VoiceThread, Animoto, and Wordle

I thought this weeks assignments were fun to do. I can see how useful all of these tools can be in the classroom. After exploring all three, I enjoyed Animoto the most. It was easy to create a video and I liked adding comments and being able to pick my own music to go along with the video. I think that VoiceThread was the most difficult; I have never used this program before, so I have to watch the tutorials and explore the website before I could even begin to create.

I do like the idea of using VoiceThread in the classroom because it allows for collaboration between the students. A VoiceThread could be created about anything and the rest of the class could comment. For example, when studying presidents each student could pick a different president to create a VoiceThread for. I think it would be helpful in math class to show students steps to solving problems. I created my VoiceThread about solving simple math word problems. 

VoiceThread

Animoto was a really interesting tool to use. I can see how useful it would be in the classroom for many reasons. I would love to create a video about field trips, the Special Olympics, and other memorable events. It also would work good as a learning tool. The teacher could create a virtual field trip using this program, introduce a unit, or use it to teach part of a lesson. There is a link to my video below, I wasn't really sure what to make it about and I don't have a lot of pictures; the pictures I do have are from my field observation hours from last weekend......so I hope everyone enjoys Robotics :)

Animoto Video


I thought it was very easy to create a Wordle and I can see myself using it in the classroom. The Wordle that I created is about Special Education (link below). I like that you can enter as many words as you want and randomize your words until it creates a design that you desire. In the classroom I would use Wordle with my students for many things. For example, the students could practice their spelling words, site words, vocabulary, the main idea of a reading, or to make as many synonyms as they could think of.

 Special Education Wordle

Microsoft Access

This was the first time I have ever used Microsoft Access. At first I was a little hesitant because I was unsure of so much, but after looking though the tutorials and playing around a little with the program I started to really like it. After completing the assignment I can see the usefulness of the program and I prefer it over using Excel. Some of the features that I liked were being able to import Excel documents, the Queries, and the ease of entering data. I think the Queries are a great feature because the user can limit the data in a table to just the information they need.

I would use this in the classroom for my own use and in my lessons. I could use this program as a grade book. Creating Queries would be helpful for grades, grouping students based on academic levels, and seeing work students still owe. For use in the classroom, students could use Access in math class for data collection, creating representations based on data, and creating tables and lists.

I also think Access will come in handy in my personal life. I have a wedding to plan at some point and this would be a great way to keep track of guest, their information, what I received from them, and whether or not I sent them a Thank you card yet. Another way I could see this program being useful is with finances. I wish I would have learned about Access sooner, but now I think I will put it to good use in my personal and professional life. 

Web Tools

I enjoyed exploring all of the web tools this week. I found some of them to be extremely useful in the classroom. When narrowing my list down I concentrated on the tools I would be most likely to use.

I would love to see SmartBoards being used more in the classroom for interaction rather than a fancy dry erase board. So the first tools I looked at were about using interactive whiteboards with students. I downloaded Triptico and explored the free resource. Some of them I could really see myself using in the classroom, I liked the Word Magnets for ELA and phonics to create sentences using the words in the correct order, or they include 42 other backgrounds like a Venn diagram or graphic organizers. I would definitely use the timers and selectors in the classroom for multiple subjects. The quizzes tools would be good to use for review before a test. This tool is user friendly and I was able to enter the information very easily and save my creations to the computer. The Plus version offers so many more options and isn’t that expensive, this is a tool I will definitely look more into.

Organization can be a challenge for students and I think graphic organizers are a great resource. Text2MindMap was one of the graphic organizing tools I like because of the simplicity. This program was very user friendly and the organizer could be color coded. I like how easy it was to create another branch, by pressing the Tab button. To preview your graphic organizer, just click the create button and you can go back and edit it. This tool could be used in any classroom because the graphic organizer can be made very simple or more complicated. I would have students use this tool in many subjects to organize their thoughts.

Another tool that could be useful in the classroom is creating timelines. Xtimeline is a good tool for online timelines because the user is able to add more information, which shows up as a separate box when that event is selected. When the timeline is complete I liked the look of it. For example, the dots are spaced based on the time they occurred. I would use this in the classroom to have the students can complete timelines about history, themselves, and ordering events in books they have read. Really the possibilities are endless.

I have been introduced to so many great web based tools during the class that will make my classroom a technology hot spot. I can’t wait to start engaging learners with these tools!