The World in Their Hands

I was having technical difficulties with this image so I couldn’t capture the whole cartoon.  But I wanted it to show the idea of technology resources in educational settings. Thinking about the past and the resources that were available to teaching (books & books & more books), our resource is now technology. When I think of resources now, I think of technology, because of the amount of resources it can lead us to. Having the use of technology in the classroom brings many opportunities for students. I think teachers have done a great job thus far in using the resources available. As we may know, not every school is equipped with technological resources because of the expense. But, teachers have still found a way to make these resources available to students so that they can integrate technology in the classroom. If every student had access to some type of technology and more resources were available to each student, the opportunity for more hands on learning and experience will greatly increase. Teachers can structurally plan lessons that focus on the use of technology and not worry about the limitations students have outside the school environment. Teachers wouldn’t have to worry about students having internet access, or personal computers at home, they could implement these lessons IN the classroom. This helps assure teachers that every student is receiving equal opportunities. Of course, I love the idea of every student being able to access resources in school, as it provides more hands on learning approaches and makes learning fun.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case and teachers still have limits when creating lesson plans that include the use of technology because of the restrictions students may have. But there are ways to work around that. Even just having access in the classroom (with only one resource) is enough to get started. Lets face it, the students are no longer interested in the endless amounts of books they have to read and carry home everyday. They are interested in discovering the world for themselves. The teacher no longer has to teach from the books, instead they can guide the classroom to make their own discoveries.

Additionally, I would like to add that I have now created my own vast amount of resources that I can use in my future teaching career. Being able to create a website and include all of my materials, thoughts and ideas will benefit me when I do become a teacher. It is a way to share ideas and implement new ideas.  One of the most important things about being a teacher now consists of being resourceful. Creating a website will also be beneficial for organizational purposes and for my students. I am always gaining ideas from others, so I am happy to share my ideas as well.

This is the link to my website https://sites.google.com/a/laverne.edu/portfolio-janicecarmell/home if you care to look around. I have worked really hard and it is such an accomplishment to create my own resource and go to opportunities.

Crystal Ball – Comic Strip Creators

Finding educational technology tools to integrate into the classroom is so much fun. I came across so many neat ideas that I wanted to learn more about. It just goes to show that the possibilities of integrating technology are endless. The amount of technology we have available to us at such a minimal costs (if not free), really can add a lot of character to learning and persevere student progress. Technology helps to create an engaging and interesting hands on experience for students to interact with the real world. Which brings me to the reason I choose www.toondoo.com. 

 

The tool I choose to learn more about and help explain to others was a comic strip creator. It was created by a company called Jambav who is dedicated to formatting educational software and games for students. Check out there website, they always have different features. (http://www.jambav.com) That is actually how they introduced ToonDoo, by featuring for the month. This was probably about 10 years back, but it became larger than anticipated so they created a whole website, all for free! For this month, October, they have a vocabulary interacting game for all ages. Jambav is supported by a United States company called Zoho Corporation (http://www.zohocorp.com) who also formats many different types of professional software (even some similar to Google). I choose this site because of all they have done so far for students. They seem like a really great company designed to provide students with alternative learning benefits.

I had a lot of fun playing around on ToonDoo. It had so many options and tools available, I could really spend hours just messing around. What I enjoyed the most about it, is that it allows you to become creative artistically through a different perspective. And especially because I am horrible at free drawing, it was a perfect fit. I felt like I could create a cute little comic and not have to worry about drawing anything. Toondoo seemed a little more appropriate for younger students because of the types of characters and features available. It was user friendly and simple, yet had so many features. I loved the fact that you could create full comic books. There are so many options to integrate this tool into the classroom. Creating book reports, or illustrating science processes. It can be used to help explain history and scenes, while allowing for natural artistic abilities and creative thinking. So..SO many options!

