Week 8, security

Security for students is an ever important topic for discussion.  As more and more schools implement new technology, especially internet enabled devices, student's safety is paramount.  Most schools have acceptable use policies in effect which require student and parent signatures.  These policies outline what the student can, and definitely can not do on the school's computers or network.

Most schools require a unique log in with a password for each student to access the network.  Student accounts are usually restricted in their ability to do certain tasks on the computer or visit restricted webpages.  For instance, a student would not be able to change any of the computer's settings and would have limited access to only the most basic programs.  The student would also not be allowed to download or install new software.

Internet filters are usually also put into place to try and restrict the ability of students to access harmful or inappropriate web pages.  Some filters are better than others however, and the teachers must still be vigilant to ensure safe internet browsing.

Security issues most commonly arise however when students or teachers are careless with their personal information.  All students and teachers should be taught the importance of keeping their personal information, log in information, and passwords secure.  Never share passwords, and never give out information to strangers or people over the internet.

Many students need to be taught these rules no only for their safety while on the schools computer network but also while at home.  With handheld devices with access to the internet becoming more and more pervasive in our society students forget that they can inadvertently become the victim of security breaches, identity theft, or other more serious issues.   Often students may feel as though they are sending data to a trusted friend, only for them to turn around and share it or for them to loose it somehow.  This goes both ways however, and students should never ask their peers for personal information also.

Security is always important to think about.  Unfortunately most school's security measures are reactionary... meaning they have them in place only after an issue arose which raised the question of security!  Teachers and administrators need to be proactive in their policies to ensure that issues don't occur which in turn warrant  a reaction.

Week 7

Week seven introduced us to the use of video games and "simulations" in the classroom as ways to engage students.  I remember in elementary school playing "where in the world is Carmen Sandiego" and "Oregon Trail" during computer lab time for social studies.  Computer games have come a LONG way since those days, and many educational games exist to teach students in nearly every subject.
Simulations are role-playing type games played out in the classroom which have students play-act certain roles.  This is typically used in social studies or history classes to help students get into the mindset that people may have been in during different points in history.

We also discussed the Dana foundations' extensive database regarding the brain and neurology.  Out of this vast resource I found an interesting web-cast about how our brain interprets taste and smell.  The chemistry, biology, and neurology behind it is fascinating!  (I also may have finally found an excuse based in science for not eating my green vegetables!)

For our comprehensive assignment I was asked to choose a web2.0 tool to use in the classroom.  As I am not teaching I will discuss a tool that I will be using when I start teaching this year (or at least I hope to use).  My school uses edmodo and I hope I will have the opportunity to utilize this resource to post calendars, assignments, and keep in contact with my students.  I love the fact that it is so similar to a social networking website and I look forward to using it to help keep organized.

Some issues I know I will face with using it is finding the time to post to it and review things I place on it.  Not to mention simply becoming familiar with it's interface and formatting since I have never used it before.

Something I have used a little bit and I am sure I will use again will be the teachertube and youtube for education. I know these are not necessarily web2.0 "tools" but they are great resources to find videos on to use for class.  There are many interesting, and attention grabbing videos which will cover material I'll need to cover in my classes!

Week 7 tech explorations

Maybe I'm feeling cynical today, but this week's reviews are all pretty negative... I didn't see much usefulness in these resources.

www.delicious.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Delicious is an interesting resource which uses a combination of lists and tags to create a database of links to websites you are interested in.  Using the ability to link to other existing accounts, like your facebook, delicious keeps track of links you have shared and makes them accessible in a searchable list so that you can easily find them again.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Not only does this resource already have a list of links for educational technology resources, but you can use it to track your own links and resources, or make them share-able to others.  You could use this site to create a list of links for certain webquests or other online activities for students.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Honestly I don’t see the point in this resource… when you have the ability to bookmark resources in EVERY browser (even mobile ones!).  If you want to keep track of a link or resource simply create a bookmark for it, then when you find it difficult to remember which bookmark is what, create folders for your bookmarks to organize them into!  (Edtech folder for edtech links, for example).  This, of course, doesn't allow you to access these links if you are on another computer… this is the only true benefit I see to using this resource.  If you often find yourself using multiple computers and do not have the ability to access your saved bookmarks on your home/work computer then having an online version would help!  I also see it as a kind of search engine, giving you the ability to search for tags, finding links other people have found helpful for that tag… and this could come in handy.

