Week Two: Educational Technology

Week Two has been spent exploring many types of technology that I was somewhat unfamiliar with. I have learned a lot this week and am excited to incorporate some of this information into my future classroom. That being said, let's get going!

First of all, we spent a good amount of time exploring the potential uses of spreadsheets and databases in the classroom. Though many teachers already use these tools for their own classroom organization, I found that there are so many other ways that these tools can be used in school.

After some research, I found a website that has a worksheet that exhibits a good example of a lesson that actually teaches students how to begin using Microsoft Excel. I think this is imporant, because in this day and age, all students should know how to use this program before graduating from high school (and hopefully they will have it mastered well before that).

http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/ict/contents_spreadsheets.htm

The website above contains a link to a great PDF document that is an introductory lesson to Microsoft Excel and spreadsheets. In the worksheet, the students are introduced to the new vocabulary in Excel like "cell" and "worksheet." They are also given step by step instructions on how to begin creating a spreadsheet and how to create a graph using information they are given.

This site also has a section on how to begin teaching students about databases. The teacher here suggests shuffling a deck of cards and having students organize the deck by colors and then vby alue. I think this is an interesting idea, especially for younger children who are just being introduced to the concept of a database.

http://www.classroomtech.org/integration/50ways.pdf

The Classroom Tech link above is also a great resource I found. It lists various ways to use both spreadsheets and databases in the classroom with ideas like "make a 'real world' budget to learn about income, purchasing, and consumer science" and strategize for a fund-raiser by working with supply, demand, and price." I think that both of these are great ideas on how to implement spreadsheets in the classroom.

I have always been aware that spreadsheets and databases are often used by teachers or school administrators for organizational purposes. I was surprised to learn this week, though, how these tools can be used to actually teach students. On our discussion board for this week, there were so many good ideas on how to implement these programs in every type of class. For mathematics, there are obviously many ways to use them. Even in English and history, though, there are ways to use these tools. One example I noticed was using it to track war casualties or numbers of battles for a discussion in a history class. This examples goes to show that spreadsheets and databases are not meant only for math classes and organization - they can be used in any type of classroom.

In the past, I have only used spreadsheets and databases for work or for my own schoolwork in college. At work now, I use Microsoft Excel about every other day to keep track and assist with invoicing. In college, I used Excel occassionally for a group project, but I rarely, if ever, used it on my own. As far as databases go, the only time I can recall knowingly using a database was when I would search the school library for sources for research papers. Since I am not yet a teacher and have not yet had my own classroom, I have never used these in a class setting. However, after all that I learned this week in regards to them, I do plan to use them in my classroom. I like the idea of using them in correlation with another subject's lesson, and I know that I will definitely use them for organziational purposes.

One more type of technology that stood out to me this week was our introduction to Wikis. When I first began researching them, I was unsure of what they really were. After reading about them and seeing some examples, I feel that they can really be used a as a great classroom tool. As I mentioned in my discussion post, I think it would be really neat, as an English teacher, to use Wikis to help students work on and organize a research project. Instead of simply typing a paper on a document, Wikis allow students to use links, videos, images, and more to enhance their project. It also makes peer review assignments much easier, as well as group work assignments. I definitely plan on using Wikis in my classroom.

In regards to our Technology Exploration projects this week, we learned about many programs I was unaware of but definitely plan to use in the future. There were: Xmind, bubble.us, Animoto, Google Docs, and PhotoPeach.

Xmind

1.

I had no idea until tinkering with the Xmind software this type of technology was available for no fee. I think this is such a great tool to have readily available to me! There are so many opportunities of projects that could be made using Xmind. On the home screen, there are samples that range from project plans, organization charts, timelines, and more. I think that the bubble charts and timeline charts would be especially useful.

2.

Xmind could be used in the classroom in endless ways. I think the project plan chart could be used when explaining what students need to do to complete a large assignment. For example, in my English class, if I did a unit where students were made to complete a large research project, when explaining it, instead of just handing them the assignment, it would he helpful to break down the assignment into small steps. They could include items like “choose topic,” “find six references to use,” “begin rough draft,” and more. Using this method, students would feel better prepared as to what is expected of them, and this would also make grading the project more simple.   The timelines in Xmind could also be used very often in the classroom. Timelines are useful for almost all subject areas, but in English and History in particular, it seems that this software would be useful. As an English teacher, I could use the timeline to teach about the lifetimes of certain authors or a certain historical event. Obviously this would be useful in History classes, as well, since the teacher could use it to show the order of events in different lessons. Also, the timeline could be an interesting testing tool. Instead of remembering dates, if students could remember the order in which events took place in relation to other important events, this would be very beneficial in helping them learn.   I believe that the Cause and Effect chart would also be useful in a classroom. This could be used simply as a way to explain the notion of cause and effect to younger students. It could be applied to almost any subject, as well, and used in classrooms of any grade.

