Week 7

Top 10 Tech Tools I Can’t Live Without

Throughout this course I have found many tech tools that I am very excited to use in my classroom. By combining these tools and a few I already use, I have my Top 10 Tech Tools I Can’t Live Without!

iPad- I got AN iPad for my classroom last year. This year, we will have a classroom set! Of course it’s for the entire school, but I have found some great apps that I know my students will love.
Wiki Classroom- I plan to create a Wiki Classroom for my students this year. With our new “Bring Your Own Device” initiative, this should be a great way to communicate information to students in a new and different way. Allowing them to use their own device to access videos, assignments and due dates will be great. I may start with my upper level classes and see how it goes.

Twitter- Another great way to communicate with my students! I plan to create a class twitter account and invite all my students to follow on the first day of school. I have also enjoyed the communication between other ED505 students.

Animoto- The first thing I thought when I saw the Animoto website was, “ My students will be pumped about this!” I am planning to use Animoto to jazz up lectures and notes as well as letting the students create their own.

Diigo- I needed this tech tool! It is a great way to organize websites that I may only use once a year or sites that I use on a weekly basis.

Prezi- I learned about Prezi last year but never used it. I enjoyed using it for ED505 and it is a nice change from PowerPoint. The animation will keep student’s attention and it would be good to offer as a choice for projects along with PowerPoint.

Bubbl.us- I loved using bubble.us as a thought organizer. It will be great for me or my students to use while brainstorming and organizing ideas for a big project.

Pinterest- I have been using Pinterest for a few years now. I do use it for personal reasons but I have also  found an endless amount of information for my students and my classroom. My students use it to find recipes and sewing projects as well.

Glogster- Glogster and I got off to a rocky start but I grew to like it and I think my students will enjoy making a Glog. The animation, bright colors, and general “funkiness” of  Glogster will definitely appeal to my students.

Rubistar- I have never used a rubric maker and I, honestly, haven’t used rubrics much. I hope to change that this school year. We do a lot of big projects and I think offering a rubric will help keep my students on track throughout the assignment. A rubric will also make it easier to grade those big projects.

Week 6

There are tons of apps available for use in the Family and Consumer Sciences classroom.  I have chosen four apps that go along with the core classes taught in most FACS programs. Those core courses are Parenting/ Child Development, Fashion, Foods and Nutrition and Housing/Interior Design.

The first app is for Parenting and Child Development. The app Parenting Ages and Stages for iPhone and iPad allows students to track the various developmental stages from pregnancy through childhood. The app also offers information on milestones and other topics like nutrition for both mom and child. This would be a welcome change from the developmental stages found in the textbooks. Also, this app would offer more updated information.

The second app I have chosen is for Foods and Nutrition. Epicurious is an app designed for finding recipes and creating shopping lists. This app would allow students to find and save recipes, as well as, creating a shopping list from chosen recipes. You can also use the app while cooking due to its easy to read feature. Although, I doubt I will let my sweet teenagers take new iPads in the kitchen. I often have my students use cookbooks to look up recipes and they would enjoy using iPads or their own devices instead.

Home Design Story is the third app I have chosen. Obviously, this app would be great for Housing and Interior Design. The app would allow students to design their own dream home from the landscaping outdoors to each individual room inside. Students can choose furniture, wall colors and make other important design decisions. This app is a game, but that would be a plus for my students. They always enjoy competition. I would use this as an ongoing assignment. For example, when we discuss color schemes, they could create a color scheme within a room in their dream house.

The last app I have chosen relates to Fashion. Most of you have probably heard of Polyvore. This app allows students to create an outfit collage using clothing, shoes and accessories. They can also search for fashion trends and price clothing. This app would be great for students to identify clothing styles or the elements of design within clothing. Students could create outfits based on a color scheme or find clothing that works within a set budget. Many of my students already use this app and I think they would be surprised (in a good way) to see it used as a learning tool.

 

Week 5

Why is it important to be a good digital citizen? What value does a good digital reputation have?

A good digital citizen is some who is a responsible user of technology and uses it appropriately. In order to be a good digital citizen, a person should display respect for others, be polite and use technology properly. Being a good digital citizen is important for many reasons, such as, keeping you safe from identity theft, scams and even computer viruses. It is also important to remember that things you say online or in emails never go away and can damage your digital reputation as well as, your real world reputation.  Things a person says online and in emails can ruin friendships and even impact careers negatively.  Displaying good digital citizenship is imperative in today’s technological society.

Week 4 Material Generators

Material generators are tools that can be used by a teacher or student to create instructional materials.  Listed below are three material generators that I plan to use, or have used, in my classroom.

Worksheet and Puzzle Makers

Worksheet and puzzle makers are material generators that allow the teacher or student to input information and the software automatically creates a worksheet or puzzle. I have used puzzle making software to create crossword puzzles and my students enjoy them. I have used them specifically with textile terms, cooking terms and sewing terms. It offers students an additional way to review vocabulary, rather than copying terms from the textbook. I like the idea of putting in my own content because it is often a challenge to find Family and Consumer Science materials ready-made. From my experience, make sure the puzzle generator is truly free before you enter your information. Often the website will allow you to enter information but when you're ready to generate...it will prompt you to pay before printing.

