Week
Two
**Spreadsheets
and Databases **
There are several
website throughout the World Wide Web that provide excellent ideas for
utilizing databases and spreadsheets in the classroom, however, I decided to
use the website that was posted for this week’s reading; http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech079.shtml.
This website is one that really stuck out to me as I read through the ideas and
immediately had several branching ideas flowing through my brain! I loved the
task were the students used spreadsheets to research and track the cost of
housing in the past and the present. I would not have thought to utilize
spreadsheets in this way. This is something that could provide for “real life”
connections that middle school and high school students are constantly
searching for! I can remember my own high school days and hearing my peers and I
ask the age old question, “what does this have to do with ‘real life’?”
In the past, I have
never actually allowed my students to utilize spreadsheets and database use has
been very limited. Granted I have spent the better part of my days working with
grades K-2, therefore it would be difficult for them to input formulas and such
to reap the full benefit of spreadsheets. However, I have used excel myself as
an educator and can say without a doubt it has been a wonderful resource!
For future use, granted
I venture on to the world of middle school or high school, which I do hope will
come to pass, I have some ideas sparking inside my mind! I would like to branch
off of the idea that came from the website. I would first have my students
research a career of their choice, I would then ask them create a spreadsheet
including their cost of living, such as housing, electric bill, and all other expenses.
The students would then be asked to utilize excel to calculate their expenses
and their income to figure out if they would earn enough to support their cost
of living. Once they have completed the research and the spreadsheet, they
would then write a report about such and present their findings to their peers.
There are many additional options you could add to this assignment to tweak it
and make it more beneficial depending on the needs of your specific classroom!
There
are several ways that one can utilize spreadsheets and databases in the
classroom to encourage learning and engage students. In addition, you can start
teaching elementary students the basic uses of excel and allowing them to
familiarize themselves by simple spreadsheets and enhancing the level of
difficulty as they move to higher grade levels.
**
Concept Mapping Software **
What I’ve learned:
Bubbl.us
This
website was quite simple to navigate and I quickly started exploring it and
creating a concept map. It had been a while since I created a concept map for
my own purposes but this website quickly allowed me to jump right in and was
very easy to navigate as it continuously offered directions if I hovered the
mouse over the concept boxes.
It
was fascinating to see all of the different ways that I could use the resource,
for example I could create a circular concept map or a tree like concept map of
a concept map that went in different directions, and shapes. In addition you
can easily change the text size, color of the text box, and position of the
text boxes. You didn’t have to pull, manipulate, and re-position the boxes
numerous times to attach them or unattach them they easily slid into the
position you desired and could just as easily be moved. Furthermore, I found it
really intriguing that you can add a link to a concept box, or you can attach a
file from your computer!
The
website is free to work with and you can choose from pre-created concepts maps
or you can create your own from a template or from scratch. In addition, you
can save your concept maps. You simply create and account and log in to save
your concept maps. Nice website that I will explore in more detail in the
future!
iMindMap
Wow!
This concept mapping software is pretty legit and intense! I was astounded by
the vast amount of creativity that could be brought into play here and the
website offers so many amazing tools. First off, the software has been updated
and is now named, iMindMap 7. You can create basic concept maps through this
resource but you can also allow for more creativity as there are numerous
features available to enhance the product. Some of the features include but are
in no way limited to, the ability to add pictures with the drag of a mouse,
including multiple maps on one canvas, floating text and images, and utilizing
pre-made templates.
The
website provides tutorials and trainings to help learn how to utilize the
program to its full potential. In addition, the website provides testimonials
and words from the creators to allow others to see the success of the program.
The website offers a free 7 day trail but you do have to pay for it after the
trial period is over. All in all this website is very thorough, and has a lot
of information packed into it! To truly understand the product you need to investigate
every virtual nook and cranny of the website!
How the resource can be utilized in the classroom:
Bubbl.us
After exploring this website, I will eagerly express that it could most
certainly be incorporated into a school setting. The more I manipulated the
website and created my own concept maps the more quickly ideas were popping
into my head.
This
resource could be utilized across all grade levels from elementary to college.
Of course the lower the grade level the more support that would be needed from
the teacher! In my grade level I can visualize many instances where this
resource could be used. It could be utilized in English in grades 3 and up to
help with the writing process and to organize the thoughts of the students into
one place. In addition, it would be nice to have the students create a product
using this resource to give a presentation.
Furthermore, I would like to use this resource in lectures and
introductions of new stories. For example I could have the students create a
concept map about the main character in the story and utilize the concept map
to develop a sound analysis of said character. Not only can they be used in
English but science as well. I know I have personally used them in previous
science classes especially when classifying different organisms or minerals.
iMindMap7
Without a doubt this software can be incorporated into the classroom! To
start off you can use this website just like any other concept mapping software
to enhance your lessons and perhaps even the lesson planning. In addition, you
can allow the students to utilize the software to create products, organize
their thoughts, and present information among other creative tasks.
