiculously Simple Creation + Sharing
According to Google, Tackk is “prime edtech for your blended-learning classroom”. Educators can use Tackk to create, collect and review assignments for their students and share lesson plans with fellow teachers.
There is no software to download, no login required, and no design/development skills needed. Students can use Tackk to create robust reports — complete with text, links, photos, graphics and videos — within minutes! Even better, Tackk automatically saves content, and that content can be shared immediately with teachers or via social networks.
2. PearDeck
PearDeck integrates seamlessely with Google Classroom, so Google Apps for Education (GAFE) users can get started easily!
The creators of PearDeck state that “Learning happens when we think and grapple with problems on our own. Learning also happens when we collaborate and share.” Which is why Pear Deck brings them both together. With PearDeck you can:
1. Plan and build an interactive presentation deck directly from your Google Drive.
2. Launch a live, interactive session on a projector.
3. Ensure that every single learner joins the live session and participates on his or her device.
3. Soundtrap
Use Soundtrap to create music online. You can plug in your own instrument, use the software instruments available in Soundtrap or record a song directly with your computer microphone. Soundtrap works on Mac, Windows, iPad, Android tablets and phones, and much more. Everything is stored in the cloud allowing you to start, edit and collaborate on your recordings wherever you are. With Soundtrap you can share the music making experience in real-time with others!
4. Appsbar
Appsbar is a free mobile app builder and is free to all app builders and app lovers. This website contains user friendly instruction, video tutorials and offers tech support. Create highly functional and individualized apps that are ready to be published in popular app stores. Appsbar apps can be made for almost any operating system. Start building your free mobile app today!
At Ed4Career, we love to stay up-to-date on the latest in education and share that information with you! Stay tuned for future blog posts where we discuss some of the other sites and apps that made the list, or, to read the complete list of AASL’s 2015 Best Websites for Teaching & Learning please visit: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/06/aasl-announces-2015-best-websites-teaching-learning
