8 Online Tech Tools: A Review

I got the opportunity to utilize different web tools that I can use for my classroom and see what works best for me. Here are 8 of the stand out tools that I used more or tried to get a closer look at. There were some highs, and lows but overall the idea of exposure to tech tools in the classroom has been a great experience and I know I'll be using some of the tool listed in these 8. See something new to you? I have the direct link within my review of each tool and a little video explaining a little more about the tool. The highest rating was 5 start. For me, 5 stars would be eye catching, engaging to an audience and to the user, interactive with the audience and the user, easy access and navigation, and lastly the way it's organized.

Moodle

                                                

               " Moodle "is a tool that I’ve used throughout my undergrad and I’m pretty familiar with it. I think it’s a great resource to connect with students and also promotes going green. It’s easy to access and there have been several different ways that my professors have used moodle to upload documents and send reminders about what was due. The one option that I felt was the best was that it could be turned into a checklist with a check button by each assignment that was due but all done electronically. The organization was great and helped a lot throughout each semester. Some con’s that I could think of when using moodle would be times when it would crash and users are not able to get on, or time when the pages would load a bit more slowly. I’ve had little to no programs with loading pages, but as a student there are times where it is frustrating to get on and try to complete work.

               

                 Overall, I would give moodle 5 out of 5 stars. This is mostly because of how easy it is to use and that it is well organized. I like that there are ways we are able to communicate and interact in forums with other students as well as our professors, but I’m curious if moodle may upgrade to using video and chats to add to it. I haven’t explored too much with trying to see if there are chat options in moodle just yet, but I think that it’ll be a top educational tool once it is established and works smoothly.

Chrome

                                             

                I think I was using internet explorer for the longest time until I was forced to use firefox and chrome about 3 years ago. With " chrome," I see a huge difference in speed when using chrome and it is now my preferred browser to use. I’m still not as knowledgeable about other options available on chrome that I can add or tap into, but what draws me to using it is the speed, simplicity and accessibility of the site.  It’s also great when loading videos and not having to wait too long for them to buffer. I don’t use chrome for many different internet tasks and like I mentioned earlier, I’m not very familiar with everything it will allow me to do but I’ve heard that privacy is a con with using this browser. I haven’t encountered any problems with it but then again, I haven’t attempted to put out valuable information for people to try and retrieve.

                For this browser, I think I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars mostly because of the privacy issue. I’m can’t say that it is or isn’t safe at all times, but the fact that other people have had privacy issues make me a little more cautious when getting on specific sites and sharing information. In the classroom, I think that using chrome would be best when viewing videos and utilizing the flash player that is already installed in it, or even for games that may require it.

       

Google Apps

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                My first experience with google apps was being introduced to my gmail for work and using it as a primary contact for students, colleagues and my administrators. So far, I have had no problems with my gmail and I have finally made a personal account that I may use in the future. It’s very accessible whenever I use it, and it is designed so that I can see everything in my inbox, check my contacts and be able to write an email with everything running in the background. I think that having the smaller window on my laptop as I wrote emails helped me track other emails much better and made me respond to emails sooner.

                The next few documents that were introduced to me were google docs and sheets, as well as google drive. I loved the fact I could share documents and work on them at the same time as my group mates and that it was saved on the spot and left in my file folder. There have been several times where I just refuse to close a word document and never come back to it but with google docs, I was comfortable leaving it or accidentally closing out of a page and knowing that my document was saved and could be accessed at a later time. Overall, my experiences with using google apps has been a pleasant one and something that I am excited to try using in my classroom. I’d give it a 5 out of 5 stars especially because of the accessibility and the auto save that happens as I’m working.

