This blog includes various instructional technology tools that I have had the chance to experience during my instructional technology courses for education.
Sutori
4/30/2023
Description: Sutori is a collaborative instruction and presentation tool for the classroom.
Value: I believe that Sutori could be useful in the classroom not only as another avenue for presentation, but it can also be used for interaction as there are options including matching activities, quizzes, allowing for comments to be made, and more.
21st Century Learning
4/23/2023
Description: Twenty-first Century Learning teaches students four main skills that are crucial for success in the world and careers. These are critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication.
Value: Twenty-first Century Learning is easy to incorporate into the classroom as it enhances the content areas being taught by deepening their knowledge and understanding in those content areas through the four skills of 21st-Century Learning. Not only does it help within the walls of a school building, but also beyond those walls.
Articles used for the video are linked below:
Stormboard
4/16/2023
Description: Stormboard is like a virtual whiteboard that allows students and teachers to collaborate in class and at home.
Value: Stormboard would be useful in the classroom in place of paper graphic organizers or instead of using a physical whiteboard. It can also be utilized for students who prefer using technology to paper.
Storybird
4/9/2023
Description: Storybird is an online tool where people can create their own stories, comic strips, etc.
Value: I chose Storybird because I remember using something like this (maybe even this) in school during ELA, and we had to create our comic strip or story using various components found in stories. With that being said, I would use this in my classroom during ELA to help my students be creative and practice what we are learning.
Bubbl.us
4/9/2023
Description: Bubbl.us is an online tool that people can create their concept maps.
Value: I chose Bubbl.us because I feel that creating concept maps are a great way for students to dive deeper into a topic in order to learn or explain a topic. However, not every student may be a 'pencil and paper' person, so Bubbl.us allows students another avenue for creating concept maps. Bubbl.us could be used in my classroom in various ways (math, science, social studies, ELA) because concept maps can be used to delve deeper into many different topics.
Social Media for Education
4/9/2023
I personally do not feel the need to use social media in my classroom in the sense of Facebook, Instagram, and others like those as I do not see the effectiveness. I would like to be able to communicate with parents throughout the day, and these types of social media, in my opinion, do not lend to easy communication. Instead, I would prefer to use ClassDojo.
Description: ClassDojo is a way for parents and teachers to stay in contact throughout the day. Parents and teachers can communicate back and forth without releasing phone numbers, and teachers can send photos of the class and individual students to parents as a whole or individually. There are many more aspects within ClassDojo than what I have mentioned.
Value: I chose ClassDojo not only for parent-teacher communication but also for students. Teachers can use ClassDojo for students to earn points for good behavior/productivity, as well as take away points for bad behavior/productivity. In my experience as a substitute, students get hyped up about ClassDojo points to the point where they will inform me themselves that if they are good, they earn them, and if they are not, points are taken away. Most teachers, in my experience, use these points to determine if a student or the class earns a reward. I would use ClassDojo for communication with parents as well as for behavioral and productivity purposes for my students. I do not see any limitations for ClassDojo.
TPACK
3/26/2023
Description: TPACK (technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge) is a framework that assesses whether or not technology is being used effectively and engagingly for learning.
Value: TPACK is useful for teachers because they can refer to this instructional framework to ensure that technology is being used for students effectively.
PowToon
2/19/2023
Description: PowToon is like an animated PowerPoint. It is pretty simple to use, but it does take some learning to make various animated aspects appear to viewers as they should.
Value: PowToon can help make presentations more engaging and visually attractive to students.
Google Classroom
2/12/2023
Description: Google Classroom is an online platform that makes distributing material and assignments easier for teachers, as well as grading those assignments. It also allows students to submit assignments more easily.
Value: Google Classroom is great for times like COVID-19 where everything became remote, but teachers could still teach and students could still learn. It is also great for when students are not able to be at school because they can still access material posted, gather information about an assignment which can help them get a head start, and submit electronic assignments.
Zoom
2/5/2023
Description: Zoom can be used to connect with people globally. Zoom accounts can be created using any email address (i.e. school, personal).
Value: This tool has become prevalent since COVID-19, and has proven to be quite useful. In a classroom, Zoom is useful when including students who cannot be physically present. I would use Zoom instead of Skype in my classroom because I have the capability of creating an account with my school email address.
Adobe Express (Spark) - Webquest
11/14/2021
Description: My webquest is for 5th-grade students and is centered around poetry and figurative language. The content goals I chose are writing, reading (literature), and speaking and listening. There are three tasks that the students should be completing:
Writing their own opinion on a topic or text supporting their point of view with information from the text.
Determining the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative language.
Coming to class discussion prepared, having read and studied the required material.
I used Adobe Spark to create my webquest. Adobe Spark allows you to design your project using photos of your own or of Adobe Spark's. You can also add text, photos, embed a video, or create a button and link websites, videos, etc. With Adobe Spark, you have the option of utilizing various forms such as an Instagram post, presentation, slideshow, Facebook post, picture collage, etc. I chose the presentation. With that, you can also choose how you want it to look. Mine is a glideshow, so that means I continuously have pictures in the background with words on top.
