Instead of the regular, boring PowerPoint that most of us know from Microsoft, prezi is a website that allows you to create a PowerPoint presentation that is interactive. Your concepts and ideas can be put into a format that lets you tell stories in a fun and exciting way. Prezi is easy to use, even if you've never used it before. For new users, all you have to do is create a (free) account at prezi and watch the short video under the learn tab. This would be a great tool for teachers to use, or for teachers to have their students use. Teachers of any grade could use this tool, but I think it would be better suited for students from sixth grade and up because they would be more familiar with computers and how they work.
Weebly is an easy (and free) way for anyone to create their own website. The website even has a how-to video on the main page. I have never used weebly, but it uses a simple drag-and-drop format. You can add/edit pictures, videos, and essentially anything you want that would make your website look like a professional created it. Teachers could use weebly in the same way they would use a blog - to post assignments, videos, and other resources for their students. College students could also benefit from the use of weebly, but don't think it would be a good idea for students who aren't at least in high school.
This is a fantastic (and free) website for teachers. It has thousands of worksheets, coloring pages, (customizable) mini books, and much more for any activity! Since teachers use worksheets daily, this website is helpful, especially because it is organized by categories. There are categories such as letters, numbers, colors, sports, holidays, etc. It is also easy-to-use; all you have to do is click on the worksheet(s) you want and click print! There's no way to make a mistake. :) I would say TwistyNoodle is a fantastic tool for teachers in elementary education to utilize in their classrooms. Twisty noodle can help children learn developments of everyday skills such as writing and math. If you ask me, that's pretty important! :)
I'm familiar with both Prezi and Weebly, but not Twisty Noodle. They are all wonderful tools for the classroom. I appreciate your thorough descriptions that allow me to better understand what those sites feature and how they can be used in the classroom. In particular, Twisty Noodle seems to give you a great deal of copyright free resources to reproduce for your classroom. No need to worry about fair use laws with that one!
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