Group items tagged

Website that provides multiple teaching and learning resources including various document files and a multimedia presentation for teachers and students to use

Brief description of what it allows you to do and how it can be used for essential or generative learning: This site is awesome for creating mindmaps using a software that runs on multiple platforms and is adjustable when viewed. The most notable function is the collaboration function that allows the sharing or co-creating of a mindmap. This organizer can be completed by the audience member pertaining to the presentation material in a manner that makes sense to them. Brief explanation of why you found this site to be better than others you found (e.g., more effective, creates better products, easier to use, and so on): I have used this with my students and received positive feedback. I have even used it for some Walden assignments and feel it is user friendly and designed to promote collaboration.

A free, web-based graphic organizer. It is easy to use and share. I am using this as a way to organize the workshop and provide a visual for the teachers to have and understand the goals/timeline of the training.

Bubble.us is an online mind map that allows users to collaborate on brainstorming. Users can share their mindmap with others and provide access to read or edit. As content is added the mindmap takes on a new shape and cells can be color coded. Another feature of bubbl.us is for users to import work that has been saved on their computer or embed their mindmap. Bubbl.us can be used for pre-training which supports essential learning. I found this site to be more useful for collaborativebrainstorming .

The topic of my multimedia workshop is on How to Utilize Multimedia to Create Effective Instructions. I plan to use PowerPoint as my multimedia artifact. In Jones (2005) article she establishes the fact that the technology of choice for most projects was PowerPoint. The main reasons for selecting PowerPoint for my multimedia project coincided with what was discussed in this article. PowerPoint is accessible and familiar to most educators and students. It is simple to use, can be created on desktop, visually stimulating, sounds or auditory stimulation can be added and can be use for cognitive abilities. In addition, PowerPoint has presentation versatility because it can be used as an original file, PDF format, and html format. It can also run with videos and have narration added. Finally, the software allows for interactivity. The focus of the multimedia workshop is to create a learner-centered approach to learning instead of a technology approach to learning; the software is used to facilitate this process (Jones 2005, p. 1). Mayer's (2008) active processing is when meaningful learning occurs and learners are engaged in the active cognitive processing during learning and instructors must figure out ways to prime the learners to pay attention to relevant material, and mentally organize the information and integrate the information based on their prior knowledge. The ability to actively process information can be associated students dynamic, collaborative and synergistic construction of significant knowledge within a multi-learning environment. Jones, D. (2009.). PowerPoint with a learning point. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater--19th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Retrieved July 10, 2010, from http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/03_37.pdf

another excellent mind mapping application that is platform independent. This allows you to collaborate online in the creation of a mind map

Spinscape is not only a great tool as a graphic organizer to find, organize, and share information, but it also allows for real time collaboration with peers from around the world. I like this website over other similar sites because you can add text, images, or graphics to expand on the information provided within the graphic organizer.

Description: A visual collaboration tool for collaborating with others online. Why better: Allows collaborative team work synchronously and asynchronously.

This site is free and does not require the user to sign up like many other sites. The Creately site is very easy to use, just drag images from the sidebar and drop into working area. The user is able to generate quick graphic organizers that can be shared by exporting as a PDF file. What This product did better than many other sites was to incorporate colorful pictures and not just text.

Having had experience with using the FreeMind mapping site to create mind maps and organizers I am familiar with how it functions. Mind mapping or using graphic organizers can make identifying essential information much easier for students and teachers. Having used this site personally, I find it easy to use and effective at creating a mind map that can be converted to a jpeg file and uploaded to a blog or wiki with ease.

I've used this free resource for all the mapping assignments throughout my courses. It's easy to use and export as a jpg. It provides a great way to introduce and organize concepts as visuals.

This site is a great resource to post presentations (PowerPoints, Word documents, PDF...) which may be too large to share on a blog or in an email. I n my workshop, participants may access videos, presentations and files with ease, as well as create their own log in to post their own findings and creations.

Upload a powerpoint presentation to view online. Links remain active. You can even view Scribd as a book. Scribd can also be uploaded to YouTube. Easy to use. Provides the text from the presentation in an outline format. Easy to use.

What it does: Allows teachers to create a video from jpg files, video clips, and music. Also allows for verbal explanation to accompany video. Why this one: It is free and simple to use. Other movie makers may have many more bells and whistles. However the capabilities of this package are broad enough to satisfy most teachers' needs. The simplicity of the package is an invaluable benefit for teachers who do not have the time to spend learning new packages. Learning benefits: Both essential and generative learning can result from this multimedia option. Videos can be short (limited capacity) and provide dual coding (Mayer, 2009). Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Windows Moviemaker allows presentations and pictures to come alive. Windows Moviemaker is user friendly and easy to navigate. This software allows students and teachers to create and display presentations in the form of a movie. These presentations are engaging and keeps the participants involved.

Assignment, Module 3 - Edmodo.com is a free, secure, social learning site for classrooms.  It is a blogging-type platform that allows users to share ideas, post questions, polls, files, links, and other assignments.  Students can create an avatar for responding to the assignment.  It also allows for mobile access and messaging.  It includes a class calendar, a grading application, and RSS feeds.  Educators can set up a secure site for each class or learning unit.  It can be employed in a  synchronous or asynchronous format.   Also, it includes a teacher connections forum.

* Edmodo is a social networking/learning management system tool for students and teachers to engage and personalize learning, connect with resources, and measure progress. It can be used for essential or generative learning through participation in discussion threads, learning groups and communities, delivery of content for assignments and resources, and taking tests and quizzes. * I found Edmodo to be better than other authentic assessment activity resources because many teachers use it as a learning management system, it is easy to use and provides a safe and secure online classroom environment that is free. Edmodo also provides the capability of interfacing assignment and assessments with other web resources.