www.historypin.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Historypin is a unique photo hosting web resource which utilizes google maps to also add location information about the photographs.  Unlike google’s typical location based photos that can be viewed on google maps, historypin also allows you to search specific time periods, hence the name!  Historypin was created to give people the ability to share their old historic photos in an interesting way.  You are able to search for and view photos from different time periods and compare them to how that location looks today!
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This resource would be fantastic in a history class.  Students can see and compare the way locations looked in the past with how they appear today.  This would be a good resource for photos for presentations and other research.    It would be a great activity to ask students to upload their own photos to the site, putting their own personal mark on history!
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This is an interesting resource but limited.  This resource, like so many publicly edited content historypin is restricted to the content which it’s users have uploaded.  If there are no users uploading content for particular areas there will be a gap in the database.  For example, I live around the Murray Kentucky area and I don’t see any content for my area on this site… even though I know that Murray State University has a rich history in the area with plenty of historic photographs available, there hasn't been a user to upload them to historypin! I would recommend this site to teachers, but I would be careful how they use it.  I think it would be great to ask students to find old photographs with their family’s help to create more content for their area!

www.diigo.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Diigo is a web-browser add on which allows you to organize and save information you have found online.  It not only creates a list of bookmarked pages, but highlight and annotate webpages.  You can also create screenshots and other captures of the information you are viewing.  Going beyond web browsers diigo apps for mobile devices which allow you to save notes and reminders to access later.  Interestingly, all the data which you save, highlight, or annotate gets saved into a cloud based server which allows any device you use (installed with diigo’s utility) to access it.  This allows you to pick up where you left off, or re-access notes you have created, from any device connected to the internet.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This would be a good resource for teachers who have trouble organizing their resources.  The ability to highlight and add sticky notes to webpages would be helpful.  Sometimes when I save things to my browser favorites I forget where, or what it was, on the page which I wanted to access later!  I see this utility mainly for personal use to keep organized, however students can use this to help them study when using online resources.  The ability to highlight and annotate web documents is a great study tool!
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Diigo is free, so if you feel like this is a resource that would help you stay organized I would recommend it.  I don’t think I personally would use it, as I have my own methods for keeping track of my bookmarks and favorites…  although I do see the benefit of being able to make saved copies of webpages which may be changed or taken offline!  This allows you to have an archived copy for later use if they are taken down.  The ability to access your bookmarks from any device is also helpful.

Online calculators: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/calculator/ 

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Science-CAD/Big-Simple-Talking-Calculator.shtml

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Both of these resources are calculators which are essentially text-to-speak utilities which “talk” the entry back to the user.  The first resource is geared towards children, with a fun animated calculator and a clear and easy to understand voice.  The second is a downloadable calculator which takes up the entire screen of the computer when it is being used.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	I could see this being used by students learning early math.  The second, downloadable calculator could be helpful for those with vision problems as it fills the entire screen.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I personally do not see the value in these calculators… for young children this might be a novel way to teach them how to think about math problems, but for high school (which I will be teaching) I do not see the benefit.  Quite honestly, I find the talking part of the calculators annoying!

Math wiki example: http://2write4math.pbwiki.com/ 

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This wiki is a guide to combining writing with other content areas, specifically into the mathematics curriculum.  This wiki has resources for teachers to teach them how to integrate writing objectives into the math curriculum, resources and suggestions for student activities, as well as other resources.  This is also a good example of how to set up a wiki.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	I would not use this resource for more than anything other than an example of how to lay out and create a wiki page.  I will be teaching science, not math… however a few of the assignments suggested in this could be utilized in a science class (like a weekly journal activity).
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Honestly I do not know.  I wouldn’t use much from this resource because I don’t feel like it is applicable to my content area in high school science.  However, math teachers (and English) may find it useful.  I also feel like there are better examples of wiki pages available (I do not like the way this one is arranged and organized… it feels very busy!).

PicLits http://www.piclits.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Piclits is a site which combines photography with literature to create “meaningful” pieces.  The idea being that piclits’ database of pictures will inspire users to caption them with interesting text…
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Supposedly piclits encourages and helps teach literacy…  I would assume that English teachers could use this resource to encourage students to be creative in their writing, using the photos as a starting point.  An interesting assignment could be choosing a photo for all of the students to use, and having everyone write a story or caption based on the same photo and compare the results.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Honestly I do not like this resource.  The captions do not appear well on the photos, many of them feel too busy and formatted strangely.  My OCD kicks in when I see poorly designed material like this!  The text should never cover up key parts of the photo, and the text should be uniform, not random…  this may work well for some people, but I did not enjoy it.   The other issue I have with resources like this is the limited database of photos to pull from.   I also do not see any use for this resource in teaching high school sciences!

