Investigating Tools
I took the time to look into some tools and investigate. I looked into Edmodo because I had heard a few teachers talk about how they loved it. I never took the time to look the tool up and looking into it now I should have. Edmodo is almost like a Facebook for teachers and students. Teachers can use Edmodo to post messages on wall, create groups, post quizzes, connect with other educators, post calendar events, communicate with parents and embed videos images and audio. All these things are similar to what one would see on their everyday Facebook. I think Edmodo would be a great parent teacher tool to use in my elementary classroom. I looked into 81Dash and thought it would be great for a middle and high school classroom, because students can chat, share files and take notes.
I took the time to play around with ICivic and Google Tour Builder. On ICivic I decided to select a game on the Bill Of Rights. The game had me pretend to be a lawyer based on a character that I chose. My character had to listen to clients tell their case and tell the client if it’s against their rights. I received points and could move on to a new amendment based on my points. On Google Tour Builder I made a presentation on the five regions of Georgia. This tour will take students on a road trip through cities in the five regions of Georgia. While going through the regions they will learn all the required information for each region. After exploring these tools I can see myself using both tools in my classroom.
I believe all the tools that I explored are engaging and can expose students to all the information they need to meet their academic standards in areas such as math, reading, writing, social studies and science. When paling around with these tools I was learning without realizing it. I was able to learn by playing which personally for me is how I like to be engaged. I believe that these tools are great for students with diverse learning need because they require more interactions than typical standards. These Web 2.0 tools require more interactions than typical instruction. They allow students to be hands on and problem solve instead of them just being told or lectured the information. Web 2.0 tools incorporate learning styles such as those for visual, logical and physical learners by using pictures, videos, audio, games, and collaboration. Thanks to Web 2.0 having a variety of ways to be used, teachers can easily differentiate classroom instruction using the tools to meet their students' needs.
Schools have already taken one major step in ensuring equitable access to digital tools and resources. This step is providing students and teachers with free Internet before, during and after school on the school’s campus. Many local libraries also provide free Internet access. Teachers should encourage parents who cannot access the Internet or do not have a device that connect to the Internet from home to visit their local library. On top of local libraries teachers can provide parents with restraunts and cafes that provide free Internet access. Most importantly teachers can provide parents with resource tools and descriptions of what’s expected with the tools so that the students are engaging in the appropriate tools in and out of the classroom.
Gorski, P. (2005). Education equity and the digital divide. AACE Journal, 13(1), 3-45.
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 How-To for Educators. Eugene: ISTE.