Livebinders

                           

               The first time using "livebinder" was a bit of an odd experience for me. I’m used to using livetext and didn’t realize that there was another tech tool online that works in a similar way. The thing I liked the most about using livebinders was the organization and being able to create subcategories off of bigger ideas. It was like I was working through an intricate thought bubble that I could organize in ways I saw were related and top it off, I could add resources that lead me straight to the page through this tool. I also thought it was great that I could go back and make changes to it as well. The one thing I wasn’t too crazy about was that it looked very bland. I didn’t do too much exploring with livebinders, but I’m sure that there is probably some options that allow customization that I haven’t seen yet. Plus I would think that the pages look very bland because of the sites that can be added. Color clashing might have been a problem but I wish that if there were options to customize that they would be visible on the page, and that there was some sort of tutorial given when I first began using it.

                As much as I enjoyed taking all my ideas and putting them into my subcategories, I think I would rate this tool at a 3.5 out of 5 stars. If the page was a bit more interactive and caught my attention a little more I would raise it one start but the appeal just wasn’t there for me. If anyone is looking for strictly organization and working on a portfolio tool that just gets the job done then I think this is a great tool. The other half star that it didn’t earn from me was mostly the interactive and tutorial aspect of it as well as having some other icons along the page to allow more options. Maybe with more time I’ll get used to using it, but I can see myself using it in classes just to help students organize information.

Livetext

                             

I can remember the first time I had ever been introduced to "livetext" during my undergrad, I was happy that I didn’t have to purchase it at the time but it’s a different story now that it’s required for my program. I simply view it as a way that people can submit assignments, projects or papers and have it seem like they are professionally published. I think I a big stickler for organization when getting things done and it does show great organization of different aspects throughout each tab. There are many things that I can talk about, but just a few highlights that come with using livetext, in my opinion, would include looking at a page or assignment and knowing the status of submission as well as what needs to be submitted and even that there is a side tab that tells you all your uploads. Another thing is that it should you all the courses that you have taken so you are able to go back and take a look at them.

When it came time to use the livetext docs, I thought it was a bit difficult to navigate through and work on. It might have just been the template of the document that made it a bit difficult to work with, but I did a bit of searching trying to get through each page and there was some lag time for me when I tried to click on something and fix it. I think that livetext is a very useful tool despite some delays that I’ve experienced but I think it depends on the purpose that it is serving. For right now, I’m very content with sticking to uploading assignments and seeing what I have and haven’t done yet. I’d give livetext a 4 out of 5 stars. It lost a star because of the lag and difficulty I had with it when using the livetext document. I do believe that its serving its purpose as a place to submit assignments in one area and be able to go back to them easily, and that’s why I rated it a bit high.

Kahoot

    

I haven’t had a chance to actually use "kahoot" on others, but from what I’ve seen so far and tested myself, it’s a great tool to engage students in many different ways. This is possibly one of the best ways to get students more involved in learning through making it fun and doing it through games online. Rather than having a more teacher centered approach to learning this targets all students at their own pace and allows them to participate. The quick feedback from quizzes and the challenge that each students goes through to try and achieve a higher score from their peers will keep kids on edge. I don’t really think I have any bad things to say about kahoot but I’m sure that there are ways that this site can be upgraded, maybe by adding other types of games or new ways to engage with other students at the same time. I give kahoot a 5 out of 5 stars. It’s free, a great tool for all teachers to tryout and will definitely get students interested in learning.

Visme.co

     

"Visme" is a tool that allows you to create presentations that will catch the attention of your audience. It has a free option that only allows about 3 presentations and must be purchased after that. The drag and drop options as well as premade slides that you can choose from make it very organized and accessible to move things around and give any presentation a new look in seconds. Having the option to even play videos and or music within the presentation is another way to add depth to specific topics and slides. I definitely enjoyed using visme and might want to use it again over the constantly used powerpoint. The only downside I can come up with regarding visme is that there are so many options, and I have a bit of OCD. When it comes to creating the perfect slides I found myself spending more time on trying to make each slide look perfect and wanted to add more within a short time frame. I don’t think having all these options were a bad thing, but took me a while to finally decide on what I wanted. It’s all about that pizzazz sometimes. I would give visme a 4.5 out of 5 stars because of how eye catching it is and how easy it is to use. The .5 that was taken was because it wasn’t a fully free tool. I’m sure that students would be more engaged looking at a presentation that has music, videos and a cool background to wake them up and get their attention.

