In my dissertation, I used three online tools, recruited from a social media platform and created a focus group on line using a software called PBworks.  There were three groups and all discussion, questions, were done asynchronously.  It was a high risk study and the outcome was successful.  I turned my dissertation into a book using another freeware tool.  The title of my dissertation:  Strategic Reflection on the Use of eLearning Freeware Tools in Higher Education.  Here is the link:  

https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Reflection-eLearning-Freeware-Education/dp/1534888101/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467833589&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=strategic+reflection+on+the+use+of+learning+freeware+in+higher+education

For general e-learning, for sure Moodle is the best platform.

https://moodle.org

Other tools that I would suggest will hardly depend on the subject/goals of the course.

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Thank you for sharing, Valentina.

I think the optimum tools for e-learning vary from topic to other  and we can not state the best one for all.

Good Luck

Prof. S. EL-Rabaie

Two of my favorite tools online are...

Nearpod (www.nearpod.com) - you can upload your PPTs and build in questions that students answer live during your presentation and you get immediate aggregated data on student performance

EdPuzzle (www.edpuzzle.com) - this allows you to take YouTube clips and embed questions in them requiring students to watch and answer your questions throughout - the data is again automatically collected and you can analyze it - very helpful for when I flipped some classrooms

Also, here is a conference paper I wrote some of this on - if you can't get the article, email me and I can provide a private copy.

LINK: 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298751387_Enhancing_Assessment_Practices_in_History_Education_with_Technology?ev=prf_pub

Conference Paper Enhancing Assessment Practices in History Education with Technology

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you, Hassan.

My favourite topic is to integrate R&D into education. See the attached papers.

If you are interested in what middle school students (aged 10-14) can do when using digital technologies available at home to tackle mathematical problems, then the following recent book might be of interest:

Carreira, S., Jones, K., Amado, N., Jacinto, H., & Nobre, S. (2016). Youngsters solving mathematical problems with technology: The results and implications of the Problem@Web Project. New York: Springer.

http://www.springer.com/gb/book/9783319249087

Depending on the time and resources you have available, I recommend partnering with teachers in other countries and setting up live video exchanges for language and cross-cultural communication practice and collaborative project work. Skype Classroom's good for this (https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview) but there are also more structured online exchange programs that have been running for some time and do it fairly well, such as 'TIGed': http://www.tigweb.org/tiged/

There have been some successes in using avatars in platforms like Second Life (http://secondlife.com/) for language learning. See http://www.omniglot.com/language/articles/secondlife.php for an explanation about how some educators are using this.

I also recommend following 'Edudemic' for updates on education and technology, though the focus tends to be more on K-12: http://www.edudemic.com/new-tools/

Hope this helps!

Thank you, Trent.

I created a list of favorites at:

http://list.ly/list/QUR-tech-tools-for-educators-wanting-to-inspire

If you have comments or items to add, would welcome the opportunity to include.  The tool list.ly is pretty cool in itself!

Enjoy,

Scott

Thank you, Scott, pretty cool, indeed.

To make dynamic and interactive courses in teacher training, I sometimes use the Kahoot platform. It is simple and easy to use, either to transform existing material (eg Powerpoint) or to create new material.

https://getkahoot.com/?utm_name=controller_app&utm_source=web_app&utm_medium=link

If you want to find partner teachers in other countries (following Trent's advise), you can search on UNI-Collaboration http://uni-collaboration.eu/. It is a telecollaboration platform that enable teachers to organise and run online intercultural exchanges for their students. There, you can find collaboration examples and the educational online tools people use.

Dear Bernard,

Please look at this annual survey: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/

(Top 100 Tools for Learning 2015  -  9th annual tools list compiled by the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies)

The 2016 list will be published in 2 weeks - on 3rd of October 2016.

You may still take the survey to see how educators worldwide list their favourite 10 tools together with (optional) explanation for each one why it is in their preferable list of top-ten.

