Week 8 Blog

There are so many benefits to using online communication tools in the classroom. One benefit that I would personally experience is the ability to share information between colleagues, parents and students. Another is the ability to make lessons interactive in classrooms. A big benefit is also that online tools can be used to better differentiate during instruction time.

I have learned a lot in this course. I think the most valuable thing that I am coming away with is the fact that there are so many more resources available than I ever would have known about on my own. I now have a good list of resources that I would like to use when I begin student teaching next year. I don’t think I would have found many of those resources on my own.

I don’t have a class yet, so I can’t implement anything immediately. However, I can see making quick use of BrainPOP and Storybird when I have my own classroom, as well as basics like Excel, Word, Power Point, etc.  

Week 7 Blog

My WebQuest can be found at: http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=223795

This is the first WebQuest I have created. I found it to be pretty difficult overall. My primary problem with it was probably my topic (how plants grow). While it's a topic that I find interesting and think would be interesting for kids, after I got halfway through my WebQuest I began to second guess how much I really liked the topic for this assignment. At that point, though, I felt that it was too late to start completely over. If I were to do it over again, I would pick a different topic that felt more "fun" to explore.

Tech Exploration - Remind 101

Remind 101 is a text messaging service created for teachers to text their classes to remind them about upcoming assignments, tests, etc. It is set up to be safe for teachers and students – teachers don’t see the phone numbers of their students, and students don’t see their teacher’s phone number. Parents and students sign up via email or text after a teacher has set up an account. It is free and seems easy to use.

This would be great in a high school setting. It could be very useful to remind students about important things that are coming up. One more way to remind students that is quick and easy, and students will actually check text messages as opposed to other forms of communication.

I would recommend it to teachers of older students (definitely high school, maybe middle school depending on the particular school). It obviously would not be useful for the vast majority of elementary age students.  I know from experience that text is the way to communicate with high school students, so I think using that technology in a safe and protected way (for students and teachers), is a great idea. 

Tech Exploration - KidsHealth

KidsHealth is just what it says – guides to health for kids. It is divided into age groups, and within each age group there are sections available that teach age-appropriate body lessons (i.e., the five senses). There are movies, games, handout, teacher’s guides, experiments, quizzes, etc.  It is a free resource and aligned to national health education standards.

I could see using this in a general education classroom if a school didn’t have a health and PE teacher, or as a supplement to teaching science lessons that may have to do with the body/health.

It seemed easy to use and it is free, so it is an okay resource. I wasn’t crazy about it, but it may have some times that it would have a purpose. 

Tech Exploration - Professor Garfield

Professor Garfield is primarily concerned with literacy in the United States. The goal of the website is to provide literacy support to kids in grades K-8.Through games and stories, kids are exposed to various elements of literacy. There is a teacher page which outlines the details of what element of literacy each game is addressing. Ball State University is one of the major backers of the site. It is free to use, and most of it can be used without registering.  

I’m not sure that Garfield is going to be “cool” to kids in middle school, but I could see this being useful at home for parents. If I used it in a school setting, I might use it as a reward site for students to go on when they have met a goal. I would maybe use it in reading centers, but really rarely.

I would recommend it to teachers of young students or those who need to catch up on literacy skills, but probably not to middle school teachers. It was definitely easy to use, and it’s free, so it is worth having as a back-up for elementary teachers. 

Tech Exploration - Digital Passport

Digital Passport is geared towards 3^rd-5^th graders. Its purpose is to teach digital safety and respect and foster a strong, responsible digital community through educational videos and games. As students progress through the program, they earn digital badges. Classroom activities are available to back up the independent learning that students have done. Digital Passport is free.

This would be a great thing to use in computer classes in a 3^rd-5^th grade setting. If there are not computer classes available in a school, then it could be used during enrichment/downtime in a regular classroom setting.

I would recommend it to teachers who have 3^rd-5^th graders. The only real downfall that I can see is that the age range it reaches is quite limited (although 3^rd-5^th grade is definitely the ideal time to first be promoting internet safety and responsibility). 

Week 6 Blog

http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/monicamachado/502/webquest.html

I chose a WebQuest that teaches young students about geometric shapes, since this is a common lesson when children begin kindergarten (my area of interest and the classroom level in which I currently work).

This particular WebQuest was easy for me to follow. It seemed to have been designed very thoughtfully and in a good, logical order. It also provides several options for different learning styles – visual learners, those who learn best by listening and watching, those who learn best by doing – so that all children would come across sections that would help them really grasp the concept through their own learning style.

I’m not sure about the video creation element that is included. That would not be appropriate for a kindergartener on his/her own. It seems like an odd thing to include, since an older student who is capable of creating a video would not be learning about shapes. If a class did a video project together or a student had a parent help, that would work. But not as a solo project.