Web+Tools+SP2012

Identify a web tool from the resources below. Explore the tool. Learn how to use it. Consider how it could improve teaching and learning, if at all. Rate it using our class developed scale and annotate it for our wiki page. The annotations should identify strengths of the tool for teaching and learning, possible specific applications of the tool, and challenges of the tool in terms of technology.

This wiki page is intended to be a resource for our class (and anyone else who stumbles upon it). Try to select unique tools from your classmates, but if you happen to review the same tool, add to the existing annotation so that it is one entry on our page. Organize the page so that it is helpful to readers. Consider organization as you add your commentary.

Etoolbox http://etoolbox.wikispaces.com/

Google tools and resources []

Guide to Digital Learning []

Note: You are not limited to tools from these two web pages, but there are many here worth exploring.

=Web Tool Reviews=

Please use our class created rubric to review your selected web tool. Write an annotation that focuses on the criteria outlined and give it a rating according to our 1-5 scale.

Rubric [|VoiceThread] VoiceThread is a user-friendly tool that allows teachers and students to create streaming presentations. It is a space in which students, teachers and the greater community can collaborate. VoiceThread members can choose to lower privacy settings, and, in doing so, open up their projects to the VoiceThread community for additional feedback and collaboration. Using VoiceThread, students can use various forms of media (e.g., images, videos, audio clips, documents, etc.) to generate conversation and promote critical thinking. The creators of VoiceThread are deeply invested in their tool’s accessibility to all. Based on the plethora of modalities in which you can publish and respond, and the diverse learning styles their tool meets, it is clear that the creators deeply respect the universal design for learning. The tool is free, but for an additional annual fee members have the opportunity to purchase packages that allow teachers to more closely monitor student activity and use. __Payment__ also buys additional memory space so that members can save more projects for future use. The only flaw I found involved embedding and listening to uploaded audio clips—it didn’t __work__ a few times but this was a result having more to do with my internet connection than the tool itself. **Rating: 5**.

[|Prezi] Prezi is an alternative to Microsoft office's PowerPoint. It's online software that __offers__ many different sing up options. This includes a free version especially for the use of teachers and other educational personnel. It uses zoom features to highlight certain information in a user created path presentation. It does take some time to use this software but overall it is intuitive in design. __Technology support__ is not available to all users in the form of live chat, but offers extensive banks of FAQ videoed, video tutorials, and step by step Prezi guides. It might be challenging for certain age levels or student populations but there is opportunity to scaffold the lesson design prior to the student's use. It would prove to be very useful when highlighting a process, breaking down new information, or serving as a review strategy in all of the subject-areas. Companies all over the world are using Prezi presentations at board meetings and planning sessions. Overall, it is a fun way to plan and present a variety of concepts in the educational world and beyond. **Rating: 4.5**

Webquest.org is the original site for the Webquest digital learning model. A Webquest is a guided e-journey related to relevant student curriculum created by their own teacher or borrowed from a database. This specific site was not user-friendly at all and was made up of outdated graphics. The links to their Webquest database were inactive and outdated, which would cause confusion and dissatisfaction from any teacher who visited this site. However, the Webquest.org site did provide academic background to the Webquest model and other links, links like QuestGarden. QuestGarden is easy to use, as the Webquests are organized into different age groups and subjects. Some in our class mentioned that certain subject areas and grades had more options than others, but ultimately, there were a good amount of already made Webquests to search for if one was so inclined to use one of these in a class. If an educator wanted to make their own Webquests, QuestGarden also offers a 2-year subscription for $20 that provides educators with the creation tools necessary to use this model of learning. The graphics were also a bit outdated on this site but at least all of the links worked and were helpful, unlike Questgarden.org. Ultimately, the the implementation of the Webquest model in classrooms may be useful and fun for digital student learning, but these sites were only mediocre or less-than-mediocre in convincing and enabling educators to do so. After further searches, I could find not find any more helpful or more clear Webquest tools than these two but I would urge educators to keep looking. **Rating: Webquest.org/1.5 Questgarden/ 2.5**
 * Webquest/ Questgarden**

[|Quizlet] Quizlet is an online flashcard tool that can help students learn material from a class, study for a test, or just prepare for a class. Quizlet is extremely user friendly and is free! With this tool students are able to study along or in groups. They can also play games to test their knowledge once they have studied for a while. It is a fun alternative to the usual paper made flashcards that can get boring. When tools for studying are online they automatically become more fun and interesting for the student. With a bit of direction this tool can be used with a wide range of ages because it is so simple to navigate. One note teachers should make is not to introduce this to students who want to just memorize information and then delete it from their minds all together. I would always encourage students to find other ways to apply the information in order for them to learn it and transfer it into real world knowledge and then use Quizlet to test their ability. As an educator I think teachers should always use tools when they find it to be appropriate, overall I think this is a good tool to be familiar with and can be helpful for students of all ages. **Rating 4.5**

