In the past I have used databases for sharing purposes. For example I am on a staff for a summer camp and we have used GoogleDocs to share our curriculum and make changes to it easily. Spreadsheets are something I have used since high school. In my high school we had to take numerous technology classes and had a whole semester devoted to Spreadsheets. Our task was to buy pretend stock and use the spreadsheets to track how our stock was doing and if we had made a profit. In an educational setting, I've used spreadsheets as a way to track grades, attendance, and record if students have brought in their beginning of the school year paperwork.
I found two blog posts about spreadsheets and database use in the classroom that were helpful this week:
1) Half-Bakered Ideas: Spreadsheets & Databases in the Classroom
(http://k8baker.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/spreadsheets-and-databases-in-the-classroom/)
This post breaks down what exactly a spreadsheet and databases are, and provides classroom examples for each. Spreadsheet uses listed are: collecting and sorting data, generating charts and graphs,sharing information, and giving students the opportunity to read and evaluate information.
Database uses listed are: Keeping track of student projects, tracking grades, and keeping up with contact information. Each year it is important for the teacher to get contact information for their students, and having it all in one electronic form would be much easier to keep track of, than 28 forms with emails and phone numbers.
2)The Silicon Tower: Spreadsheets & Databases in the Classroom
(http://silicontower.blogspot.com/2010/02/using-spreadsheets-and-databases-in.html)
This post touches on what I think is one of the most important functions of spreadsheets--their ability to complete complex calculations. Copying and calculations to numerous cells and saving yourself the time of performing those calculations each time is such a valuable aspect of using spreadsheets in the classroom. The post also points out how easy it is to access and find information among lots and lots of information. Spreadsheets are a quick way to compare information.
For more information on spreadsheets and databases in the classroom see:
http://classclatter.blogspot.com/2011/05/spreadsheets-and-databases-in-classroom.html
Tech Explorations:
Student Name: Elizabeth Perry Date:11/2/2013
4) Bubble.us
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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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I honestly had never seen any website or resource like
this before and am definitely interested in finding a way to use it in my
field. I learned from bubble.us on how to create a digital map of thoughts,
ideas, steps etc. and be able to create connections. The site allows you to
export these maps to share with others as well, or save them to your computer
for printing or sharing purposes.
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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 definitely feel like bubble.us would be an excellent
resource for a school setting mainly to create a visual element for students
to see connections. Since some students are more of visual learners using
this tool would allow them to see the connections between ideas right in
front of them. This also can challenge the students to pick what are main and
sub ideas. Teachers could also use this as a tool to visually show grouping
(for example in math or reading groups) or work out lessons.
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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 resource to teachers to use in the
classroom and having their students use. I felt like the site was easy to use
and directions were provided on how to use effectively. There is also a
tutorial provided, and it’s helpful that you can save your work.
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4) WiseMap
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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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WiseMap is an online mapping tool that allows users to
create maps and images in an easy format. Wisemaps is a collaborative
resource that can be shared with others. WiseMap encourages users to use
brainstorming and seek connections between topics. The resource allows users
to publish and share the maps created with one click of a button. Since you
are working with a blank canvas, the maps can be set up however you want to
set them EX: horizontal, vertically, Web form
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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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WiseMap would be an excellent tool for students,
especially older, to organize their thoughts and make connections between
their ideas. For example, in a 6th grade language arts class the
students could make vertical chart of their ideas starting with the
introduction all the way to the conclusion. Since you can move things around
easily and create subcategories, the students would be able to make changes
if necessary. WiseMap could also be used for social studies class if students
had to write a report on an event. Making that event the main point, the
students could then horizontally or in web form mark important factors.
Teachers could also use WiseMap as a way to do math groupings or seating
charts.
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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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Yes, I would recommend this as a resource to my fellow
educators. WiseMap is very easy to use, especially after watching the video
tutorial. It makes sharing ideas easy and would be able to be accessed by
anyone. I also like that WiseMap is not a program you have to download or
have an access code for, making it easy to give students an assignment to use
WiseMap anywhere.
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5) Animoto
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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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Animoto is an online program that allows users to create
videos with their own pictures and videos. The videos can range in length
from 30 seconds- 20 minutes. HD Streaming and Downloads are also available
with the program. The user can upload their pictures and videos, select a
style, music, and ultimately decide what their video will look like. Animoto
offers business pricing plans as well as user friendly plans. Commercial licensing
is also available to those using the business version.
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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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In the school setting an educator could use Animoto to
record important announcements to send out to parents, read certain words so
that students can hear the correct pronunciation, or even use Animoto to
create fun videos promoting upcoming events. With the free version 30 second
videos can be made, the perfect amount of time for a “commercial”. One neat
idea would be to have students create a commercial of their own, using their
own script and planning.
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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 the free version of this to educators as
way to use creative technology in the classroom. Allowing students to explore
what THEY can create in media is a great lesson. I don’t know if I would recommend
the version with a fee unless the funds were available. I just don’t know if
I would use it enough in the classroom to need all the extra bells and
whistles.
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6) GoogleDocs
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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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GoogleDocs is a free service offered to users via the
Googledrive service. The main purpose of googledocs is to share documents
with the ability to collaborate with others. Once a document is posted to
GoogleDocs it can opened, read, edited, changed, saved etc. by users who
either have permission to view the document or it has been shared with them.
Revisions of a document can be tracked by color coding each user.
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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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GoogleDocs could be used in a school setting to
collaborate with the teachers and staff you work with on an everyday basis.
For example if two teachers are team teaching, they could share lesson plans
with each other and share collaborative feedback from both teachers. They
could then share the lesson plan with a supervisor who can provide even more
feedback. Since collaboration is key
in the classroom, Googledocs is a great way to make sure everyone’s voice is
heard and that everyone is working towards the same goal.
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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 educators mainly because it is
so easy. I have used GoogleDocs in the past and I love how easy it is to open
a document, change something, and then save it again. You don’t have to
depend on one person to make the changes to a document and email it out over
and over again to other users. It is a great source for the classroom to make
sure collaboration is easy and not a task.
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6) PhotoPeach
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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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PhotoPeach allows users to create easy slideshows with any
information and pictures they like. PhotoPeach is open to the public for
simply making slideshows, but it also features an education section. Using
the education service of PhotoPeach, students and teachers can both use the
program, it can be shared easily with parents/community, and can be
downloaded or burned to a CD for even more sharing possibilities.
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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 was really amazed at all the ideas that PhotoPeach had
on their website for using the program in the classroom. Everything from
photo slideshows following a field trip, to vocabulary review, to teacher
training, to book trailers—there are lots of ideas and examples listed on the
website.
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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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Honestly, I don’t think I would recommend PhotoPeach
mainly because there is a fee to use it, when you can do most of these things
via Powerpoint. Most schools already use Powerpoint, for free. For example we
use Powerpoint in the classroom for calendar and weather each day, something
you could also do on photopeach but you would have to pay the fees. Also you
can save things immediately on Powerpoint, where on PhotoPeach I feel like
you would have to make a new slideshow to show the updates.
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