As educators and even individuals we are consistently finding and inventing new ways to make things run a little more effective. I had a teacher once tell me that every invention was made to make something easier. Think about how far inventions have come; starting with the creation of the first ever “wheel” to where they are now. Or even consider the technology that were in use during the 1980’s compared to today’s present technology. If we can learn anything from these examples it’s that technology and innovation are moving fast. It is no longer an argument that students in the 21st century classroom have no choice whether they want to be exposed to technology or not; they simply are born into this society.
So now we are left with little or no choice but to give into the ever changing demands of modern technology and manipulate it in a way to our advantage...which has simply become known as the 21st century classroom. But what about being in the 2000’s that makes a classroom “21st century worthy”? Is it simply the use of technology in the classroom? Or is because the students are technologically literate? Or could it even be both or more? Our group, as well as Dr. Strange, have searched and found you guys some 21st century learning and communication tools using technology that makes way for modern effective instruction and a more technology friendly classroom..
I’m sure you have all heard about iCurio through our EDM 310 blogs as well as some other sites that promote learning through an online or technological source. So we are here today to tell you about some new tools we have found to add to your students 21st century classroom experience.
The first site we are here to tell you about is www.edmodo.com. Edmodo is a social network learning website for teachers, students, and also parents that enables learners to connect with the people, resources, and information needed to reach their full potential. It is thought of as an online commonly (ex. Facebook.com) of schools, as called by students, teachers and parents alike. Where better than to start than an social network site dedicated fully to learning?! With edmodo reaching information is painless and you can easily search through educators to find learning experiences personalized to you and your classroom.
Another awesome feature about edmodo.com, is you are able to track student progress All grades, assignment, and activities are awarded through Edmodo are stored within the website and can be easily accessed. Teachers can get the status of their classrooms by the students reactions to quizzes, assignments, discussions, activities and posts that demonstrate understanding, confusion, or fallacies.
Edmodo is also equipped with hundreds of educational apps. You and your students can pick and choose the apps you want for your own page and personalize those as you choose and use them for interactive lessons or activities in your classroom. The only fallacy I can find so far about this website is just a minor speed bump. You as a teacher, your school, or your classroom must acquire an activation code before you can create an account. Otherwise you are on your way to quick and easy learning, sharing, and researching with thousands of other educators or fellow students.
Above are some snapshot from the Edmodo website that give you some insight on how it is set up.
Use Edmodo.com as a way to stay connected with your students. Edmodo.com is a great way to give your students a jumpstart to usung research and tasks through technology. Use it to connect with other educators or classroom around the world to learn about different cultures and different ways to approach teaching and learning. Use it to create a diverse idea of interactive and engaging lesson plans. Remember, think of it as a Facebook, only dedicated to learning; just imagine the possibilities!
The second tool we want to discuss is #PTchat, or Parent-Teacher chat. Parent-Teacher Chat is a weekly Twitter chat where parents and teachers around the world come together using hashtag #PTchat. This chat helps parents and teachers become open as a group to questions and concerns they may have. The chat starts every Wednesday around 9pm EDT. A topic is chosen every week and parents, teachers, and school leaders are able to give their opinion on each topic .
We believe that this is such a helpful tool for teachers as well as parents. Teachers will be able to extend they PLN, or Personal Learning Network. Parents will be able to show their support and raise questions to teachers all over the world. As a future teacher or parent, please use this tool to your advantage. It will help you grow both individually and professionally.
The third tool is ABC Teach. ABC Teach is a website with a ton of free course materials and documents. There are over 5,000 different activities for students. We thought this website would be perfect for teachers new and old. All you do is find a subject/category that you want; then look for more specific categories within the main category list. We all feel that this resource is very useful and that all teachers should use this at some point in their career. I hope you all find it as interesting as us and will use this awesome tool.
It's obvious that you guys didn't proofread this post before publishing it. There are a lot of typos! Always, always, always proofread your blogposts! Also, why does the word "I" come up numerous times in the post if you guys wrote this collaboratively. Who is "I"?
ReplyDeleteAlso, at this point in the semester, you shouldn't be forgetting to add alt/title modifiers to your pictures!
Malary, you also didn't add any working links to your blog post. It's always a good idea to link your readers to whatever you're talking about!