3.

I definitely would recommend Xminds to other educators, and I will make a note to myself to remember it for my classroom. The bright colors and simple templates that help you organize make it a great tool to project for the whole classroom to see. Instead of simply writing on a chalkboard, why not make a quick timeline using Xminds that looks cleaner and more relatable to students? You could also type into it as students help you fill it out so that they are not merely reading it.   I think that the software is somewhat easy to use. It could be easier, in my opinion, but I found my way around it alright. There are various tools and selections to choose from at the top that were a little overwhelming to me. However, it is simple to create a standard chart, and I’m sure once you mastered that, it would become easier and easier.   There is a fee for an upgraded version, but the standard version is plenty good in my opinion. I probably wouldn’t want to pay a fee for it unless it was a very small one. As long as it is free and readily available to me as it is now, I would definitely use this tool in my classroom.

  bubbl.us

1.

I really, really enjoyed bubble.us. I like the colors and the way the graphics look, and I especially enjoyed the ease of use this software has. I learned that making a flow chart is extremely simple when using this. A teacher could make a flow chart about anything using this in just a few minutes. It is easily saved and printed, which is very handy, as well. I already know that I will use this tool in my classroom.

2.

This tool, though similar to Xmind, seems to be a little easier and quicker to use when you just want to create a quick and simple flow chart. I could definitely use this tool in just about any way I wanted to in my classroom. Anything you could use a flow chart for, this software would be great for. It could be used to explain chronological events or cause and effect. It could be used to explain a timeline of someone’s life or a historical event. It could be used to explain the process that a student needed to go through to complete a certain project. There are countless ways that this could be used.    In particular, I think that the graphics and bright colors on bubbl.us stand out and would be eye-catching for students. I’m sure that all students (and definitely younger students) would be more prone to notice and engage in this type of flow chart graphic rather than a typical one on a whiteboard or chalkboard. This could be filled out by the teacher and passed out to the class as a worksheet, it could be left blank and given to students to fill out for an assigment, it could be projected on a screen so that the class could view as a whole, and used in more ways than that.

3.

I would recommend bubble.us to other teachers. First of all, it is free. It is extremely simple and quick to use, which was my favorite aspect of it. I like the graphics and the fact that I could add boxes, delete boxes, move boxes around in a diagonal or wherever I chose, and all of this could be done with such ease of use. I think it could be useful in so many ways.  I probably would not pay a fee for this item, however, just because it is so simple. If I had access to another program similar to this, like Xmind, I wouldn’t feel that I needed this in addition to that. I do love the ease of use, though, if it is a free resource. I am bookmarking this one to remember for my classroom!

Animoto

1.

Animoto is my favorite of all of the Technology Explorations that we have done thus far. I loved this so much that I know I’ll even use it now, even though I don’t have a classroom yet. This is just a good tool to know about for general day to day life. I learned through this how simple it is to create a high quality and entertaining video. Animoto allows users to create an account and a 30 second video for no fee. I love that they allow you to play with it before you choose to purchase it. I was able to create a video using some images from my recent wedding, set it to music and watch the video within less than ten minutes. Amazing! It looked like a professional video, and this was with the free trial. I am sure that the paid plans are even more exciting and varied.   I had no idea that creating something like this could be affordable and simple. I wish I had known about it sooner!

2.

I will absolutely use this in my classroom. It could be used in so many ways, but something that immediately came to me would be to make a end of the year video focusing on my students and their experiences throughout the year. It could talk about what they learned and their school experiences that year. It would be a perfect thing to play on the last day of school to wrap up the year. As a student, I always enjoyed things like this, and I am sure students do now, too.   It could also be used in the classroom to help with reviews. As the teacher, I could make a video using some of the most important aspects of a lesson and play it before an exam to help refresh my students’ memories.   It would also be a fun assignment to have students make their own videos- this could range from an introductory section where the student makes a video about himself or herself and shows it to the class so that the students get to know each other. Students could also make a video for a presentation assignment. This would be much more relatable to the modern day student than the standard poster board and markers.

3.

