There are a vast number of free online generator tools and I enjoy all of them (well, most of them). I have selected a few of my favorites that I think teachers could use to motivate students and enhance instruction.

1. Graph Paper Generator – you have no doubt heard of this wonderful graphing paper site, but I would be remiss not to include it in this posting….a terrific generator for math, science, technology, and art projects that require graph paper. Generators are also available for musical notation paper, notetaking paper, and much, much more…you simply have to see this site to believe it! Make sure you have plenty of printer ink!
2. Test Generator – use the free version of this online test generator to create a test that includes the following types of questions: true/false, multiple choice, short answer, matching, or fill in the blank. Question types can be mixed and matched. Free registration is required, but you can begin immediately after you have registered.
3. Customize “Cake With Number” – this generator from Image Chef could be used to create a customized birthday card, poster, or slide for each student celebrating a birthday…include the image on your instructional PowerPoint print a copy for your bulletin board or post the image to your blog/teacher page. Kids all ages will love the attention and recognition of their special day. A sample is shown below:

4. Customize “Scroll” – Use the scroll graphic available at Image Chef to countdown long-term assignments or post sponge activities. I’m sure you will think of several additional ways to use this image it is so versatile. A sample is shown below:

5. Make Word Mosaic – You have no doubt used Wordle, but have you seen this mosaic tool available on Image Chef? I used the star mosaic to post the name of all the students who got an A on their spelling test. Again, I’m sure you will think of many additional ways to use this neat online generator…you can change the shapes, colors, and font to come up with a number of mosaics. A sample is shown below:

6. Bingo Card Generator – create bingo cards for review and fun using the Teachnology Bingo card maker. Select from 3×3 grid or 5×5 grid cards. Very neat!
7. Personalized Award Certificate Generator – create personalized awards to present at award ceremonies or send them home in Friday folders.
8. Award Certificate Maker – this is another excellent Teachnology resource that makes it simple to create personalized award certificates featuring student names, special borders, and graphics.
9. Custom Computer Keyboard – reward your top typist with a personalized graphic similar to the one below:
   
10. 55+ Extremely Useful Online Generators for Designers – I’m cheating (just a bit) by including a link to an absolutely wonderful group of generators researched and posted by Syed Balkhi and posted on his blog Balkhis Vision for Success. The generators gathered by Balkhis can be used for teacher webpages, PowerPoint Backgrounds, and more…check it out. You will truly be impressed with the resources. Make sure you share them with your student bloggers and web designers!

Another generator that I really love and that would have made this list (if it had been working at the time of this post) is Super Screenshot…an online tool that where you type in an address of a website and generate a screenshot. The screenshots could be used for direction sheets or as picture hyperlinks for younger students.

Please feel free to share your wonderful ideas and generator links using the comment link at the bottom of this post.

Hey, feel free to share your favorite finds of the week using the comment link found at the bottom of this post. Once again, in no particular order, I have listed my favorite top 10 sites of the week below…

1. Wordsift – this Web 2.0 visual thesaurus was Twittered about and blogged about on a couple of my favorite blogs…Designs for Learning and Talking SmartBoards & Much More. You’ll understand why the resource has been so popular once you play with it a while! It’s a great resource to help students understand the connection between words and concepts.
2. Blabberize.com – this is a very popular bookmark on delicious…I’m sure the talking llama has been a large part of the draw…check out some of the other posted samples as well. The site is just plain fun…try it out and share your results with us!
3. Great Photo Quotes about Education and Change
4. Childnet International – Cyber Bullying Video – very powerful awareness video about a very serious topic…
Childnet International – Cyber Bullying
5. Cut Loose and Make a Virtual Quilt – you’ll have to settle for warming your heart…this interactive quilt making project will never keep you warm, but it sure is fun!
6. Lost Generation – a video created for the AARP U@50 video contest that placed second
   Lost Generation
7. 50+ Google and Yahoo Search Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (.doc)- The Search Engine Journal posted this terrific shortcut sheet…a great resource for workshops!
8. Teach with Picture Books – a new blog I discovered and enjoyed reading through
9. Pecha Kucha – a presentation format I just learned about…each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show. It sounds like an interesting concept for faculty meeting show and tell opportunities or student presentations…anyway I found it intriguing.
10. Toy Theater – I believe this was another Diana Dell find…interactive games and activities for younger students (Math, Art, Reading, Music, Puzzles, Playsets, and Games). Great resources that could be used for computer lesson fillers in the lower grades.

I hope you enjoy my favorite finds of the week. By the way, did you notice the Google language conversion tool I found and included on my blog sidebar? I thought the concept was cool, but would love to know if it actually works since I am not versed in foreign languages. Have a nice weekend!