You've just explored a few of the many tools available to integrate technology into your teaching. This group of tools was not an exhaustive list and new tools appear practically every day. Oftentimes we can be attracted to the "bells and whistles" of a new tool and choose something to use in the classroom purely because it looks fun and might capture the attention of our students who have have only known a digital world. The important thing to keep in mind when deciding how and what technologies to integrate into your classroom is to think about what the students will actually be doing and thinking about, and what skills the tool is helping them develop.
Post a comment in this blog post and share your thoughts about the tool(s) you explored in this session. You may want to consider some of the following: How useful do you think some of these tools are for the classroom? How you might use one of these tools in your classroom or unit plan? Do you think any of these tools would be good to use? What (and how) are students learning? Are you sceptical of certain technological fads? If you know of other tools that you think your colleagues should know about, tell us about what else you like to use.
If you have a chance to do so, please comment on a classmate's post as well, and skim the comments from ED105 Spring 2014 by February 27th.
After going through the livebinder there were a few of the sites that I found to be very interesting and possibly useful in the classroom. The first that I have really been drawn to was the glogster one. I think it provides so many outlets for students to prove their knowledge base but in a fun and interactive way that the students would enjoy creating such a site.
ReplyDeleteThe second I was intrigued by was Museum Box. What it me the most as I explored this site was the availability to links ideas and knowledge to so cause and effect. Another key point was that this site looked easy enough that a student would be able to work on and create a museum box on their own.
Finally, google earth was another favorite. This on is particular because I feel that it has the ability to answer that long-lived question of why do we do this. Google Earth can show students how the world they are learning about in history happened in the world they live in now. We as teachers would be able to connect the past to present through what the students already know and have seen, with this program. I also did not know that you could create a trip that the students could follow filled with photos, videos, and information. This takes what I feel is already a great program and elevates it to a new standard.
As for some I was unsure about, it would have to be the Voice Thread. It seemed like a great program to summarize, save, and review a discussion I would have with my students. But it appeared to be something that would be too time confusing for me to create as the discussion was happening and not easy enough for students to create on their own.
I found the livebinder to be very informative, as I found many of these programs to be applicable in the classroom. The one I was drawn to most was the Storybird program used to create books. I myself spent a great deal of time with this tool, as I became more and more engaged in creating stories. The creativity students can engage in through this program in expressing historical narratives, nonfiction, biographies etc. is endless. After pulling myself away from creating my own book, I went onto to look at the examples of student work. I immediately thought of a unit plan I was working on for another class involving 2nd grade geography. My group’s culminating assessment is to create a book about their selves in relation to the world at the country, state, city and neighborhood level. I think having the students use this tool will add great dimension, fun, creativity and exploration to the project.
ReplyDeleteI too was also drawn to Museum box as I have special interests in museum education. Again, this tool allows students to demonstrate their knowledge in such a creative manner that I think would inspire students to make connections and see relationships in historical objects, art, sounds, images, videos etc. The students will have a finished product that they can display and explain, instilling a sense of value in their work.
Google Earth is a tool I have always loved to incorporate into my social studies lessons. I too did not know about the trip creation, and would like to try to incorporate a “trip on the mayflower” in my unit. I think this could add such enrichment to geography, history and current social studies topics, especially when funded for trips can be limited. I believe in direct experience in education and Google earth can serve to bridge limitations teachers and students face in going out and exploring our earth.
The last tool tab I was drawn to was the social networking tab. I watched the videos about each site and found the interactive classroom to be very intriguing. I have always hesitated about the idea of social networking in the classroom, as there are so many privacy issues that immediately come to mind. However, I would like to talk to teachers who have used these sites in their class to see how it can be used in a productive fun practice, as it seems to be a very exciting tool for teachers and students alike.
In looking through all of these tech tools I was reminded how engaging and fun learning should be. I saw possibility for each of the tools and I have used several of them in the past. One new tool that I found particularly engaging was the voicethread tool. I thought this could be a neat way for students to create reports especially if they do not like to give oral presentations. I also liked that it came with access to the New York Public Library Image Search. This looked like a great place for students to start when looking for quality images. Additionally I liked the idea that students would be able to comment on presentations the teacher made as well as presentations made by their classmates. This adds another level of engagement that I think the students would enjoy. I also thought this could be a good way to share material with absent students. While it would not be feasible to record every lesson, key lessons could be recorded and posted to allow absent student that chance to work with the material. It would also allow any student the opportunity to review the class material at a later time. In the past I have used a very similar program called photostory. This is a free program if you have a windows computer (there was no mac version last time I checked) but it did need to be installed on the computer, which requires administrator access in many districts and did not include links to pre-screened images.
ReplyDeleteI was also very impressed with the docsteach website. I liked that it allowed you to set up the entire activity while easily incorporating one or more of the National Archives digital primary sources. I thought premade templates were helpful in the construction of the assignment, but also a little limiting, although this may be because of my relative inexperience with the program. I also liked the details that it provided about each document and could see this being a scaffold that I would use with students who are struggling readers.
One final piece of tech that I wanted to mention is one that was not part of the livebinder but one that I have found invaluable to teachers. Keepvid (www.keepvid.com) is a free way to download videos from youtube and other web based video sites. When you go to the site you see a bar in which you paste the URL of the video that you want to keep. It then gives you a couple of options for how to save your video (quality and type). This tool is particularly helpful in that it negates the issue of no internet connection or a poor connection. By saving the videos you can also imbed them directly into your powerpoint presentation.
Hmm...I thought I had chosen a Blog program that allowed people to directly comment on other comments, but I guess that's not the case. That's a lesson for you to really think about how the program or tool that you use operates and whether or not it will meet all of your objectives and goals. In any case, here's a few comments on what has been posted so far. It seems that some of these tools were new ones, which is great to hear. It's always a challenge to stay technologically ahead of students! The quality of the comments so far is great, and I really encourage you to respond to your colleague's thoughts as well. Don't be afraid to be critical of the tools as well. The purpose of this assignment is to show you some of the tools that are available to you but it's ok if you don't find some of them useful.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to second John's recommendation of Keepvid or similar programs that allow you to download video from Youtube. If you have a school firewall it may be difficult to play videos and downloading the file before you use it allows you to have the video go smoothly in class and allows you to easily select portions of the video to use, if it's a long video. Plus, once you download it, you don't have to worry about finding the video in the future. Many of "save YouTube video" sites also allow you to extract the audio from a youtube video and save it as an audio (mp3) file. That's useful if you find a song on Youtube that you just want students to listen to. You'll notice that I use this technology almost any time I show a video or play a song in class.
Wow! This live binder was so great and so helpful. I was amazed at how many great websites there are for teachers to use and to incorporate into their classrooms. I was really wondering how you were able to find all these great websites. I feel that when I just type in "interactive social studies assignments" or interactive any subject, not always the greatest websites come up or the websites that you need to purchase subscriptions to come up. So, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy only concern about all these great technologies is that I would be apprehensive to use them in a school in which the students are not familiar with technology as much or may not have access to technology once they leave the school. I think it would be hard to use some of these technologies such as the social networking websites within an urban school setting because it is not always the case that the parents or students can go home and check these websites or have the ability to 'sign up.'
I really liked the idea of the museum exhibit. I think this would be a great activity to do in the beginning of the year for the students to talk about themselves and to introduce themselves to the class and to the teacher. If possible, the teacher could even ask the students to complete this assignment during the summer so that on the first day of school the teacher could take some time to have each student showcase their museum exhibit. If some students did not have access to a computer then possibly this would give them the option to go to a library or a place with public computers and internet access to complete this assignment. Then, later in the year, once the students are more comfortable with using this program they could use it in an academic sense to create a unit or expand on a topic/subject that the teacher has taught within the classroom.
I also really liked storybird and storyjumper. This is definitely an activity that I would love to include in my classroom. Additionally, this activity could be done with students for all types of subjects. I also felt that many of these activities would be too difficult for the lower-elementary school children, but I definitely think creating a book could be something that kindergarten and first grade students could feasibly do. I think that this would be a great project to showcase around the classroom as well for parents to see whenever they were visiting the classroom. This really gives each student the chance to be an individual and demonstrate their own personal academic abilities.
Thanks so much for sharing - I can't wait to have my own classroom and possibly integrate some of these great technology tools!
Alex raises a really important issue about equity and technology. We will definitely discuss this in class next week, but I'd love to hear all of your thoughts before I share mine.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of finding resources, I have to say that I have a colleague at Primary Source where I work (Jennifer Hanson - the librarian) who is always up on the latest technology and I turn to her often for advice. She typically updates her Web 2.0 tools website - which you can find here: http://resources.primarysource.org/index.php. The American Association of School Librarians publishes a list of the best teacher-friendly websites every year. You can find their latest list here http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/bestlist/bestwebsites.cfm. (You'll notice that many of the tools I've shared came from their list!)