My webquest...

Since my webquest link was kind of buried in that last post about it, I thought I'd put up another link to it.

This is a little activity I think would be great in any earth science class (not just high school) to get students interested in our National Park's fossil resources:
http://questgarden.com/172/27/8/140614165408/

Week 6: Webquests and online comunication

Online communication, or electronic communication is becoming an ever important part of teaching.  Teachers frequently use e-mail, and have been for a while.  But more and more teachers are utilizing other forms of communication, including facebook, twitter, among others.  It is important to always remain professional.  Never use these forms of communication to engage personally with your students, be careful what you put down on "electronic paper" and simply be smart about it.  Don't put anything down, say anything, or send any messages which may be taken out of context or put you in a place that you must defend yourself.  Always be careful also of using multiple accounts... with the ability to blend two e-mail accounts into the same inbox on smartphones it can be easy to accidentally send messages to and from the wrong account.  It's best to NOT mix or combine personal and business accounts!

On to webquests!  Webquests are great web and query based lessons that are fun to create, and fun for students to do (if they are done well!).  I found a few interesting web quests in my research this week, as well as made my own!  Here's what I found:

I tried to find a webquest for use in a  high school earth science classroom and I came across this one about historical geology:
http://questgarden.com/168/38/6/140305191401/index.htm

At first glance I really liked the way this one was laid out and set up.  The instructions were very clear, and the outline/goals/process were explained in great detail....
But upon further examination I realized that I would never use this webquest in my classes.  I know we were supposed to review one we WOULD use, but I think it is important to explain why I think this is not a good example of a webquest.
First:  There are images used in this webquest which I know are copyrighted images.  The Geologic time scale used in the task section is a piece of artwork I have tried to find to use in the past, it does not have a creative commons copyright to my knowledge. The source of this image was not given in the sources section of the webquest. The author of this webquest wants his students to cite their sources in MLA format, yet he can't even cite the source to his images!!!  That bugs me...

Second:  In the process section, there are basically two parts to this assignment.  He gives 8 links to worksheets that must be completed by the students.  These worksheets have no bearing on the rest of the assignment and are worksheets that could be handed out in class prior to doing the webquest.  They shouldn't be part of the webquest...

Third:  In the process section one part of the assignment is to "Read these articles" which is not followed by any links!  It seems they forgot to add the articles!

and lastly: the assignment is to create a presentation about your local geology using power point, or create a video to share this information.  This sounds like a great project, and this is what the webquest should have focused on.  In the evaluation section of the webquest, instead of finding the rubric for this assignment there is a 9 question test!  This section should be instructions on how to evaluate the assignment itself, not a series of test questions.

Over-all I think this is a very poorly written and executed webquest that I wouldn't use in my classroom.  Although, the worksheets and the "research your local geology" assignments are great ideas and I might use them as stand alone assignments!


As far as my webquest goes, this is the first time I've written one.  I did try and research more about the concept and look at what I felt were better examples (and used the above example as what I shouldn't do!), so I feel like this is a good first attempt.  I wrote this assignment to be used in high school earth science classes during the segments about fossils and geologic time.  I used resources from the National Park Service due to my involvement with the NPS in past jobs I've had.

Feel free to review it and tell me what you think:  Paleontology in the Parks

The only thing I found difficult was understanding how the format of entering the data and instructions worked out with the end result.  It took several edits for me to realize how each part was going to be displayed in the final product.  I wish the step by step for building the webquest followed the same order and format that the end result did!  That would have been much more helpful.
With my experience with web-page builders I didn't have any trouble understanding the formatting, how to add pictures, and how to change the style and fonts.  I really loved the helpful hints and tips along the way also!

I think, despite how well the end result looks using questgarden, I will probably utilize power point or word to create my own webquests in the future.  I do not see much benefit in using this resource to create them.  I would rather be able to see the final product as I am working on it, instead of having the awkward formatting this site had to use to create it.   The only benefit I see of this resource is that once you publish your webquest others can have access to it and use it for their own classes.

A helpful tool that questgarden should consider adding is a way to rate, or peer review other webquests.  This would make searching for the best webquests to use in your own class much easier!  

Interview, Busy week.

