Review of Online Applications

Google Documents

This online application has so many uses, I feel that it is the most versatile of the 3 choices given to review.  The only thing that could hold the use of this application back is that the user must have a gmail email account in order to use it.  A gmail account is free and has many other benefits, so I think people would be willing to sign up.  Google documents allows users to share and work collaboratively on word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and/or data collection documents.  Since the documents are saved and stored online, you can access them from anywhere which is a huge benefit.  One drawback of this is if you do not have access to the internet you can not modify the documents.  The editing tools are familiar if you have had experience with the Microsoft Office Suite.  For the most part, you can modify the documents the same way as you could in Microsoft Office.  The "presentation" suite does not have as many options for slide themes and layouts, but the ones included are pretty good.  The last feature that I found very helpful is the "history" tool that allows anyone with access to the document to look back at all the changes made to the document.  This is nice when working with a group, in case one member deletes something important or makes unwanted changes.  Overall this online application can be used and shared easily while allowing as many people to collaborate as needed.

PicMonkey

This online application is an image editor but has so many features and tools you can do much more then that. I really liked the do it yourself cards and invitations.  I am an avid scrapbooker and am always looking for new ways to be creative.  PicMonkey allows the user to easily choose templates, or start from scratch to create so many different kinds of materials.  I also tried out the photo editor, which is very simple to use and can really transform a picture.  My husband is a photographer and uses photoshop to edit.  Photoshop is so expensive, and he has tried to show me how to edit photos on it several times and it is just too complicated for me.  PicMonkey has a basic menu that allows the user to change the picture in may ways, including cropping and resizing, filters and effects, adding text, overlays, frames and banners.  You can even add props such as a mustache or pirate eye patch to a person in a picture!  I like this online application for its ease of use and variety of features!

Classroom Website

Below is the link for my classroom website created for this weeks assignment. I chose to create a place where parents and students could visit to get information about school, calendar dates, and recent assignments. I chose to include the news gadget to give parents a place to find out what is currently happening in the world of education. I also used the calendar gadget to help students stay on track for due dates and upcoming events. I feel like I am constantly sending home notes, reminders, and extra homework sheets for those who have lost theirs. This way, students and parents can be held more accountable for the "happenings" in our classroom!

3rd Grade Team Meyer

Concept Map

This concept map represents the idea of specialization as it relates to the fur trade between the French and Native Americans. I would ask my students to create this type of map after studying and understanding the fur trade to show all of the jobs of each individual involved in the fur trade. From the jobs, the students could also connect the materials related to each job. It would help students solidify the vocabulary and connections between each person. I may choose to use another type of concept map software because I feel my students would benefit a lot from adding pictures to represent the material. The assignment would include students changing the colors of the bubbles to help show differences. I can see many more options for using this type of technology across all subject areas.

Screencasting

This screencast was created to help my students edit a current piece of writing. We do not have classroom computers, so my students are word processing their writing in their computers class. The computer teacher can easily show the video so that the students know my expectations. The students can then watch the screencast as many times as necessary to ensure they have completed all of the steps. On another note, this assignment was rather difficult for me because my computer is too old and would not allow me to download the Jing software. I was able to download it using my husband's computer, but I am not used to using his which made this task more difficult. I also tried to video several times before I really got the hang of it. Once I was ready to capture the video, I sent my dog outside so that there was no noise from him. You will hear near the end of the video that he is scratching the door to come back in! I redid the video but that happened to be the best take so I used it. I hope the noise is not too distracting!

Meyer Travel Map

I chose to update an assignment my students have done for the last 3 years.  I teach 3rd grade and the Social Studies standards I am required to cover are all about Michigan.  We begin with a unit on the state which includes the regions, geography, and resources.  My students are each required to write a one page narrative about a place that they have visited in the state of Michigan and are expected to include at least one picture or illustration.  We then create a map on a bulletin board in my classroom that has a numbered sticker for each student showing the location of their entry, and the sticker corresponds to a page number in a book that we put together with each students written page.  The students really enjoy seeing where others have visited, and I get a good idea of the depth of understanding my class has about places in our state.  The book then goes into our classroom library and the students can choose to read it any time they want.

   Rather than creating this map on paper, we could use the google maps engine to create it!  Each student could create their own map, like the one I posted below, to show various places they have traveled within the state.  We could also create one large class map that everyone could contribute to.  By assigning different icons to places, we could compare the activities each of us has done in the state to show all of the options for activities because of our diverse geography.  We could also see patterns, like on my map almost all of the places are close to the Great Lakes, where I prefer to spend most of my time!  I have also included a picture of the bulletin board from my classroom this year to show the dramatic difference between the computer generated version and my previous one!  Each student could write a short summary of their visit to the place, like I have, and add a picture so that those who have not visited that area could have a much better understanding of what it is like there!  I wish I could figure out how to add a personal picture, but I was only able to add a picture from the internet.  I am really excited about this new idea!

Week 7 - Podcasts

TED Talks Education

TED talks are engaging and exciting to watch, my husband and I watch them through Netflix regularly.  Listening to the podcasts is equally as interesting.  The scope of topics is vast, and the people who present the material are so excited about it, the energy is infectious.  Some people discuss their own stories in education, others give a new way of teaching, and still others talk about how education has changed and will continue to change.  With so many different topics to hear about, you can always find something that interests you.  

NPR Education

I have listened to NPR for years on the radio, and this section of NPR focuses strictly on issues in education in our country and around the world.  The stories vary dramatically from one to the next.  I listened to one on the importance of whole milk in the diet of young children, as well as one about how universities are falling behind in helping educate and support people with mental illness.  The range is interesting and always current.

Teacher Created Materials

This podcast and website has so many resources for teachers and gives great advice on how to implement them into the classroom.  The site offers printables that go along with some of the lessons described on the podcasts.  The material on the podcasts is delivered by educators and professors, making it valuable and realistic.  The strategies are also standards based and strive to follow common core, as well has help understand it!  I listened to a few podcasts on vocabulary, comprehension, and differentiation strategies.