Litcharts - free, downloadable alternative to Cliff Notes

Litcharts is a site that provides free summaries and analyses of literary works. It is similar to Sparknotes or Cliff Notes, but free.

Students, or teachers, can view them online, download a PDF file, or view them through an iPhone app. (Don't have an iPhone, don't worry- most smartphones can view PDF files, so just download the files to your smartphone.)

I read through a few and found them to be well done and easy to use. They don't have a huge library yet (I counted 39 titles today), but they have the classics and most commonly assigned books and news ones are in the works.

Washington Post is looking for Education Blogs

The Washington Post is looking for suggestions of great educational blogs.

I've suggested Free Technology for Teachers and Teach Paperless as two great educational blogs.

You can go to the article and either comment or send an email to suggest your ideas.

60 Second Recap

I just learned about 60 Second Recap from another great educational blog called Instructify.

60 Second Recap uses 60 second videos to summarize works of literature. The plot, themes, and characters are all included. These short videos can help students be more engaged in the literature because they can help the students understand what they are reading. This prevents frustration on the part of the student. It's also good as a review (for student and teacher).