First of all, it's been a hectic week for me...  If you are in our educational technology class at the time I am writing this then you have seen that I recently had a job interview with Henderson County High School.  I am excited to say that I was accepted for the position!

I submitted this in an e-mail to everyone in the course, but if you are a teacher or soon to be teacher who hasn't had an interview yet the whole process can be intimidating.  I wrote down some of the more interesting questions that I have had in the couple of interviews I've gotten in the last month, especially including the ones which Henderson asked me in their interview.

My hope is that these will help you prepare for your own future interviews and give you an idea of what to expect:

Some of the questions I remember from both interviews included the following (in no particular order):

What do you think you will be bringing to our school that no other candidate will bring? (talk up your good side)

Why are you the perfect candidate for this job? (Say you are the most enthusiastic, driven and willing to "do the job"!)

What experience do you have teaching?

Discipline in a high school class room is important, how will you deal with students who require disciplinary action?  (don't say send them all to the principle, the principle won't like that!)

What will your typical day's plan include?  (what is your bellringer, lesson plan, exit review strategy, etc...)

Collaboration with other teachers in your department is important, are you a team player?  

What experience do you have working with a team?

Collaboration with special needs advisers is important, how will you interact with them to ensure a special needs child gets the correct attention?

Are you familiar with the current common core standards in your subject area?

How will you attempt to incorporate technology in your classroom?  (Dr. Goldberg should be happy to see that question asked, and this class gave me plenty of answers!)

How important is assessment?  How will you assess your student's progress?  How will you assess your job as a teacher?

How will you interact with student's parents?

I think that is pretty much all I can remember that they asked me....

Some good things to have prepared before you go in for the interview:

Have a packet with copies of your transcript and your resume ready in case anyone in the interview doesn't have a copy to look at.  I referred back to my resume several times to point out interesting things.  I didn't need extra copies, but it would be nice to have if you did need them.   I also took my official transcripts in case they needed to make better copies, if it has been a while since you submitted your application or updated your transcript bring the most recent transcript.

If you are doing an alternative certification program KNOW THE PROGRAM.  They will ask you about how it works with your school, when you will have to complete the program, what you have left to do, and where you are with it.  They will want to know if you understand the process, even if they understand it fully!  (And some districts I've talked to seem to not understand fully the option 6 rules!)

If you are in science, know your certification area.  Even if you are alt. cert. you will know what your certification will be in.  Research the classes that you can be allowed to teach and know the rules surrounding them.  Science certifications are especially confusing, if you know what classes you can teach prior to the interview this will show you've researched it and you can discuss the options you will give them.  Make yourself more attractive by showing them what you can teach, especially if they don't have certain electives currently that you could possibly teach!

Clubs!  Research what clubs and extracurriculars the school offers.  Ask about them in the interview.  Propose some ideas for clubs that you would like to start and would be willing to spear-head!  I suggested several geology/paleontology clubs and even some that I would like to help with that they already had (science olympiad).  School systems want teachers who are willing to go above and beyond simply teaching their classes!

Dress professionally.  Women have a lot more lee-way with this... but guys should at least wear a dress shirt and tie.  I don't own a suit so I made due with what I had...  I guess it worked!

After the interview they will ask you if you have any questions.  I had a ton.  Prepare a bunch before you go and write them down so that you can remember them!  Organize your questions so that, if possible, one question runs into another.  For example, if they haven't talked about your classroom ask them: "Will I have my own classroom or will I be a traveling teacher?"  If they say you'll have your own, then ask something like: "What type of resources are in the classroom?  Will there be a projector, smartboard, etc?"  If you are like me and have items to bring you could ask: "Where could I store my fossil collection?"  These questions all lead in to one another.  Don't ask a question about the classroom, then jump around to clubs, and then back to the classroom....

I would always ask what the earliest date you would need to be there is.  Schools usually have professional development days prior to the school year, these will usually be on their calendar but, as I found out, some of them are not!  I actually have to report a week earlier than what their calendar says.  So even if you don't get the job, this is a nice thing to ask in the interview.  I think it shows how interested you are in the position and that you are thinking ahead as though you've already got the job!

Sorry for the long post, but I thought this was important enough to put into the blog!

Week three TE's... OOPS?