Wiggio

               

                My experience with the web tool "wiggio" wasn’t exactly the best. I found it interesting that you could have a video conference amongst several people, with audio, and an interactive whiteboard as well as share documents with those you go into conferences with. I thought it was very organized and liked how it could be easily accessed through emails and even cell phones, but the make of it seemed bland and could probably use an upgrade. I probably didn’t get the best experience from it because of the lack of people I could use it with, and being low of people to try and chat with to see just what wiggio could do. The interactive whiteboard was probably my favorite aspect because I’ve never seen a tool that allows groups to draw on one document. It reminded me of google docs but in a different way that seemed a bit more playful. The problem with having more than one presenter or person working through the interactive board is that they may begin to goof around with the tool and be more focused on playing on the whiteboard than sharing ideas. In a classroom, I think that this would be the hardest thing to monitor and can be tough with larger groups. I wasn’t a big fan of wiggio and I have heard that others have had better experiences with it, but I really thought there were some gaps it needed to fill in to be an attention grabbing tool for web conferencing and groups. I would give wiggio a 1 out of 5 stars and would probably never use the tool again.  

Game Review: "Do I have a right?"

         Online games were always fun to play when I was growing up, especially when my teachers had shown us different interactive games to “play” but were basically tools to help students learn. It’s been a while since I’ve played any actual games with some type of learning objective for a school setting but the opportunity to look for some and try them out was given. The game that was chosen was “DoI have a right?” In this game students from ages 11 and up are taught about the different amendments and rights that we have regarding law and government. As I was playing, I realized that the game is very similar to playing diner dash but with more of a memory concept in order to become more familiar with each amendment.

               

I would recommend this game for teachers who are teaching social studies or government in secondary education. Although I’m not a very tech savvy person, I found that the game was easy to navigate through and I’m sure that with our technology generation of kids, they will be able to do the same when first learning how to play. The appeal of the game would get any student hooked and the challenge of the game would force them to think about the different scenarios that are presented to them, ultimately allowing them to remember those rights. The feedback given at the end was also helpful in showing students strengths in weaknesses that may need extra practice.

               

It was interesting looking for different games, especially trying to find games within that would help with physical education (PE) because most online games that dealt with PE would be geared more toward learning math and counting numbers or spelling. Creating the rubric for this activity was also a bit challenging having to come up with different targets that would fit. It wasn’t like creating a writing or project rubric and was based more on age appropriateness and how well kids are able to access them. This is something that doesn’t necessarily need to be factored into rubrics for other classroom activities when the content and age groups are already set and known.

My partner for the assignment and I both used our rubric to grade the game and came out that we gave it a high score. I gave it a 36/40. The one category that we thought differently about regarded the objectives of the game. I gave it a 5 mainly because there were other resources that were provided for teachers to use as an actual lesson in class and had other objectives and learning outcomes that were very particular to the targets in the game. Check out the rubric below, and hopefully you check out this game on icivics as well as the other awesome games for social studies. 

Assistive Technology

                Assistive technology, if I had been asked what that was a year ago, I’d probably just say that its something we use to help us in everyday life. Seeing assistive technology  in the classroom and using it have deepened my understanding for its use. I’ve only seen a handful of students who had to use an assistive electronic device in all of their classes in my teaching these past two year. It was a surprise to me and I thought it was very interesting to see the interactions when the devices were utilized. We’ve come so far in this world using technology in so many ways and it’s a blessing to see that those who need a little extra help can go a long way when using technology.

