BLOG 6: NEW & EMERGING TOOLS

One of my favorite new tools is called Wordle. You can click this link to visit the website: http://www.wordle.net/ . You can put in any words and it create elaborate graphics with all the words. You can pick the font, color, shape, etc. To use in class, you might have students pick words that describe a person or character and have them create a graphic. Also, teachers can use this with learning new langauges and vocabulary. Personally, I enjoy using it for creating signs around our classroom. I have one by our classroom library and one above our doorway that has all of our names and positive phrases. This is an easy tool for beginners or younger students. Another new tool I enjoy learning about is Prezi. In our third face to face meeting, Christi and I showed the class this tool. I like it because its new and still gets information across. I like to nickname it PowerPoint on steroids! I love that it is not in sequential form, so the user has more freedom. You can zoom in on pictures and have them linked together. It is free for educators and they have examples ready made. It's similar to YouTube in that it has several videos already to use. For example, in class we looked at the Lifecycle of a Butterfly. Next, I have to mention Apple's applications. As Dr. Lan mentioned in class, we are moving from web-based learning to app. based learning. Well, I thought I was a tech-savvy teacher having my students study their multiplication facts online or with computer games. However, this year my students are using their parents' IPHONES and IPADS and downloading applications to practice multiplication daily. My students love this. I require 10 minutes per night studying facts. However, students are so crazy about playing with apps and discovering new ones, some of them practice an hour. When the kids are with their parents in the car, grocery store, and sibling's game basically anywhere where they are bored), they ask their parents if they can play an app. This is an excellent opportunity for teachers to meet students' interests and use it as a learning experience. I think these tools are supported by Bloom's learning theory. With the app practice, students are recalling data and using their knowledge. In Prezi, students are creating and using higher order thinking skills. They are translating what they know and using application and synthesis. With wordle, students are creating as well. They are using recall, lists, knowledge, and creating a product. I hope these ideas help you in your classroom!