I also found the binder to be a great resource. I was unfamiliar with most of the sites, but after exploring them, I could definitely see them being of use in the classroom. My favorite site on the livebinder is definitely Glogster. I think it’s a resource that both students and teachers can use and find extremely engaging. I like that it allows your students the freedom to design an expression of their knowledge but also gives you the vetoing power for anything that they post. It’s also extremely interactive and allows you to present your data through multiple forms of media, which provides accessibility for diverse learners.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Melissa about the accessibility of VoiceThread. I had a hard time figuring and out and think that it might be too time consuming to attempt to engage with the students through that site during a lesson. That being said, if you have more than one teacher in the classroom and have that extra set of hands to help out, this site could provide endless opportunities for learning, especially when examining primary sources.
The DocsTeach website seems to be a great resource, but the level of the material is a little too old for elementary students and the time periods covered are almost too late to coincide with the material that we cover. If they had material starting earlier and geared towards younger students, this would be a phenomenal resource for the elementary classroom.
Museum Box is another great site. It’s something that you’d have to model and then also do a joint construction on, but I think that students would really enjoy designing their own box. I could see my students using it both in social studies and in literature, and particularly when the two subjects overlap. Right now in social studies we just learned about artifacts and are beginning the explorers. Students are broken up into groups, each with a different explorer, and they’re going to present on that person, his personal background, motives, impact, etc. This site would be extremely helpful in these presentations because it would require more research and would provide the other students with a visual aid when they’re listening to these presentations.
A number of people had questions about VoiceThread. Here's a link to a Voicethread that explains the tool in more detail for anyone who is interested in learning more. http://voicethread.com/share/409/
ReplyDeleteThis post is from Trisken (This post may appear twice and if so, it's entirely Ann Marie's mistake!):
ReplyDeleteAs a person who is technologically challenged I found this Livebinder extremely helpful. It is great to have access to such wonderful resources that are easy to use. I was intrigued by all of the sites and found myself attempting to create things and to my surprise I was able to.
My favorite tools were Storyjumper and Storybird. Kids love to create books and this is a great way for them to express their ideas. Alex, I completely agree that these sites can be used for any subject. It will helps students to better organize their ideas and get a better understanding of the topic. I liked the Storyjumper site better because it lets the kids use their own artwork. Illustrations are my favorite part of a book and I love to see how students connect the text of the story to the pictures.
Museum box was really a great tool. I can see it branching across many different subject areas to help make learning more interactive. Of course this tool needs modeling from the teacher and a joint construction before they are sent are their own. It will help the students to show what is important to the topic and highlight the main points. I can see this being used in my classroom for their Social Studies project on the Southwest Regions. Each group has a different state and they could use Museum Box to show the resources, history and points of interests. My class loves to use laptops so I know they would enjoy this resource.
Going along with Museum Box, I really enjoyed Glogster. This is a great site for students to make presentations. It is much more user friendly than Powerpoint (in my opinion). The students can create an engaging project about the topic. Again I can easily see this being implemented with the Southwest Region project in my classroom. Glogster also takes away the "mess" of students making posters. There is always a lot of valuable time taken away from creating the poster when students are trying to find the right tools. They seem to take more time getting markers, crayons and glitter than actually putting information on the poster. Glogster gets rid of that problem and students can jump in to creating the presentation.
I'm still skeptical on the Social Networking sites. I don't know how comfortable I am having this in my classroom. Does it have to be constantly monitored? Or does the teacher get a notification when a student wants to post something? I'm just afraid of cyberbullying. I would hope that students would not bully their peers on a class website (or anytime) but it's a concern of mine. Also, I want to teach in a rural district where there is limited internet access and this is not ideal for my students. Some families may not own computers and I do not want to make them feel bad if they are unable to access it. So I'm having the same concerns of Alex of my students being unable to "sign up" outside of school.
I really enjoyed the Google Tools tour. I did not know how to access the tools and this really helped. This was more helpful for my gmail account than with my class.
The VoiceThread was really great but I too am concerned with how accessible it is. The part I liked best was the students' comments along with the circling of the component in the artifact. It really made it easy to follow as to what the students were focusing on. I just am not very fond of the voice comments. It seems time consuming and not as effective because students may not be able to follow hearing a comment as easily as reading a comment. Also, what if students begin to make silly and off topic comments? How do monitor?
Thank you so much for sharing these resources. I'm excited to show them to my CT and incorporate them in our class.
There seems to be a problem with a few of the posts not appearing. If this happens to you, don't be alarmed. I receive your post in an email and if it doesn't show up on the blog, I will post it for the class. I'm not sure what the problem is! Apologies for any frustration. Again, another technology lesson is that you need to be flexible for any technical glitches.
ReplyDeleteThis post is from Emily:
ReplyDeleteThe live binder is a great resource for the increasingly technologically savvy students we'll encounter as teachers! These are definitely tools we can use in the classroom. The variety that is provided by these programs can appeal to many types of learners and skills (auditory learners, visual learners, kids that enjoy expressing themselves with pictures or other creative outlets, etc.)
My three favorite resources are Glogster, Story Bird and Museum Box. I enjoyed Glogster because it can be used for any subject area or topic. My two favorite examples on the Glogster website were "FDR and the Great Depression Era" and "The Moon." They included links to you tube videos, voice threads and eye-catching graphics. Glogter is very interactive and adaptable. The Museum Box was a great tool, as well, because it provides another avenue for students to report information. Instead of the typical poster, students can display primary documents, their own comments and information, pictures, and even audio. Story Bird was a personal favorite as a former English major. These books definitely add a personal and creative touch to a classroom.
Students would learn using these tools in a great part due to motivation. Resources such as Glogster and Museum Box take are a lot of fun to create but also require students to explore a variety of research sources to create. Though a student can "play" with the graphics and features, he/she also must cite pertinent information that the whole class would see. If using this in the classroom during a social studies unit, I would have each student or pair of students work on a different historical figure or event relating to the unit, so that they can teach their fellow classmates on the subject matter. Having a strong rubric for such an assignment would be important so that students don't get too carried away with the special features and frills and also focus on content.
I am skeptical of certain technological fads. There is always the possibility that an increased reliance on technology eliminates face-to-face contact and discussions. I would definitely want to still make the focus on group work, class discussions, and library research in my classroom while also incorporating tools like the ones we explored. Students might get used to having access to so many resources so quickly and so easily on the internet that they might not see the value tin "traditional" research where finding information might take a little more time. Many schools are offering i Pads to students (more so in older grades)to replace text books or to explore educational apps. I feel that some technological innovations are costly and value flashiness over content.
With all this said, in terms of my unit plan for this class in addition to using glogster, I could also see Museum Box being a good alternative for my project. Although I won't use this feature for this particular project the focus on researching primary sources and taking on different view points would lend itself well to Museum Box.
I really enjoyed exploring the Museum Box website. I feel like it could replace a typical final report or poster board project. It also adds an interesting spin in requiring students to think critically about what decisions museums need to make in creating exhibits.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point about choosing technology wisely and thinking critically about its purpose. I believe that Museum Box has a good balance of fun kid friendly features, but also requires students to have a finished product that demonstrates knowledge. I would certainly make sure to require students to write captions and text in addition to pictures and sound. I think that the website is neat in that each section of the museum box is a three dimensional cube, so students can add different related things within each cube. Students would need to receive instruction in how to properly create a museum box with exemplars shown to them. In thinking about my final unit, I believe that I would use this as a final assessment for the Incas, Aztecs, or Mayas. It is a good way for students to find images, explain them, and show that they have a sense of what the people were like.
I also believe that any classroom should have a balance. Using technology some of the time, but not all of the time really helps engage students without it turning into the same old routine. It helps to vary what you are using. I think the most crucial part of using technology in the classroom is not forgetting to include instruction to help frame their learning around technology. Technology does not take over for the teacher’s role and accordingly teacher’s must help students make connections between what they are doing online and what they are learning. It’s the difference between students using museum box to select a bunch of random pictures and sounds and a student who was instructed by the teacher to make critical choices and connect the pictures together.
In response to the issue of equity in using technology particularly at home, I think that this is something you can judge at the beginning of the year. When I taught I had only one student who had not computer/internet access at home. However, he went to the Y for after school and had access there. His mother also frequently used email and could access my class gradebook at work. I think this is a situation where you can work something out with the child. Whether it is completing the assignment on a computer during the class day or giving a written equivalent. Not that it isn't something to be sensative about and aware of, but it shouldn't prevent you from using technology. You may just need to modify how you use it depending on who is in your class.