"Google Groups" is another helpful tool from the Google family. It is a place that you can set up a place to create and collaborate with others through a specific account. Specific people can be invited into this Google Group, so it remains safe, secure and easily monitored by the teacher. Through this, Google Groups can be a great way for students to collaborate on projects, compare ideas and see progression of the learning process. Communication can be streamlined with Google Groups as well. All group-emails can be sent out by the teacher, increasing access and communication outside of the class. (Note: Access to internet is important for this to be effective) Another great thing about Google Docs is that is can be accessed anywhere through the internet. There are basically an unlimited list of things that you can use Google Groups for in the classroom. The best things about Google Groups are the simplicity of the application, its connection to the Google family, and the unlimited ways to use it in a secure setting online. **Rating: 4.5**
 * Google Groups**

[|Podcasts] (Click on the link for some great podcasts by scholastic) Podcasts are digital media that can be audio or video and you can easily download and listen to at your convenience. This is the current day alternative to radio or TV and can be used in the classroom. During my time in school we may have been given an assignment to go home and watch the news and write about it or answer a question given by the teacher. The downside to that was that you had to be in front of the TV at a certain time or you would miss the 5 O'clock news. Now with podcast you can go online and access them on demand, no need to wait for it to be on! When podcast came out a few years back some of them may have cost some money, but now you can get your hands on many useful podcast for free. Teachers can use them in the classroom to teach a subject and make it more interesting or they can send the students home to listen to one on their own and report back the next day or complete an assignment on it. You can find a variety of podcasts online on nearly any topic, they are easy to access, and you can download them onto multiple modern devices (ipad, ipod, phones, computers/laptops, etc.). The challenges I see for this is having the technology in the classroom or at home available for all students to benefit from it. I find this to be a powerful tool for the classroom and we as educators can get creative in the way we use it. **Rating: 5**

[|Evernote] __Evernote__ is a safe website that allows teachers, students, or anyone else to post notes for themselves in order to help them store important information. These notes can be audio clips, video files, website addresses, saved tweets, pictures, or just regular text. These notes are saved into digital notebooks which are immediately visible once the user logs into his or her account. To make finding notes on a particular topic easier, there is a search tool that enables users to find notes that contain a specific word or phrase. Evernote is private, but there is also a sharing feature which allows users to choose to share their notebooks with other Evernote users. Evernote can also be downloaded to a user's PC so they can post notes offline and can be synched with several other devices such as I-Pads and smartphones. Users have the option of creating a free account or creating a "premium" account in which they pay to have more space to post. There are several video tutorials online available to those who are looking to get started so Evernote is quite easy to use and is therefore accessible to students of all ages. The tool can be great for teaching students the responsibility of making sure that they have important information written down and gets people in the habit of keeping track of information that could be useful later. **Rating: 4**

[|Connected Mind] Connected Mind is a free concept-mapping tool available for use online through Google Chrome. Students and teachers can brainstorm ideas from a variety of subject areas through the bright and versatile mapping components of the tool. Like many other Google products, Connected Mind offers clear instructions and a user-friendly interface. Unlike a traditional website or computer program, Connected Mind is a web browser application that is dependent upon Google Chrome for its implementation. As a Google Chrome application, Connected Mind is reliable, simple, user friendly, and accessible. Nevertheless, the application's relationship to Google Chrome would present significant challenges for broad classroom implementation. School computers and individual users must use Google Chrome to simply gain access to the application. Without this specific web browser, Connected Mind is impossible to implement. While Connected Mind is an excellent educational web browser application in its own right, its implementation is severely limited for secondary classrooms. **Rating: 2**

NoteStar NoteStar is a tool that allows students to create online note cards as they complete Internet research. It is a free product that is offered through the site 4Teachers.org. As students conduct research they can click on the note card button installed on their web browser tool bar. On the note cards students can jot down important information, and create citations for the source they are taking the information from. Once students complete a note card they just need to click on the save button and their note card will be saved to their NoteStar account. When logged onto their accounts students can organize their note cards into subgroups, share information with group members, and keep a printable work cited list of where they have been getting their information. This user friendly and collaborative tool and can be easily mastered by the most novice of tech users. While the tool is only limited to research purposes, and does not allow for multimedia storage, NoteStar does have benefits for classroom use. **Rating: 3.5**

[|Class Dojo] Essentially, Class Dojo turns your class into individual monster avatars that you can project on your Smart Board (or regular projector) in front of the class. When you set up your class you can program in specific negative and positive behaviors that show up on the screen. The website can be used manually on the computer or via smartphone. When you scroll across a student’s name, you choose a behavior and either a green +1 or a red -1 appears next to their avatar. For example, if I’m conferencing with a group and Johnny is out of his seat, I simply hit “Johnny” on my phone, choose “Out of Seat” on my negative behaviors list, and his avatar appears with a negative 1 on the board.
 * Pros:**
 * Kids really, really love the avatars. I teach sixth graders, but I’ve seen eighth graders brag about getting the “cute monster.”
 * You can recognize the good kids for being good . (And when the kids hear the little ‘bing’ of someone getting a positive point, you can bet even the worst misfits sit up straight and read their silent reading books)
 * You can choose your own behaviors depending on what happens in your class.
 * You can establish a reward system based on the points (I give out bonus points if anyone gets more than 4 positive points, and take away points for those with more than -2)
 * When you really can’t narrate the class, it’s a good reminder to students that you can still actually see them
 * It’s very easy to use. When I’m doing guided reading conferences, I simply keep my phone out on the table and swipe over a child’s name when we’re discussing a point or when a group members are answering questions.
 * Cons (And Warning Labels):**
 * Class Dojo is **NOT** a replacement for a larger management system or the Behavior Management Cycle (check out Lee Canter’s [|book] or one of his videos if you’re having issues).
 * Class Dojo really shouldn’t be used during direct instruction, nor should it replace any behavior narrations you’re already doing. (I’ve seen teachers do it and it’s just very distracting and ineffectual.) It’s really only good for independent work time or sustained silent reading.
 * You really need to know your kids. Some students will see a negative next to their name and immediately stop talking to their neighbor and get on task. Other students will see a negative and have a total meltdown, or decide to give up for the rest of the period. (These are the kids you need to catch “doing good” really early in the period). It’s a fine line and it’s easy to screw up.
 * The iPhone App often freezes or has lag time (I’ve heard the one for Android is much better though)