I am not sure if teachers in the future will use this type of site. Personally, I can see it being used in the classroom years from now. Not only are students engaging with technology, but they are being creative in their own way showing off their talents. I think that if there was assurance about having that internet access at home or in the school setting along with having personal or laptop computers or ipads, students could engage with these types of sites more often. This particular site is roughly at least 10 years old and you still see it being used by so many, and internationally. I think it is a great way to interact with other cultures, because you can also view their abilities and personalities. I find this type of tool will be extremely beneficial in the future. Maybe it is not a tool that can be used everyday, but it is great for different types of projects. Once technology is integrated more often, I can definitely see this type of tool being used. The only pitfall I would say is parents and teachers having to monitor students accounts. Even though the site is safe, they still have to have an email account to sign up. Jambav has a version that is strictly dedicated for educational institutions, which is awesome, except it is of course not free. If the fee was fairly low, I can see it being of value to pay for the limited edition for easier monitoring access. But other than that, it is a great site, free resources, and has much educational value! Check it out!

Social Media Websites & Applications

There are many reasons individuals use social media websites. I think the main reason is for communication purposes, but it is also a way to keep up with new trends. When Myspace first came out, it quickly became one of the most popular websites. Then Facebook came around shortly after with a different, possibly easier to use set up and that also became one of the most popular websites. Sites like Pinterest and Instagram compliment some of these social media websites. They allow individuals to express their own interest and show who they are as a person. I can say that I have participated in these websites, including; Myspace, Facebook and Pinterest. Myspace and Facebook are great for keeping in touch with old friends and extended family. Pinterest has a number of great ideas that allows you to bookmark specific items. These sites have a great purpose, but I think that some people are so overly consumed with social media websites that it can stir up a lot of ruckus.

I was never a fan of Twitter, and I have recently deleted my Facebook account. People seem to forget how to communicate regularly (through phones, in person, by email) since they are always on Facebook. The public has become so consumed with it, anywhere you go business respond with, “like us on Facebook”. Phone or mailed copy invitations to weddings, birthdays, parties, etc. has now turned into Facebook invitations (only). If you meet up with someone new, it always turns into, “do you have a Facebook?” It becomes some huge popularity contest and ends up in drama. Couples fight constantly about who they added as a friend, or why they responded to someone’s post. It becomes a problem when people are so overly engrossed with it. I think when these sites are used in moderation; they can play a positive role.

Sites like Facebook and Twitter should not be allowed in the classroom setting. Pinterest would be the only exception since it has bookmarking capabilities. I do not feel they have an educational value and can even be an enormous distraction. These social media sites have definitely impacted our culture and the way we live and it will continue to do so in the 21^st century. I don’t necessarily believe that these sites will be as popular in the future, because if some new type of technology is introduced, we will also become engrossed with that. Educational instructors really have no reason to introduce social media websites to students.  They should even be monitoring the use at school. You hear of many stories throughout school districts where Facebook becomes an issue with bullying. Parents should also help support and monitor their child when it comes to using social media websites. Often times, it is the ONLY way their child is communicating, and can become a problem.

So don’t let it consume you!!! Be apart of this community and tune in to the REAL (not virtual) world.

Cloudware can be amazing tool!

Sites like Google and YouTube are so commonly used. They are amazing resources that can keep you connected to the outside world. I personally use Google all the time. Google has so many applications and programs that can be used for professional or personal use. Many students are already using some of these cloudware programs which can make instruction in the classroom a little easier. Sites like screencast and snag it can also be extremely beneficial in the classroom. Teachers can now create their own videos or engage the whole classroom with creating videos to help motivate during instruction. Using these tools also helps all students become familiar with the cloudware programs that they may use outside the classroom setting.

For our assignment we had to use many of these programs to re-create a fairy tale story.

Here is our version of Jack and the Beanstalk:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsWmzQ5rSPXmyyAnyOSTd_5CyaVjwvMf2

It was really fun. I decided to take all my own pictures because I didn’t want to hassle with citing my images. I found this a little easier, and I also thought it made it more interesting. I was able to make relations using images of objects in the “outside” world.  I think that also helps students make connections, and it was cute to see that the images were not always the same throughout the story.

I can definitely see myself using many of these programs, especially when I become a teacher. I believe that bringing in a variety of resources for students can help them not only become familiar with these programs, but it also helps to keep them interested to learn. Besides the obvious fact that they are creative and helpful tools, most of them are also free which makes it all the better!