I found the resources in Livebinder to be a breath of fresh air. So often, especially in social studies and history, lessons rely on a textbook and the mundane activities at the end of the chapters. Perhaps in the younger grades, plays or more collaborative activities are incorporated; however, from my observations of a 1st grade social studies lesson (which is only once a week), the delivery is typically through a read aloud and oral comprehension review. Extensions into more meaningful discussions do not appear to be taking place and while this particular curriculum is new to this teacher, it is often rushed or even skipped if time needs to be spent on the highly tested subjects of reading and math.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically in terms of the resources that were introduced in this binder, I found the following most interesting and likely to be incorporated in my own future classroom:
1) Xtranormal: This is a great way to provide instruction to small groups or individuals aside from actual delivery or through a paper sheet with instructions. I think this could be very beneficial for students with learning challenges and ELL’s, as it allows you to stop and go back, which is a function that is not available during a “live” class discussion. Two quick questions on this program: 1) does the listener have the ability to slow down or sped up the speech and 2) is there functionality to provide text to accompany the speech? These scaffolds could be very helpful for the above-mentioned learners who may benefit from both the written and spoken language.
2) Glogster: I’m very excited to give this resource a shot for the unit design, as I think that the possibilities are endless. I really like the idea of using it as a learning center, especially one that could be accessed remotely as well. In this respect, the students could do extension activities based on those they started in class.
3) DocTeach: This is another new site for me that I think can be very beneficial in the social studies classroom due to its plethora of documents and activities readily available at the user’s fingertips. I also really liked the links to the historical era, primary historical thinking skill, and Bloom’s Taxonomy that are listed with each activity provided on the site. These help the teacher better attend to the delivery of the information based on the needs and learning styles of the students and the goals of the lesson.
4) Museum Box: I really liked this site and think it could be a great assessment tool that is then followed up by a visit to a museum featuring exhibits on this material. In this respect, the students could analyze the items on display in comparison with what they have chosen to include: how are they the same/different? What items did they think helped portray the particular subject best and why? Now that they have seen a museum’s exhibit, what might they change about their original museum box and why?
5) Google Earth: This is the only resource that I was familiar with prior to this binder and while I’ve always thought it was very interesting and useful, I think the updates over the past few years have really made this resource more accessible and user friendly. This tool could be used to help track colonization, globalization and other like routes that traverse the globe. The 3D capabilities and functionality to view cities helps add a level of authenticity that far surpasses that in a textbook or 2D image.
6) Timeline Toast: This tool could be very beneficial when helping students conceptualize the timing of events. Sequencing can seem very abstract and is usually difficult for students to grasp; however, as it is a concept that spans all of the standards, it is imperative that we, the teachers, find more diverse ways to make this concept comprehensible to our students.
Overall, I was very pleased with this technology presentation, as it helped open my eyes to the amount of resources readily available to teachers; I look forward to incorporating such tools in my own future classroom.
I'm so glad someone finally mentioned my Xtranormal video! That was the tool I had the most fun with, although it's probably the tool that has the fewest classroom applications. To answer Caitlyn's questions about the program, I don't think you can provide "captions" to the video, although there might be a way to do so. However, you do have to type in the text, so you could easily copy and paste the text into a word document that students would use to follow along with the video. I don't think you can slow the text down.
ReplyDeleteLots of good points so far!
I found the live binder to be a wonderful collection on many valuable resources. Most of the tools I looked at are things I never would have found on my own, and having them in one convenient location makes things a lot easier! While I feel that all of the sites can be beneficial to a classroom, there were a few that I will be definitely be drawing on.
ReplyDeleteThe first site that I was drawn to were the storybird and storyjumper sites. I think both sites are a fun interactive way for students to create biographies and autobiographies. What I also liked about these sites was the idea that this was work students could show their parents as well. In the classroom I am working in, many of my students parents cannot come to events where their child’s work is showcased. By having an online book, children can show their parents what they are working on without the risk of it never coming back to the classroom.
The second tab I was drawn to was the museum box. I felt that this was a great way for students to combine written reports with more creative parts. I liked that the boxes could include different mediums, so one cube could contain a word document that the student wrote, along with any media clips or illustrations they may have found in their research. This is a creative way for students to present internet based research without having to print out multiple images.
The third site I was drawn to was the timeline tab. I think that this is a great way for students to have a more interactive understanding of where important historical events fall. Unlike a traditional written timeline, these internet based ones allow students to add information when they learn more about an event. I also enjoyed how easy it was to include pictures along with the information.
The final tab I found to be extremely pertinent to a social studies classroom was the Google Earth tab. I the classroom I am currently working in, the students are learning about the different regions of the United States. Google Earth has allowed us to show real, interactive images to our students. Many of my students haven’t been outside of the state, yet with Google Earth they feel a deeper connection to different regions then they would if we were simply reading about them from a text.
I agree with many of my classmates about how feasible the social networking sites are in a classroom. While I do think these sites are very different from sites like Facebook, I would be hesitant to introduce them even with the various teacher controls.
This Is Sammie's Post: (Part 1)
ReplyDeleteI was shocked by how many technology resources there were that actually seemed worthwhile and even useful in the classroom. I'm generally one to inch away from technology in fear that the tangible aspect of life and learning will one day disappear, but I could not help but find that many of the resources in the livebinder could be very assistive in the classroom. While I still think that there is great value to tangible projects and presentation of material and that we must be careful not to overuse technology, I could definitely see myself using many of these as supplements in the classroom.
In echo of what many others have said, I found the Storybird to be a particularly great resource. I could not help but imagine how I would have felt in elementary school had I been able to put my stories into a published, realistic format. It would truly bring home the 'publishing' stage of the writing process, allow students to see the worth of their work, and envision themselves as the 'real' writers that they are. Storybird could be used to teach and practice a variety of content across a variety of subjects.
I will also agree with the many that have referenced and appreciated the Museum Box site. While on first encounter I immediately thought that it seemed like a flashy, perhaps engaging, tool that didn't have much depth, I came to see a great deal of potential in the resource as I spent more time exploring. I love how students would have to organize information on a particular topic, noticing and identifying details, and then being able to join them together in a sort of synthesis of the material. It requires exposure to a variety of sources as well as selection of what is important to include. With good modeling, instruction, and guidelines for its use, the tool could be extremely enjoyable and beneficial. I also really appreciated Caitlyn's idea of incorporating a real museum visit. This would show students to explore their own role as historians in uncovering, analyzing, and synthesizing material and consider the decisions that other historians make.
Finally, I like the idea of using a blog, like this one, in my classroom. My CT this semester has a blog on his class website that, while currently rarely used, seems to have a great deal of potential as a fun tool for review and discussion. In my CT's blog, the teacher presents a question that is fun but thoughtful, presents his own ideas, and asks students to contribute. For instance, at the beginning of the year, he asked for a simile for summer, presented his own comparison (with explanation) of summer to a weekend, and asked for the students to comment with their own ideas. A blog conversation could last for a week or two, and students could participate whenever they have free time during the days. This would be great practice for communication on the computer, which is becoming more and more prevalent, while also reviewing material.
Sammie's Post (Part 2)
ReplyDeleteIn regard to discussion of the of the ethics of technology use that requires use outside the classroom, I do think it is important to make sure that, depending on the community, there is ample opportunity for use during the school day. While it is good to make technology available for use at home, we as teachers need to be aware of students that may be at a disadvantage due to lack of access. Perhaps these students can be granted extra time with the classroom computer (if available), but this means that the technology being used should not be focused on home use. The social media technologies seem like they have a great collection of tools that would be fun and helpful for students and parents, such as the calendars, grade access, video links, and discussions being all in one accessible and modernly relevant place, but I can't help but think that elementary students would not find this as helpful as an upper middle school or high school class. It is also a tool that would be!
utilized mainly outside the classroom, which can be dangerous in dealing with students of varied home contexts.
It is obviously important that students are familiar and practiced with technology in our technology-loving society, but I think they must always be supplemental and definitively useful. Technology should not be used for technology's sake (other than in technology lessons, of course). With proper use, I think many of these could add immensely to a curriculum, and I am excited to try them out in the unit project and in my classroom in the future.
Looking through the LiveBinder tabs, there are many websites that I will incorporate into my own lessons, as well as recommend to other teachers.
ReplyDeleteAs many people have already mentioned, LiveBinder itself is an excellent way to organize resources. I did have some issues initially because it kept shutting down my internet browser, but eventually it functioned. The resources that I can see myself using include Glogster, Docs Teach, Museum Box, Wikis, the graph-making site, and the book creation sites. I particularly liked Glogster because it makes learning feel like a sort of video game, which I feel would motivate many of my students to participate in the centers. Trisken also mentions above how Glogster can help teachers avoid the mess associated with poster-making and display, which I thought was a really good point. I do wonder, however, whether there is additional benefit to kids manipulating materials and resources with their hands instead of virtually, besides the obvious small motor coordination link.
My school is fortunate in that it has a large, well-equipped computer room, and students go to Computer class once every few days. In this way, they avoid the ethical issue that many people have mentioned about accessibility. Students may request to use computers during after-school, as well.
