Dr. Eileen Gallagher

In the last 5 years, I have been amazed at how the internet has changed. I am on the internet every day for at least 4-5 hours a day doing my job as an online instructor. However, I have been so busy and involved with learning the tools on our virtual campus that I have missed out on the exciting innovations of the web in general.

In the past it has always seemed to be a battle of the budgets for most schools. Do we spend this year’s technology money on new and additional hardware or in purchasing software licenses? What good were great computers with no software?

As always, innovative educators have found a way to solve this problem. There is no law against sharing software you design yourself (although big software companies probably wish there was). So educators have done exactly that, made tools for teachers and students and shared them on the internet. Now the problem is how do classroom teachers find these tools and learn to use them?

Again fellow educators come to the rescue. Several excellent blogs post annual lists of the best online tools. Others post discussions of their experiences learning to use online tools. Most of these published tools come with free tutorials and even multimedia training on how to use them.

Please share your favorite free online tool with others by posting it here.