ClassTools.net - Free Flash for Online Teaching

So it has been quite a few months since I was last inspired enough to talk about something on this blog. However, I was going through my list of new Twitter followers today (again, something I have not done in a few months) and found http://twitter.com/russeltarr, who is a history teacher in Toulouse, France, and who developed the ClassTools.net website. According to Russel:

• Classtools.net provides free, customisable flash templates to embed into blogs, wikis and websites. There is no signup, no passwords, no charges...

This is very cool for anyone who teaches online or has a class website. Russel has created 17 templates that are available for teachers to fill in the blanks and images. Some are interactive games, others are fill in the blanks. Students can save their work, which is saved for 12 months on the Classtools.net website.

As an example, the Venn Diagram template allows the teacher to fill in as much of the diagram as they want -- they could be questions, for example -- and provide instructions in a side box. Students can enter their name, then follow the directions to create their own venn diagram. They can then save this online and both print it out and copy and save or send the URL for later access and revisions.


The current 17 templates are:

• Arcade Game Generator!
• Flashcard Generator
• Countdown Timer
• Random Name Picker
• Dustbin Game
• Post It
• Diamond 9
• Fishbone (Ishikawa)
• Venn Diagram
• Animated Book
• Timeline
• Lights Out
• Target
• Hamburger
• Living Graph
• Learning Cycle
• Jigsaw Diagram
• Priority Chart
• Source Analyser

Note that the results all have Google ads on the right, and an advertisement for classes offered by the sites author on the bottom.

This is a very useful teaching tool that I plan to try out in my online classes.