One thing that I like about these sites is that they are very self-enclosed. Educational websites with many links to other sources would make me nervous to share with young students, because the internet is a strange place, and it is far too easy to accidentally encounter inappropriate websites. For the third-graders in my class, sites like Museum Box and Glogster would keep them engaged enough that I don't feel as though they would get bored and start Google searches.
I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the Xtranormal site. While the robotic voice may be very fun for some students, it doesn't seem to be easily applied to learning, as Ann Marie mentions. Hearing the way that the character speaks, I couldn't help but think of ELLs, who would likely have issues with this odd version of English.
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ReplyDeleteAfter looking at all of the sites, I ended up spending the most time on Google Earth. I think that it is very engaging and allows kids and adults to tap into their exploratory side. It can be exciting to look at a realistic view of the world and be able to manipulate what you are looking at in real-time. I think that given the opportunity to explore and navigate this tool, kids will really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see Google Earth being a useful tool in my unit on mapping and geography. I think that the ability to zoom in and out in 3-d will help the students make connections about location and proximity. Part of my lesson focuses on introducing the compass rose and direction. Google Earth allows the students to see how the direction changes as you move the globe around. I think seeing this in action will help them understand why it is important to know and understand direction when trying to locate a certain place.
I also think that the historical mapping aspect of this tool could be really useful. It would be a great way to show how maps change over time and allow the students to see what information can be learned by comparing older and newer maps. You could have them explore a specific place and write down their observations.
I really like the idea of incorporating technology into the classroom as a way to initiate interest and inquiry. I think it is important for students to be given the opportunity to navigate these tools and as a result find out more about their own interests. It seems important to have set goals and guidelines when introducing these tools to students in order to make it a worthwhile addition to the classroom.
This live binder was absolutely enthralling. I love seeing new technologies I wouldn’t have thought to use before, and old technologies being used in new, innovative ways. Honestly out of all of the technologies posted here, my favorite is actually the live binder itself. It’s a great way to post information and activities in a paperless, but organized, manner. Live binder without a doubt is the technology I will come away with using the most.
ReplyDeleteThe links and tools posted could be very useful. They have great purpose and value, however after looking them over I feel as though I would need to explore each site for days to grasp its functionality well enough to incorporate it in a lesson properly. As of right now my initial instinct is to use many of these sites for assessment or reinforcing purposes – especially Museum Box and DocsTeach. These two sites are fun, interactive, and can showcase what a student knows very well.
Museum Box is a nice way at the end of a lesson or a unit to have the students spotlight one topic that interests them and create a learning box to share with others. The students become the teachers here for the billions of Internet users who are curious about the same topic. Museum Box also reinforces the usage of primary sources. With all of the information and resources out there on the Internet for students today, I believe it is necessary to continuously emphasize the idea that primary sources are ‘king’ when researching or making any kind of argument. Museum Box also incorporates the students’ ideas via voice recordings, which I know students will love.
DocsTeach is another site perfect for assessment, because it has the students interact with primary sources and timelines. This site helps students to analyze the course of events in history, and further more see the actual documents that are being discussed. I’m not sure if this site would hold the same amount of interest with the students as Museum Box might, but it is still a great way to spice up a lesson/assessment.
I am definitely skeptical of technology use in the classroom. I believe more often than not a technology isn’t fully understood by a teacher before being incorporated, and thus becomes a crutch, diversion, or simply a time filling activity. Technology is meant to enhance learning, but it cannot enhance a lesson if it is not understood completely. This is probably why technology use in the classroom is still minimal – lack of understanding. Each of these sites could enhance learning in its own way, but without professional development or at least teacher exploration they won’t be incorporated properly. Given the extreme lack of spare time most teachers have today, I can understand why technology is not used appropriately. I also haven’t accepted the idea yet that tablet technology and apps/reading is better than books. It’s either going to be a fad like the Palm Pilot, or will decrease attention spans and damage eyesight development.
I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the different tools that could be used to aid in instruction in an elementary classroom. The tool that I found to be the most interesting was definitely Museum Box. I was immediately drawn in by the prospect of students collecting their own primary and secondary sources online. I believe that students growing up in a world with a lot of resources at their disposal should be encouraged to use them on their own. The Museum Box would allow students to do their own research using appropriate internet sites and group different items together. I think the Museum Box could be a great way to wrap up units as well, because students could put together a comprehensive display of what they have learned about a specific topic in a way that other students could access. I think the Museum Box also just seems like a fun way to organize information and show off new knowledge.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I have used in the past in my own classes is google tools. I have been able to work on a project while "sharing" it with others, so that multiple students could be making edits and additions at the same time. I think this is a great way for students to do group projects in class. Although the idea of google docs or google presentations is not quite as exciting or novel as some of the other tools, students can more practically work together during class time with the different components of google tools.
As for the social networking component, I too would not feel initially comfortable in implementing that into a classroom because I know how distracting it can be to want to get off task while using social media. However, the students in my pre practicum last semester were avid users of Edmodo, and my cooperating teacher raved about it. She said the students loved being able to use the laptops during school, and they felt very confident using the site. Additionally, she said that students were able to turn in all of their assignments through Edmodo, which made it more possible for her as a teacher to keep track of work. I do think that sites like Edmodo could be a distraction to students during class, since they are able to communicate with each other as well, but I can definitely see the benefits of a class-wide social network in terms of receiving news from the teacher, checking for homework, and turning in assignments.
I do think that technology can be used in an elementary classroom with the right amount of instruction and supervision. I do not believe that teachers should employ technology as a means to kill time or just because it is an easy way to get kids busy, but more because of how well it can work in with the curriculum.
I believe that a lot of these tools could be very useful for engaging students in the classroom, organizing ideas, and for fun project ideas the students can do as homework. In all cases, I think that all the tools could be useful if used correctly and to support a lesson; however, if not done correctly, some of the tools could not help the students learn.
ReplyDeleteOne of the tools I really liked was the Museum Box. I love the idea of students having to pick items to represent an event, a person, or even a civilization they have learning about in Social Studies. I think it could be used in many different grades depending on what the students are learning about. Younger students could make a Museum Box about general ideas like their school or community, while older students could focus on specific events or people. Having to pick a certain amount of items will make students think about the most important aspects of the person, event, or whatever else they would be doing a Museum Box for. Hopefully this will allow them to not focus on details, but look at the big picture. Another way the Museum Box could be used is in small groups. Each group could be given a part of the material they have been learning about. Then each group would make a Museum Box for this, and then they would present their box to the class. Having a few items to associate with the ideas discussed would help every student remember the important ideas they learned about in that unit of Social Studies. This also will give a students a visual representation of parts of Social Studies they learned about in order to have something to look back on to remember what they learned about in different parts of the year.
Katie Dickson
I really enjoyed looking at all of the technology that can be used in the classroom. When I first think of technology I think of mere discussion boards and maybe making a wiki, however, after exploring through this live binder—which itself is a really cool tool—I found so many new ideas that I would totally want to use in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of Glogster which lets children make interactive posters. I feel like if used correctly this would be an exciting option to add to children’s options of presenting projects. I also really enjoy the idea of Museum Box. I think giving students a chance to make their own museum with their own sources is unique and would be more beneficial in understanding the ideas of primary sources, historical connections, and interrelationships among historical artifacts.
I also really like the idea of using google with elementary aged students. I just learned how to use google Docs but I think that having younger students learn how to use these tools can only be beneficial for them in the future to learn how to create powerpoints and web pages.
Candice Lavien
I found it very interesting going through this livebinder because it really gave a glimpse of the different technological programs out there for teachers to implement in their classroom. There was a wide variety, and I found it interesting that some tools seemed to be more geared towards specific lessons (ex. the timeline programs), whereas others could be used on a more general scale (ex. padlet). I do think that depending on the age of your students, some tools may be more useful and appropriate than others. For example with the educreation video programs, for younger students I believe that would be more teacher driven with the teacher creating the videos to aid student learning. Students in high school, however, could be responsible for creating their own videos as a project. I believe that implementing this technology is useful because it allows students to interact with one another, to be engaged, and to work with technology they will most likely continue working with throughout school and into the work field.
ReplyDeleteRegarding specific programs, I really liked the timeline programs because it reminded me of the activity I thought of for the MFA exhibit. I would have students fill in a timeline worksheet regarding the changes in fashion from the 1700’s-present day, but this could easily be done online now, and would be good whenever teaching about a progression over time. I also really like google earth and google maps because it reminded me of all the talk about teachers being able to travel to the places they are teaching about. Most teachers will not be able to travel to all the places they have to teach about, however, with these google apps teachers can directly show students what they are talking about from these different places. It helps students develop a mental image of what they are learning about. Lastly, I really like the padlet program because it can be used for a variety of reasons from a brainstorming activity to a wrap-up/conclusion activity. Teachers can also allow students to post anonymously which can eliminate that risk of being wrong and allow for more students to participate. On the other hand, teachers can require students to put their name on their responses and this can be used as an assessment technique.
