Resources are necessary with any job or task. They help us find information that we can apply to our lives. Often, this information can help us gain a better understanding of key terms or ideas and can improve efficiency through this understanding.
Since the advent of the internet, resources have been abundant and easy to access, but it it is still necessary to sift through and find relevant and reputable resources. Through my searches, I have found a group of great resources that I continue to use on a frequent basis. I never stop looking for great websites, applications, online journals, checklists, forms, and documents that I can use in my career or personal life.
Graphics, Audio, Video, & Templates
| Site Name | Free? | Description |
| Audacity | Yes | Can’t affort fancy audio editing software? Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Audacity is free, open source software. |
| Adobe Color | Yes | Looking for a good color scheme? Create a color scheme for anything or search color palettes that others have created. |
| Creative Commons Image Search | Yes | Find content you can share, use and remix under the CC license. |
| Canva | Yes/Paid also | Canva is an online design and publishing tool with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere. It’s easy to use, but fancy assets do cost money. |
| Pixlr | Yes/Paid also | A free modern photo editor that can get the job done when you need Photoshop for simple tasks but don’t have the budget for fancy software. |
| Pexels | Yes | When you need generic stock photography but don’t have the budget for it, Pexels is a great source! |
| Unsplash | Yes | Another good site for free stock photography. Doesn’t have everything, but it’s enough to get you started. |
| Pixabay | Yes | Next to Pexels, this site has great free stock photography. |
Development & Collaboration Resources
| Site Name | Free? | Description |
| Adobe Captivate | No | Adobe Captivate is an authoring tool that is used for creating eLearning content such as software demonstrations, software simulations, branched scenarios, and randomized quizzes. |
| Articulate 360 (including Storyline and Rise) | No | Their creator tools make it simple to build eLearning quickly and effectively. Start from templates on hundreds of topics that range from new hire onboarding to security compliance to create courses in minutes. Easily add interactive activities, quizzes, and other lean-forward moments that keep your learners engaged. |
| Google Drive | Yes | Store all your files in one place, access them from anywhere, share them with others, upload files from your device or computer, create spreadsheets/presentations/documents, collaborate with teachers/students/SMEs, see changes made to documents in real-time. No need to email files when you can share the most current document and everyone can access them at the same time! |
| LastPass | Yes/Paid available | LastPass is a password manager that stores encrypted passwords online. I use this app at home (paid) and at work. The standard version of LastPass comes with a web interface but also includes plugins for various web browsers and apps for iOS and Android. |
| eLearning Heroes Learning Challenges | Yes | If you want to learn about new features in Articulate and try them out before you incorporate them in a project, these challenges are perfect! Each week, Articulate presents a challenge to use a new feature or an instructional design technique. The best part is at the end of the challenge, you can potentially have a new addition to your portfolio! |
| Online LaTeX Equation Editor | Yes | Generate your own LaTeX typesetting to embed in your documents. Great for those in math, physics, computer science fields who need their equations to be professionally typeset. |
| Understanding by Design (UbD) | Yes | No matter which design system you plan to use, I think it’s extremely important to consider things from backward design. What are the goals? What is acceptable evidence of those goals being met? How can you get learners there? Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe that offers a framework for designing courses and content units called “Backward Design.” |
| ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) | Yes | Learn about technology in education through webinars, conferences, journals, online courses, and podcasts. |
PK-6 Lesson Planning Resources
| Site Name | Free? | Description |
| Discovery Education Streaming | Yes | Locate video and supplemental activities related to specific learning objectives. |
| PBS Learning Media | Yes | View Learning Media by grade level, subject, standard, and collection. |
| Spelling City | Yes | Review vocabulary words with students–great for learning centers. |
| Starfall | Yes | Introduce and review alphabet letters and sounds. Allow students to practice early reading and phonics skills–great for learning centers. Check your local library or with your school’s technology specialist; many areas have free access to this program via a special login link. |
| Wolfram Alpha | Yes | Find solutions to equations and problems using the search feature, view multiple representations, and download visual representations of formulas and solutions. |
| Wordle | Yes | Create word clouds based on word frequency. Great for brainstorming, analyzing writing, and more! |