3 Free Online Backup websites

If you are in a school like mine, you know that every bit of money whether its dollars, rupees or taka counts. Your school data is important and I am sure that you have back up plans. How about back up plans for your documents and presentations for school? Many of us use pen/USB disks to save our data. But have you ever thought of storing it online (in the cloud) where you would be able to access it from anywhere? Here are 3 free solutions that would be a free way to backup your data.

1. Mozybackup Free (2GB storage)
Pros: Desktop program, runs on a schedule, makes local backup too, bandwidth throttle.
Cons: Setup can be confusing, 2Gb limit.

2. Box.net ( 5 Gb free storage)
Pros: Store and create files online, more than just storage, track sent files.
Cons: Desktop sync is only for paid version, no direct folder uploads.

3. Windows Live SkyDrive ( 25 Gb free storage)
Pros: 25 Gb free, works with office files too, password protection for files and folders, easy sharing folders and files.
Cons: You need a Windows Live id, still need to upload individual files.

There are many more, but I have used these 3 sites often and would recommend them.

Free Websites for your students with Weebly

A website for free! No design or HTML/CSS needed here.

Weebly has been one of the best drag and drop website creators for a few years. Creating a website is extremely easy and they even have free trials. Well this year, they have started a special Weebly for education account. You have to sign in as a teacher and then you get a special account for your classes. You can sign up 40 students to create either private or public websites. All the sites created can be then published as a sub-domain of weebly in an ad-free space.

Pros: Very, very easy to use, good templates, audio and video players, free ad free hosting, blog hosting, easy domain transfer.

Cons: Site editor sometimes can act up. But that's being picky.

Have you tried Education World for Technology Integration

Quick Review:

The Education world website has been around from the days of slow dial-up. It has always been a site for abundant resources for teachers. They have also had the technology channel which is extremely comprehensive. "Education World's goal is to make it easy for educators to integrate the Internet into the classroom. With 98 percent of the nation's public schools connected to the Internet, the need for a complete online educational guide is evident.

Pros: Incredible amount of resources, daily updates, lesson plans, technology integration plans.

Cons: Minor one.. the site has looked the same for many years.

Education World® : Technology Integration Channel

Are there Free Video Editing Alternatives to Windows MovieMaker?

Windows MovieMaker used to ship for free with windows but now is a part of the Windows Live Essentials. It is a staple for anyone who needs to make a simple video with easy edits.

I tried looking to see if there were any alternatives to MovieMaker and was suprised that there are very few programs out there. In fact each one that I tried had some features that were better, but then also had some that were missing. The best movie creator that is free does not ship on the PC, it is iMovie but that is a mac only program.

I am currently investigating and will update this post if I discover anything new.

The best free education printable websites

If you need to print out some quick blank page, like a calendar, or worksheets or a sign and you do not have the time to create it, there are many websites that have special printable templates for download.

Here are some that I have used and you can head over to for a quick and easy printable page or project.





Here are 3 Websites

1. Freeolgy        2. Freeprintable       3. School Express

Microsoft is moving Live@edu to Microsoft 365 for Education

Microsoft Live@EDU has been around and has been a great tool for educational institutions to provide collaboration and communication in the cloud. They are now going to improve the experience by integrating their Office 365 service.

This is competing directly with Google Apps for education. And that is what I am going to check out next.

Here are some of the benefits. ( from their website) Large 25 GB mailboxes and the ability to send attachments up to 25 MB

• Anywhere-access to email, important documents, contacts, and calendar on nearly any device*, including PC, Mac, Windows Phone, iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry
• Works with the programs students know and use most – Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote
• Student access to Office Web Apps for viewing, sharing and light editing of documents
• Team sites to share documents, task lists, and schedules to keep workgroups in sync
• Industry-leading, always-up-to-date antivirus and anti-spam solutions
• Optional student access to 25 GB of free online storage on Windows Live SkyDrive
• Latest version of Microsoft Live@Edu, which has thousands of schools and millions of student users today.
  * Access from mobile devices requires WiFi capability or depends on carrier network availability. 

Free Teacher Resources and Tools from Microsoft

Did you know that Microsoft has a commitment to education beyond supplying Word, Powerpoint and Excel and other products at student prices?
They have a whole section of resources for educators. There are classroom resources, lesson plans, templates, a teacher community and a group of free software applications to use in the classrooms.

I discovered Mouse Mischief on the site which allows you to make your lessons more interactive with a powerpoint addon. You can then use many mice and have an interactive lesson with your class using powerpoint.