Beneficial Tools Discovered

As we near the end of the semester, it is only natural to begin reflecting on the classes we have all taken. For this class, I often find myself thinking about all the tools we've been exposed to and how we can use them in our future classrooms. I must admit, I didn't know what to expect at first with this class, but I have found there to be some useful tools that I would like to use in my classroom. Perhaps not all of my students will use all these tools, but they would be very beneficial for me to use!

Some tools I have found to be quite useful are ones such as Evernote, Google Reader, and. Goodreads.com. Evernote is great for capturing those allusive lesson ideas that if you don't write down quickly you forget. It's also great for taking notes on students that needed (or need) extra help. You can also write down what was covered in each class period. I know this would be huge in an English class when some classes get ahead of others, have interesting ideas in a class discussion, or come up with completely different questions than other classes. Google Reader is another great resource. Google Reader will allow me to know what books are interesting for young adult readers, examples of writing for young writers, tips to help young writers, quotes, etc. There is an endless amount of resources through Google Reader, which is awesome! Goodreads.com is another one of my absolute favorite sites. Through this website, I could create a strong reading community with my students. Students could see what they're peers are reading and it would help engage those that do not like to read. 

These are of course all secondary ideas. So, what about the primary grades? I found a lot of the tools too advanced for younger primary grades. I think if anything, Web 2.0 tools used with primary grades would have to be very basic and they would most likely have to work together to use a tool. This may not be a bad thing, but it also may not be very time efficient. 

What are some tools you came across that you found could be useful? What tools could you use with primary grades?