Welcome to the Free Tools 4 Teaching site. This is a combination of a Blog and a Wiki in that it is a place to organize my own thoughts about all of the different Web 2.0 tools that are emerging. However, since I also want others to contribute to this site, it is a wiki space as well.

This is a work in progress which is why it is appropriate for "wet paint." It is a collection of links and information about free tools that teachers can use in the classroom and online.

My first list of "free stuff online" was originally compiled in the summer of 2005 for a Teaching and Learning Workshop at Edmonds Community College, but I quickly found that it was something that needed to be continually updated as I and other instructors discovered new cool tools on the web. The number of free tools available on the internet continues to grow exponentially, and so this wiki site was created to provide a place to create a dynamic list that can expand as new useful tools are found by interested teachers.

Site Navigation

This site is continually being reorganized, as new content is added, and as I try to find better ways to make it useful. There are some general category pages (under Navigation on the left) where you can read about the different types of tools and add links. Each category contains links to examples and resources. You can edit these pages directly and add your own favorites to the links. You can also add comments. There are new categories of tools coming along all the time, so feel free to add additional pages. I also have to give credit to my husband, Corey Smith, who has contributed some great content to this site, and provides constructive feedback - and he isn't even a teacher!

If you happen upon this site, or if you received the link from a workshop or friend, you are welcome to join in. To make this site useful for other teachers, please include a description of the links along with the URL, and why you liked it. You can post comments about the different tools listed to share your own experiences. I would also like to encourage discussion about pedagogical considerations related to the different technologies.

Eva Smith, Edmonds Community College