Google Docs: English Language Arts

     I used Google Docs to create a worksheet which will teach common prefixes and suffixes, as well as encourage my students to think of words that they already know which include them. I gave my students the option to print off the worksheet or submit it to me through Google Docs. I included a definition of the prefixes/suffixes section, listing words that start with the chosen suffixes, define words based on their knowledge, and an opportunity for bonus points by listing as many words as they can with those prefixes/suffixes.
     I liked how easy it was to format everything. It was easy to add pictures, links, tables, text and other similar features. It is very easy to adjust text font and size as well as color. And, if you want to highlight text, it is simple to do that as well. I am familiar with this tool, and there isn't anything that I don't like. It even saves automatically for you, so you aren't at risk of accidentally deleting an entire project and having to start all over.
     My students can use this tool as a way to turn in essays or worksheets (if I use it for worksheets). They can use it for group projects and study guides as well. I can also have students put together mock worksheets that demonstrate their understanding of a subject, or have them exchange worksheets in groups to evaluate both the creator of the worksheet and the one filling it out.

Standards:
ISTE: Global Collaborator: "I strive to broaden my perspective, understand others and work effectively in teams using digital tools".
EdTech: Standard Six, "Use telecommunications efficiently and effectively to access remote information and communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning and for pursuit for personal interests. (4)".
UEN Content: Reading: Foundational Skills Standard 3a., "Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes".

Project: Common Prefixes and Suffixes--3rd Grade

Tiki-Toki: Social Studies--Kindergarten

     I used Tiki-Toki to create a timeline of United States holidays, focusing on those which commemorate people or events, in order to teach kindergartners about holidays and what they mean. I discussed 18 holidays, though I think that if I use this in my classroom, I will add more holidays to it. I can also use this timeline to document my student's birthdays and have it accessible on my class page for students to see when their peers' birthdays are coming up. I can also use this tool as a way to detail what the plan for the school year is, including lessons, assignments, and assessments. I can either make it only accessible to myself, or let my students access it.

     I liked the layout of the Tiki-Toki and that it was easy to name as well as insert a background. I liked that it was relatively easy to add events to the timeline, including adding pictures and text. Although I did not use this feature, I thought it was helpful that you can color code categories of events. For example, blue could represent national holidays while green represented only state holidays. I didn't like that the "free sign up" meant that I would still have to pay for some features. Obviously, I did not use these features, but I think it would have been fun.

     My students can use this tool to discuss events in history (such as the events of the revolutionary war) or to do a biographical timeline of a person's life. They can even use this tool to detail the plot of a book as a nontraditional book report. My students can use this to create a timeline of scientific discoveries in a certain area. There are many possibilities for how I can use this in a classroom, and I can make the projects into group projects because it would be a collaborative tool.

Standards:

ISTE: Knowledge Constructor: "I critically select, evaluate, and synthesize digital resources into a collection that reflect my learning and builds my knowledge".

EdTech: Standard 7, "Use telecommunication and on-line resources (e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4,5)".

UEN Content: Standard 2, Objective 3d. "Identify the people and events honored in Utah and U.S. commemorative holidays".

Link to my project: Timeline of Commemorative Holidays

Padlet: Science--3rd Grade

     I used Padlet to create a collaborative project discussing how a smaller environment is affected differently than a larger environment. It is also used to discuss the differences between how living and nonliving things interact within those environments. I posed questions for my students to answer on the board.

     I liked how it was very easy to add a picture or text to the padlet. I liked how the background could be customized, and that it offered many options that were already uploaded onto the site. I liked being able to move things around easily. There is also an option to have the boxes organized (ex: in columns or staggered), if you do not know how you want to place them. It was also very easy to navigate, which I liked. The only thing that I did not like was that resizing boxes was a little bit difficult and it looked like I could only extend them horizontally. It worked out, but it would be inconvenient if I wanted to extend it diagonally or vertically.

     My students can use this resource to put together projects in which they discuss topics that they have learned about. They can either post a discussion to me, or share it with a few of their peers in a group collaboration. I can even have my class put one together as a class, with each child posting their name with their contribution. Then it opens a discussion to the whole class and they can share information with each other that the others might not have known. 

Standards:
ISTE: Innovative Designer: "I solve problems by creating new and imaginative solutions using a variety of digital tools".
EdTech: Standard 5, "Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing ,communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3,4)".
UEN Content: Standard 2, Objective 2: a. "Identify living and nonliving things in a small environment (e.g., terrarium, aquarium, flowerbed) composed of living and nonliving things. b. "Predict the effects of changes in the environment (e.g., temperature, light, moisture) on a living organism". d. "Compare a small-scale environment to a larger environment (e.g., aquarium to a pond, terrarium to a forest)". e. "Pose a question about the interaction between living and nonliving things in the environment that could be investigated by observation".

Storybird: English Language Arts

     I used Storybird to create a story about a little witch whose wish one day came true! I created a simple story that includes opinion questions which allow my students to decide what their opinion about the book is and separate their opinion from the character's. I can use this format to add questions for comprehension (or to consider the reader's opinions) for my students. I can also use this tool as a fun way to create narratives that teach concepts for math, science, or social studies. This can help students who tend to learn better through audio (I can read it aloud) or through anecdotes. 

