Evaluation on Technology Tools

Over the course of my ED271 experience, it turned my life upside down because of all the new technology tools I was exposed to and the ones that I was familiar with I got a greater understanding. This course had really broadened my ways of presenting as a student and a future educator.  The tools that I assessed were Moodle, Google Chrome, Google Apps, LiveBinders, Wix, Powtoon, ooVoo, and Spaaze. 

I have rated them according to this scale:

 1. Google Apps
This technology tool has a variety of features that are all free. One of the Google Apps that is so versatile is called "Google Drive". Google Drive allows you to access your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and files that are shared with you anywhere, anytime (Allen, 2014). Google Apps gets better because it not only has a drive but it is linked to 3 other sites. These sites are YouTube, Blogger, and Google Hangouts. Having these 3 sites link to my Google accounts saves me from having 3 different usernames and passwords.

2. Google Chrome
Google Chrome is one of many web browsers that is available to download for free.  This web browser has so many attractive features that will want you to make it your default browser. It has one of the largest libraries of extensions, add-ons, and built-in applications that enhances the browser's ability to do what you want it do (Popp, 2012). Google Chrome's layout has one of cleanest, organized, simple user interface. It upholds Google's reputation of innovation and industry dominance. I like Google Chrome because it is compatible and remarkably fast.

 3. LiveBinders
LiveBinder is your 3-ring binder on the web that holds all your resources. Though this is my first time using LiveBinders, one of the reasons why I use it and will continue to use throughout out my education career is that its available 24/7. On LiveBinder you can collect and curate resources that includes websites, documents, movies and photos into tabs or sub-tabs(Stallings, 2014). LiveBinder is my go-to site when I want to bookmark websites that I want to save for future use or reference. This technology tool you can combine uploaded PDFs and Word documents with links in one binder. The best thing about this LiveBinder is it is PAPERLESS!!

 

4. PowToon 

PowToon brings your presentations alive with all the animations and effects. This technology tool is the best way to get creative with pre-made templates for presentations, demonstrations, introduce a lesson, and show your syllabus to your students. PowToon is a drag-and-drop video creation solution that is easy and fun to use. I believe that PowToon can be used for all students and subjects. This tool will make your students absorb the information that is presented because its entertaining. 

5. ooVoo
ooVoo is one of many video conferencing tools that I was introduced in ED271. This is the world's largest, independent application. It is a video chat and messaging application. With ooVoo you can video chat with up to 12 people at a time. You can send text, pictures, video messages and many more. This technology tool is packed with amazing features and one of the features that I liked about this application is you can share your desktop with the people you are video chatting with. This tool will be great for my classroom so students can video chat with the class if they are absent for the day.

6. Moodle
University of Guam created this Moodle site for a virtual learning environment. This provides a central space on the web for students and professors to meet and communicate. The features and functions of Moodle is geared towards the student learning (Michle, 2013). For some classes at UOG, Moodle is used for online classes. The professor creates a page for their class and students can view the syllabus, turn-in assignments, take quizzes and exams,  and their grades. For students who use Moodle for their online classes, it teaches them to be independent and diligent to check daily on their course(s).

7. Spaaze
Spaaze is not just a cork board to put your sticky notes on. This technology tool offers different items that you can put on this virtual cork board. On this virtual cork board you can bookmark and snippets for sites, have a running list of tasks, use it for idea collections, education purposes, and brainstorm. I use Spaaze because its free, collect information, self-organize, and you can share your ideas. As a future educator, I will use Spaaze for my lesson plans, parent newsletters, and collaborative teaching.

8. Wix
Wix is my go-to site in building a website. This tool offers visually impressive layouts that are designed for anything whether its for marketing, personal, education, blogging, online stores, or restaurants. The designs and layouts look professional and can viewed on mobile devices.It is user-friendly and easy to navigate through each tabs. Wix's designs are always up-to-date with the latest design trends.

These are one of the many tools that I learned from this course that I hope to use in my classroom one day. Goodbye Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel! Welcome to the latest technology tools that you can use for presentations.



References:

·      Allen, J. (2014).  4 Reasons to Use Google Drive. CoolHead Tech. http://www.coolheadtech.com/blog/4-reasons-to-use-google-drive

·      Popp, M. (2012).  5 Reasons Why Google Chrome Should Be Your One and Only Browser. Tech Norms. http://www.technorms.com/7787/top-5-reasons-chrome-best-browser

·      Stallings, J. (2014). Educator’s Guide to LiveBinders. The EduBlogger. http://www.theedublogger.com/2014/08/28/livebinders/#why

·      Matsil, Nirel. (2015).  11 Quick and Amazing ways to use PowToon in your Classroom. PowToon Awesome Blog. https://www.powtoon.com/blog/11-ways-to-use-powtoon-in-your-classroom/

·      Michle, J. (2013). 10 Reasons Why You Should Use Moodle. Blogger.com. http://chriswatchon.blogspot.com/2007/08/10-reasons-why-you-should-use-moodlemy.html

Raising our Students in the Digital World

Technology is changing the way we live our day-to-day lives. It is taking over society because everyone uses technology from toddlers to the elderly.  Technology is our backbone in today’s world that makes everything easier.  

Without technology, we would not have the World Wide Web.  The Internet is an ideal place for learning, networking, and entertainment.  Though the Internet serves as a valuable learning tool, students should be well informed by their parents or teachers about becoming “digital citizens. “ (Texas State, 2013).

Though the Internet is an ideal place to network with people, learning and entertainment but just like the world around us it can pose dangers if precautions are not taken. Cyberbullying, pharming, phishing, textual harassment, and sexting all have one thing in common which is that they harm people.  I believe that it is important to teach kids about Internet safety as an educator. According to eduTopia, with children spending time online at a younger and younger ages, it is vital to explicitly teach young children on how to protect themselves. (Hertz, 2015). As a future educator, we are going to see our students 7-8 hours a day what better way to  demonstrate and guide these student on become aware of what the digital world is all about. 

For me to demonstrate and guide my students on becoming digital safety, I would ask if they know the word "digital safety". Asking this question to the class can let me know where my students are in terms of knowing the word "digital citizen" and how to gear my lesson. If 50% percent of the class raises their hand, then I would show a short-video clip on Digital Safety. I choose this clip because it is short and the characters tie into the my student's age range. After viewing the clip, I would ask the class what they learned from the video and if they now know the term "digital safety".

 

When my group and I presented on our assigned topic which was "Cyberbullying" we used Jilster to publish or present our work. Using Jilster was different from the rest of the presentations that we did together because it was a magazine of information on cyberbullying.  This presentation tool was convenient for my group because everyone can go in and edit all the pages. There was no limit on how many pages we can use for our magazine. Overall, this magazine that we my group and I  made can be picked up by anyone and be informed about cyberbullying.

This digital safety project was very helpful to me because of the different forms that can harm a person whether its stealing their personal information or humiliating them on the web. Some of the forms that were presented on were new to me such as pharming and phishing. Though the Internet has made our lives easier in many ways whether through social networking, entertainment or for learning purposes we still need to take precaution as adults and for our students.

Reference:

• Texas State: Texas School Safety Center. (2013). Digital Safety. Texas State: Texas School Safety Center. https://txssc.txstate.edu/topics/digital-safety/

•  Hertz, M. (2015). How to Teach Internet Safety to Younger Elementary Students. eduTopia. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/internet-safety-younger-elementary-mary-beth-hertz