Again, this source could be used across multiple grade levels and many
different content areas. It could be utilized by students, teachers, and
administrators. I would like to give the students a topic and have them
research it, and create a concept map on that topic. I would then like them to
write an informative piece on their topic using their concept map to help them
organize their writing!
The
website even has a place where you can visually see ways to use the product in
a classroom setting. One included feature would be the children maps, which I
am sure, could be put to use in elementary grade levels!
My recommendations:
Bubbl.us
I would
recommend this website to other educators, however I would add in a note of
caution that it would be best if used in upper grade levels, presumably around
third grade and up. I would also like to make other educators aware that if it
is utilized at the elementary level, several instances of scaffolding would be
required in order for the students to understand the idea of concept mapping.
Other than those small tidbits, I would say it is an excellent resource
that provides for easy navigation and creation. Most importantly... Okay maybe
not but it is important, would be that it is a FREE resource that can be used
by anyone!
iMindMap7
Honestly, I personally probably wouldn’t recommend this resources to
anyway because I feel it is really too “high tech” for the purposes of
education. Especially my field of elementary school! I could see, entertaining
the idea to upper grade levels in specific content areas, such as science or
business. In my opinion, it is too busy and packs a lot of information into it
for the beginning virtual concept mapper. I do have to play fair though, and
state that I did not get a chance to go through the trainings so perhaps they
did an excellent job explaining how to utilize the software.
On
another note, the website was easy to navigate and the organization of the
website was impeccable. The product is free for a trial period of 7 days.
However, once that trial period is up, there is a fee and to me it does seem
rather pricey. You can purchase it as an individual or as a school.
All
in all it does seem like a good resource, and I can certainly see the benefits
of this product especially to a profound business professional but to an
educator I don’t think I really would need this level of software.
**
Animoto **
What I’ve learned:
Animoto
The
best way to understand a product is to explore it firsthand! In order to do
this, I created a free account through animoto which allows you to create 30
minute videos. I uploaded whatever pictures I had on my computer, added a quick
song to it, a line of text and clicked on the create button! It was as simple
as it sounds. It didn’t take much haggling, and the website is set up to walk
you through the creation of the video in a step by step manner.
The website offers
many different uses for the product such as for personal use, business,
education, and other uses. There are different features that come with the
different accounts depending on if you have a free account of if you purchased
one. This resource has a downloadable app that you can download onto apple
products such as IPhones, IPods, and IPads which would allow for quick and easy
access and use. It also allows for sharing with social media sites, which would
be more for personal use rather than in a classroom.
How the resource can be utilized in the classroom:
Creating my own video
allowed me to personally experience the ease with which these videos can be
created. I can certainly visualize my students creating videos like this. In
fact, in the past I have created videos in the classroom with the students in a
whole group setting. We actually created our own classroom subtraction rap
video. The students loved being proactive and hands-on, and they were thrilled
to watch themselves when playing the video back! I think this software would be
amazing for creating and viewing videos in the classroom.
Not
only would I be the only one creating the videos, I would like to allow my
students the opportunity to create their own videos and use these videos as
products! The website offers up ways in which you can utilize the resource in
the classroom. It actually shows different videos that were created in a
classroom setting. I like the fact that this resource allows for students to be
creative and utilize technology!
My recommendations:
I would without a doubt
recommend this website to other educators and friends as well! I am so excited
to start creating videos. I love to put pictures into videos anyway and haven’t
found a site this easy before! The ease of which the videos can be created is
amazing! In addition, the website is
very easy to navigate. There is a fee but I think it would be worth it. You can
create 30 second videos for free, or you can purchase 10 minute videos for
$5.00 a month. There is also the option to purchase the account that allows you
to create 20 minute videos for $40.00 a month. Of course the more expensive the
account, lite, plus, or pro, the more features it will include.
With all of this in mind, there is
also the option to create an educatorsplus account. If you are an educator you
can create a free account to use in the classroom where you can create up to 50
student accounts or colleague accounts. In addition, you can create an
unlimited number of videos! I am certainly going back to my classroom on Monday
and beginning the process of creating an ‘alphabet’ video with my Kindergarten
babies!
**Slideshow
Creators **
What I’ve learned:
Google Drive
I will admit
that before this class, I had never heard of Google Drive. I find it very
fascinating and would like to further explore it’s uses in my classroom! Google
Drive formally known as GoogleDocs is a website that allows you to create word
documents, spreadsheets, and power point presentations. It is much the same as
Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point! There is no save button, as the website
saves all of your work automatically in a collection of sorts.
