Q: What technology is available to make writing activity more fun for my online students?

A: NewsMaker: "really is an extremely user-friendly program that students will enjoy. Now teachers finally have a tool driven by content not the technology". Here is an overview. Newsmaker improves writing, presenting and collaborating skills when students are emotionally involved in fun news production process; there is an opportunity to interact with a global community similar to publishing a blog. It will boost creativity in your classroom, especially online. Newsmaker provides the students another way of thinking about organizing their information creatively and using their sense of humor. Newsmaker tool  limits the amount of time students spent on editing and production. Students can focus on content and learning rather than production values.

Q: Do you know if any digitizing approach is available for group projects? In my class groups of students are assigned to build a repository of primary sources and then exhibit their collection.

A: The web publishing platform, Omeka, would work for creating narratives around digital collections. Read about the teaching with Omeka experiences here and here.

Q: The mobile learning seems to be attractive to students in my class. It is easier for them to stay connected while working on a group assignment online. What mobile app would you recommend which is safe to use in a classroom environment?

A: I would recommend ooVoo app - it is free and user-friendly video chat. It can handle up to 12 people at a time. The alternatives are listed here.