This website provides a list for how teachers can incorporate Google Docs in the classroom. Teachers will be excited about participating in this training because it can eliminate the fear of losing data, having multiple files of the same document, or the limitations of using one computer. Using this website will help teachers see the positive advantages for learning about Google Docs.

Authentic assessments are a great way to see if learning is transferable beyond a multiple choice test, but how do you determine if the objectives have been met? The answer: rubrics! Rubristar is a free online tool used to create rubrics for any subject. Rubristar also allows the user to connect to a community database of saved rubrics to use or modify to meet their individual needs.

This site allows the teacher to build authentic assessments based on the goals of the activity. The rubric can be saved and posted to email, wiki site, and as a pdf. file for use by the learner.

This site demonstrates how to use the Snipping Tool in Microsoft software to capture images on the screen. This tool is helpful in creating pre-training tutorials where learners discover how to insert media into the computer and download files. This process generates essential learning as participants select tutorials necessary to build prior knowledge of workshop skills. The snipping tool is quick, easily accessible, and produces quality images effortlessly uploaded into a slideshow.

Bubbl.us is a very simple brainstorming/mindmapping tool. In my workshop (Using Wikis in Education) I will use the graphic organizer as a pre-training tool to introduce the purposes for using a wiki in education. This will be a good tool for essential processing because the learners will be exposed to key concepts before the main learning event takes place. The learners will be given the key concepts in the primary nodes in the mindmap as the categories under which they will classify their new learning. Bubbl.us allows the learner to map out ideas and make connections. I liked this site because the mindmap was simple to create and it could be easily exported as a JPEG file. The only drawback is that I wish that it had the ability to import pictures/graphics and notes.

Prezi is a web-based presentation tool using a map layout and zooming to show contextual relationships.

What it is: Prezi is an online presentation software that allows collaboration among multiple users to create unique multimedia presentations. Why it's better: Instead of a traditional slide presentation, Prezi provides a platform to create presentations that are as creative as each individual user. Images, sounds, videos, and text can all be mixed together to create the most effective presentation possible.

Prezi is a presentation tool that can either be created online or offline. It offers collaboration among users and has zoom features to highlight information. Presentations can be viewed from a desktop, iPad, or iPhone. One way that Prezi can be used for essential learning is to segment a presentation to make it learner-paced. This website offers a better product for keeping learners engaged.

The purpose of this site is to create many different kinds of rubrics. A workshop participant can use a rubric to determine how much they learned during the workshop and self-assess if they have met the workshop's objectives. This site is exemplary because it leads the user step-by-step through the creation of a rubric. The site contains templates for all subject areas. Users can also search for and use rubrics that have already been created.

This site is a must see for all educators who are creating problem based learning or projects. Teachers can create their own template or use the read- made templates. The file can be exported for use or saved for future editing.

* Brief description of Web site: A free tool to help users (i.e. educators) create quality rubrics. Registered users can save and edit rubrics online. They can also access these created rubrics from any location. * Brief explanation of why you found this site to be better than others you found: Besides the fact that this is a free resource, users have the option of using templates provided by the site or creating their rubric from scratch. The site also offers step by step tutorials.

The graphic organizers provided here are, for the most part, plain in appearance. These will allow students to create their own look to these organizers whenever possible. The files are presented in .pdf format. There are approximately 80 different graphic organizers on this site. I found the options in this site more adaptable to different uses. Plus I prefer some of the editing options in Adobe Acrobat over MS Word and PowerPoint.

Freeology offers a variety of graphic organizer templates that can be printed for use in the classroom. The graphic organizers help students to maintain focus on what is the most important within the content area or topic of study. These organizers allow the learner to organize the information in an easy to read and user friendly method.

Online quiz making tool. Well-suited to assessing essential learning. Explanation of choice: Free and, unlike others I found, was selected for ISTEs 101 Best web sites 2005-2006.

This site allows users to create online quizzes and organize results. This site is effective, because it allows the user to create questions that have multimedia files attached instead of just basic questions with no graphics or videos. Students can also review quizzes and see what the correct answers were if they missed any questions. The site also guides the user through any possible dilemmas by providing a page of FAQ's and a link to contact the QuizStar support team.

Quizstar is an online assessment tool. Instructors can create quizzes online for their students to take. Quizzes can be made in many languages. Quizstar allows multimedia attachment to quizzes.

Online graphic organizer creation tool. Great for generative learning processes helping students make connections to prior learning. Explanation of choice: Recommended because it is online, free, and unlike other tools, no signup is required.

Gliffy provides users with an online interface for creating flowcharts, diagrams, and other graphic organizers. This site allows users to either choose from predesigned templates or to build graphic organizers from scratch. The diagrams can be easily saved as .jpeg files or published to the Internet. This online interface makes is possible for users to visually depict essential material and then develop the necessary connections for generative processing. This website is better than other sites that offer access to graphic organizers because users have the choice between preformatted templates and creating their own diagrams. In addition, users are responsible for inputting the relevant information related to their project. In addition, this website allows users to create their diagrams on the computer rather than simply printing off templates and completing them by hand.

Gliffy allows users to create custom graphic organizers. Starting with a basic design, users can edit the graphic organizer to fit their needs, based on the content. Customization includes additional boxes, connections, or color. A teacher could also begin to fill in the graphic organizer with major topics or key terms. With a pro account, users can add collaborators or publish the graphic organizer to the web. Gliffy can contribute to essential and generative processing by allowing learners to manage and organize the information being presented to them. It is better than other similar sites because it allows the user to customize the graphic organizer to the needs created by the content.