Technology Tools and Resources worth looking at!

Technology tools and resources are becoming more and more prevalent and important in the classroom every day.  Three specific resources I would like to share and review their impact on teaching and learning in the k-12 setting include:

1. SMART Boards

SMART Boards are becoming more popular in classrooms these days. They are interactive whiteboards that work using touch from a finger, pen or any other solid object. You can write on them, or hook up to the computer to play videos and games. They can be used across all grades from k-12 for a range of subjects. The Smart Board works with any program loaded or available on the computer hooked up to it. Some applications that teachers use with the Smart Board are Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. Lesson plans can be exchanged online for teachers to use especially designed for Smart Boards. This is called SMART Exchange and can be found by clicking on the following link: http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0

2. Glogster

http://www.glogster.com/

Glogster is a resource that using blogging as the means of information. Students are able to create blogs or in this case “glogs” where there can share their thoughts, opinions and use different types of media as well. They can include pictures, videos and links from other sites. Students are able to create posters of whatever topic they want or need to as well for projects. An example of a poster that a students created for a book report on "The Napping House" looks like..

 This is a great resource to be used in the classroom as teachers can set up an account to register and include the entire class. This resource is free to register with and use and allows for monitoring by the teacher as well. Blogging is a resource that allows students to share their information and view and learn from viewing others. They can post specific things for assignments or subjects or blog freely. The resource can be used cross curricular. This also can provide a gateway for further blogging use that students may want to do outside of the classroom as well.

3. Desire2Learn

http://www.desire2learn.com/

I am using this resource I posted in an earlier post but I just feel it is such a good tool to use in classrooms with students. This Learning Management System can be used in and out of the classroom which makes it flexible for learning. Desire2Learn provides easy-to-use teacher interfaces to setup and deliver course material. There are online tests and polls to provide instant student feedback. Forums or wikis can allow students to work together in-class or from home on projects and homework as well.

This type of learning can be used across all grade levels but would seem to be more prevalent and useful in the higher grades where students can do courses online and have more access to the internet and computer. This System resource is similar to WebCT and Sakai that I used at Western during my undergrad and Isaak used for this course. Course material is delivered online and the system allows users to interact with your teacher and fellow students in the class. It is a new and improved technological way of delivering and managing course material and assignments in the classroom!