Technology+Tools+to+Use

Technology Tools to Use

What is the objective of your lesson? Choose a tool that will help your students accomplish that. Below is a list to get you started.


 * __Collaborate__ **

__Wikis__--a quick and easy way to create an editable page your students can access, gather information, discuss, post, share. Some common classroom wiki sites include Wikispaces, PB Wiki, and WetPaint. Learn more about wikis at Wikipedia -- it's a wiki, after all!

__Videoconference or other collaborative projects__--find another class studying the same topic, reading the same book--or share local information with a class nearby or across the state, region, or country. Many schools have videoconference equipment available--or try Skype to connect. Find collaborative opportunities at Education World, Collaborations Around the Planet, Teachers Connecting, or iEARN.

Google Docs -- the "king" of collaborative tools, Google Docs is free and easy to use. It includes word processing, spreadsheets, forms, and more! Students can work individually and share with you to "turn in" their work--or work with a partner or group by creating one document they share among themselves. Check to see if your school has Google available for students or if your students can set up their own Google accounts.

__** Communicate **__

__Podcasts__--a way for your students to record themselves. Use GarageBand (on the Macs) or Audacity (on PCs). Podcasts are a great way for your young students to practice reading fluency (record and listen to themselves); record book talks; share stories they have written; rehearse the steps followed for an experiment. Once the podcast has been recorded, export it to iTunes and place it on a wiki or mp3 player to share. Here is a book talk recorded by an 8th grader: media type="file" key="TL Wreh-Wilson.m4a" width="300" height="50"

__Blogs__--help your students find a voice. Some students are too shy to speak up in class; others are looking for an authentic audience for their work. A blog is an online site where students can post their written work and/or respond to you or others. Some blogs can be set up by invitation only, so only your students can access the work. Others are public, open to parents and the community. Choose carefully depending upon your intent. Some school-safe blogs include EduBlogs, Blogger, and 21Classes; a nice choice for younger students is TweenTribune.

__Backchannel__--a method of allowing you and/or your students to have an educational conversation about a presentation, video, movie, etc. Check out Today'sMeet to create a private, free, safe chat room. Invite students to join the chat room you have created for the event, lay down ground rules--and begin the conversation. Students can comment and ask questions while you can prompt them to listen closely to a particular passage or pay close attention to a scene. The chat at Today'sMeet can be printed, allowing students to use it for review.

__Social networking__--it's an important use of technology, and it does have educational uses! Ning is one safe way to set up a social network which can be open only to your students. Create a safe place for them to network about your class, create a threaded discussion, post videos, assignments, calendars--and more!

__Email__--commonly used for electronic pen pals, communication among classmates, or simply to sign up for online tools, email is one of the most basic communication tools available--or not. E-Pals is one of the most popular, especially among teachers of young students. Gmail is also a free alternative. Check the school district policy regarding email for students.

__** Share **__

__Social Bookmarking__--Diigo is the most popular social bookmarking sites today. Both allow you to keep your bookmarks online and share them with others. Tag your bookmarks for easy organizing and share with your colleagues or students. Delicious is a simpler tool to use, good for sharing with students; Diigo offers groups you can create or join to share bookmarks.

__Online Organizer__--want to provide a limited list of sites for your students to explore? Try Memonic. This website allows you to organize your list of resources to limit choices and eliminate unsavory discoveries.

__URL Shortcuts__--want your students to go to a webpage with a really looooooong URL? Use a "shortener" to make the long URL manageable. Try TinyURL, SnipURL, or Bitly.

__ **Explore** __

Google Earth--a most popular resource to explore the globe. A free download, use it to view cities, geography, create "tours" (follow the path of armies, the travels of characters in stories or books), measure distance, explore topography. . . the possibilities are unlimited.

__Virtual field trips__--want your students to visit a museum but can't physically go? Take a virtual field trip. Search online for museums, cities, historical buildings and towns. Check out virtual field trips at Internet4Classrooms (a great resource!), techtrekers, or The Teacher's Guide. Most are free, and give students an opportunity to visit places that time, distance, and money won't allow.

__Web Quests__--make sure that your webquest is more than "look at this website and find the answers to these questions." A webquest should challenge students to discover, process, evaluate, create. There are some ready-made webquests at Webquests.org, BestWebquests.com; learn more at Kathy Schrock's site (another fabulous teacher resource!).

**__Assess__**

Google Form--easy to create, Google forms are a great way to pretest, check for understanding, collect authentic data, survey others, and gain feedback. Create your form, share the link--as the form is completed by others, the replies are recorded in a spreadsheet for you to view and evaluate. Here's an example: Teachers Using Technology Survey. I created this to collect feedback from tonight's session using the different kinds of questions available.

__Online Polls__--PollsEverywhere is the tool we used at the beginning of class tonight. Participants can use cell phones to text their responses or they can go to the website to respond. Other sites like this include SurveyMonkey, PollDaddy, and Micropoll.

**__View/Watch__**

__Educational video streaming__--One of the most popular online video resource websites, DIscovery Education provides videos, lesson plans, and lesson builders for you to provide activities for your students. Check to see if your district has a subscription. Other educational video providers include Safari Montage, Educational Videos, and How Stuff Works. A word of caution--ALWAYS preview a video completely before showing it to your class!

__Online video hosting sites__--you might be surprised to know that there is an Educational Channel at YouTube. Other video hosting sites specifically for educational use include TeacherTube, and SchoolTube. Check your district's policy and procedures for streaming video and sharing student videos.

__Safely show YouTube videos__--Check out VIDQUE, a safe way to show YouTube videos. Sign up for an account (free), then browse the videos on the VIDQUE site. When you find one you like (to show to a class?) you can add it to your "page". You can also add videos (from YouTube, for example) to the VIDQUE site, add them to your page, and you can show the videos you like without having to worry about the other "stuff" on YouTube.

__** Other Resource Pages **__

Wikis: Web 2.0/21st Century Skills Web Tools 4 You to Use The Connected Classroom Haugen's Tech Tips Google History Tours

Websites: 4Teachers Digital Goonies Crickweb Wichita Public Schools Google Lit Trips

Blogs: Free Technology 4 Teachers The Innovative Teacher The Educational Technology Site Bloggin' and Poddin' with Michelle Google Earth Blog