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Day 13: Name the top edtech tools that you use on a consistent basis in the classroom, and rank them in terms of their perceived (by you) effectiveness.

Being so lucky to be part of a 1:1 iPad school, I would think my edtech tools would have changed from when I didn't teach at a 1:1 iPad school. They're actually all the same.

The Twitter.

I found this bad boy way back during my first year of teaching. It was the best PD I had ever had and I was connected to so many educators and resources -- I didn't have time to sift through them all. Today, I'm not as Twitter-savvy as I used to be, but this year I am using it more than I have in the past and I can't believe that I have neglected it for so long. It is ripe with teachers sharing their successes and struggles, their lessons and philosophies, their classrooms and their students and so much more. If you are not on the Twitter, I highly suggest you get an account, or give me permission to create one for you. (@DJ_NeckTie)

Google Apps for Education.

I was so happy when my district moved to GAFE a few years ago. I had used the regular Google Apps my first few years teaching, and it streamlined almost everything I needed to do. There was a time where Evernote was competing for some of my cloud-based word processing and file organization, but now with the updated versions of Drive, Docs and Sheets (not to mention the newly released Google Classroom), I am quite pleased that I stuck it out with Google. Everything I need is in one place, or can be linked to one place, and the search feature has saved my butt so many times. If you are still creating things in Word or Excel and want to share it with a bunch of other people, you probably should just start it in Google Drive. Saves me some serious copy-paste conversion time.

Paper53.

True, so this tool was definitely not on my list before the 1:1 iPad revolution, but it's been so great to have. I've used it tons when I taught science and social studies. It was great for sketching flow charts, taking notes, labeling models and drafting posters. Then I found out that my math students loved showing their calculations in the paper app too. Worked as a quick and easy whiteboard for fluency practice. Plus, everyone's handwriting just looks 10x more beautiful in the Paper53 app.

Other things that are probably running in the background on my devices: Evernote, Notability & FreshGrade.

I've been using Twitter for some time now. I don't really remember when I started, but it was around this past spring. For the first few months, I only used it to follow people and randomly update my few followers with useless information.

Really useless information. Like where I was or what I was eating (especially while I was in Hawaii for summer vacation) or how the weather was. Very boring stuff.

Then in the fall, I discovered that I could use Twitter to help my profession. I could use Twitter to connect with other educators and engage in thoughtful and productive discussions on popular topics. I was able to find resources that others have been using successfully for years. In turn, I was able to share what I had found with my colleagues.

Now, I am attempting to show some of those colleagues how to tweet themselves. I've tried to collect some of the best Twitter tips and start up guides here.

Resources

Twitter Handbook for Teachers This is a good place to start. It reads like the missing Twitter users guide for beginners. It also have a few FAQs at the end and can also be printed out for quick reference.

Sue Waters' Twitter Wiki A wiki devoted to the importance of PLNs (Professional Learning Networks) and how to get started.

100 Twitter Tools for Teachers Organized nicely into several categories: Managing Twitter, Finding Friends, Sharing, Games, News & Research, Twitterers, Groups, Organization & Productivity, Integration & Classroom Tools.

Twitter Links for Educators Complete with links to PLNs to get you started.