I think the one concern with using all this technology is being aware of the resources available to your students, especially when requiring students to do it at home. In my practicum students use math programs online and they can be accessed at school and at home. Students accumulate more points for completing more of the program and get rewards based on these points, however, some students don’t have the resources to play it at home. It is very difficult for these students to keep up with their classmates. As important as technology is, it is really important for the teacher to make it as equal as possible for students to participate and to keep them from getting discouraged about something out of their control.
Dana Egan
After participating in the technology session for ED105, I was reminded how there are many great technology resources that are available for students and teachers to use in and outside the classroom. For example, LiveBinder is a great tool for students to take notes (if they are allowed to use computers in the classroom), brainstorm, journal, and participate in a LiveBinder session like the one our class just participated in! LiveBinder is a great tool for teachers to keep ideas and resources organized so that they are easily accessible within the classroom. I love how you can embed videos, webpages, images, and PDFs right on a binder tab allowing the tab to be interactive. A huge advantage is that a teacher does not have to navigate away from the binder in order to watch videos or explore web pages. LiveBinder is truly like a book allowing teachers and students to pull resources within their binder and keep them organized and easily accessible. As a future teacher, LiveBinder will be a great way for me to keep all my technology resources for specific subjects organized in one space!
ReplyDeleteAnother technology resource that really stood out to me was Glogster. I thought the idea of creating digital posters was fantastic! By allowing students to create projects and present information using digital posters, students are able to explore beyond one or two books they found in the library. Students can research information on educational websites and attach videos, photos, text, graphics, sounds, drawings, data attachments and more to their poster! I really think when a student gets up in front of the classroom to present a project, both the presenter and the audience will be more engaged with an interactive digital poster. Students can present information and then provide videos or images which give a visual for what the presenter is talking about. Providing visuals, such as videos and images, can increase students’ understanding of the information being presented. Between the text, images, and videos, Glogster is a great way to try and engage all the different types of learners (ex. visual learners and nonvisual learners) within a classroom. Therefore, students have a better chance of staying attentive, engaged, and remembering what they are learning! Students can use Glogster to present projects, book reports, and so much more! Furthermore, teachers can use Glogster to create interactive lessons in any subject, organize resources, and more!
I am so excited to have been introduced to LiveBinder, Glogster, and many other great technology tools that I can integrate into my future classroom! I am excited to start exploring them even more and coming up with ideas to use these great technology tools to enhance a subject, classroom, etc.
I love this idea! I think technology can be such a huge “hit” or “miss.” Unfortunately, for me, it is more often a miss than anything else. Although I have grown up in the age of technology, it is much harder to put this knowledge into play, especially in the K-12 classroom. In my educational experiences, I have had very few teachers and professors who could use technology well. Even the teachers who were able to use technology, the technology itself often failed or functioned so slowly that it inhibited the lesson, rather than supplementing it. Too often, we as students were waiting on something to load during a demonstration, or watching the teacher curse under her breath because something that was working a half our prior no longer does. This being said, the teachers that I have had who use technology like Smartboards with ease, in a way which supplements learning, I have found to be excellent examples of people who can incorporate technology into the classroom successfully.
ReplyDeleteAs a student, I had experimented with technology such as glogster, and other sites that were meant to help facilitate a unit of study. In my experience, students were grouped in pairs, given a topic to research, and were expected to create a glogster that could be used to show the entire class what they had discovered about that particular topic. I remember hating this assignment because it felt like busy work. It seemed as if the teachers were testing out this new technology, so they decided it would be a good idea to give it an academic spin. It seemed as if we were doing more work just for the experience of using a new online tool. I imagine that I would’ve enjoyed the project more had it been structured so that it was less forced and more natural. If it had been a resource that would be used many times, not just a “present your information and delete your account” kind of way, I think I would have more positive things to say about it.
All in all, I feel that technology is really only as good as the person who is implementing the technology. In my classroom, I envision using technology solely as a supplement to what we are already learning in the classroom. I hate the idea of busy-work, so I would make sure that whatever I was having my students do with technology would be something that would be consistent throughout the school year and not simply a phase that would be abandoned. Technology implementation also depends heavily on the students themselves…what works best for them, how does their age factor in, and how high is their interest level? These are all factors that I would need to consider when implementing technology in the classroom in a successful manner.
This Livebinder is a great resource to have, and I am glad I have the opportunity to investigate so many different technology sites in one sitting.
I definitely agree with Caroline in that it is so important for us as teachers to incorporate technology in the classroom keeping our individual students in mind. Some technological tools will work in some classrooms better than others, but it is our job to use what is right for our students. There are so many options, and there is something for everyone to use. I also agree that technology definitely should be used a supplemental resource for the teachers. I know too many people who get too reliant on specific resources and everything 1) falls apart if that plan fails or 2) fails because it did not work as well with that specific group of students. It is so important that when we teach, we do not lose our own personal interaction with the students. Just pure facial expressions, in-depth conversations, and acknowledgement of student ideas are not overrated. No technology can replace the social interaction that promotes student learning. Technology is an outstanding resource when it is used appropriately. As long as we remember to use it in the best circumstances for our students, and let it assist our teaching and not replace it, both our students and we are in good hands!
DeleteI really enjoyed looking at the different technologies that can be used in the classroom via LiveBinder. I like Museum Box because it allows students to use various types of evidence to show what they have learned. It allows students to use whatever type of evidence they are most comfortable with along with introducing them to using new sources of technology. I think it also teaches students how to be clear and concise when arguing about something in history. I think this would be great to use for a topic that has two arguments or two views on what happened, such as the Boston Massacre. You can have some students show evidence of one side and other students show evidence for the other.
ReplyDeleteGoogle Earth and Maps are something I see used today for directions. I think this would be great to show different areas. Students can look up their own houses then look at other areas and compare. Tours makes it seem as though you are actually looking at the pieces. I looked at the March of Freedom Tour and thought that was very interesting to see. I think having the visual of seeing the events plotted at a distance and then bringing it closer into the exact location of certain events would be very beneficial in learning. I think the Google tools in general are very beneficial and are becoming more popular in learning. I have used Google docs for many group projects and think it makes it a lot easier to collaborate work with students without always having to be together.
The social networking tools I think would greatly benefit a classroom, if students know that they are able to look on these websites for any assignments or material they need it may make them more frequent to use them. I also think social networking would be a great tool to use with parents because as teachers it is hard to always be connected with parents. Social networking would allow parents to post any concerns or questions and vice versa for the teacher.
I would definitely use Padlet in my unit plan. I think this is a great source of having students brainstorm on what they already know about a topic. I also think making this a KWL is a great way to start a lesson. Having students post what they know and what they want to know for all students to see can benefit learning. KWL are usually done with paper, but students are unable to share what they know and want to know with others when it is done this way unless the teacher decides to have a discussion about the paper. I think Padlet is an easy way for all students to share what they know and want to know about a topic for all students to see.
I enjoyed using LiveBinder and I think many students would feel very independent when using this type of lesson. It allows students to learn at their own pace and take time exploring different parts of the lesson into more depth. I think the only difficulty with this would be monitoring the students and making sure they are actually learning the material and not just skipping through. I think this could be a difficulty in multiple sources of technology, but if we have some sort of assessment at the end of all use of technology or anything that holds them accountable for what they have been learning I think this would be very beneficial. I enjoyed looking through all the different types of technologies that can be used in the classroom and definitely think that they are a positive addition to learning and should be used in the classroom properly. I am excited to use some of these technologies in my own lessons!
Similar to Caroline, my experiences with technology as a student were very lackluster. “Technology” meant going onto websites, clicking around, and answering simple questions on a worksheet. It was never an interactive experience between myself, my peers, and my teacher. Instead, it just seemed like busywork.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I haven’t seen my students do too much work with technology and websites like these. I have occasionally witnessed a BrainPop video or a website on the pilgrims being used in a lesson, but none of my CTs have really made technology an integral part of their classrooms.
And I think that’s because it’s hard to fully commit to technology and work to use it in meaningful ways. It takes a lot of time. You, as the teacher, have to find solid, appropriate websites, learn how to use them, and think of ways to integrate them into your lessons. Then, your students have to learn how to use and navigate the websites. Finally, you and your students need to work together to create meaningful learning experiences, not just busy work. It’s a big commitment.
The first step for any teacher who wants to eventually make this commitment is to explore what technology has to offer. I really enjoyed looking at the websites; I had never heard of most of them. My favorite site is Padlet. I mostly love that students don’t have to log in to post – that always wastes so much time. Other than that, I think that there are so many uses for this site. The example padlet for ‘teaching’ is a “Word of the Day” board where students post sentences using the word of the day; the teacher can then quickly respond with comments. I think I would use Padlet to pose a “Question of the Day.” Since the posts are so short, I think students will be more inclined to read their peers’ posts and respond; it could get a really nice dialogue started that could then be picked up in class. I think this is a great way to get kids using technology every day. It could be something they do for homework or during free time. I also like Padlet because it is so simple. There aren’t a billion side buttons and links to distract the students.
