Teaching with Technology

Teaching with TechnologyAn Introduction to Integrating Technology into the Classroom

Teaching With TechnologyTechnology is ubiquitous reaching everyaspect of our lives, whether at work, home, or school. Properly utilized, technology in theclassroom will enable students to acquire theskills they will need to survive in a highlycomplex technological world.

Why Use technology?Teachers who see computers as a problem-solving tool, move from a behaviorist approach to a more constructivist approach.Students who use technology and interactive multimedia are more engaged in their learning, becoming creators and critics, instead of just consumers.Proper use of technology enhances teacher/student relationships.The Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET)found that, technology impacts achievement in content area learning, promotes higher-order thinking and problem solving skills, and prepares students for the workforce.

Information found in George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2012.Technology ToolsTechnological tools for the classroom can be broken down into three broad categories:1. those that publish 2. those that manage information3. those that share content in new collaborative ways

- Richardson, 2010Our focusIn this lesson, we will introduce the following technological tools and some of their applications:WeblogsWikisRSSJingAlternatives to Power PointGoogle toolsSocial bookmarking

WeblogsWeblogs are easy to create and update sites that allow an author (or authors) to instantly publish to the Internet. They engage readers with ideas and questions and links, encouraging response and interaction.For the top 10 sites to build a blog for free, see http://devilsworkshop.org/top-10-websites-to-create-a-blog-for-free/

Two new blogs are being created every second -Richardson (2010)Weblogs Uses in the classroomClass Portal to post course curriculum, syllabus, class rules, homework assignments, rubrics, handouts, and presentationsE-Portfolios a students personal record of learning, with links to videos, presentations, and podcastsCollaborative Space students can interact with each other online, or with experts in their field of studyKnowledge Management and Articulation committees and groups can share meeting minutes, relevant links, and presentations; schools can share best practices, lesson plans, what works, what doesnt work.For some additional ideas on blogging, click here.

wikisA wiki is a Web site that allows users to add and update content on the site using their own Web browser. This is made possible by Wiki software that runs on the Web server. Wikis end up being created mainly by a collaborative effort of the site visitors. Usually every page in a wiki has a link (most often at the top) which says edit page, or something similar.A number of wiki sites feature a password and login system which provides some security when using in a classroom situation. To see how wikis work, click on the following link.Top ten sites for creating a wiki Currently, edits [in Wikipedia] appear at a rate of around 400,000 a day. - Richardson (2010)Wikis uses in the classroomOnline Text create online text for your curriculum that both students and teachers contribute toClass Wikipedia create a dictionary of terms or encyclopedia of concepts applicable to the courseAssignment Portal students post their work for other students to view and comment uponFor some additional ideas on using wikis, click here.RSSRSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.RSS makes it possible for you to subscribe to the content that is created on a particular weblog or wiki so that you dont have to visit the site itself to get it. You can subscribe to multiple sites.RSS uses a type of software called an aggregator which checks the feeds you subscribe to (usually every hour) and collects all the new content. When youre ready, you open the aggregator and read the individual stories, file them for later, click through to the site itself, or delete them if you wish all on one site.RSS allows you to read more content, from more sources, in less time.RSSThings to Remember Not every site on the Web has an RSS feedBe sure the sites you add are worthwhileCreating folders in your RSS Reader will help to organize your feedsTry to read your RSS feeds on a daily basisTop Ten RSS Readers

Still confused? Watch this video, for an excellent introduction to using RSS.

RSS Uses in the classroomChecking Student Weblogs rather than checking each weblog individually, the aggregator can collect them all in one placeStudent Research enter a search term and receive any newly published data on that topic as soon as its publishedCreate a Web Page Using RSS - group together a number of RSS feeds about a specific topic onto a single Web pageSome additional uses for RSS can be found at this site.

JingJing is a way to share images and short videos of your computer screenThe software for Jing is free and can be downloaded hereYou can also download a more sophisticated screen capture software called Snagit at the above siteJing has some excellent how-to tutorials at this siteThis website also shares some interesting ways to use jingAlternatives to Power PointIn this next section, well look at 4 alternatives to the Power Point presentation:PreziSlideRocketGoogle Docs PresentationsZoho ShowPreziThe Prezi works more like a giant virtual whiteboard containing your entire presentation.Instead of flipping through slides, the viewer is zoomed in and out of the appropriate portions of your Prezi presentation, creating a much more animated and visually-appealing experience.Prezi offers three different licensing agreements:For $0/yr you get the core features and 100 MB of storage spaceFor $59/yr you get 500 MB of storage, the ability to use your own logo, make your prezis private, and premium 24/7 supportFor $159/yr you get 2 GB of storage, all of the above, plus the use of Prezi Desktop for offline editingPreziTo see some examples of presentations using the Prezi software, and to learn how to use this technique, go to www.prezi.com

SliderocketSlideRocket is a collaborative web-based application that can be used online, offline, or mobile.Combine themes and layouts, shapes, charts, tables, pictures, audio, HD video, and Flash to tell your story.Licensing agreements range from $0/mo for the casual user, to $24/mo for the professional, to an undisclosed amount for organizational use.To learn more about this product, or to download the software, go to www.sliderocket.com

Google docs presentationsThe presentation builder for Google Docs is more or less a simplified clone of Microsoft's offering, but it remains a pretty solid alternative.Allows you to share and collaborate in real time, control who can see your presentation, and safely stores and organizes your workFor a visual introduction to using Google docs presentation, watch the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upYWo84wNxMTo get started using Google docs presentation, click here.

Zoho showSimilar to other online presentation toolsGo to this link to see some of the design features of this softwareZoho Office (which includes Zoho Show) can be downloaded free for a 30-day trial period; after that the cost is $3/mo, or $24/yr. You can download Zoho Office here.

Google ToolsFor a complete list of Google tools for the educator, go to: http://www.google.com/educators/tools.html

Social bookmarkingWikipedia defines social bookmarking as a method for Internet users to organize, store, manage and search forbookmarksof resources online (Social bookmarking, n.d.).Tagging is a significant feature of social bookmarking systems, enabling users to organize their bookmarks in flexible ways and develop shared vocabularies known asfolksonomies.To see a demonstration on how social bookmarking works, view the following video.To see the top 15 social bookmarking websites, click here.

SummaryThe technology tools available for classroom use today are proliferating at an astounding pace. What has been presented here is only a fraction of the opportunities for enhancing learning that can be realized through technology. Learning these new techniques takes time and practice. Yet the time that educators spend on incorporating technology into the classroom will reap great rewards. And because many of our students already employ many of these techniques, we cannot afford to ignore them. I would encourage every educator to critically evaluate the tools presented here and try to gradually implement as many as is appropriate to your individual learning situation.ReferencesBarrett, T. (n.d.). Interesting ways. In Edtech. Retrieved March 14, 2012, from http://edte.ch/blog/interesting-ways/George Lucas Educational Foundation (2012). Why integrate technology into the curriculum?: The reasons are many. In Edutopia. Retrieved March 14, 2012, from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introductionRichardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Social bookmarking (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 14, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_bookmarking