Tech Tools for Your Classroom

We teachers are very fortunate to live in the times of technology! We have access to so many educational resources that can benefit both student and teacher learning. Of the abundance of resources and tools that exist, I have reviewed 3 that I find to be very useful in classrooms.

http://www.bitstripsforschools.com/

1. Bitstrip is a great educational software tool to use with students.  It is a comic builder where students can create comics regarding any subject.  It is a creative device that allows students to communicate their ideas in a unique comic format.  One of the reasons why I like Bitstrip so much is because you can use it for any subject (like Language Arts, Geography, etc.) and for many social issues (bullying, world issues, etc.), for students to communicate their knowledge and understanding of a particular topic. It’s interactive and visually fun                                                                  format can help to engage students.  

http://www.bitstripsforschools.com/login/

It works like this: teachers can create a ‘classroom’ with a class name and a class code.  Teachers then share the name and the code with their students and then students are free to log on.  Students can then create an avatar of characters in which they can personalize as much as they would like. The comic builder is easy to use, and it is nice that you do not have to have artistic skills to make it successful. Students can share their comics with the whole class or just the teacher. You can return it to the students with private and individual feedback. There is even a commenting feature where classmates can give feedback.  I recommend it trying it!

https://www.edmodo.com/

2. Edmodo is another great educational tool for teachers to incorporate in their classrooms.  Edmodo is a free online software, that is often thought of as the “Facebook” for schools.  It is a very user-friendly program that allows teachers, students, and parents to communicate together.  It has many uses including: homework listing, student learning groups, reminders to students and parents about upcoming events and deadlines, posting resources, write summaries, and more.  

Edmodo is also a safe online environment for peers and teachers to communicate as it is controlled and monitored by the classroom teacher.  Students can only communicate to the class and to the teacher.  My experience with Edmodo was in a Special Needs classroom, where at the end of the day, the students would post on Edmodo what they did that day at school, and any homework that they may have.  This was a great way for parents to be involved, and to follow up with their children about what they learned at school.

http://www.raz-kids.com/

3. Raz Kids is a popular technology resource used in many schools.  Raz Kids is an online program that has hundreds of animated e-books that are spread across 27 different levels of reading difficulty.  Raz Kids practices great modeled reading - students listen to books online, while the words are highlighted across the screen to ensure that students are following along, and  can hear how each word  is spelled and pronounced.  The pace at which the book is read can be changed, therefore, students can read the book at whatever speed is most comfortable to them.  Students can also practice reading the book out loud to practice their fluency.  There are also comprehension questions at the end of the books to check for understanding. 

http://www.raz-kids.com/main/TeacherCorner

 As much as Raz Kids is designed for students, it is also very teacher focused as well.  Teachers can log in, and can see the progress that their students are making. It also has a running records tool that helps you to determine what reading level your students are at.  Teachers can then limit students to particular leveled books. It is useful that it is very inline with the Ontario curriculum standards. There are also a ton of helpful videos for teachers to learn how to use all of the tools that are available to them with Raz Kids.  Although Raz Kids is not free, I have found and heard from other teachers that many school boards have access to it.  If you have access to it, I recommend using it.  If not, you can try the 7 day trial to determine whether you think it would be useful to purchase for you and your students.

Google Drive vs. Open Office

I have spent the past few days exploring two popular and free word processing programs: Google Drive, and Open Office.  I found both of these programs to be amazing, and can see their potential for classroom use.

https://drive.google.com/‎

I found that Google Drive offers many of the same tools as Microsoft Office, just that it is in the form of a web browser, not a software that you need to purchase. With Google Drive, you can create a variety of items, such as: folders, documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and drawings.  Google Drive is a very accessible tool, as it can be accessed on any computer with internet.  I find the fact that Google Drive can be opened on pretty much any computer with internet, anywhere, very appealing.  Google Drive also allows for documents to be shared, for collaboration purposes.  You can create folders (perhaps a Class Folder), and where students can share information with you, or with their classmates.  Sharing documents, alongside with the revision tool can be particularly useful for teacher and peer editing.