What I
really like about this website is that you can download these apps onto your
Mobile devices and tablets. Tablets and mobile devices are becoming a large
part of the classroom world, and sometimes schools find that they have limited
technology resources. If students could utilize their personal tablets and
mobile devices to create these spreadsheets and databases then it could
certainly provide for more creation of products in the classroom.
In order to
access Google Drive you must have a Google account. Once you have the account
you can create documents and it will store them to the account for you. You can
download Google Drive to your computer and sync files from your computer to
your drive. In addition, you can post your work straight from Google Drive to
the World Wide Web for others to view.
PhotoPeach
PhotoPeach is yet another
excellent technology resource that I had not heard of until now! I am excited
to begin utilizing these amazing resources in my personal life and in my career
as an educator! PhotoPeach is a website that allows you to upload and organize
photos into a slideshow presentation. It is very simple to create a slideshow
you simply upload your photos, organize them they way you wish, add music and
comments and create!
The resource
offers many different categories in which you can find examples and influential
videos to use as guidance. In addition there are three different account types;
a free account, a premium account and an educators account. All three come with
their own special features!
How the resource can be utilized in the classroom:
Google
Drive
Typing
documents and using excel have been incorporated into classrooms for some time
now, but the rather new concept of utilizing Google Drive to create those
documents and spreadsheets is interesting. I can certainly see using Google
Drive in the classroom in the near future.
Personally, I would like to use this in English and have the students
create documents such as portfolio pieces or perhaps a virtual journal. If they
were to create these writings on the Google Drive website then it would save
all of their information for them and they could organize it. In addition, this
would allow for each student to have their own space and you wouldn’t have the
ability to get into the documents on the computer and go through other pieces
of work. With parental permission, and privacy settings securely set it would
be idea to create a Google account for each student and allow them to create
their own writings. This would allow them to be able to access their writings
anywhere that they could pull up Google Drive. Parents could also view their
child’s writings this way to allow for more parent/teacher/student
communication.
There are many ways that Google Drive can be incorporated into the
classroom and the possibilities are endless. I look forward to introducing this
to my future students, and co-workers and watching the creativity come to life!
PhotoPeach
PhotoPeach is yet another great resource that can in-fact be utilized in
the classroom. Actually, I am coming to find that there are many technology
resources out there that can be utilized in the classroom. This resource is
actually set up to accommodate education and be utilized in a school setting.
You simply click on the “education” tab and it will provide you with all of the
necessary information.
The
educators account is set up to accommodate multiple student users. The students
can easily tag their photos, add text and music to the slideshow, easily
publish the page to share with parents or community members and many other
features.
Personally, I would like to use this resource as a product that my
students have the option to create when completing an assignment. I would like
to teach each of my students how to use the program to its full potential, and
then assign assignments that allows them the opportunity to utilize the
program. Specifically, I think this website would be a great resource for when
the students write their research reports. They can create a slideshow using
pictures that pertain to their research topic and play the video when they
present their research reports. When thinking back to the past, when I worked
with second grade students and they completed animal reports it would have been
nice for the students to create a slideshow of pictures pertaining to their
animal while they were presenting their reports! I think this resource can
definitely enhance learning in the classroom!
My recommendations:
Google
Drive
I
would recommend Google Drive to other educators as it is very easy to use and
keeps track of your writings in an organized efficient manner! This website is
very nice to use with tablets and mobile devices which are definitely becoming
more prevalent. In fact one reserve I had personally for getting a tablet was
that I wouldn’t be able to create word documents and spreadsheets. Now that I
know I can purchase Google Drive and download onto the tablet, I will definitely
be more open to the idea!
However,
I can certainly see where it would be a concern with the programs ability to
post your documents and spreadsheets directly to the internet. Even though I
grew up in a world of technology, I still have a rather large amount of reserve
about posting information to the World Wide Web. Sometimes, I don’t think
students understand how fast information spreads on the WWW, and I think it is
rather difficult for them to grasp the concept that once it is out in cyber
space it is there for good! I would be a bit concerned that with the easy
ability to post the documents straight to the web some of the students may post
things that they don’t wish to be known by the public!
PhotoPeach
I would certainly recommend the website for other educators to check out!
It appears to be a source worth value and I can definitely visualize how the product
can enhance the learning environment. The website was very easy to navigate and
certainly self explanatory. In addition, creating the slideshows with pictures
was very simple! It was laid out plainly in a step by step manner!
PhotoPeach offers three different
account types; a free account, a premium account and an
educators account. The free account is of course free but it offers limited
features. The premium account cost $3.00 per month and has more features than
the free account. The educators account is to be utilized by educators and
students. You can purchase one educator account with 50 students for $9.00 per
month, or one educator account with 150 students for $25.00 per month. There is
an option to purchase for more students if it is necessary, you simply need to
contact the providers.
Websites I mentioned above:
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