Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.

FREE online resources and downloadable programs for learners and their teachers.

I’m back, almost back anyway. I’ve taken an extended break from my blog. That’s partly explained by some marvelous vacation time in August, when my wife Lynn and I took a delightful and leisurely “car cruise” down the California coast, from Oregon to Mexico. The overused adjective “awesome” is entirely appropriate when used to describe those Redwoods!

I have to admit that I’ve had considerable difficulty getting back to my blog. It seems to me that new online educational resources are becoming available at a pace that is impossible for anyone to keep up with. I’ve felt overwhelmed. I don’t like writing about anything without adequate time and opportunity to do the test-driving, and there is simply too much to check out.

To mix metaphors, I’ve felt like a dazed kid caught in the headlights while dashing about a candy store where there is a huge enticing selection, and where it’s all free!

At the same time as I’ve felt overwhelmed, I’ve been tremendously encouraged by the range of new high quality Web 2.0 applications that have been coming online. One example is the range of online options that are now available for digital story-telling. I’ve spent considerable time this summer exploring the Read/Write Web–trying to learn what it is and what it offers to learners and their teachers.

My exploration of Web 2.0 has strengthened my conviction that every learner in every classroom–starting at pre-school–needs access to the internet throughout the school day. Our digital world offers so much, but there are still far too many barriers that restrict internet access at school. All learners benefit in many ways from internet access, but especially some of our students who don’t have strong traditional academic skills. For me, it’s mostly about access–access to learning and access to success for all learners.

So I’m back. I’ll begin writing again about free online resources and downloadable programs that facilitate and enrich learning (and teaching). From this point, I’m sure I’ll put more emphasis on the “Read/Write Web” with its growing opportunities for sharing, collaboration, and engagement.

My next post will be about Scratch–a remarkable downloadable program with wonderful Web 2.0 options. If you’d like a head-start, just go to http://scratch.mit.edu/.