http://www.openoffice.org/

Open Office and Google Drive are very similar, but there are a few obvious differences.  Open Office offers you to create text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, databases, and formulas.  I find the graphics and tools options of Open Office more appealing than Google Drive.  In the text documents, the tools are very accessible to the user as they are located at the top of the page in the form of icons, rather than in a drop down menus like in Google Drive.  I do like the icons and layout of Open Office better that Google Drive, because I find that it is very similar to Microsoft Office, which I have become very accustomed to.  Although free, you have to download Open Office rather than opening it in a web browser like Google Drive.  This can make create difficulties if you are not on a computer where you can download programs (like public computers).  Additionally, since you have to download Open Office, it is very limited to your computer, and not as easy to access from a mobile device. Google Drive on the other hand, is mobile friendly (in a limited fashion).

I like that Open Office and Google Drive both allow for different text templates to be downloaded.  Open Office provides various templates that you can download, and Google Drive provides many different Apps that you can add to your Google Drive, one being a Templates App. Templates that you can retrieve are a Resume template, or a Brochure template, or a Calendar template, and many more.

I think that both of these programs are great to use with students as they are free, easily accessible, and easy to navigate and use.

Learning Resources Available for Ontario Teachers, Parents, and Students

http://www.osapac.org/cms/

          We have access to an abundance of technology resources for our students.....which we may not even know about!  Technology resources can support student learning, and with teacher support and guidance, these resources can coincide with students learning in the classroom.  It is through the Ontario Software Acquisition Program Advisory Committee (OSAPAC) website that you can find out which resources are available for your classroom to support student learning.  You can go to the OSAPAC website and browse the different resources and software available to educators in Ontario.  For each resource the OASPAC provides: a description with some key features; often offers a few points on why to use this resource in schools; software distribution rights; and technical information.  There are also curriculum connections (for various grades and strands) that are outlined with each resource, providing teachers with how and why they should use this resource in their classroom.  For some resources (like Bitstrip) you can download them straight from the OSAPAC link, but others you may need to contact your Ontario Educational Software Service (OESS) representative for downloading instructions.  Your OESS representative can also provide you with log-on passwords for the particular resource.  Each school district has an OESS representative, and they are easy to find.  All you need to do is go to the OESS website and click contact search. Then type in your school district and your representative’s contact information will be available to you.

Credit: http://msjonesbaker.com/Images/school-girl-using-computer.png

          On the Toronto Catholic District School Board website, I found this “Teachers Want to Know, a tip sheet for teachers to improve teaching and learning through use of Ministry licensed software and web services” document.  I found this tip sheet to be very useful for learning and navigating the OSAPAC website.  This tip sheet also outlines 12 web services licensed by OSAPAC that are available to teachers, parents and students from home and school.  I recommend checking them out and using them, as students can really benefit from using these tools simultaneously at home and at school. 

Blended Learning in Our Classrooms...The Way of the Future

Source: Dwight Carter's Blog

          The term 'blended learning' is new to me as an educator. Blended learning is the combination of learning in the classroom face-to-face and learning online. It is combining in-person learning with technology-based learning. Online, technology based learning allows for students to participate in more independent and self-paced learning.  On the other hand, face-to-face learning allows for students to continue learn in the classroom setting from teachers and peers.  

 

          Blended learning is different from e-learning, as e-learning is solely learning online, and blended learning is the combination of learning in a classroom and learning online.  Although e-learning can have it's benefits, such as convenience, I believe that blended learning is the better alternative for our students as the social learning that takes place face-to-face is equally important.

          An example of blended learning in the Primary division could be in a community unit. Teachers could teach different types of communities (cities, farm, suburbs, rural, parks, etc.) with the students through reading a picture book on the subject and through discussion. Students can then do work online. The teacher can put up pictures of different communities on computer or iPads and students can identify what is unique to each particular community.

          An example of blended learning in the Junior division is discussing a Social Studies topic like Exploration and Jacques Cartier's expeditions to North America.  Then students can create a comic online using "Bitstrip" of the events that happened using their own words and interpretations of the events.