I think I’m still skeptical of a lot of the technology out there, but simple things like Padlet are starting to make me believe that technology can exist in the classroom in organic and meaningful ways.
- Jen Gilligan
Hi Jen,
DeleteI agree that it can be a lot of teacher-work to find sites that are not going to be distracting for students, as well as worthwhile. Additionally, monitoring students on technology can be difficult, to make sure they are on task and know what they are doing.
I really like the idea of a "Question of the Day," and wouldn't have though of using Padlet for something like that. It could be really benificial, and get kids into responding, as well as providing a way for everyone to respond and really kick off discussion, as you said.
After reading through the tech session and exploring many of the websites I was reminded of how beneficial technology can be in the classroom. Thinking back to when I was in elementary school we would really only use technology to watch videos or maybe research something on the Internet. These websites allow for more extensive student interaction. Using technology teaches students many skills like gathering important information, analyzing materials, and communication in collaborative learning. Many of these websites can be used in other subject areas and can be used across a whole curriculum so students can be come familiar with the tools.
ReplyDeleteI think that tools like Glogster and Padlet where students post information can be beneficial for a means of sharing work that students have created. I think that Glogster is great for a research project, and is perfect for students to put on all of their information. Instead of having students create a poster this may be a good way to avoid spending money on physical materials. This is especially useful for students who may not be able to afford materials to create a poster. They will still be able to create a project that they are proud of and have the same opportunity as their peers. Using technology is interesting, and something that they are familiar with so this will keep them motivated to create a great project. Padlet is perfect for sharing ideas in a fast and interactive manner. I would use during group work time where students can post what they learned in their groups and then we could have a discussion as a whole class looking each other’s posts. I think that this is great for ELL students because they can contribute to a group post when they may not feel comfortable speaking to the whole class and share their ideas.
I will use Google Maps and Google Earth for my Unit Plan because it is a great way for students to explore geography. I think using the feature to create maps will be good for student learning. If they are learning about the 50 states they can create a map and pinpoint locations with descriptions and then refer back to them. Being able to interact with the maps will allow students to look at the terrains and make inferences like how the civilians might live and what kind of industry they are involved in. It is great to see that some of these technologies can be used in other subject areas and I am excited to try to coordinate them into my lessons!
-Kirsten Gervais
I definitely would use these in my classroom! I’ve heard of a bunch of them, but it’s all been very surface and shallow (for instance, I heard my little cousin say something like “oh I have to go on emodo tonight for homework”). I’m so glad I finally got the chance to explore some of these sites!
ReplyDeleteI most specifically found this LiveBinder website to be most intriguing. I think it would probably best be used with older elementary grades, like fourth, fifth, and sixth, as a homework assignment or supplemental materials for what they would be learning in class, but I could also see how you could possibly use it with younger grades in an in-class stations activity. For instance, you can have students go through the tabs during the 20 minutes, or however long you make the rotation, and this could include videos, explanations, pictures, artifacts, etc. I could definitely see students being engaged in this interactive binder and being excited to go through the tabs to see what they will learn about next and be able to explore technology in a more limited capacity. I also thought Blendspace could be used in this same manner.
I like the fact that the teacher is still choosing the materials, but can provide them to the students in a more varied way. In one LiveBinder or Blendspace, a student could be watching a short, informative video, looking at primary sources retrieved from the internet, or exploring webpages about a given topic. This opens students up to the immense information provided for them through the internet, but in a controlled and safe way. By doing this with first or second graders in class, you can monitor their progress and help them with the website if they need help.
The only thing I think I would be worried about with using technology and the internet for school work would be that it is very easy to not only find appropriate and accurate information on the internet, but is equally as easy to find inaccurate and outlandish information that people post or put out on the internet. I think that is one reason why I like the LiveBinder and Blendspace; the teacher is providing the materials and can certify that the information is accurate and developmentally appropriate so that students get the most out of what is being presented. I also really like that it’s interactive – something I think is necessary for young students when learning dense material that comes with a lot of social studies topics.
Hi Katie! I think you make a really great point about how it is easy for students to find inaccurate information on the internet when they are given the freedom to use technology. I have never thought about this before, and it is important for teachers to consider all of the possibilities that can happen before implementing lessons, especially when these lessons include technology. You make another good point about how LiveBinder allows the teacher to choose accurate and developmentally appropriate information for his or her students.
DeleteThis LiveBinder provided us with many different resources and opportunities to evaluate the application of technology to the classroom. Like many of my classmates have mentioned, I believe that the LiveBinder tool itself is a great way to lead students in their learning in an engaging way. Allowing students freedom to click through tabs in a content area while ensuring that their sites are instructionally and developmentally appropriate is a task that LiveBinder carries out. In addition, I agree with my classmates that Padlet is a great way to make an open space for students to communicate their questions or ideas over the Internet, perhaps creating a more low-anxiety platform for sharing and discussing ideas. Having these resources on the Internet allow many students to access the material from home, reinforcing or introducing material.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to these two sites, I find that Google Earth and VoiceThread would be great tools to use in the classroom. Presenting topics such as the "Marching for Freedom" tour is a great way for students to create an almost virtual field trip experience. Further, students will get a sense of contextualization and presentism, realizing the actual locations of historical events and comparing the look of these areas today with that of the past. The VoiceThread application seems as though it could be a great way to develop students' oral language and analytical abilities. For example, in the discussion about the Native Americans, the students seemed to present their questions in a fun way. Recording and listening to spoken words will also help students with learning disabilities and those who are ELL, potentially giving all students equal access to the content at hand by overcoming language barriers.
As we discussed with our guest lecturer in class last week, however, I question the equality that using the Internet as an educational tool promotes. While it does allow students of different strengths to learn and to express themselves, some students may not have access to the Internet at home because of their parents' rules or the socioeconomic conditions. Thus, when using such applications, it is important to ensure that all students will have access and practice with the same materials.
I'm looking forward to using these tools, analyses, and discussions in my future as an educator!
These web tools are absolutely fascinating. I really enjoyed looking further in depth into each of these, and I found that in each, there are unique technological aspects that could really supplement a lesson and the children’s understanding of the material. As we are in our pre-pracs, our supervisors are constantly encouraging us to integrate technology into our lessons. These tools are the perfect way to do so. They engage students’ minds, encourage participation, and help the students understand in a completely new way. I think that as long as these tools are used to supplement teaching and not replace it, they will do wonders in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all of the different applications, but one of my favorites was Storybird, which was a visual storytelling application online that was both free for students and teachers. To increase the literacy of our students, we need to get them more involved in both reading and writing. Granted, easier said than done, but this tool encourages students and teachers to create their own stories and share them with others. I can see several benefits of using Storybird. First, the students can use it in any context; any subject area would be useful. For example, if the students are working on a historical character during Black History Month, they could conduct research on their person of interest, and then they could form a presentation on Storybird about the life of their person and create their own virtual story. Furthering this knowledge, other than just telling stories, they could use it for math contexts and discuss the procedure to doing a math problem, for example. Storytelling is an excellent option.
In using this program, we would not only encourage student creativity, but I am sure students would increase their confidence levels when being able to present a virtual story that they worked hard to complete. For those students who are usually quieter and do not speak as much during class, this is an excellent outlet for them to express themselves fully. For ELL students, the pictures added to the text will definitely help them express their ideas and teachers would have to work one-on-one with them on their vocabulary and sentence structure to assist their storybook creation. Overall, I definitely look forward to using this in my classroom!
Like my classmates, I am fascinated by all of these technological resources. Before viewing this LiveBinder, I had never even heard of many of these tools before. I am excited to learn more about them and possibly use some of them in my lessons. I am definitely a proponent of incorporating technology into instruction in elementary classrooms, as I have seen through my pre-practicum experiences how much technology can engage students in content and motivate them to learn. After learning more about these tools from the LiveBinder, I now see how technological resources can be particularly useful in a social studies classroom.
ReplyDeleteSince I am planning to do my unit plan on geography, Google Earth stood out to me as a fantastic tool to incorporate into this unit. I think this is a great way to make geography "come to life" for students. Examining maps on paper, while an important skill, can be boring for young students. Google Earth, however, allows teachers to create interactive tours of places all around the world in a visually appealing way. I love how you can zoom in very close to examine geographic features and buildings. I think it would be interesting to begin a unit on a certain geographical area by taking a virtual tour of that area with your students.
