Inspiration is definitely something that I would invest in. I know that I have used it to create a concept map for a unit and have also made an outline for a unit. Inspiration is fairly simple to use, so my students would be able to go onto it and create concept maps and outlines for different projects in all the different subject areas. The ability to add pictures easily makes the concept map portion of the program more attractive to the teacher, the students, and the parents. Using inspiration in the classroom, I could whole group teach and outline the key components of the lesson that I want the student's to pay particular attention to. Inspiration can also be used as a review tool after a unit.
I think that all of the Web Resources that we have used so far in this class are good and very beneficial to future teachers. One of the web resources that I like the most, however, is diigo. I like that I am able to bookmark many different sites and can access those sites from any device that has internet capability. It is also nice how you are able to follow other people's pages and see what types of sites they have tagged for new ideas.
Another good web resource that has a lot of practical uses for a teachers is the united streaming website. This resource is especially helpful to me now as I am taking the science method class and can now incorporate it into my lessons.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Social Bookmarking
I think that Social Bookmarking has a very practical use both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers are able to access different websites that they have bookmarked as long as there is internet access, making it easier to plan different activities and lesson plans wherever they are. Teachers are also able to "friend" other social bookmark users to look at the different websites and resources that they may not otherwise have found.
One great feature about social bookmarking is that teachers are able to create different lists that their students can access to help them with homework or research from websites the teacher deems reliable and useful.
Students can also benefit from social bookmarking. If a student is doing research for a specific project and has an account, that student can bookmark a website at a school computer and then pull up the same website at home or at the public library. Some social bookmarking sites also have a feature where the user is able to highlight specific parts of a website that they consider to be important.
As a current student, social bookmarking can really help when looking up different standards and lesson plans quickly and efficiently. I am also able to look at other user's tags and websites to help me find more information. Social bookmarking is definitely something that I am glad I was introduced to because it will help me significantly in the future.
One great feature about social bookmarking is that teachers are able to create different lists that their students can access to help them with homework or research from websites the teacher deems reliable and useful.
Students can also benefit from social bookmarking. If a student is doing research for a specific project and has an account, that student can bookmark a website at a school computer and then pull up the same website at home or at the public library. Some social bookmarking sites also have a feature where the user is able to highlight specific parts of a website that they consider to be important.
As a current student, social bookmarking can really help when looking up different standards and lesson plans quickly and efficiently. I am also able to look at other user's tags and websites to help me find more information. Social bookmarking is definitely something that I am glad I was introduced to because it will help me significantly in the future.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Google Apps
Google Apps is one of the coolest things that I have seen. This application allows for real time collaboration, something that can be effectively utilized by students who are working on a group project. I think that teachers should really begin to utilize Google Apps into their classroom, especially since there is an education edition, making this application designed specifically for the education world. One huge advantage that Google Apps provides is constant updates allowing a teacher or students the newest features automatically. Another advantage is that you are able to access these application from anywhere where there is internet access with an advice that has internet capability, allowing people to access the information being shared and edited as soon as possible. One disadvantage that you may think of is how is someone able to know who is revising a document, and when was the last revision made. Google Docs, along with other Google Apps have features that allow you to go back a view what changes have been made, when these changes were made, and who these changes were made by.
The only advantage that Office apps have over Google Apps that I can think of is that Office Apps may be easier to use, especially for the technology immigrants in the world. Google Apps may overwhelm, or even scare people from older generations and many may want to stick with the familiarity of Office Apps. Luckily, Google Apps are relatively easy to use, so hopefully everyone will be able to incorporate them into a classroom setting.
The only advantage that Office apps have over Google Apps that I can think of is that Office Apps may be easier to use, especially for the technology immigrants in the world. Google Apps may overwhelm, or even scare people from older generations and many may want to stick with the familiarity of Office Apps. Luckily, Google Apps are relatively easy to use, so hopefully everyone will be able to incorporate them into a classroom setting.
Blogs in the Classroom
"OK class, let's take out a piece of paper and begin writing." This is a common statement that you can hear in a typical classroom, a statement that is being played like a broken record. It's time for teachers to change and begin to incorporate more technology into the classroom. Blogs are more and more frequently being used on a daily basis by students outside the classroom, not it's time to incorporate them into the classroom.
Blogs can really be beneficial in the classroom from daily journaling to creative writing. Student's know that they can have an audience who actually reads what they have to say. Comments on a student's blog could spark new ideas that a student had never thought of before or could allow a student to defend something that they believe in. Since blogging occurs on the computer, the students have access to things like spell check and dictionaries and thesauruses online. I know for me personally, it is much easier to type a word in Microsoft works and use spell check than to page through a cumbersome dictionary to find the correct spelling of the word I'm trying to use. Student's today want quick and easy, not always the best method, but, for whatever reason, hard work, or even something that requires a little more effort than normal is becoming the norm among students today.
Blogs should also be considered for those students with special needs. Take a student who has a hard time with writing. With a piece of paper and a pencil and a time limit of 15 minutes, a student who may have a problem connecting his thoughts to the paper because of a physical barrier may not receive the best grade on a daily journaling topic. However, if you give that same child a chance to write his thoughts on a screen with no physical barrier of the pencil, he may have written a daily journal that merits a high score.
One major downfall of using blogs in a classroom is that it is being shared on the internet for the whole world to see. Teacher's really need to be responsible and do their research to find sights that will protect their students but still allow them to creatively express themselves. Teacher's should also remember to teach their students about how to be safe when using a computer and what information can be shared and what information should never be shared on the internet.
Blogs can really be beneficial in the classroom from daily journaling to creative writing. Student's know that they can have an audience who actually reads what they have to say. Comments on a student's blog could spark new ideas that a student had never thought of before or could allow a student to defend something that they believe in. Since blogging occurs on the computer, the students have access to things like spell check and dictionaries and thesauruses online. I know for me personally, it is much easier to type a word in Microsoft works and use spell check than to page through a cumbersome dictionary to find the correct spelling of the word I'm trying to use. Student's today want quick and easy, not always the best method, but, for whatever reason, hard work, or even something that requires a little more effort than normal is becoming the norm among students today.
Blogs should also be considered for those students with special needs. Take a student who has a hard time with writing. With a piece of paper and a pencil and a time limit of 15 minutes, a student who may have a problem connecting his thoughts to the paper because of a physical barrier may not receive the best grade on a daily journaling topic. However, if you give that same child a chance to write his thoughts on a screen with no physical barrier of the pencil, he may have written a daily journal that merits a high score.
One major downfall of using blogs in a classroom is that it is being shared on the internet for the whole world to see. Teacher's really need to be responsible and do their research to find sights that will protect their students but still allow them to creatively express themselves. Teacher's should also remember to teach their students about how to be safe when using a computer and what information can be shared and what information should never be shared on the internet.
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