Week 7- Top 10 Tech Tools I Can't Live Without

1.  iPad/ laptop- There is no way that I could survive, especially in the teaching world, if I did not have access to a computer or netbook.  I have become accustomed to being able to look up information anytime, anywhere, which was not an option back in the days of desktops and dial up.

2.  Social Networking- I am addicted. It is a problem.  I have been on Faceook since I was in college at Auburn (circa 2003).  I am now enjoying Twitter and Pinterest, which keeps me busy. 

3.  Prezi- I really enjoy this site as opposed to just using PowerPoint, which most of my students are bored with anyway. 

4.  Google Search Engine- This is an obvious choice.  I use this at least 10 times a day to find phone numbers, get directions, etc. 

5.  Skype/iChat- I live away from most of my friends and family, so iChat and Skype have become a way of life for me and my family. 

6. Blogger- I have been an avid blogger for the past three years.  I really enjoy it.  It is a great way for my family to keep up with all of the things going on with us and vice versa. 

7.  Delicious- What a great way to keep up with all the educational sites you find online?  I have really enjoyed referring to these websites throughout the semester. 

8.  Microsoft Office- As an English teacher, I use this daily. 

9.  Smartphone- I coud not live without my smartphone.  I tried to fight the smartphone craze when they first came out, but now that I have given in, I am ALL in.  I use my apps and Internet daily.

10. Jump Drive- If I were to lose my jump drive, I feel as though I would lose my life.  I have everything saved to it.  Luckily, my husband introduced me to the wonders of an external drive, so all of my information is backed up as well. 

Week 6- Mobile Apps

Great Apps for English Teachers

1. Grammar Up- This app helps students with their grammar in many different ways. They can plug in sample sentences and it will check for correctness.  In addition, their are quizzes available for students to take in order to check their understanding. 

2. Merriam-Webster Dictionary- This app gives students instant access to a dictionary to use while writing or reading a particularly difficult chapter of The Scarlet Letter, for example. 

3.  Writing Prompts- This app gives you over 600 creative writing prompts to use throughout the semester to get your students creative side flowing on paper.

4.  Poem Flow- I would use this app for when I teach poetry to my students poetry.  This app will read the poem to the students, which will show the inflections necessary for better understanding. 

Week 5- Qualities of a Good Digital Citizen?

With the ever increasing focus on the use of technology in the classroom, it has become more and more important to ensure that we as educators teach and inform our faculty, staff, and students about the importance of being a good digital citizen.  There are many values that coincide with one who is a good digital citizen.  For example, although many people know about the consequences involved with plagiarism, there are many that do not fully understand the meaning of fair use as well as the regulations and guidelines that go along with it.

A good digital citizen not only knows and understands the meaning of plagiarism and the regulations involved in fair use, but they also abide by the do's and don'ts of online "nettiquette".  These unwritten rules are important for the growing online population to know and understand.  For example, one netiquette rule is that a post should always be respectful to others so as not to push others away from reading. 

Yet another reason it is important to be a good digital citizen is to protect your personal information.  It is important for all those who make purchases, post pictures, or describe themselves online to be aware that there are many people who are looking to take advantage of their information and pass it off as their own.   A good digital citizen is aware of these issues and do all that they can to protect themselves against identity theft. 

Week 4- Material Generators

After reading about the different types of materials builders described in the textbook, I realized that there are a lot of technological tools that I have never been exposed to (or exposed my students to, for that matter).  However, there were a few material generators that I have become extremely familiar with over the past few years of teaching.  For example, I use whiteboard software quite often because each classroom in our school includes a whiteboard.  We were all sent to professional development and were taught many of the different ways whiteboards can be used in the classroom.  My students are given questions on the whiteboard to answer as well as sentences to edit during our grammar class.

Another material generator that I am somewhat familiar with is test generators.  A huge focus in my class is placed on ACT readiness as well as AHSGE readiness.  I use test generators quite often to pose questions to my students that they can take online, which mimic the standardized tests they will take at the end of the semester.  After taking the generated quiz, I use the answer key to show my students the correct answers. 