Other tools that stood out to me were Padlet and Glogster. I think that Padlet could be used to create KWL charts with your students, much like we did in our class. I like how students can add to it at any time, whether they are at home or in school. All of these technological tools are great ways to connect school and home learning. I also was very interested in Glogster because it seems to be a great way for students to express themselves creatively while exploring content. Thinking back to elementary school, I always enjoyed doing creative projects, but mostly these projects consisted of making posters or diagrams. With something like Glogster, students can express their creativity by incorporating images, videos, audio, and other embedded objects into their projects, which is much more exciting than just making a poster. I would definitely use this with my students to have them create final unit projects and presentations.
What I love most about these technological resources are that they allow for differentiation in the classroom. Through these tools, teachers can teach content through multiple means of representation, and students can display their learning using their own specific strengths. These tools also allow students to be more connected to each other and to their teacher, so learning can continue even when students are not in school. I do, however, think it is extremely important for teachers to examine technological resources with a critical eye before using them in their classrooms. Sometimes, teachers use technology just because it seems like it will be fun for students, but it may not actually be helping students to learn and engage with the content. If teachers carefully consider the benefits and drawbacks of technology, and then incorporate the tools that they think will benefit their students the most for a specific unit, then technology can certainly enhance classroom instruction.
I really enjoyed completing this assignment and the opportunity to explore all of this technology that I can use in my future lessons. LiveBinder is a wonderful website, and I think that students of all ages would really enjoy exploring different tabs as a part of a social studies lesson. I think that LiveBinder would be a great way to consolidate student work as well, and create binders so that students' can view their classmates' work.
ReplyDeleteI think that some of these tools can be very useful in the classroom. One tool that I thought was great was Edmodo, which is the social networking student management system. On Edmodo the students can see their assignments, post homework, and ask their teacher questions. I thought that the Edmodo app for iPhones is a really cool feature, that would likely get students excited about more frequent communication with their teachers and engagement with class content.
Another tool that I thought was really exciting was the Museum Box website. I would love to use this in my unit plan, and have students create their own Museum Boxes as a culminating project at the end of a unit. This website give students the opportunity to explore multiple forms of media about their topic, and encourages students to learn from multiple resources. I think that the best part about this website is that every learner can engage with it. Some students learn better from reading articles, while others learn better from using pictures and videos. Museum Box gives students the opportunity to explore content in whichever form they are most comfortable with.
Students learn through some of these technologies, such as Museum Box and Glogster, by creating their own representations of history. A great way to learn is to teach something, and this is essentially what students are doing when they are creating Glogs or Museum Boxes. Students are much more likely to remember material when they make it their own and engage with it in a hands on way. I really enjoyed exploring these new technologies, and I look forward to incorporating them into my lessons in the future.
I also really liked a lot of these resources. Museum Box fasinated me, and I think so many things could be done with it. It could be combined with the Living Wax Museum brought up in one of the first classes, and the students could make a box based off their person, expanding their thinking beyond just the person to the time period. The downside to this, of course, it that it does cost probably over $100 USD, once sales tax and such is added on. I also really liked the idea of using the box to creat an argument, as was suggested on the site. That could help students see the importance of looking at multiple points of few for one event, as well as possibly relate to persuasive writing in ELA. Museum Box provides many ways for learning. It can include pictures, text, and audio/videos that can help a student really grasp the material in different ways, which is always great for the multiple ways students learn.
ReplyDeleteI am a little wary about assigning something via Livebinder. First, as others have mentioned, not everyone has internet at home, so this might not be an assignment everyone would be able to do. Another concern is how the teacher can keep track of what students are actually doing. Just like assigning a text book reading, I feel that students could easily ignore the assignment, and miss out on a lot. I wish there was a way to know who clicked on what to know what they at least glanced at.
My other concern is with the more social media cites. I have a 6th grade sister who has used Edmodo the past few years, I know it has caused some trouble. I do like that they can't privately message other students, because that definitely helps to limit one was of possible cyberbullying, but I think that it can be a great distractor. Last year, for example, my sister would constantly say she had to go on it for homework as an advoidance technique. As the youngest of six, she knows a few too many tricks of the trade, and would hide with the computer instead of doing her work. Also, because the program was still new, there was not great communication between teachers and parents, so I know there was a lot of confusion of the point of using it, and some parents really didn't want their children on any social media sites yet, even an educational one. I think it this points out the importance of teacher/parent communication and teachers need to be prepared to address concerns like these.
Three of the programs that I really enjoyed using were Padlet, Museum Box and Book Creation. They all offer different things, but each program fosters creativity and requires students to express their ideas. Padlet (which we have used in class) is a really good way to get a discussion going. I could see it being effective in an elementary classroom because the teacher can post the ideas, and that might reinforce a student’s confidence. The teacher can put the students names on the post-its or not, allowing each idea to be read by everyone. This program is quick and easy to use, and the post-it notes can be moved around and grouped differently if necessary. I would definitely use this in the classroom. I would maybe use it to get a discussion started, and even do a sort of KWL chart, or have the students talk about their prior knowledge, and then at the end of the lesson or unit go back and write new post-it notes and recognize any misconceptions and acknowledge all that we have learned.
ReplyDeleteThe museum box was really cool because students can design their very own museum box and decide what to put in it. It allows students to be creative, and think of different ways to display information. I think this could be cool to do with a class or a small group, and everyone could make their own museum box and teach one another what is inside and why. Again there is a lot of room for creativity and this program allows students to really think about what they are learning about. I would consider using this in class if I was having the students do a sort of presentation. Maybe I would put the students in pairs and they could pick a topic within a unit such as, The American Revolution, and they would focus in on small subtopics. Then on completing these museum boxes, they could present them to the class and teach about these smaller subtopics.
Finally, the Book Creation was also a really cool program. It does take out the whole aspect of writing your own book by hand and publishing it, but this program is really in-touch with the prominence of technology in our society. The students could write ideas and thoughts on their own paper if they wanted, but I think this program allows students to really work with technology in a meaningful way. I am not sure how I would incorporate writing a book into a social studies lesson, but maybe with the older grades I would have the students each write about a different President- create maybe a page with information on that particular president, and at the end of the year, they would create this final book on this program. They could use it as a reference, and maybe they could each get a copy of the book.
Overall, I think there are a lot of programs that could be really awesome to bring into the classroom.
-Kerry Collins
I think that some of these tools would be extremely useful for the classroom. So often in my school experience, social studies was answering questions out of a book or maybe going on the occasional exciting field trip to a museum or historical site. With some of these tools, the teachers and students have a lot more access to primary sources or other resources that they would not have had easy access to thirty years ago. The students also have different ways to show their learning. In class, we talked about UDL and how useful it is in the classroom, and I believe technology helps students to do this. Take the museum box: the students can show what they know or how they knew it through videos, word documents, or pictures. Furthermore, this teaches students to synthesize knowledge from sources and use these sources to prove or explain an idea. The students have to go in, look at a topic or question, and determine for themselves what information or sources to use. I think this is a great practice that is made more engaging by the museum box. Another great tool is the VoiceThread. I thought this would be a great tool to use with ELL’s or students who struggle with writing. The ability to record your voice as a way to show learning is a great idea that will allow the teacher to see what students know without the struggle of writing in the way.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tools, but I think my favorite tool is the Padlet. I liked how we used it in class for the KWL chart, so I would definitely use it for this application. As I was looking around the website, I found out that you can also post pictures in the little notes. This would be great for kids to share any primary sources they found! It would also be great to use for projects. My kids in the sixth grade are currently preparing for International Day, and part of their assignment is to make websites. I think that that is a really great idea for the older kids, but the younger kids might have trouble with the web design. Padlet would be a good place for the students to create a page about a country or topic. It would be helpful for group work because they can all post from separate computers. They can add headings to their posts (such as “Important Holidays” or “Capital of Spain”), the information as the body of the post, and even a picture. Since anybody can view the Padlets, it would be easy to share with the class after it is completed. One of the examples on the website was a final project about Caesar, which is similar to what I would imagine a Social Studies project using the Padlet would look like. It can be used as a collaboration tool, but also as an easier way to design a mini-website.
One technology that I am interested in but weary of is the Google Earth. Recently, my boyfriend was trying to figure out the location of some older (no longer existing) buildings here at BC. He was able find the building that he was looking for using information from the BC website and the “turn back time” (for want of a better phrase) function on Google Earth. I thought that this would be a great tool to use with students to look at local history, but I found that when I searched my hometown that it only went back to 1985. It was still neat to see the progression and what my town used to look like, but it wasn’t as useful as I thought. This made me realize the importance of always trying things out on technology before trying to get your kids to use it. Just trying it out on my own frustrated me a little, so I would never want to put my students in a situation in which they would be frustrated by technology. If I am going to use technology in the classroom, I want it to be a successful experience for the students so that they feel empowered to use technology to further their learning and expression of learning in the future.
