Teachers today have so much to compete against when it comes to technology. We are constantly trying to find ways to get the students to put down their phones and participate in class. I have finally come to terms with the idea of "if you can't beat'em, join'em." So here are some of the types of technology that I use in my classroom, and these range from being very interactive to just sharing of information.
1. Alexander, N. (2012). Edmodo.com. Retrieved from http://www.edmodo.com/home
Edmodo - This is place similar to Facebook, but it is very secure and it allows the teacher to give assignments and the students can submit their electronic assignment on here too. Teachers can also give polls to the students to answer, give the students badges for good work, delete posts that are inappropriate and do many others tasks. Parents can also get a code to be connected to the Edmodo page for your class, and they can see the assignments, notes and tasks you have submitted. There is also an app that can be downloaded and used.
2. Wiggio. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wiggio.com/
Wiggio - Is a web tool that allows students to be in charge of all of the things they need to do. They can join a group (I am creating a group for each class) and there is a calendar option to keep track of games, practice, homework, assignments, etc. and they can set it to receive an email or a text message to remind them of an event. Also, students can collaborate with others on a project, they can chat and work as a group online and do not have to worry about finding time or a way to someone else's house. They can even collaborate and share with others and not even have to be online at the same time. This is a great tool to help students and classes.
3. Polleverywhere.com. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.polleverywhere.com/
Poll Everywhere - Is a great place to create formative questions to assess the classes' understanding. The students use the texting capability on their phones to text in their responses, and the results are calculated in real time. Questions can be in a multiple choice format or in a written response format, and it a free always. I know most schools are against students having their phones, but this is a way to join them if you can't beat them.
4. (2012). Twitter.com. (2012). [0]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com
Twitter - This is a very popular website and mobile app. This application is not blocked at most schools, therefore, it is easy to access and to use. The ideas and uses of Twitter are endless. However, it is not as efficient as others when trying to reach a student. If you just tweet, and a student does not check his or her Twitter account for several days, they will more than likely miss out on your tweet, unless you at tagged them in it. One way to keep up with tweets for an activity is to hashtag (#) something that would only mean something to your class, and you could search the trending for the hashtag to read all of the conversations.
5. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/
Facebook - This is also a very popular website and mobile app. Students frequently access Facebook many times throughout the day. There is quite a bit of controvery over teachers and students becoming friends on Facebook. I have a personal Facebook page, and I have a classroom Facebook page. I do not have any students as friends on my personal page, but on my classroom page, I encourage my students to friend me. On this page, I post pictures from class activities, reminders of assisgnments and random science facts. This is a great tool to see the pictures students upload, read their posts and get to know your students better. Sometimes what you read as a teacher will enlighten you as to why a student is behaving in the way they are. Be careful not to post or like items, a good rule of thumb is to be a "Facebook creeper", read and be informed.
6. http://djainslietech.wikispaces.com/Science+SB+Resources
Smartboard Resources - This is a great site to access Smartboard resources, and they are categorized by content. Adding technology into the classroom is always a plus, and this is an easy way to do it.
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