Best regards,

Pencho Mihnev

I think that creating an online learning community - or a Community of Practice (CoP) through FACEBOOK, for example, can be an ideal online teaching/learning solution. I've already published a research study in this regard which you may find useful:

Abdallah, M. M. S. (2013). A Community of Practice Facilitated by Facebook for Integrating New Online EFL Writing Forms into Assiut University College of Education. Journal of New Valley Faculty of Education 12(1), Assiut University  (November, 2013), 581-650. Available on ERIC (ED545728) at: http://0-files.eric.ed.gov.opac.msmc.edu/fulltext/ED545728.pdf

Article A Community of Practice Facilitated by Facebook for Integrat...

Also I've already employed - in another study - a virtual AVATAR-based language learning environment - through Second Life (SL) as a means of communication and English language practice in a writing course:

Abdallah, M. M. S. & Mansour, M. M. (2015). Virtual Task-Based Situated Language-Learning with Second Life: Developing EFL Pragmatic Writing and Technological Self-Efficacy. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), Special Issue on CALL No.2, July, 2015, pp.150-182. Available at: http://awej.org/images/AllIssues/Specialissues/CALLjuly2015/11.pdf

Article Virtual Task-Based Situated Language-Learning with Second Li...

This may not be a traditional online tool, but the most important resource for students to learn how to use is any PLE (personalized learning environment). PLEs—the one I like is called Protopage (protopage.com), but there are many others—are websites that can be bookmarked or set as one's homepage. The student sets up her/his homepage, and then adds widgets including newsfeeds from various sites that continuously add research materials related to the students' classes and interests. The site keeps track of which articles in the newsfeed the student visited, which saves time and effort from finding and collecting research sources. For example, if the student is taking a class in space science, s/he may have a newsfeed from NASA.gov right on her/his homepage showing the most recent articles. Any time a new article is put on NASA's site, a reference link is added on the homepage. Once the student reads it, then it puts a line through the link indicating that the article was already read, but still leaving it accessible. This is better than subscribing to the newsfeed on your email because you can track multiple sites right from your homepage without the possibility of missing individual emails or important items going into the junk folder. The student can also select from traditional news sources, and other widgets that can help with either school or personal interest reading. 

Google alerts is also a valuable tool because instead of a newsfeed collection, it looks for new pages that have keywords and then forwards the pages via email to the student at selected intervals. This helps students not miss a new piece of information from any source that is searchable on Google. However, the downside is it also brings many pages that are not relevant to the student's research needs, so refining the search terms is important. Additionally, there is need to teach the students discernment skills for evaluating the value of information from a wide range of sources. 

I think my favorite online tool is Poppet—found at http://popplet.com. It is a virtual collaboration tool, so students can add text, draw with the tools, place photos and other images and video, and add other content to support and develop an idea with one another. It is a great collaboration tool that can be used in real time or asynchronously. 

I also find Museum Box—located at http://museumbox.e2bn.org—intriguing because it is an online archival site where students can put research materials, their own, student-made artifacts, and research reports in a display box  that others can access and view much like one would in an actual museum.

As an art teacher, I also like some of the sketchbook and simple animation tools that can be found from a wide range of sources. I don't really prefer one over another, and I do prefer apps to online tools for these various uses. However, some of the online resources for sketching, drawing, building, and animation are fun and engaging, so they make nice enhancements. 

 In my dissertation, I used three online tools, recruited from a social media platform and created a focus group on line using a software called PBworks.  There were three groups and all discussion, questions, were done asynchronously.  It was a high risk study and the outcome was successful.  I turned my dissertation into a book using another freeware tool.  The title of my dissertation:  Strategic Reflection on the Use of eLearning Freeware Tools in Higher Education.  Here is the link:  

https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Reflection-eLearning-Freeware-Education/dp/1534888101/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467833589&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=strategic+reflection+on+the+use+of+learning+freeware+in+higher+education