-Katie Fabian
I thoroughly enjoyed going through all of the tools that you showcased on the technology livebinder and seeing how each one of them had different learning/teaching styles in mind. It was also interesting to see how much technology has advanced since I was in K-12 school. I remember that as a senior in high school, it was the year when my school began a one-to-one laptop program for students from grade 7 to 12. However, since my class only had one year of high school left, we were left out of the one-to-one program and instead, the school began with the then-junior class below us. It was fascinating to see this sudden shift to technology as everyone had laptops, every thing from class was online, and we had a variety of new technology equipments to use for projects/assignments/homework. However, being the senior class that was not part of the technology integration plan, I actually did not get the chance to utilize the resources that the school had. In fact, all that I remember was an Edmodo account (like the one featured in the livebinder). Additionally, looking at how Edmodo is like nowadays, I can say that my teachers did not use it to the full extent for our learning. Back in high school, it definitely seemed more like a burden than a blessing. Thus, I was excited to check out new technology resources to see how much has changed since three years ago. It is impressive that there is pretty much a website, program, or application that teachers can use for any sort of lesson. Furthermore, I like how learning about different resource options will challenge and encourage us to be creative in the future as we find ways to teach our students, hopefully reaching out to any and all children that come out way in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteProbably my favorite resource listed in the livebinder was Museum Box. After visiting a museum for my place-based assignment, I thought that utilizing museums as a learning tool was actually a great idea because it (1) taught students how to analyze primary resources and see the perspective of the people/culture/society of a particular time period, (2) shows students how to put together an exhibit in order to showcase something, and (3) allowed a lot of creativity to go into curating the museum as it is really up to the curator's job to decide how to present the exhibit. As I suggested on my Blackboard post for the place-based assignment, I thought it would be a fun idea for students to create their own museums of artifacts from their lives in the 21st century, in order to present to an imaginary audience of what living in this time period would be like. Thus, when I saw the Museum Box resource, I was surprised, yet excited, that there was an application to carry out such a project. I think that the Museum Box would be able to help students understand what museum curators and even historians do in their lives, as well as show students how items from the past are important and worth sharing because they help us learn and assess what happened before.
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ReplyDeleteOne resource that I had a lot of fun looking at as well was Google Earth/Maps. I use Google Maps on a daily basis in order to find out where I am going so I thought I was pretty familiar with it, however, I was surprised that you were able to use Google Earth to create tours. That is extremely fascinating! Not only is it a good tool to teach students about geography, but it also helps a lot when students need to visualize what happened during historical events. For example, if a class is learning about WWII and how the Allied troops were island hopping in the Pacific, Google Earth's tours would be such a great way to help students understand why it was called island hopping, where the troops went to fight on those islands, and how this was a winning strategy that brought about success for the Allies. Additionally, when it comes to events happening outside of their own town/state/country, having Google Earth to show places that students are unfamiliar with is a convenient tool. However, as Katie Fabian noted above, I think Google Earth/Maps is also a resource that we should be cautious when using. It is such a difficult task to map out the Earth and put a digital copy of it online so I do commend Google's efforts for it; however, since it is such a hard thing to do, there are often a lot of mistakes in Google Earth/Maps. For example, Google does not update it regularly so places that are often undergoing a lot of changes will not be updated on the map system. Additionally, I know that there are some countries/places where Google Earth/Maps does not show very well online. Having lived in China for some time, I enjoy using Google Maps to find places back at home whenever I want to show people what it is like living in Shanghai. However, I know that China is not very well-captured on Google Maps and it is often difficult to find images of places that are clear or even accurate. I think that goes to show that it is important to integrate technology into the classroom, but it is not our only lesson. Technology resources are helpful and convenient, but we should also recognize that there are some flaws in the digital world, and we ought to help our students recognize this as well.
This technology session is so helpful and I will definitely keep it as a resource for when I become a teacher. Each of my methods classes have instructed that we should incorporate technology into our classrooms, but have never really gone into depth as to how we could do this. This session gives so many helpful resources that will be great for the future.
ReplyDeleteOne resource that I find to be particularly useful for a Social Studies class is the DocsTeach. I think this site is great because it categorizes the documents into time period, and then further categorizes into skills that you want your students to be focusing on. This is important because not only does this mean the students will be seeing primary sources learning about their topics, but they are also honing in on a specific skill that will help them throughout their schooling years. This site is an interactive, fun way for students to look at historical documents. I would definitely use this in my classroom!
Another piece of technology I would use is Padlet. I really enjoyed this in class because it is a great way to access prior knowledge and brainstorm about a topic. It is extremely easy and practical to use. Students would love it because they have direct access to broadcasting their ideas on the website. It is very similar to writing on a worksheet, but could seem more fun to the students because it is online.
Finally, I think that a site like Edmodo is really important in a classroom. Having a class website allows students and parents to have access to what is going on in the classroom. It keeps everyone connected with each other, making it easy to receive help and resources. In today's society, the internet is a vital part of life. In the fast paced lives of the students' families, a site like this allows for quick, informative communication.
This Livebinder session will prove to be useful throughout the rest of my education, and my future teaching career. I am very grateful to have been exposed to these different outlets!
Sam Gross
This technology LiveBinder was full of very valuable information. I loved looking through all the possibilities that are out there. Technology is an important part of our world now and as such is something that we need to be exposing our children to and teaching them how to use it.
ReplyDeleteMany of these resources I have never seen or even heard of before, but I am grateful for having been exposed to them. This resource is definitely one that I will come back to in the future.
My favorites would have to be Glogster, the LiveBinder itself, and the story makers. Children love stories and being able to make them would be a lot of fun. Glogster was interesting and I enjoyed the Learning Center you had made for us to do.
Thank you so much for the chance to see all the different technology resources that are out there.
Kelley De Cola
Like Kelley mentioned, LiveBinder in itself is actually an awesome tool. As a person who depends on organization, I love how accessible this makes everything, with bold labels and compartmentalized storage of resources. Looking at all the technologically based programs available, many of them we have already had the chance to interact with in our online modules. So far, I have found Padlet to be very effective and lends itself to so many activities. Glogster as well was a favorite since it offers such a variety of interactive material. However, as Professor Gleeson mentioned, the effectiveness of the tool depends entirely on how it engages students and whether or not it prompts them to think critically and analyze the subject that they explore.
ReplyDeleteWe live in an age of technology and it is important to keep up with the current resources available. However, there are a few concerns that accompany technological implementation, as others have mentioned. There is the equity of access issue in that some students computer access may be limited only to what is available in school. Another issue would be that technology is not fail proof and issues and glitches can arise. I also am always concerned with how much screen time children should have. As a elementary student myself, everything was based on books and pen and paper learning, as well as face to face instruction and interaction. I think that both technology based as well as real life instruction are equally valuable and it is important to find the right balance.
I was not aware of the very may technological tools available to students and teachers to utilize. I need to familiarize myself with all of the different features of each tech tool to become fully comfortable with them. I can see how the use of technology can enhance lessons and can be enticing for students extended learning possibilities. This is especially true for tools which are of high quality.
ReplyDeleteI really like the applications that allow for group projects. Sometimes when group projects are unable to become fully completed at school, these type of tools allow for the project to be worked on at home. Such as with Wiki spaces classroom.
I also liked the book creation sites (Story bird and Story jumper) especially for younger students. They provide the opportunity for students to publish their own work and to share their final product.
I also found Glogster and live binder as great resources as well. I plan to utilize them as part of my final lesson plan so I can become more familiar with their content.
As we rely more and more on technology and it becomes more prevalent in out schools, students need to feel more comfortable and confident in utilizing such tools in the classroom. There are so many valuable sites available to use with instruction in the classroom, educators are incorporating more and more of these technologies to assist in educating students. I too hope there remains an appropriate balance between educator instruction and technology assistance within the classroom.
Wow! This is lot of information to take in! I think it is great that there are so many resources available today to work with this generation of tech savvy kids. I look forward to exploring each of the aspects of LiveBinders more in depth as I see I have a lot to learn . The book creation and timeline tools seemed most interesting to me and I can absolutely see myself integrating these tools into my lessons. I am a little overwhelmed with the amount of information on LiveBinders but I hope in time I will become more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this live binder. I honestly did not know that so many of these resources existed! It is so great to be able to use all of these in the classroom and I am going to take full advantage of them. I really enjoyed the information on creating books. It would be a great lesson to use the already provided artwork as the illustrations and to create a story with it. The other website that allows students to upload their own artwork and stories is also very great. I think it would be so amazing to have children write their own stories and actually have them published like real authors. I feel as though I will be taking advantage of this in the future. I have used "snapfish" before to create a book using pictures, but it was nowhere near as professional as this resource. I also loved the idea of using the graphs and charts resource. I think this could even be used at the preschool level, you could have students pick between two foods and then have the children see who enjoys which food more. The idea of using social networking as an educational tool is also a very great idea. Students are already invested in social media, it would be a great idea to take a spin on this social media and have students use it for educational purposes. I am going to be saving this live binder and hopefully using it in the future as a educator.
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