Value: As a teacher, creating and assigning a webquest makes teaching simpler. For example, I could assign a webquest and have the students work on it in class. This could potentially provide me the time to grade assignments if needed. It also helps if I am not going to be in class and they have a substitute. This allows the students to continue our lesson and still be instructed by me through my direction on the webquest. I say this because, sometimes substitute teachers may not understand substitute notes correctly, and therefore, instruct students incorrectly. Additionally, I can assign this as an assignment as an introduction to what we will be learning and have them complete it at home. This helps me gauge where each student's knowledge and comfortability is with this topic. As a result, knowing where the class stands as a whole and where each student stands individually, helps me to know how much time I need to spend on the topic and/or the students that need more attention about the topic. As for the students, they will be more eager to learn and participate as webquests are interactive which is a nice change compared to sitting in a chair, listening to me speak, and completing paper and pencil work.
Symbaloo
10/31/2021
Description: I used Symbaloo for my social bookmarking. Symbaloo allows you to bookmark several websites to assist in accessing them quickly. Some of these websites include educational sites and personal sites. It also allows you to create as many pages as you need.
Value: As a teacher, the social bookmarking tool helps you access resources you might use in your classroom quickly. Instead of trying to remember where you found a resource or bookmarking it to your bookmarks toolbar (which the more you have, some are not visible). All the resources can be found in one location with social bookmarking. Another plus about social bookmarking is that if you are in a location where you do not have your computer and you have to use another computer, social bookmarking follows you because all you need to do is sign in to the device that you choose to use.
Edpuzzle
10/24/2021
Description: Edpuzzle allows you to create a lesson and add open-ended and multiple-choice questions. Edpuzzles are a great source to use especially if the students need to complete the lesson at home. It also helps when you cannot be at class, you can have the lesson pre-recorded and uploaded to Edpuzzle where they can still access the lesson and listen to you give instructions.
Value: I can use Edpuzzle when I know I am going to miss a day and they will have a substitute. I can pre-record the lesson and they can still complete the lesson by watching the Edpuzzle video and following my instructions. Another case would be if I want to check in and see how the class as a whole and each student is understanding the material. This can be done by briefly reviewing the video and then having a few checkpoint questions throughout. Lastly, another reason I could use Edpuzzle is in the case something happens again like COVID-19, I can have a lesson recorded that I will be going over in class so that those who have to be at home can still complete the lesson.
Lightboard
10/17/2021
Description: Lightboard allows you as a teacher to teach your students where they can follow along and see your face. Whereas, using a whiteboard, your back is to your students so it's almost cutting off a piece of interaction between you and your students.
Value: As a teacher, using a light board will help me interact with my students more as my back is not turned to them like it would if I were using a whiteboard. I would primarily use a light board for math and occasionally for ELA, depending on the lesson.
Kahoot!
10/3/2021
Description: Kahoot! is a great way to practice for quizzes or tests. You can create your own Kahoot! or search for other Kahoots! that cater to your topic. The goal with Kahoot! is to learn the material, but the students, want to win. The faster you are and the more correct answers you have, the more points you earn.
Value: Kahoot! works both on the side of learning and the side of competitiveness. Because students like to be competitive and win, knowing the material will help them as they gain more points with every quick and correct answer given. It's a fun way for the students to be involved in learning, even though they may not even know that they are learning the material.
Quizlet
10/3/2021
Description: Quizlet allows you to create your quizzes. Quizlet offers different ways to learn material such as flashcards, spelling, tests, matching, etc.
Value: Using Quizlet, I can see which students completed the practice, and what each student is struggling with and therefore, conclude what is being missed overall. Quizlet is also useful for the students as they all learn differently. For example, the audible learners can practice spelling the word based on what they hear. For those who learn better by interacting (games), there are a couple of game options. In all, Quizlet is easy to use for both students and teachers.
Remind
8/29/2021
Description: Remind gives teachers the ability to communicate with their students easily as the messages get sent to their phones. It also allows the teachers to communicate with the whole class at once. Remind can also be used to maintain communication with parents as well. This tool is a safe way to communicate as students, parents, and teachers don't have to release their phone numbers to one another.
Value: It's important to be able to reach the students and parents promptly. In this world, texting is the way of communication and it's much easier to respond/read a text message quickly in a situation where taking a phone call doesn't fit (when parents are at work for example). Another great aspect of Remind is if something changes abruptly for some reason or another, the message can reach parents quicker than an email or phone call might.
Google Forms
8/29/2021
Description: Google Forms is a great technology tool that allows teachers to create their online material. This could include tests/quizzes, exit tickets, in-class activities, get-to-know-you forms, etc.
Value: With Google Forms, I can see all students' answers which lets me see how we're doing on a topic overall as a class. I can also see individual students' answers which helps me see what they're struggling with so I can get them some extra help. Google Forms can also be used for family as well so that the teacher can get to know them, they can relay information that they feel the teacher should know about the student, or if there is a need for sign-ups for class activities, etc.