 * Rating 3.5**

__**Khan Academy**__ Khan Academy does a lot of heavy lifting for teachers in terms of tracking data and growth. Teachers can see everything that their students are doing on Khan Academy and they can access of their students’ data. Summaries of how your class is doing as a whole are available, but teachers can also get access to an individual student’s profile to figure out exactly what each student is struggling with. This information is pertinent for teachers because it allows them to created targeted instruction for their students. Teachers also have a very full library of resources available to them to use in the classroom. Over 3000 instructional videos are available on the site and they cover K-12 math and even science. They also have specific videos and resources that are aligned to the common core. For a teacher who wants to change the way they introduce material in the classroom, I imagine this could be very useful. This site also offers a tool kit that allows teachers to see how other teachers are using Khan Academy in their classroom. Depending on how you plan to use Khan Academy the toolkit is split into three parts: Supplemental Models, Individualized Units, and Future Models. The three parts of the teacher toolkit allow educators to customize the way they want to use Khan Academy in their classroom. If they would only like to use it to supplement their lessons, they choose that option and then see how other educators use the supplemental model. Everything about this site is customizable, which I find to be a huge plus. I also love how much information is on the site. It seems to be all-encompassing in terms of mathematical information and tips and advice for teachers. It’s hard for me to think of a down-side of this tool, except for the fact that it is reserved to math and science teachers. Even though I am unable to apply this tool in my classroom, I chose this one to share with you all this week because it really pushed my thinking about using technology in the classroom. Seeing how easy Khan Academy makes it for teachers and students to engage in this tool, has opened my eyes to the importance of this kind of learning. As someone who thought math was boring as a kid, I could only imagine how much my impression of learning would be different if my teachers used this tool. Another thing that this tool does that I love is give students autonomy of their learning. Through videos and practice exercises, they have access to tons of information at their fingertips and can learn it all at their own pace. This is something that really only an online tool can offer, and it is so important that students are exposed to that.
 * Khan Academy’s Toolkit**
 * Rating: 4**

[|__**Free Rice**__]

FreeRice is a website run by the United Nations World Food Programme that can substantially help our students. I was immediately drawn to them because they implement two essential goals. First, to provide free education to all and second, to help end world hunger by provided free rice to hungry people. This database contains a huge bank of multiple choice questions at varying levels of difficulty. Whenever a student gets one right, the company donates 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme. By combining education with world hunger, our students have the opportunity to make a difference and even become Global Citizens.This is a wonderful website but that may also be its downfall. Because its a website and not a program you can download, if your school doesn't have Internet you can only assign this as homework and not as an in class extension activity.

**Rating: 4.5**

[|TrackStar] TrackStar is a social bookmarking tool that teachers can use to organize and annotate web sites into lessons called “Tracks”. This tool can be used by teachers but also can be used by students as well. When I first discovered this tool was very excited because for someone like me who has not been in a classroom yet, I felt this could really benefit new teachers. However, after playing with the site for a little while I saw the flaws in cite itself. It was not put together properly and and kept leading me to dead end websites. However, the overall idea was lever and if the website was developed better, it can be truly beneficial. Teachers can use it as a backup or for simple ideas on learning how to teach lesson in different ways by other reviewing other teacher's posts. Student can use it if they want to learn a particular subject or topic they didn't already understand in class and see how it is presented in a different way that they can understand. The overall downfall is the development of the website itself. **Rating: 3.5** [|Google News] As an internet company, Google is always changing and expanding, so it makes sense that they provide a strictly news based service – [|Google News]. I enjoyed exploring its already provided headlines, and researching its depth – Google News provides publications from up to 200 years prior, and obviously is ever changing in order to keep up with the days headlines. As is typical of Google products, the interface was easy to use, and the pre-personalized suggestions were bland, but understandable. But of course, as this is a Google product, and Google seeks to suck as much personal information from you as possible, there is the option to personalize Google news to better suit your interests and browsing style. . Overall, Google News is an excellent classroom supplement (and personal tool) but possibly difficult to implement on a larger scale. **Rating: 3.5** (for classroom use - 5 for a personal tool).