The 21st Century Classroom: New Digital Age
Since it was my first time using it, I thought I'd do something related to something that has made an impact on me since the start of this course. The astonishment of the direction that education in the classrooms is taking has blown me away. I have begun to immerse my self in as many tools as I can.
- I'm very big on "Going Green", so what a great way to be able to use tools such as Diigo to save articles, resources, worksheets and keep them filed online.
- A great way to have students collaborate and share ideas-through Wiki's and Digital Storytelling projects
- Making global connections to other classrooms around the world through the use of Skype!
- No longer spending additional money on chalk, chalkboard erasers, dry erase markers and dry erasers or overhead projectors and the markers that are usedd for those. Now, teachers can use and are using SMART Boards! Not as messy, fun activites to engage students in lessons and great way to incorporate taking care of classroom property.
- Blogs are a great way to allow students to share their thoughts, opinoins based on a specific topic or theme. They are also great when you have quiet students in your classroom. It is possible that they may have a lot to say but could be very quiet and shy in the classroom. Blogging or responding to forums could give them the opportunity to share their thoughts and give them a voice.
- Finally, the iPad has become a tool in the classroom. Many of the applications are learning games that range from reading to science. There are apps that help with phonological awareness, sight words, comprehension, etc. There are apps that allow students to add, subtract, multiply, divide in fun ways! There are social skills and communication apps for students with special needs.
Rubi - I could not agree with you more on these points. Going Green is something we all should be conscious of. But especially in schools. Right now our school has a paper shortage and we still have 4 months to go. Imagine bringing more technology in school to save on the cost of paper and use of the big copiers that seem to break down often. Great Point. Also Glogsters are an excellent collaboration tool. I have used them in my class and the kids enjoyed it so much. It was interesting how many students wanted to use PowerPoint prior to working with the Glogsters. After the project was completed they stated that they want to use it more. The only downfall I see about Glogsters is the fee involved for a teacher to have access to the students work. Students can set up their own accounts but the teacher can not have access to guide students and also to assess their work until they show their final product. And the highest package has the presentation tool for students to show their work to the class in full view. Thanks for sharing this.
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