So apparently when I tried to copy paste the tech explorations for week three they didn't post...  Here are a few reviews over the technology resources from week three:

Tech exploration #7a: Assistive technologies: www.gpat.org  

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Assistive technologies are devices, tools and software designed to help those with handicaps or special needs disabilities.  These devices, sometimes referred to as learning aids, strive to give users with disabilities a better chance to be successful in their educational programs.  There are many levels of assistive technologies, but the most common are those that help students with visual and hearing impairments.  These technologies are needed by students with hearing/visual impairments to gain access to resources that require those senses.  These resources mainly are physical devices which are used by the individual student to interact with their world, although some software exists to satisfy needs of some students.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	All schools are required to provide adequate assistive technologies to impaired students.  In a school setting, the need and use of these devices will be decided upon by the needs of the students.  All of these would be used to make day-to-day interactions in the classroom easier for students with impairments or disabilities.  Example: Assisted listening devices (hearing aids) and talk to text programs can be used to assist hearing impaired students participate in a classroom without a sign language interpreter.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	If the need is there, these resources should be used by any educator to make the learning experience for their students as “normal” as possible.  Extensive numbers of resources are available depending on the need of the student.

Tech Exploration #7b: Zoho http://www.zoho.com  

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Zoho is a web based company specializing in tools for businesses.  Their tools focus on organization, productivity and collaboration.  Products include applications like; Books, a financial management tool; Contact manager, which organizes and tracks contact lists; and Survey, a tool for creating surveys and gathering data.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	The majority of these programs and resources are designed to be used by a business.  Some of them, like contact manager could be utilized by teachers to keep track of student information.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would not recommend this resource.  For one, it is subscription based.  For another, it’s mainly geared towards businesses and corporations with management and organization tools to keep track of large loads of information.  Using programs like excel, or other FREE online tools to achieve the same results is what I would recommend for other teachers.

Tech exploration #8: online tools for teachers  http://www.4teachers.org/tools/

A: Quizstar http://quizstar.4teachers.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Quizstar is an online quiz building resource.  This resource allows a teacher to create quizzes for a class, administer the quiz online, and review the results for their students.  Quizes are saved and can be copied, edited, or shared for future use by the teacher who created it or by other teachers they “share” it with.  The quizzes themselves can be multiple choice or short answer.  Short answer questions must be graded by the instructor, multiple choice are graded automatically.  Quiz results can be displayed and analyzed in multiple ways by the teacher.  Reports can be exported into excel. To use the resource teachers AND STUDENTS must have registered accounts, although this is free.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Obviously you would make quizzes with this resource…   A teacher can use this resource to create, administer, and track the progress of quizzes for multiple classes.   The quizzes are taken online however, and students must have access to the internet.  Something to note as well, while taking this quiz other windows can be opened on the computer and students can effectively cheat by looking up quiz question answers.  You can discourage this by making the quiz timed…
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This is a very cool resource.  The ability to add multimedia to the quiz questions adds a great aspect.  I would definitely recommend this resource… however I would use it as a study tool or review tool for students, not as their actual tests/quizzes (however this is personal preference).

B: rubistar http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Rubistar is an online tool for teachers to create grading rubrics.  Rubristar gives the teacher the ability to save, edit, and create rubrics online.  Rubrics created in rubristar can be re-accessed at any time and from any computer to be edited or reprinted.   This resource offers a multitude of pre-constructed templates for rubrics based on a variety of assignments.   Teachers can use the templates provided or create their own rubric from scratch.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	To create rubrics…   Rubrics give teachers a clearer grading scale for assignments.  Rubrics also help students understand what they need to do to succeed in completing an assignment.  Rubristar gives teachers a tool to quickly produce rubrics for their assignments.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would definitely recommend this resource.  The templates are great and give teachers with little experience creating rubrics a good starting point.  Once a teacher becomes experienced creating rubrics a simple chart created in word or excel can be used to generate their own rubrics…  However, this is a free resource and a great starting point!

C: Project based learning, checklists http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org/index.shtml

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Project based learning checklists are similar to rubrics in that they are a list of requirements students must complete when doing an assignment.  Checklists outline exactly what students need to do to complete and score well on their projects.  PBLchecklists is a resource for teachers which assists in the generating of project checklists.  This resource offers pre-made templates with the ability to customize them for unique projects.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This resource can be used to create checklists as guides for students’ requirements for projects and assignments.  This gives students a clear understanding of what is required in an assignment
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend this resource.  It is free, it has pre-made templates (great for beginning teachers) and checklists are just a good idea for teachers to make available for students!