     I liked all of the artwork that is available to use and the different styles. I liked how easy it was to add text, pictures, and pages. I wish that the offered pictures were a little bigger so that I could see them better without having to add them to the page. I also wish that you could use pictures from different collections in order to better illustrate the story. I felt like the story was a bit at the mercy of the pictures available.

     My students can use this as a nontraditional book report, or to present what they have learned in social studies. They can present them to the class or share them within groups, depending on what the assignment is. They can write stories that illustrate a math or science concept so that they have a little way of remembering it.

Standards:
ISTE: Creative Communicator: "I communicate effectively and express myself creatively using different tools, styles, formats and digital media".
EdTech: Standard 8, "Use technology resources (e.g., calculators, data collection probes, videos, educational software) for problem-solving, self-directed learning, and extended learning activities. (5,6)".
UEN Content: Reading: Literature Standard 6: "Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters".

PodCast: Health Education

     I used PodOmatic to create a series of podcasts about major body systems, the muscular and skeletal systems, and ways to strengthen the muscular and skeletal systems. I can use this tool to create podcasts that my students can listen to at home with the use of a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. My students can listen to podcasts while doing other homework or housework, giving them the ability to multitask.
     I liked how easy it was to upload and title a podcast, as well as adding cover art for it. I like that it also has podcasts by other people that are available to me, which would allow me to choose podcasts to share with my students while we are doing work in class. I can also access podcasts for personal use as a teacher for suggestions on how to teach different subjects. The only thing that I didn't like was that this tool did not offer a way to record a podcast on the website. It requires that the user record audio outside of the website, and then uploading it from there. That was my only complaint, because I could not do the whole project in one place.
     My students can use this as a form of nontraditional book report, a study guide for themselves that they can listen to while they do other work, or to talk about different subjects. I can have my students create a podcast about a topic (i.e. history) and have each student create a series of short podcasts about a historical figure. Or, I can have students create one podcast for a couple of different historical figures.

Standards:
ISTE: Creative Communicator: "I communicate effectively and express myself creatively using different tools, styles, formats and digital media".
EdTech: Standard 5: "Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)".
UEN Content: Standard 3, Objective 1a. "Name the major body systems and their basic functions". b. "Describe the skeletal and muscular systems". c. "Demonstrate ways to strengthen the skeletal and muscular systems".

Create Tool of Choice (Lensoo Create): Mathematics

     

     I used Lensoo Create, which is similar to eduCreate, but is a tool available to Android and Samsung users. There is also a website, so it can be used on a computer. I used it to create an educational video about bar graphs and picture graphs as well as how to answer two step "more than" and "less than" word problems using the information represented on the graphs. I can use this to narrate a video as I draw it as substitution for drawing on a whiteboard. 

     I liked how easy it was to draw on the screen; it was like actually drawing on a whiteboard. I really enjoyed how easy it was to change the color of the marker and how many different colors were available. I liked that you could start recording the video with text or drawings already on the screen and that you could erase all of the drawings at once. The only thing I didn't like is that you could not restart the recording if you made a mistake. So I would have to start the video all over again, which could become frustrating. Other than that, I loved this resource.

     My students can use this to do math homework instead of using paper. They can write in the corner what number they are working on (ex: Problem 1) and then solve it on the screen. This way, I can save paper and listen to how the students are thinking through the problem. My students can also make videos of themselves taking notes in class so that they can play them back later to study and hear everything that I said or they said while taking the notes.

Standards:
ISTE: Innovative Designer: "I solve problems by creating new and imaginative solutions using a variety of digital tools".
EdTech: Standard 8: "Use technology resources (e.g., calculators, data collection probes, videos, educational software) for problem-solving, self-directed learning, and extended learning activities. (5,6)".
UEN Content: Strand: Measurement and Data, Standard 3.MD.3, "Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one-and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent five pets."

MindMapping with Popplet: Physical Education

     I used Popplet to create a mindmap. I used the first few nodes to break the main concept of 3rd grade physical education, then used some more to discuss concepts within the subtopics. I chose different colors to separate the different sections of information.

     I liked how easy it was to put together the nodes. It was very easy to add images into the different bubbles, and to then add text to those. It was easy to navigate and edit colors and text sizes. I did not like that it could get messy very quickly as you add more popplets. I would have to use this tool for older students if it got really messy and complicated or simplify concepts for younger students so that it was easier to follow. I could also use this tool as a pre-and-post assessment. At the beginning of the year, have students create a mindmap that includes everything they know about a subject (social studies, science, English, etc). Then, at the end of the year, have them make another mindmap to show what they know, then give them the chance to compare this new mindmap with the first one that they made.

     My students could use this tool to present everything that they know about different subjects. For example, in response to a history lesson, they could break the popplets into people, places, events, etc. Or, for science they could show me everything they know about different branches of science (biology, chemistry, astronomy, etc). They can also use it to create study guides for themselves.

Standards: 
ISTE: Creative Communicator: "I communicate effectively and express myself creatively using diffeerent tools, styles, formats and digital media."
EdTech: Standard 6: "Use telecommunications efficiently and effectively to access remote information and communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning and for pursuit of personal interests. (4)."
UEN Content: Strand 5, Standard 3.5.1, "Discuss the relationship between physical  activity and good health". Standard 3.5.2, "Reflect on the personal selection of particular physical activities over other options". Standard 3.5.4, "Describe the positive social interactions that result from participation in physical activity".