I think it's really important as teachers to expand our use of technology and the types of technology we expose our students to. Often people think that powerpoints are the only way to create an interesting presentation,but there is so much more out there!
Prezi, Spicy Nodes, and Glogster were the three tech explorations that I learned the most about, and was definitely most interested in. I had never heard of either of these!
Prezi--I absolutely loved this! I think the way that the presentations move about will remind kids of a game, and definitely keep their interest. I watched one presentation about 13 Halloween Traditions explained and felt like the presentation was so informative as well as interactive. This would be a neat thing to use for classroom rules or guidelines---the possibilities are endless!
Spicy Nodes--I think SpicyNodes would be great to use and create along side lesson plans. One thing I have learned from working in a classroom is that sometimes, things do not go as planned. I like that with SpicyNodes the conversation and teaching can go anywhere, and kids can make connections that fuel the discussion!
Glogster--Although I doubt I would ever get to use the paid-for version of this, I would really like to browse the user Glogsters posted and see if I can use one of them with my reading or math groups.
Overall I think it's very important to try and present information is as many ways as possible, while also staying in bounds of time in the classroom. By utilizing these visual literacy programs teachers can achieve this, and reach out to all different types of learning minds in the classroom!
TECH EXPLORATIONS
15. Prezi
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1.
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Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be
thorough in your response.
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Prezi is a unique presentation program that allows the
user to make visually artistic presentations. These presentations are more
interactive and can be set up with a home page for the presentation with a
web format opposed to linear. There is no fee to try the basic Prezi package,
but to access many add ons there is a monthly fee. Collaboration and sharing
is also an option. Also on the website are other users’ public presentations
that can be viewed or used.
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2.
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How could you use this resource in a school setting? It does not matter if it is in your field
or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in
educational settings.
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Overall I love that the format of Prezi allows for viewers
to see the connections right in front of them. Instead of in a Powerpoint
where slides are more like subtitles, the user can set up a Prezi in a web format
where all the connections present can be seen. Prezi allows to user to not
use linear organization in their presentations, and use something more
visually stimulating. One example that I watched on the website is something
that could definitely be used in a classroom. It was a presentation on the
Explanations behind 14 Halloween Traditions. This is something that could be
used in a reading or social studies situation and would definitely keep the
students engaged.
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3.
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Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike;
Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.
Why or Why not?
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I would absolutely recommend this as a resource and it is
something that I really hope to use in the classroom. Since the public can
use the basic format for free it is easy for educators to make their own
creations to use in the classroom. There are also plenty of tutorials
available to teach how to use the program effectively.
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15. SpicyNodes
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1.
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Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be
thorough in your response.
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SpicyNodes is a free application that creates a mapping
image of information that users can interact with. Plans can be made with the
maps or they can be used to present information in an interactive format.
Users can select a section of the concept map and see what connections come
from that, or click on a completely different section.
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2.
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How could you use this resource in a school setting? It does not matter if it is in your field
or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in
educational settings.
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On SpicyNodes website they talk about not only students
using SpicyNodes but also teachers. Students can use SpicyNodes to create an
interactive presentation that shows connections and allows them to move the
mapping sections around to compare or contrast. Teachers can use SpicyNodes
to create lesson plans that are not so much linear, but able to adapt to the
ever changing classroom. Objectives can be set up by day and the teacher can
use the map to decide which activity will be done next.
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3.
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Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike;
Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.
Why or Why not?
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I would recommend this to other educators a free resource
to map out their ideas and lesson plans. It’s a nice resource for lesson
plans because it doesn’t follow such a linear format, which allows for
changes to be made in the classroom as the day goes on. It could be accessed
on a tablet for easy access in the classroom.
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16. Edmodo
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1.
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Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be
thorough in your response.
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Edmodo is a an educational resource set up to be viewed in
a social media format. It allows Educators to communicate with their students
in an open environment that promotes sharing. Edmodo allows teachers to
continue classroom discussions, share links with their students, give polls,
and award students for positive behaviors with badges.
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2.
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How could you use this resource in a school setting? It does not matter if it is in your field
or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in
educational settings.
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Edmodo would be an excellent resource to use at the high
school level. In an English class a teacher could use Edmodo to start up
discussions on a book assignment. Students could participate in discussion
via Edmodo so the teacher could easily see that all students are
participating. Students could ask questions, take polls and then get badge
awards for the discussions they participate in. Edmodo is catered to the social
media driven students of today, and makes them feel like they are on a social media site, not an educational
site.