Web Design Software

Web design software allows teachers to create a webpage with instructional links, documents, videos, graphics and other important information for student use. I have not used web design software in my classroom, but I can see many benefits of this tool. Students could watch videos prior to class in order to introduce them to a new concept. They could use links from the webpage for extra practice or enrichment. A web page would be a great place to upload handouts and materials for students who have been absent or “lost” their materials from class that day. It would also be a great reminder tool for due dates or other deadlines. This is definitely a tool I would love to use in my classroom.

Graphic Document Makers

Graphic document makers allow you to generate awards, certificates or other highly graphic materials easily. I have not used a graphic document generator in my classroom, but I would love to try it! Even though my high school students act like they are “too cool for school”, they do like to be acknowledged and praised. This would be a good way to award the “Cleanest Kitchen” or “Best Tasting Product” after a foods lab. Students could also use this software to create menus or invitations to be sent to our annual “Cake Challenge” judges.

 

 

Week 3 Instructional Software

Instructional software is a term used to describe computer programs that are made to deliver instruction or to assist in the delivery of instruction. There are five functions of instructional software available, drill and practice, tutorial, simulation, instructional games, and problem solving. All of these software types can be easily accessed through the internet.

Drill and Practice Software

Drill and Practice software offers students a way to work problems or answer questions and receive feedback. The feedback may simple or elaborate and explain why they got the problem wrong. Good drill and practice software should allow the student to take as much time as needed to answer questions, unless it is a timed activity. The software should also be able to decipher right and wrong answers, as well as, giving student’s suitable feedback for correct or incorrect answers. An example of drill and practice software can be found here: http://www.classbraingames.com/2010/02/math-drills/

Tutorial Software

Tutorial software offers a sequence of instruction on a single topic. There are two types of tutorials, linear and branching. Linear tutorials are the same for each student no matter how they answer questions or complete activities, whereas branching tutorials lead students through differing paths depending upon their answers.  An example of tutorial software can be found here: http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/videos/index.php

Simulation Software

Simulation software is a computer generated model designed to show how something works. Simulations may teach learners how to do something or teach students about something. A simulation allows students to play an active role in learning, and allows them to repeat activities, like an experiment, as many times as they would like. An example of simulation software can be found here:http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/the-underground-railroad/?ar_a=1

 

Instructional Games Software

Instructional game software is a way to allow students to play a game while learning or reviewing content. Instructional games have rules and offer a sense of competition.  Instructional gaming software should be appealing to students, have significant instructional value and should be age appropriate. An example of instructional game software can be found here:  http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/index.html

Problem Solving Software

Problem solving software is tailored specifically to enhance problem solving skills. Problem solving software can be content related and specific to a subject or content free, which focuses on problem solving skills in general. An example of problem solving software can be found here: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/mathgames/sphinx/

Web 2.0 Tools

This week’s assignment using Web 2.0 Tools was very enlightening. I had not even heard of most of the tools I used before this week.

Of the four Web 2.0 Tools used, I enjoyed Animoto the most. It was quick, easy to navigate and I think it would be great for an attention grabber or as an introduction to a new concept.  Because of Animoto’s user friendly features, it would be great for student use as well.  

The next Web 2.0 Tool I used this week was Bubbl.us. Bubbl.us is also user friendly and easy to navigate. I think bubbl.us would be a great tool for students. I teach a unit on both goal setting and problem solving.  Bubbl.us would be a great way for students to lay out a goal or see the steps of solving a problem.

Glogster was another Web 2.0 Tool used in this week’s assignment.  I had a great deal of trouble will Glogster and it took me the longest, by far, to learn to navigate. I do like the idea of Glogster and I can see how it would effective for students to creatively learn new material. I do think that students would enjoy creating a Glog and if they enjoy it, they will be more interested in the concept being taught.

The last Web 2.0 Tool I used for this assignment was the Arcade Game Generator at Classtools.net. The games were easy to generate and the website was very straight forward. I will use this website again. The graphics do seem a bit outdated but I think my students would enjoy them as an enrichment activity. This would also be a great tool for students use themselves as a review of material.

 

Click here to view my Animoto

Click here to view my Glog

Click here to Play Arcade Game 1

Click here to Play Arcade Game 2

 

Bubbl.us - Concept Map: Elements of Design

 

 

Week 2

Should students play (software) games in school?

The use of games in school can offer a more appealing way to relay information to students.  Kids today are very connected to technology. They have grown up with it all around them and, from my experience, they enjoy it.  If a student truly enjoys a task, they are much more likely to stay engaged and actually learn something.  The exposure to technology, software programs and web related tools students receive in school can, and should, prepare them for the use of technology in the future. Another benefit of using software and computer technology in school is the diversity of activities available, making it easy to accommodate various learning styles and ability levels.  Finally, the use of software games in school can promote a sense of competition, goal setting and accomplishment, and all while learning!