So today we learned about all these different online tools we could use either in our classrooms or in our personal lives in general.
So far I've been really impressed with the tools we've learned about...but this week I don't really feel that way. I'd say the tool I had to research, Diigo, was the most useful thing I heard about. With Diigo I can share resources (or borrow ideas) from other educators. I can share things with my students that are relevant to what we're doing (if they're over 13 years old, that is) and I can get them to share things with me. I can highlight and make notes on things I read online and can open bookmarks (and things I've highlighted or sticky-noted online) from other computers. Pretty cool! I'm already part of a "History Teachers" group and it has so many ideas. I'm so excited to have my own classroom--I'm going to read all these things people are sharing!
Dropbox is cool, but I'd rather e-mail stuff to myself/share things with my friends through e-mail and google docs than have to create a new account. I have way too many usernames and passwords to keep everything straight...and I'm not really sure how Dropbox will be useful in a classroom. My group tried to think about this but we really didn't come up with anything of substance. Evernote was cute--I like the icon and color scheme--but it was much too complicated for me. I could just use Diigo to share things with my colleagues and students (or friends and family in my personal life). Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I'd rather write down notes on paper...or in Microsoft word. Skype is useful for my persona life, but I don't think there are many uses in school. Someone in my group mentioned that we could use it for guest speakers. I thought this was interesting. She said that she had a teacher who would invite authors to speak to her class after they finished books (through Skype or something like it). That would be awesome! If I had connections with prominent historians or people who were alive during big historical events I could have them talk to my class without them having to be there. Interesting. But other than that, Skype doesn't seem very useful. The other problem is that we can't assume our students have access to computers or the internet (so they might not be able to use this stuff outside of school). If anyone has any ideas about how we can use these resources in our classrooms I would love to hear them. I need some examples!
I don't want to use all these different resources all at once...I think I have a good handle on technology, but I can't keep track of everything. All the stuff we did today in our groups was just overwhelming. Too much information in too little time for me to really commit to memory. I don't remember my password to Aviary, and that was only 2 weeks ago. I don't even remember the username I created for Evernote, and that was a couple hours ago. I feel like I took a step backward...I guess I think it's just easier to do what I'm doing right now. It seems to be working pretty well. Now I know about all these online tools that people may be using in my school, and that's enough for me.
Basically, Diigo is cool...everyting else? Meh.
Yeah, I think Diigo is cool, too. Here's a reason to consider Evernote again, though ... lock it down with a terrifically weird password and store your other usernames/passwods there? :)
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting idea...but the other concern I have involves time. I don't think I have the time to really explore the functions and potential uses of all these online resources (at least right now). I think doing so requires a great deal of reflection, and at present I don't have the luxury of time.
DeleteMaybe in the future.
Well, I had a much different experience with Skype. I was amazed at how much was out there and available to teachers and students. If you can imagine it you can probably find it somewhere on Skype. I could have filled up page after page of interesting Skype sites to look at…I think it would be very interesting to teach a geography class and “visit” the different parts of the world via Skype…Or perhaps Skype with a veteran of one of the wars our country has been part of to get a more real feel of what it was like. It is easy to speak about what happened in Vietnam, but what about speaking with a vet who fought there when learning about history?
ReplyDeleteAs to the other tools, I think we all need more time to see what we need and what fits those needs. Diigo seemed to me to be the next best tool of the day, at least when it comes to education, but that is completely a first glance perspective.
As I always say, never say never, or was that James Bond…hmm…
Create a document with all your passwords and usernames! I haven't done it . . . yet! But Kristin makes a good point. Save that password document in Evernote or Dropbox. Pete was in my group and he already used Evernote for all of his note-taking and he had a really organized system. Quite impressive. After seeing his notebooks, I reconsidered my initial glance over of the program. And yes, the elephant icon is so cute. Haha! Oh, and Pete also showed us cool ways to use Dropbox, specifically the picture sharing features. It could be a pretty easy way to showcase student work immediately, like we read about in the article on the first day. So yes, lots of nifty applications but an overwhelming amount to keep track of for now. Just use your Diigo to highlight all these great ideas and store them away for reflection and consolidation in August.
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ReplyDeleteAlyssa, you raise an important point about the age restrictions on these tools that we haven't talked about as we consider their uses in education. This is especially of concern to me because I want to teach middle school.
ReplyDeleteIn volunteering at a middle school, I saw Google accounts being used in the classroom. There's almost a don't ask/don't tell policy going on.
I'm not in any way being critical of the teachers. As a parent, I have played accomplice.
I think as a society, we need to have better conversations regarding at what ages and how we want our children to build online identities. And as educators, we need to have tools that meet the needs our society demands.
I think that all the information we received last session could be useful at some point in the future. I will say that the knowledge I gained was fairly shallow. I am still trying to figure out the Mac. I can't find files on my own laptop with ease. I'm just not ready to take advantage of the wealth of information that we are being offered.
ReplyDeleteSo, I have resigned myself to patience. It's going to take some time for me to master these new tools. I have to be willing to devote that time.
However, at this point in the game, my spirit is willing, but my clock is weak. I just don't have enough hours in the day to practice and play with gizmos, gadgets and cool new stuff.
I've got papers to read. I've got papers to write. For now, that comes first.
But I will not be defeated. Technology is another avenue that I can use to support, prepare, and encourage my students. I will not deny them that. Technology can help me become a more informed student, teacher, and individual. I will not be denied that. As soon as I get a breather, it's on.