Tech Exploration_Week 2

Sarah Roe
Tech Exploration_Week 2
Name: Sarah Roe Date: 5-11-13

4. Concept mapping programs: http://www.xmind.net
1. Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be thorough in your response.
This site was actually kind of weird. It did not help me to understand how this could really be used in a classroom setting, other than the fact that you could do mapping for story lines. Though the site was interesting, it was not something I would think was necessary in a classroom, especially after looking at the prices!
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 thing that I could think this site would be useful for would be planning. Whether or not it was for writing a story, or trying to figure out what you wanted to do with the rest of your life. Those uses would be better fit for a High school setting, or upper level elementary school when they start to work on their writing portfolios.
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 I thought it was pertinent information that was useful to someone who would be interested, I would recommend this resource to them. Now that I have been acquainted with the resource, I know that it is there, and if I needed anything that it would serve of use, I would know where to look. However I do not think this is a resource that I would use in my Spanish classes.
http://www.wisemapping.com
1. Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be thorough in your response.
This site was a bit more useful than the last. It had a “Visual Thinking Evolution” link that gave a better update of what the site was, their use, and what it hoped to help people accomplish. I learned that what I originally thought was personal information (i.e. life plans for families financial situations etc), people feel free to post those plans on a “map” site for everyone to see. I did find a couple of maps that made more sense to me, after much searching. Some businesses/school systems use the map to let their employees know their goals of the future. It seems that this would be more helpful in an administrational setting rather than educational.
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 think that English teachers could find this site useful when helping students to begin writing stories of their own. It is important that a story has flow, and does not scatter all over the place making it hard for the readers to follow. This might also be helpful for students who are trying to plan their lives after school; whether it be college or the real world.
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 site could be useful to a range of different types of people. Though I myself do not see a need for it, I think there are plenty of people who could benefit from it. A nice plus is that it is free, no matter how much access to it you need. The sign up was easy, and if you already have access to other well know sites such as Google or Yahoo, AOL, you can sign in without making another ID/Password to remember.
5. Animoto http://animoto.com
1. Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be thorough in your response.

This was a great source! I loved learning about the video process, and all of the great things you can add to make them so fun to watch. I learned how to add music and text to videos, and splice videos together. This is a great site that puts all of these things in one place so that it is easier for students and teachers to use it in the classroom.
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 site would be great to use in the classroom. Its uses are endless. I think the best characteristic that it has is that students can be their own creator, and work in groups to make their own videos. These could also be used for more interactive power points. It would make it more interesting to watch for the teachers and the students, and they would be permitted to be more creative.
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 to other teachers in my school system. I think that it is non specific to any subject. It could be used in every classroom, including my spanish class. There are several times when students need to take notes, and I could make a fun interact video with the vocabulary words in it for them to write down, instead of simply writing them on the board or making a powerpoint.
6. Google Docs http://photopeach.com
1. Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. Be thorough in your response.

This site was more or less the same as animoto. However after logging on, there were more examples that I was immediately able to view. The site also allows you to connect other media sources that you may use on a normal basis to photopeach. This is a great way to keep everything connected! Students could check the blogs, make their own videos, watch the power points, all in the same place.
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.

In a school setting, teachers could use this site in a number of ways. The best feature is that children can be the creator in their own projects. This gives them more access to use their creativity and make things more interesting. These would be great for presentation purposes, for teachers and students. I could definitely use this in my classroom.
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 to other teachers. Sometimes students get bored with the same old power point presentation week after week. This would be a great way to liven up the classroom and make learning more fun. It could be a great resource for not only the teachers, but the students as well. Every subject imaginable could benefit from this resource.