Hi Bernard, I see that you already have a wide range of suggestions to choose from, so there is little that I can add about available tools. I particularly like Maryam's approach to the question. Looking specifically at collaborative learning, for example, I think that the tools you employ for the learning would depend on the strategies the learners would be employing for the various dimensions of the task. For example, I am assuming that for language learning, there will be need for (i) efficient storage of relevant multimedia material to allow for easy access by students as well as easy access to a wider knowledge base;  (ii) tools for synchronous interaction (oral and written);(iii) tools for asynchronous interaction (oral and written); (iv) data-gathering and sharing tools. In my view, the challenge is for you as learning facilitator to provide clear and timely guidance to ensure that tools are used appropriately and effectively by your students. Best Wishes.

http://webbasededucation.blogspot.com/2016/08/best-learning-management-system.html

The 5 Best Learning Management Systems - eLearning

1. Moodle.

Moodle is one of the most popular open source LMS options available today. It features dashboards, learner tracking, and multimedia support. Learn more

2. ATutor.

This open source Learning Management System boasts a variety of useful features, ranging from email notifications to file storage.Learn more

3. Eliademy

This open source Learning Management System is completely free for educators and eLearning facilitators, but a small fee per user is charged for the Premium version Learn more

4. Forma LMS

From skill gap analysis to detailed analytics and reporting, Forma LMS is packed with variety of features Learn more

5. Dokeos. If you’re looking for pre-built eLearning course elements, then Dokeos may be the best open source LMS option that is offered for free up to 5 users.

Good day

Our institution uses Blackboard as the online LMS. I really cannot imagine working without it. For communication purposes, lecturers cannot do without an LMS.

Regards

Dr KEJ

Thank you, Karen.

I am going to use Moddle this semester for my French composition class. I will see if I can collect data and write a paper about students' learning progress in writing.

Hi Bernard,

here is my list of favourite tools for teaching French and Italian in german speaking classes: http://ictitalianofrancais.pbworks.com/

Bonne découverte!

Sara

Merci, Sara.

Hi Bernard,

Very good tools are also 3D multi-user virtual worlds. Please take a look in my profile and see some articles.

Kind regards,

NP

Bernard,

Programs like Edmodo tend to be easy for students to use because they mimic Facebook but also have the ability to give assignments, quizzes, polls, etc. The program is free but also there are options for institutions to get their own domain for them as well. I have used Blackboard/Angel, eCollege, and D2L for my online learning and extension with college students. Blackboard was the most straight forward of those. 

If you are looking for more general online items, I had my students create a Wiki page a few years back that has an annotated range of these for different subject areas and in general. You can find it at http://ed-tech-showcase.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Best,

Amanda

Hi  Bernard！

I am going to use the  instant messaging tools in my class，such as QQ，which can facilitate the communication between teacher and  learner.

Hello,

I use Blackboard Collaborate and Skype to maintain contact with online students. It's great for group discussions, reflections, and explanation of upcoming assignments.

We use Moodle a lot.

But as a teacher trainer I also present the websites and tools as hot potatoes, toondoo, voki and other...

Thank you, Ivana. I did not know about hot potatoes.

Thank you, Dolores, I will have a look.

Hi!

I use Moodle and tools as HotPotatoes. Here are my favorite tools: LearningApps, Wordle, Voxopop, text2mindmap, Pearltrees and Glogster.

Thank you, Karmelka.

This is a new evolution of Didacti,

http://www.challengeu.com/

Hello Bernard: In addition to Moodle as LMS, I use Screencastomatic, slidespeech, voicethread, Plotagon, wiziq, and padlet etc.

Thank you all for sharing. Keep in touch.

With over 100 applications, you might want to check out the list at:

http://list.ly/list/QUR-tech-tools-for-educators-wanting-to-inspire 

Thank you Dolores and Scott.

Quite welcome!!

Have a look at REF-N-WRITE scientific paper writing tool. This tool allows you to import text from previous papers relevant to the subject area in MS word. While you are writing your paper, you can just search for similar statements from other authors and inherit their vocabulary and language to improve your paper. It also comes with a library of academic phrases that you can readily use to polish your paper. Here is the link for the site.

http://www.ref-n-write.com

They have some nice tutorials here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf7qyyKtbyQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6hlXzqO3r4

Thank you Premkumar.