D: classroom architect http://classroom.4teachers.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Classroom architect is a web based tool which gives teachers the ability to create a floorplan of their classroom.  This gives the teacher the ability to rearrange their classroom’s furniture virtually to test different arrangements prior to organizing it in real life.  This also gives the teacher the ability to map out an existing floorplan to use in instruction.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	One way to use this that comes to mind is in the construction of a seating chart for students.  You can draw out the floor plan, save it, and edit it to include student’s names for different classes.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This is a fun little resource that I think all teachers would enjoy playing with.  There is not really any educational value for the students with this application, but for organizationally minded teachers this resource could help them test multiple classroom arrangements without all the heavy lifting.

Dimio’s tools: http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	“software by dimio” is a webpage with several .exe applications for the home computer.  The first listed on the site is Dspeech, a text to speech program which will read text out loud. Other programs available include a desktop shutdown .exe, a disk synchronization program (to synchronize data across multiple drives), a task manager among other programs…
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	The only tool I see on this webpage that could be used in the classroom would be Dspeech… although upon closer inspection there are better tools available to achieve this same result (Windows and Apple computers come pre-installed with such programs!).
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I personally do not trust a website that looks like it was made in the mid 90s with links to downloadable .exe programs…  I just don’t trust it.  These programs may be legitimate and do what they say they are supposed to do… I wouldn’t recommend these however (I honestly wouldn’t even include them on this blog if I wasn’t required to). The only tool I think would be useful in the classroom would be the text to speech program, and as I already stated there are TTS resources available (also for free) from other websites which I would be more apt to trust.

                As a note, doing a quick google search on “dimio tools” comes up with several links to these resources on other freeware and shareware sites.  However, some reviews are negative and speak against the user interface with these tools.  There also seems to be a lack of direct support from the tool’s creator (which is typical for freeware like this).

Tech Exploration 9: Fullmeasure powertalk: http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This resource is designed to work with Microsoft power point and is a “slide narrator.”  Essentially you will open a power point slide show and this program will “read” the text from the slide show to you.  This is one of many “text to speak” programs available, but is unique in its interaction with power point.   This tool can also be used to create unique presentations in which the computer narrates the slides for you.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This resource is primarily used as an accessibility program, allowing visually impaired people the opportunity to listen to power point slides.  I can also see this being used by people who may have speech impediments to create presentations which are narrated by the computer instead of themselves, making them feel more comfortable in the presentation.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This is a unique, and FREE resource.  I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a text to speak program compatible with power point.

Tech exploration 10: Webquest http://www.webquest.org

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	WebQuests are “inquiry-oriented”  lesson formats which focus on web based resources.  Teachers create a multi-faceted project which students must complete using web based resources.  These lessons uniquely focus on analysis, creativity, and other higher order thinking levels rather than purely on information acquisition.  Teachers provide the links to resources students must use for the project, so students are not focused on the research and acquisition of information, but instead the processing and analysis of the information.  WebQuests consist of a task, the process, the resources, an evaluation, and conclusion.  Often WebQuests are designed as group work, but there are individual solo projects also.  Webquest.org is a resource for teachers to use pre-made webquest project outlines, or submit their own webquest projects for use by other teachers.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	WebQuests can be used to introduce or conclude a unit, or as a final project.  Webquests can be used as group or solo projects to reinforce lessons, or be the lesson themselves.  WebQuests are good for creating differentiated instruction, providing multiple final product choices and multiple resources (multiple types of media).
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	WebQuests are a great way to differentiate a lesson plan.  The wide variety of WebQuests already available through resources like webquest.org is phenomenal, but webquests can be created by the teacher as well.  WebQuests also do not have to be on their own dedicated webpages, but instead can be a simple word document with the necessary parts and links included.  For this reason, webquests are a resource and tool I would definitely recommend.

Tech exploration 10b: ReadtheWords http://readthewords.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This is a text to speak service which creates an auidio file from any file type of digital text.  The service allows you to create audio files which can then be used in videos and presentations.   Readthewords also has a toolbar plugin for your internet browser which will read text on webpages which you highlight.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	A teacher could use this resource in many ways, some suggested by the website itself is to use readthewords as a tool for teaching English as a second language, so that people can hear the language spoken out loud and be able to read the text simultaneously.  You can use readthewords as a tool to assist seeing impaired students, assist students with poor reading skills, or to help students evaluate their own writing by having it read back to them.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This sounds like an interesting resource, but due to the limited functionality of the free service I don’t believe I would recommend it.  At almost $100.00 for a year’s subscription I don’t think I would recommend it for most teachers.  In unique cases where this program may increase the accessibility for sight impaired students, I would recommend it.