One type of software that I haven't used often, but that I think would be an effective tool is the graphic document makers.  I think that this would be useful for analyzing characters in a work of fiction, determining motives, or working with other literary elements.  This type of software might be a good tool to have students work on and then share with a group of peers. 

Week 3- Instructional Software

The textbook defines instructional software as "a general term for computer programs designed specifically to deliver instruction or assist with the delivery of instruction on a topic."  The book goes on to make a list of the five different types of instructional software.  These five types are listed below:

1.  Drill-and-Practice Teaching Functions- This type of software is used to teach students certain exercises by using repetition and feedback.  Students will complete a flash card activity, for example, so they will receive feedback after every question posed.  Although this type of software is used often, many believe that it is not as effective and causes students to become bored and dull using the software.

Example of software: http://quizlet.com/create-set
2.  Tutorial Teaching Function- This type of software is usually disigned for older students (high school or college level) and is made to teach an entire sequence of a subject.  Students using this type of software should not need any other types of help or materials in order to fully understand the concept. 

Example of software: http://chemcollective.org/tutorials.php
3.  Simulation Teaching Functions- this type of software is designed to create a model of a real or imagined system as well as instruct the student about how it works. Learners of this type of software must choose the tasks that they will complete and the order in which they are completed, which makes it different than drill-and-practice and tutorial. 

Example of software: http://genscope.concord.org/
4.  Instructional Game Teaching Functions- This type of software is a great tool to teach students to informatino that they need to learn in a fun and competitive environment. This type of software is great in terms of brindging the gap between the interactive game world and the educational world.  This software has proved effective in helping students have fun while learning the fundamentals of a certain assignment. 

Example of software: http://superteachertools.com/jeopardy/

5.  Problem-Solving Teaching Functions- This type of software is used to teach students how to formulate conclusions and solve problems in the content area that they are studying.  This is a helpful tool in instructing students how to find an answer that isn't obvious. 

Example of software: http://www.criticalthinking.com/index.jsp

Web 2.0 Resources

Honestly, I felt like this was a tough assignment.  After completing the first concept map, I was a little more familiar with using it, but I still wasn't sure about how thorough I should be.  I tend to use a lot of details, so condensing everything down into a few little boxes was a struggle.  The glogster activity was by far the most time consuming.  I am sure I spent over two hours trying to figure it out.  I used a template that was provided by the website, but it would not let me edit, so I had to start all over again (twice).  I found the animoto assignment to be very interesting, and I could actually see myself using that in the future.  For my free choice, I chose to create Fake Book accounts for Romeo and Juliet, which I know my students would love to do themselves!  Although this assignment was very time consuming, I did learn about a few new programs that I had never heard of previously. 

Concept Map:

Glogster:
http://mcculab.edu.glogster.com/shakespeare/

Animoto:
http://animoto.com/play/a3etalEBxKvjs0NadkLSww

Free Choice: Fake Book Page
http://www.classtools.net/fb/81/ACkicK- Romeo
http://www.classtools.net/fb/46/QMYBRP- Juliet

Week 2- Hot Topic Debate

Should Wikipedia be forbidden in students' social studies research?

 

 As a high school English teacher, I feel as though I am constantly fighting the Wikipedia vs. No Wikipedia battle.  At the beginning of my career, I did not have much of a personal stance on the topic.  No teacher had ever taught me the difference between Wikipedia and any other online encyclopedia, so I thought, "Why not let my students use it?"  It wasn't until I began a summer writing and research institute at Auburn University circa 2006 that I learned the faulty information that may be and usually is on Wikipedia. 

 

This informative session made me better understand the utter importance of being able to ensure that the information that my students are citing in their research is valid.  At the beginning, there was definitely some reservations from my students regarding my staunch apposition to the use of this beloved online encyclopedia; however, over time I have come to see that this my position has become the norm among my colleagues and others in the educational field. 

 

I think that it would especially important that Wikipedia be banned from use in a social studies classroom.  Research conducted in those types of classes are based off of fact, which Wikipedia cannot be expected to provide.  I think it is our job as educators to teach our students the difference in fact and opinion.  They will need this vital piece in knowledge in college and as they enter into the professional world.