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Spark is free for anyone to try at spark.adobe.com; you just need an Adobe account or can log in with Facebook or Google account credentials. There's nothing to download or install. The service and apps are free, though the output includes Adobe branding. The apps are of course on the iTunes App Store; Android apps aren't available at this time, but we can expect Adobe to follow its usual course of releasing those later on.

Once you're logged into the Spark site, you have three simple choices represented by large, colorful buttons: Post, Page, and Video. Each option has plus sign and a short description. The Post tool is designed to help you create a social meme; Page is for portfolios, catalogs, and info pages; and Video is for tutorials and presentations.

Spark Post: With Post, you start out with some text—call it a title, or an inspirational quote. The first page of Post shows a sample quote, and at the bottom you see layout choices for your target social network—Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Spark Page: Spark Page is sort of a blogging tool or simple website builder that produces a responsive webpage. As with the other modules, you enter a title, and in this case a subtitle too, and images. Spark Page builds a one-page site that scrolls down as far as it needs to to accommodate however many elements you add. In addition to photos, elements can be text, links, video, photo grids, or glideshows. That last is a slideshow that progresses as the site viewer scrolls down and can include text as well as images.

Link adds a button that opens another website, and video only lets you add Web video; you can't upload your own or use videos on cloud storage. You can use a video you created in Spark Video, however. One cool tool in Spark Page is the focus point, which determines what part of an image is maintained when the site is viewed on smaller mobile screens.

Spark Video: Like Post, Video starts with a tagline, slogan, or just title text. But after entering that, you have eight choices for the type of video you want to create on the next screen. These include things like Promote an Idea, Tell What Happened, A Hero's Journey, and An Invitation. If none of these story templates fits your needs, you can tap Start from scratch. I chose Show and Tell. The experience here is very close to that of the former Adobe Voice app: You record narration, add photos and text to slides. There's also stock clip art (called icons in the app) that you can search for. These are all of the flat design style that's all the rage now.

Screencast-O-Matic is trusted by millions of users to create and share screen recordings. In classrooms, teachers and students can use this tool to create videos to explain content, vocabulary, etc. Videos can make class time more productive for both teachers and students. Screencasts may increase student engagement and achievement and also provide more time in which students can work collaboratively in groups, so screencasts help them to think through cooperative learning.

In addition, screencasts allow students to move at their own pace since they can pause or review content anytime and anywhere. Screencasts are excellent for those learners who just need an oral as well as a visual explanation of the content presented.

Most trial versions of a screencasting programs often apply a watermark automatically, encouraging users to purchase the full version in order to remove it.

Screencast-o-matic (Win/Mac) works either as online service.

User first must select an area

Allows to embed a video window

It's better to download the application if you plan to use it more than once.

Saves in several formats

Includes a Screencast-o-matic Logo (get the pro version to get rid of it...)

Socrative is a student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets (www.socrative.com).

Here are a few reasons why this is a great tool for education!

• Assessment questions can include IMAGES. This is a very important feature for many of the core content areas.
• Short answer questions are gradable!
• Quizzes can be easily shared and imported from one teacher's account to another. This is GREAT for (Professional Learning Communities) PLCs working together to create common assessments.

Your room number can be customized and can include both text and numbers. This is a static room number so anytime your students access a new assessment in Socrative, they will use the same room number. Students can join your classroom from any mobile device. They do not need a specific username and password to log in. They simply visit the Socrative website (or use the mobile app) and enter your room number to participate.

As a memorization tool, Quizlet lets registered users create "sets" of terms customized for their own needs. These sets of terms can then be studied under several study modes.

Flash Cards: This mode is similar to paper flash cards. In it, users are shown a "card" for each term. Users can click to flip over the card, or use their arrow keys, and see the definition for that term.

Gravity: In this study mode, definitions scroll vertically down the screen in the shape of asteroids. The user must type the term that goes with the definition before it reaches the bottom of the screen. It is one of the 'Play' study modes. Gravity was adapted from a previous game, Space Race. You can pick the level of hardness and game type.

Learn: In this study mode, users are shown a term or definition and must type the term or definition that goes with what is shown. After entering their answer, users see if their answer was correct or not, and can choose to override the automatic grading and count their answer as right if needed.

Long-Term Learning: In this study mode, users are given a recommended study set based on whether or not they answer study set questions correctly. Repetition of terms answered incorrectly increases in frequency and a dashboard shows learning progress over time. The mode uses spaced repetition concepts to focus on longer-term retention and subject mastery versus shorter-term memorization.

Speller: In this mode, the term is read out loud and users must type in the term with the correct spelling.

Match: In this study mode, users are presented with a grid with terms scattered around it. Users drag terms on top of their associated definitions to remove them from the grid, and try to clear the grid in the fastest time possible. Micromatch is a related matching game geared towards mobile devices and devices with small screens. Users may access the Micromatch mode on non-mobile devices by manually editing the URL in Match mode to use "micromatch" instead of "match." Match was previously attributed as "Scatter". Though the name of the study mode changed, the game itself did not.

Quizlet Live is an in-class, team-based learning game. Students work together to correctly match a Quizlet set's terms and definitions. The first team to match 12 in a row wins!

Who can play Quizlet Live? All teachers on Quizlet can create Live games with their students for FREE.

What you need to create a game:

• A Quizlet study set (with at least 12 unique terms)
• At least six students
• A computer, tablet, or phone for each student
• 10-20 minutes of class time

How does it work?

• Students work together in randomized teams of 3 or 4
• Teams race to match all the terms and definitions
• Incorrect answers reset the team's progress to zero
• The first team to match all 12 terms correctly in a row wins.
• At the end of a game, teams see what what they matched correctly and incorrectly