10 Minutes of Technology for Busy Teachers is a jog that introduces technology tools that are free, easy to use, and require no login. This resource includes tools for creating interactive stories, summarizing text, collaborating online with students in real time, exploring museums, linking directly to quotes in web pages, or creating word clouds.
Type With Me is a tool that allows students to communicate in real-time using an online space set aside for class activities. After creating the space, the teacher sends the link to class members, and they are able to easily add their comments. This tutorial provides an excellent demonstration of Type With Me. This tool could be easily used as a backchannel for students to communicate questions in class. If you’ve never used a backchannel in your classroom, the article, 7 Things You Should Know About Backchannel Communication, provides an excellent overview.
Another useful website that is showcased in this resource is Citebite, which allows users to easily create a link to a specific quote on a web page, news story, blog, or other online source, without requiring a software installation or download. Citebite is very handy for directing students to specific information on a website.
Wordle is another resource that can be used for generating word clouds. Word clouds are helpful for generating class discussions using technology. For example, as a spelling resource, the class might suggest misspelled words from their assignments to be added to a class word cloud. The site creates a graphic visual that can be used to identify commonly misspelled words. The word cloud could be printed, displayed in the classroom, and used to review words commonly misspelled by the class. Additionally, when writing a paragraph or essay, students might use Wordle to identify words that have been overused. They could then choose synonyms to improve their writing. Additional word cloud examples and ideas are presented on the jog.
These tools are just a few of the resources presented on the jog. Additional technology tools that are helpful for teachers are presented at Cool Tools.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
10 Minutes of Technology for Busy Teachers
10 Minutes of Technology for Busy Teachers is a jog that introduces technology tools that are free, easy to use, and require no login. This resource includes tools for creating interactive stories, summarizing text, collaborating online with students in real time, exploring museums, linking directly to quotes in web pages, or creating word clouds.
Type With Me is a tool that allows students to communicate in real-time using an online space set aside for class activities. After creating the space, the teacher sends the link to class members, and they are able to easily add their comments. This tutorial provides an excellent demonstration of Type With Me. This tool could be easily used as a backchannel for students to communicate questions in class. If you’ve never used a backchannel in your classroom, the article, 7 Things You Should Know About Backchannel Communication, provides an excellent overview.
Another useful website that is showcased in this resource is Citebite, which allows users to easily create a link to a specific quote on a web page, news story, blog, or other online source, without requiring a software installation or download. Citebite is very handy for directing students to specific information on a website.
Wordle is another resource that can be used for generating word clouds. Word clouds are helpful for generating class discussions using technology. For example, as a spelling resource, the class might suggest misspelled words from their assignments to be added to a class word cloud. The site creates a graphic visual that can be used to identify commonly misspelled words. The word cloud could be printed, displayed in the classroom, and used to review words commonly misspelled by the class. Additionally, when writing a paragraph or essay, students might use Wordle to identify words that have been overused. They could then choose synonyms to improve their writing. Additional word cloud examples and ideas are presented on the jog.
These tools are just a few of the resources presented on the jog. Additional technology tools that are helpful for teachers are presented at Cool Tools.
Jog The Web
Jog The Web is a free, web-based tool that allows users to create "jogs." Jogs are a way of organizing web resources for guided learning. The teacher selects websites to be used by students and organizes them in a Jog to help students stay on track. Pages can be explored within the jog, which helps students stay focused on the content being presented. Pages can be annotated by the jog author. Annotations can be used to present questions or to highlight important information on each page that is presented. In this example of a jog, students are guided through the parts of the nervous system. Notice the teacher annotations at the top of each page. Use this Jog the Web Tutorial to learn how to create your own jog.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)