When I began to watch a video about assistive technology, it reminded me of a book I had read a few years ago. It was about a girl that was basically confined to a wheelchair and couldn’t speak or do anything without help. Although she was unable to verbally say everything that was going on in her mind, she was very intelligent and picked up on new concepts quite easily. As she began school and was introduced to an assistive device she showed just how smart she was through her computer that would speak for her. It really is amazing to think of how much of an impact these devices can have on those that need them. As a teacher, wanting to be able to prepare our students to be independent and work on their own while making their own choices is the main goal. The National Institute of Health brings up how appropriate assistive technology provided to students who need them will enable them to become more independent and be able to access information better.

I had one student that was hard of hearing and required a hearing aid for her classes. At first I had no idea I had to speak into a microphone that I would attach to my shirt during every lesson for her to really hear me well, plus she sat right in of me in class and she never mentioned that she had an assistive tool that I needed to use in class. It wasn’t until I was called in for a workshop on how to use these hearing devices and some other tips to help with her hearing. I had to remind myself that I needed to repeat instructions from time to time, and when I used the microphone it made things easier because the message would be relayed straight to the hearing aid she was wearing.   

            Being able to give each student in the classroom the opportunity to learn to their best abilities is one of any teachers’ main goals. This also includes incorporating using different methods and tools to do so as well as for those who may need the extra help that they can get. When it comes to using these assistive devices, I have come across the term Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which is essential using the principle of equity for all students. UDL’s essentially provide ways of representation, action and expression and engagement for all student. “The goal of UDL is to present school subjects so that all learners can access the information, and to give learners different ways to demonstrate their knowledge.” (Morin,A. 2014) This should be an added philosophy to any educator to ensure that their students get what they need to succeed.  

National Institute of Health. (2012) How does rehabilitative & assistive technology benefit people with disabilities? Retrieved June 10, 2016, from https://www.nihd.nih.gov/health/topics/rehabtech/conditioninfo/pages/help.aspx

Morin, A. (2014) Universal Design for Learning: What It Is and How It Works. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/assistive-technologies-basics/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

Technonlogy Assessment - Enabling Dreams
http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

Teachers Awareness to Online Safety

            There are many different things that occur online that can be deceiving to users and can also put them in dangerous situations. Looking at safety online as a whole is a very important aspect that should be taught to teens. This world is beginning to be more tech savvy and the use of technology is a dominant factor of everyday life for every age, especially the youth.

The three topics that were presented gave very valuable information on protecting oneself on the internet, and I was hoping to really hear about sexting and textual harassment. There are many stories about people being harassed on the internet and even the acts of child pornography that have been tracked through social media. In reality there are so many things that we do without actually realizing that our acts are illegal, even if we think there’s nothing wrong with what we are doing.

When teaching or expressing the importance of online safety with my students I believe that it is something that would need to be addressed right away. It’s a bit difficult to see several situations throughout each week of the school year that I would be having my students engage in online activities for Physical Education but I can try to make sure I really target important points in being safe. I’d probably organize a few meetings with the library to take a workshop on internet safety and I may send home letters to parents on the subject as well.

Using a different presentation tool was the highlight of this assignment, aside from finding out new information on a topic I was unfamiliar with. Creating the presentation on canva.com was somewhat exciting because of all the tools on the presentation that we were able to play with and create an eye catching presentation. Putting the presentation together happened very quickly which was also a positive to using that specific presentation tool and the only other online tool that was used was gmail and also being able to use a an online quiz generator.

I’d like to get into using more google documents to be able to work on the same file in real time. This is mainly because I’m still unfamiliar with it and I feel that once I really get the hang of using it, it will become a great asset to me in the future when it comes to collaborating with my colleagues.

Collette, R. and Gentile, M. (2006, February) “Countering the Phishing/Pharming Threat.” Retrieved from http:/www.computereconomics.com/article.cfm?id=1099

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010, November). “Smishing and Vishing and other cyber scams to watch out for this holiday” Retrieved from:htps://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2010/November/cyber_112410/cyber_11241

Ghosh, A and Tula, C. (2005, October) Phishing and Pharming dangers.” Retrieved from:http://www.crime-research.org/news/24.10.2005/1583/

There are many different things that occur online that can be deceiving to users and can also put