I would absolutely recommend Animoto to other educators. I would even recommend it to my friends! I like that it is so simple to use and such high quality. One of the other features that I enjoy is that Animoto will sync to Facebook and Instagram which is where many people store their photos anyway. The ease of use of this program is stellar.     Even though the more detailed version of this program has a fee attached to it, I believe it to be a reasonable fee. For only about $2.50 per month, the user gets 10 minutes of video with all of the different styles and music on the website. I think that is well-worth it. The most intense plan is $20.75 a month, which is too expensive for me in regards to how often I would use it, but for some who are extremely interested in videos, I don’t think this fee is unreasonable.    I enjoyed learning about Animoto and already look forward to using it in my life and in my classroom.

Google Docs

1.

Though I have heard many people talk about Google Docs, I had never used it and was completely unfamiliar with it. Now, though, after exploring it this week, I am unsure why I didn’t look into this earlier. I learned this week that Google Docs is an area to archive all of your important documents and either keep them to yourself or share them with any of your Gmail contacts.     I also learned that Google Docs allows you to create and store all sorts of documents like PDFs, Images, Spreadsheets, and more. I have always had a Gmail account, but I was unaware that I had access to this site. I really like it and feel that it could be very useful not only in the classroom but in everyday life.    I had recently viewed and printed a recipe from a blog I follow. This recipe was saved in my Google Docs. This made me think of all of the ideas of how I coul use Google Docs for all different types of organization.

2.

I think Google Docs would be an excellent resource for the classroom. Though it would be a nice way for students to organize their papers and work, I think that could cause an issue since the students would be so easily able to email one another while in class and avoid working on papers since it is linked to Gmail. Therefore, I think that this program would be better suited for myself as the teacher.  That being said, I could use this in various ways to assist in my classroom. For example, Google Docs could be invaluable as a means of organization of classwork. I could organize the documents I need by lesson so that I could simply pull off what I need during that particular segment. Instead of dealing with keeping hard copies of print outs, I could simply keep them organized by lesson on GoogleDocs. This could include the images, spreadsheets, etc., that I use with that particular segment.   I could also organize and share documents with other teachers this way or even parents. It would be handy to have all worksheets and files for lessons at my fingertips to be able to email to students who missed class.

3.

I would recommend Google Docs to other teachers. I like that it is completely free and synced in to my Gmail account, so that my contacts roll over and are there if I choose to share documents with them. I also like that it gives you the option to save things in a “private” view so that I am able to create and work on documents for myself or my classroom at my own pace and leisure.   I think the most beneficial aspect that Google Docs offers is its ease of use and ease of organization. I like knowing that all of my important documents and recently read documents are easily and quickly stored in one spot, protected by my password, so that I can reach them whenever needed.

PhotoPeach

1.

PhotoPeach is really a neat program. It is similar to Animoto, but it offers a lot more options in terms of classroom tools. I learned through exploring this resource that there are so many ways to use PhotoPeach in the classroom. In fact, on their website, there is an entire section of classroom uses and they have a program that can be purchased that is made specifically for educators. I think this is a great idea, since you know when purchasing it all of the options that it gives you in your classroom. While exploring the website, I created a quick slideshow using my own photographs, and it was extremely simple to use. All I had to do was upload the images I wanted, select the music, and click “play.” It really could not be simpler to create a nice looking slideshow. It is much easier to use and offers a lot more exciting graphics than slideshows that are made with Powerpoint, which is what I had been used to using.

2.

PhotoPeach can be used in various ways in the classroom. It can be used for a simple slide show about a particular lesson. It can be used, like it is in the online video, for quizzes. In my opinion, using this software is a lot more casual and fun than using a standard paper print out and asking students to complete it. Students are able to interactively work together to answer questions with this program.    There are lots of other ways that this could be used in the classroom, as well. PhotoPeach, like Animoto, could be used for beginning of the year or end of the year slideshows. Older students could use PhotoPeach to create presentations for particular assignments. It could also be used to review for exams or to list vocabulary words for younger students. There is even a quiz feature on the educator’s version of the program that allows teachers to quickly formulate assessments for their students. The ways that this could be used are really endless.

3.

I would recommend PhotoPeach to other educators. You can make a simple slideshow, as I mentioned above, for free, which is nice in and of itself. It gives you an easy to follow guide on how to upload the images you want to use, then allows you to select what music you want to go with it, and then you are basically finished.   Though you have to pay for the teacher’s version, I believe I would still recommend this program. The website offers a trial of one month for free so that a teacher could try it and see if buying PhotoPeach would be worth the investment. That being said, for a class with up to 50 students, the price per month is only $9.00, so it is not too much of an investment. I think this could be worth it, especially since it has  so many tools that are specifically designed for educators.

That's all for this time. See you next week!