Module 4

Wiki:
http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Home

Web 2.0: Cool Tools for Schools is a wiki that I found that I might use in my classroom. Also, I could create a similar one for my class because “it is still up to the teacher to choose the most appropriate pedagogy for the situation” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 238). This particular site has provided me with ideas that I might share with my students about electronic publishing. Roblyer and Doering, (2013) explain electronic publishing as, students submitting written or artistic products to websites.
By being able to add things to a website, it allows student work to be shared with other students and visitors to that website. It used to be uncommon for students to publish online, but now it is becoming the norm (Roblyer and Doering, 2013). This can easily be accomplished with the use of wikis.

Widgets:
HTML Scrolling Text Box
HTML Scrolling Text box is a great widget to add to your website. The animated movement automatically draws your attention. It is excellent to convey important messages of which your students need to be aware. This would be ideal for notifying students to check their grades on iNOW or if there is something due in Edmodo that needs to be reviewed.

Google Calendar Widget:
GoogleCalendar has an html widget that you can embed on your webpage. One of the ways this could be very useful in your class would be by simply entering in the daily assignments. If a student is ever absent or needs to make up work, they could simply check the calendar to see what needs to be done. Also, teachers can post due dates and other information on the calendar.




Web-Based Lesson:

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/lesson/?ar_a=1

Web-based activities have great potential to enhance learning (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 238). National Geographic hosts many web-based lessons that could be used in the classroom. National Geographic brings the deepest, darkest, jungles to your classroom with the push of a button. An example of a web-based lesson or project, is an electronic field trip. Electronic field trips are a way to bring real world situations to the classroom (Roblyer and Doering, 2013). This site is an easy way to help a teacher accomplish this.

M4 This webpage offers websites with Web-Based Collections and Projects http://t.co/tiNJ8eD8eM #ED527UM
— Bart Raulston (@BartRaulston) October 18, 2013

Module 3 Reflection

URLs: What do URLs tell you/students about web sites?

“The Internet has made such a difference in our society that it is difficult to remember when we did not depend on it” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 214). With this newfound resource, also comes responsibility. Part of that responsibility is knowing what you are reading on the Internet and who wrote it. URLs can tell you a lot about a website, as long as you know how to read them. The main benefit I discuss with my students is how to determine what type of website it is based on the suffix. For example, a website ending in “.gov” is a government website, whereas “.edu” is an education based website. I then go on to explain that these, in general, are more reliable than a “.com” website. Anyone can create a “.com” website, but you have to be an established organization to qualify for others.

Search Engines: How can learning to use search engines help you/students find better information?
Search engines are the foundation for research. If all you know is one specific website, then you would be limited to that site’s information only. Whereas, if you put it into a search engine, you will not only get that website’s information, but it will pull information from any website containing your search criteria. By teaching students how to determine effective search criteria and how to differentiate between good and bad websites, you will provide them with a much broader range of quality information to choose from.

Internet Tool: Choose one Internet Tool (in the section beginning on p. 223) and discuss how you might use it in a classroom.
One Internet tool that I think would be very helpful in my classroom would be podcasts. For instance, when I am teaching my career prep class about interviewing skills, it would be very beneficial for them to listen to a podcast about interviewing techniques. With them hearing real world experiences and tips for interviewing, it makes a more concrete connection than just reading the information from a book.

M3 Remember podcasting? It's back - and booming http://t.co/ups3hrWFfb via @usatoday #ED527UM
— Bart Raulston (@BartRaulston) October 4, 2013

Favorite Web Sites: Finally, pick two web sites that you feel are your favorite. Post the web sites and talk about why they will be beneficial to teachers and/or students. Use at least two references to chapter 7 (for each) that makes these web sites effective resources.

Two of my favorite websites are Edmodo and YouTube. Edmodo is a social networking site designed especially for students. One of the biggest advantages is that it prepares them for websites they might use in the future but protects them from many of the pitfalls associated with those websites. This is achieved because Edmodo is a closed system that functions similar to Facebook. By operating similar to Facebook, it gets them used to posting, friending, sharing and discussing topics online. Where Edmodo really shines is that it is a closed system. As Roblyer and Doering state, “many times young people tend to believe everything they hear and read” (p. 215). Edmodo eliminates this risk because you have to be a student/teacher in that school system to have access to the information. This gives young students a chance to learn the ends and outs of social networking in a safe environment with students in their schools. Another benefit about Edmodo is the lack of advertisements that pop up on the website. “Many Internet sites have colorful compelling images that encourage people to buy” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 215). With this eliminated, students are not enticed by advertisers.

YouTube is another website that I really enjoy in my classroom. But as Roblyer and Doering (2013), share, many websites “contain information or images considered objectionable” (p.214). Due to the fact that anyone can post anything on YouTube, many schools have blocked access to YouTube. However, YouTube has addressed this with the creation of YouTubeEdu. This is a section in YouTube that only contains educational videos from reputable sources such as National Geographic, PBS, BBC and others. Roblyer and Doering (2013) have pointed out that “the Internet has also spawned its share of society wide debates” (p. 214). One of these is whether students should have access to websites like YouTube that may contain somewhat objectionable material. Even though you cannot play videos on the general YouTube site, by using YouTubeEdu, you still have access to a large number of relevant and educational videos to share with your students.

 This video shares how one teacher is using Edmodo in the classroom. (The video is posted on YouTube).