 

          In an Intermediate Math/Environment class, students could be responsible for researching an environmental topic (like how much water do people in North America use when washing dishes vs. using a dish washer, and taking a shower vs. taking a bath, and brushing your teeth with the tap running vs. brushing your teeth with the tap off). Students could then put this information into a graph to see the differences.

          I wonder, does the skill of learning through technology need to be taught to students? How do we teach skills such as researching? And time management? 

Tech Blogs Worth Reading

Hi everyone,

I have looked into a few education/tech blogs, and I chose to reflect on the following three blogs. They are all great - totally worth checking out! 

             1. Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Bryne

At first glance, I thought that there may be too much on this blog. However once exploring further, I realized how GREAT this blog is. It is truly a wealth of knowledge. This is definitely one to add to your ‘favorite’s bar’. Richard Bryne seems very knowledgeable about technology, and I read that he has run many workshops on blogging – so this guy knows what he's doing!

There are many things I like about this blog. Firstly, I like that Richard posts information about new technology (some that I have never heard of prior to his blog), and gives recommendations of how to use it in the classroom.  For each (free) technological resource that he introduces he also provides an “application for education” section.  For example, he provides information about Metta, a digital presentation tool, and Postasch.io, a blog tool that can easily be connected to your Evernote account. He then provides readers with ideas of how these resources could be used in the classroom.

At the end of each post, there are relevant links to the topic he blogged about. He titles these additional links “You might also like”.  I want to add a section similar to this on my blog! I believe this gives readers more sources of information about the topic, adding to their knowledge base, and encourages the reader to think critically about the topic as they become more familiar and aware.  

I also like the tabs at the top of this blog.  The tabs seem relevant and of importance to teachers who are keen on using technology in their classrooms.  For instance, one tab is iPad Apps for School. When you click the tab, it takes you to another blog by Richard that outlines educational Apps.

2.    Langwitches Blog: The Magic of Learning

The Langwitches blog is another valuable source for technology teachers.  It has an abundance of information for teachers on how to incorporate technology in their classrooms.  There are ample posts of specific examples of how technology was used to enhance learning in the classroom (for instance, how a Kindergarten class used iPads, collages, and a book creator app in their Transportation Unit).  It’s very cool – I recommend checking it out (Kindergarten Transportation Unit).  Other posts include hot professional learning topics,  and opinions on certain issues in the technology world that teachers may be dealing with or thinking about (for instance, how to be a connector in schools, and information on global learning).

I like the topics of the sub sections along the middle and the sides, which include subjects such as “global education” and “Blogging with your classroom” “iPads” and “Digital Storytelling”.  I think I would find it easier to navigate if the tabs where at the top. However, the blogger does provide a search where you can choose a category. 

I did find the blog a little overwhelming while navigating, due to the abundance of tabs with blog posts all around. I found myself wanting to check out something new and totally different before finishing the original post I was reading. With that said, it is a great resource for technology teachers as it provides practical application suggestions and professional learning topics all on one site.  I recommend it! 

3. Beth's Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom 

I quite like the layout of Beth’s blog, as I find it concise, and therefore easy to navigate.  I like that her blog has different sites and has a recommended reading list under subheadings to the right of the page. The tabs at the top are very straightforward as there are only four: Home, Archives, About, and Contact. 

      

Beth makes it easy to navigate through the archives as you can search for posts by category, month, or her last 50 posts. I like that she groups her blog posts into categories, so if teachers are looking for information on a particular topic, it can be easily found.

 Beth’s blog mainly focuses on professional learning.  She focuses both on general topics related to teaching, and teaching with technology. For instance, she has one blog post on How to Change Education, where she recommends watching a Ken Robinson video (great video).  And she also has another blog post on Tech Integration and Classroom Instruction. 

I really like Beth’s blog as a professional learning resource. If you are searching for more real-life examples of how technology was used in units and lessons, I would check out one of the other two blogs mentioned above.