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3.
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Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike;
Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.
Why or Why not?
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I am not exactly sure what fee goes along with Edmodo, but
I would recommend this as a resource to educators working with high school or
middle school aged students. It seems easy to use and the format is
definitely user friendly as well as similar to social media. Edmodo would be
a great way to keep students engaged and talking, even after school.
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16. Math Dictionary
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1.
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Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be
thorough in your response.
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Math Dictionary for Kids is a website containing definitions
for mathematic language that students would see in the classroom. The
definitions are listed in alphabetical order so the user can select what they
are looking for. After selecting a word, a visual is shown along with a
written definition. These images and definition can also be printed.
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2.
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How could you use this resource in a school setting? It does not matter if it is in your field
or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in
educational settings.
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This would be a great resource to use in math groups.
Students could search for the skill themselves and then see the image and
read the definition. Teachers could also use this as a resource in whole
group teaching by printing out the definition page. A neat idea would be to print
out each math definition page used throughout the year and maybe post them in
the room or create a math book to show the students their progression over
the year.
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3.
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Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike;
Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.
Why or Why not?
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I think this is an awesome resource for teachers to use.
It’s free, easy to access and navigate and is another way to reach different
types of student learners in the classroom. This would be great for students
who need additional help, and is a resource that could be mailed out to
parents to use at home to help their child with homework.
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17. Glogster
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1.
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Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be
thorough in your response.
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Glogster is an education platform that is available all
over the world, that allows educators to create online multimedia
presentations that can be easily shared and embedded. Presentations can be
created to look however the teacher wants, and various media types can be
added to the creation including pictures ,video and sounds. The Glogster
website has an online library of presentations used by other educators that
teachers can use or gain inspiration from.
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2.
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How could you use this resource in a school setting? It does not matter if it is in your field
or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in
educational settings.
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I think this would be a great resource to use in many
different classrooms and areas. After looking at the examples provided I feel
like lots of different things could be done with Glogster. For example, I
think Glogster would be awesome for independent work or stations. A teacher
could upload a presentation all about a certain math formula and include a “to-do
list” for the student viewing it of all the different aspects they should
click on. Movies and images could be included, even a movie of the teacher
discussing the topic.
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3.
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Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike;
Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.
Why or Why not?
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I think this is a great resource if the teacher has funds
or a school has funds to use it. It would be easy to take a lesson plan and
incorporate aspects of it into a glogster presentation. For those who do not
want to pay the fees, Glogsters online sharing community of presentations is
a great resource to use if you can find a presentation that goes along with
what you are teaching.
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17. Jing
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1.
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Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be
thorough in your response.
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Jing is a program that allows users to share their screen
and information, save it and create with it. The program is readily available
on the desktop and can be downloaded for free. Once a user takes a screenshot
or even a video of what is on their screen they can email it, save it , or
upload it.
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2.
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How could you use this resource in a school setting? It does not matter if it is in your field
or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in
educational settings.
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Jing could be used in the classroom to teach a new skill
in independent stations, help with homework, or introduce a new topic. One
thing I saw on the website was using Jing to teach a skill. The skill could
be introduced in class, then a video of the teacher teaching that skill can
be sent to the parents to help with homework and refresh the students’
memory.
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3.
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Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike;
Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.
Why or Why not?
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I think Jing is neat thing, but maybe not a resource that
would work for everyone. Not every student has access all the time to a
computer or the internet, so if a video using Jing was sent out to aide with
homework not all students would get it. I think Jing could be used in the
classroom for independent centers though.
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18. YouTube For Education, Teacher Tube, School Tube
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1.
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Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be
thorough in your response.
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These three sites are all video sharing sites, but only
feature educational videos to educate not only students but teachers. Each of
them have lots of videos that are organized and are easy to navigate. Videos
on most of the sites can be pulled up in class, emailed, or in some cases be
included in presentations.
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2.
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How could you use this resource in a school setting? It does not matter if it is in your field
or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational
settings.
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All of these websites would be great in a school setting
or even to be sent home if kids need additional help with a topic. I know
that sometimes when students get back from lunch, gym, recess, etc. it can be
difficult to get everyone back on the same page and ready to learn.Videos
could be pulled from these sites to introduce a topic, provide more
information, or even just give students random facts and settle them down.
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3.
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Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike;
Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.
Why or Why not?
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I would definitely recommend all three of these sites.
They are easy to use, have lots of different videos and can be used not only
to inform but to aide with classroom management in some situations.
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