5 Useful Free Online Tools Teachers and Students Can Use

1. Evernote. (http://www.evernote.com)

Get rid of your yellowing spirals and turn on your computer. This handy free program is a note-organizing wizard that can capture any legible scrawl, whether it’s your own archives of handwritten notes, a classroom blackboard, or Word documents, and turn it into a searchable text file. You can add additional tags and labels to make it easier to find, or search within the content for specific pieces of information.

2. PDF Online. (http://www.pdfonline.com/)

If you’ve ever needed to change a Word document to a PDF file or vice versa, but are not around a scanner capable of operating the conversion, then point your browser to PDF Online. The website allows you to convert any Word or PDF document on your computer to the other, which is then emailed to you as an attachment. The final product is not watermarked, so it’s yours to keep.

3. Google Docs (docs.google.com)

You don’t have to figure out everyone’s schedules to set up a meeting time for group projects anymore with Google Docs. Now any group member can create documents or upload them online, and other members can collaborate from the comfort of their own homes. The application also allows individual users to organize the files, making team work a breeze.

4. WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org)

Finding books and reference materials for research can seem daunting to those accustomed to the ease of internet research, but WorldCat makes the task easy and efficient. The online catalog has records of books in libraries around the world, and all you need to do is type in an author, title, or subject into the search bar. Once you find a title of interest, type in your zip code and WorldCat will look up the libraries closest to you that have the book. You won’t ever have to worry about fruitless library research again.

5. Grade Guru (http://www.gradeguru.com)

Students and teachers alike can share notes on this website, and star note sharers can even earn some extra cash. Users swap notes on specific topics, so studying becomes more in depth than any textbook or classroom lecture recordings can cover. Students who are struggling to understand a concept can have it explained in different ways by different people, so there’s bound to a light bulb moment where understanding is achieved.

This post was contributed by our guest blogger, Hannah Watson, who writes about how to take classes online. She welcomes your feedback at HannahWatson84@ yahoo.com.