Technology Trek B)
Like many people my age, I consider myself fluent and versatile when it comes to using technology. I know a lot about laptops, cell-phones, tablets, widgets, and apps since I grew up in a generation where technological innovation (especially in regards to computers and social media) was developing right in front of me. Overall, I feel very comfortable using different types of technology to enhance my everyday life and even more so, I think I might be a little lost without it. In regards to using technology in the classroom, I could certainly be more comfortable with it as I've had limited experience teaching in classes where students have technological access and it's not usually emphasized in the classes I'm taking as a student myself. I've used YouTube videos and my tablet within a classroom setting before but not much beyond that and the typical computer and PowerPoint that almost everyone uses these days.
I previewed the majority of the tech tools Dr. Scanlon listed on her blog (with the exception of Screen-Cast-O-Matic because my computer had some sort of JAVA issue viewing the page) and I thought they were all pretty cool because their things I've just never thought about when using a computer in the classroom. I think my favorite was Socrative because it seems to have quite a view possible uses for each and every type of classroom. It could be used across grade levels and across subject areas too as it's different types of interactive assessments can be changed to suit the needs of just about any teacher or classroom. I guess my biggest interest in it was just how basic and adaptive that it was.
In regards to Professional Learning Networks - I love the idea of sharing different strategies and lessons with different types of teachers from around our country. I get a kick out of using twitter for sharing ideas and having conversations about different aspects of our education system because I think that many people in older generations look down at twitter for being something childish and goofy (which it can have the tendency to be - but definitely not always!). I think it's wonderful too that Pinterest is recognized because it may be good for designing my dream bathroom, but it's also good for collecting different ideas for all aspects of the classroom experience. I've also seen this first hand as my cousin is an elementary school teacher and uses Pinterest for this very purpose. I think that when it comes to crafting my own PLN, I would try a couple different websites mentioned and stick with what worked while moving on from what didn't. I think it's almost too much to keep up with if I were to try to be using 8 different platforms for educational tools as that's so much to keep up with. I may not try them all at once, but I might try them each individually if I get the chance.
Looking at the list of websites related to virtual writing and online assignments, I initially noticed Prezi because that's what most students my age are familiar with when trying to make a presentation (and when they don't want to use PowerPoint). I think it's very exciting to have other options when Prezi is great, but not useful for too many things. I really like the Comic Master website in particular. I sat and played around with it for a little while and it doesn't give the user too many options, but it's still really cool. I think it offers the student the ability to express their ideas through a creative platform too which is really fantastic. I definitely would have loved to use something like this as a 4th-6th grader and would definitely encourage teachers of those grades to do so.
When it comes to "What Lies Ahead," again, I love that Twitter is included. It's so much more useful than it's given credit for. Anyway, I thought many of the first things listed, like Youtube and Google, were obvious educational tools but as I got further down the list they became more specific and unknown to me. I thought Facebook was an interesting choice of educational tools but then again, in my college class we definitely use it to coordinate events and study groups. I also thought that including Wikipedia was interesting because I've had some teachers swear against it and others have no preference either way. Things like Canva and TEDX were really cool though. Lastly, I wasn't (and am still not) sure why they included Instagram so if anyone has any thoughts on that, please let me know.
In the future, when it comes to what teachers decide to use and not use in their ever evolving classrooms, it's absolutely important to consider the needs of the class and the demands of the lesson. Some simple tasks can be completed with many of the resources listed whether it be specifically group work, quizzes, exercising creativity, or even being provided with material in general, but I don't think any one resource can supplement or support an entire lesson. I think that each should be used for one or two specific purposes (wherever they are on the hierarchy) and that they should be adapted as best as they can to do so.
I previewed the majority of the tech tools Dr. Scanlon listed on her blog (with the exception of Screen-Cast-O-Matic because my computer had some sort of JAVA issue viewing the page) and I thought they were all pretty cool because their things I've just never thought about when using a computer in the classroom. I think my favorite was Socrative because it seems to have quite a view possible uses for each and every type of classroom. It could be used across grade levels and across subject areas too as it's different types of interactive assessments can be changed to suit the needs of just about any teacher or classroom. I guess my biggest interest in it was just how basic and adaptive that it was.
In regards to Professional Learning Networks - I love the idea of sharing different strategies and lessons with different types of teachers from around our country. I get a kick out of using twitter for sharing ideas and having conversations about different aspects of our education system because I think that many people in older generations look down at twitter for being something childish and goofy (which it can have the tendency to be - but definitely not always!). I think it's wonderful too that Pinterest is recognized because it may be good for designing my dream bathroom, but it's also good for collecting different ideas for all aspects of the classroom experience. I've also seen this first hand as my cousin is an elementary school teacher and uses Pinterest for this very purpose. I think that when it comes to crafting my own PLN, I would try a couple different websites mentioned and stick with what worked while moving on from what didn't. I think it's almost too much to keep up with if I were to try to be using 8 different platforms for educational tools as that's so much to keep up with. I may not try them all at once, but I might try them each individually if I get the chance.
Looking at the list of websites related to virtual writing and online assignments, I initially noticed Prezi because that's what most students my age are familiar with when trying to make a presentation (and when they don't want to use PowerPoint). I think it's very exciting to have other options when Prezi is great, but not useful for too many things. I really like the Comic Master website in particular. I sat and played around with it for a little while and it doesn't give the user too many options, but it's still really cool. I think it offers the student the ability to express their ideas through a creative platform too which is really fantastic. I definitely would have loved to use something like this as a 4th-6th grader and would definitely encourage teachers of those grades to do so.
When it comes to "What Lies Ahead," again, I love that Twitter is included. It's so much more useful than it's given credit for. Anyway, I thought many of the first things listed, like Youtube and Google, were obvious educational tools but as I got further down the list they became more specific and unknown to me. I thought Facebook was an interesting choice of educational tools but then again, in my college class we definitely use it to coordinate events and study groups. I also thought that including Wikipedia was interesting because I've had some teachers swear against it and others have no preference either way. Things like Canva and TEDX were really cool though. Lastly, I wasn't (and am still not) sure why they included Instagram so if anyone has any thoughts on that, please let me know.
In the future, when it comes to what teachers decide to use and not use in their ever evolving classrooms, it's absolutely important to consider the needs of the class and the demands of the lesson. Some simple tasks can be completed with many of the resources listed whether it be specifically group work, quizzes, exercising creativity, or even being provided with material in general, but I don't think any one resource can supplement or support an entire lesson. I think that each should be used for one or two specific purposes (wherever they are on the hierarchy) and that they should be adapted as best as they can to do so.