Teaching in the Digital Age" by Brian Puerling was a pretty fascinating book. Who knew how much Technology could do for parents, students, and teachers!!? Overall Puerling stated how technology simply enhances learning, development, interactions, connections, and collaboration. We as educators need to incorporate technology more often and it as a tool to measure, assess, record, plan, and even share with others! We can teach ourselves and more importantly OUR STUDENTS how to use these hands on tools to enhance their overall life learning. We can provide meaningful and purposeful learning environments for our students with the vast range of tech tools that are available for us. From whiteboards, to cameras, to Ipads- these tools are all positive to the learning environment in ANY content area! Although, we as teachers need to take time to introduce to our students exactly HOW to use the various tools and WHY we bother using them! Creating or Using your schools tech team is a great resource to enhance your students minds, your own, or your school as a whole! It is also a great way to keep parents involved!! Technology in Education is nothing but a WIN-WIN!
Teaching in the Digital Age" by Brian Puerling was a pretty fascinating book. Who knew how much Technology could do for parents, students, and teachers!!? Overall Puerling stated how technology simply enhances learning, development, interactions, connections, and collaboration. We as educators need to incorporate technology more often and it as a tool to measure, assess, record, plan, and even share with others! We can teach ourselves and more importantly OUR STUDENTS how to use these hands on tools to enhance their overall life learning. We can provide meaningful and purposeful learning environments for our students with the vast range of tech tools that are available for us. From whiteboards, to cameras, to Ipads- these tools are all positive to the learning environment in ANY content area! Although, we as teachers need to take time to introduce to our students exactly HOW to use the various tools and WHY we bother using them! Creating or Using your schools tech team is a great resource to enhance your students minds, your own, or your school as a whole! It is also a great way to keep parents involved!! Technology in Education is nothing but a WIN-WIN!
1 Comment
The web 2.0 tools I chose to vent about are VOKI and VIMEO. Lets begin with VIMEO. This is essentially "JUST LIKE YOUTUBE" but has a few differences. For starters, VIMEO has less adds down the side of the webpage as YouTube. VIMEO also has better quality videos that are HD. I seemed to notice that once I go onto YouTube I end up clicking the VIMEO style videos anyway because they are better for viewing. The only thing about VIMEO which is similar to YouTube is the random advertisements and additional videos that may pop up before or after you are done viewing a video. Often times these adds or additional video examples are inappropriate and have no censor what so ever. I prefer using VIMEO over YouTube solely because of the quality of the videos but I would use either. Nothing too exciting. VOKI
Voki is a very simple tech tool to use. It is basically a cartoon or character chosen that you can add sound/ words to. The cartoon or avatar that you choose will speak any text you write in the text box. For instance, you can choose an alien avatar and make it say something silly like "greetings student earthlings". The avatar will move its mouth to the words you are having it speak. I would personally use this for a very short introduction to a new lesson or project. I find it tough for the students to focus on because they are paying more attention to the animated character then what is actually being said by the character. I would use this as a quick attention getter at the beginning of class or maybe as a quick wrap up/close to the end of a period. Definitely more entertaining for the elementary level students but focus is lost after a few minutes. Voki also has a search box where you can search pre-made lessons or content area topics. There aren't too many for ART though. You can also record your OWN voice to really make your VOKI personalized for you and your students. Here is an autobiography I made about myself and my family using www.animoto.com This is a short video that includes moving pictures and music with a pre-planned out theme. Students can use these in any content area to make their own autobiographies, biographies about others or artists, videos on a specific topic, art term, movement, period, or even a technique. They can also just use this program to show off pictures of their own creations or things they simply may love. All in all, the program is free, easy to use, and easy to share! It is a no fail lesson that easily relates to technology AND the arts. WIN! |