INSTTECH 4131 & 5131: Technology in Education (Fall 2012)

Google Earth is an instructional tool that I use often as a social studies teacher.  However, it can be used across content areas.  For example, it can be used to highlight the geographic connections to the settings of novels, or to take students on virtual field trips to science museums.

I agree with you that this is a great tool that is something that can really enrich student learning. I can definitely see myself at most grade levels using this tool one way or another. I would be interested in experimenting more with the program and finding creative ways to implement it into lessons.

I really enjoy using Google Earth in the classroom. The capabilities of Google Earth and Google Maps (especially with the most recent update) give my students a chance to see places they may never get to see in their lives. I think we are going to spend more time focusing on the use of Google Earth or Maps in my upcoming Global Studies classes.

Materials, eBooks, videos, and games for teachers or students.

This site was really cool to look at. It had a ton of things to buy for the classroom! Just looking around I was already getting inspired to incorporate them into daily activities and lessons. This would be site I would recommend to administration so they can purchase things for the school to have available (if they are nice like that).

A website that explains wikis, how to use them, and has examples of wikis.

I think this is a great place for new educators to start (or educators new to this technology). It gives you the basics and instruction for what what exactly a wiki is and how it can be used. We need simple and clear cut sites like these to introduce new technologies so that we don't get so lost and left behind!

This article describes positive ways in which technology can enrich the classroom as well as barriers educators will need to overcome. I liked this article because the author gave their opinion on the challenges we will face with this technological generation and how to prepare yourself as an educator.

This website is the place where you can nominate technological tools for awards. I like this site specifically for wikis because you can see a list of wikis nominated for how well teachers implemented them into their lessons as well as the award winners for past years. This not only inspires teachers to use wikis in creative ways like these award winners, but also gives a list of wikis that are good enough to be used in the classroom.

This is a website showing a teacher's 100 web tools idea bank. I liked this site because not only did it give a ton of great tools and websites but it also gave a cool idea for teachers to create their own idea bank for lesson planning.

This is a wiki of all sorts of tools which can be used by both teachers and students in the classroom for everything from drawing to writing, to presentations, to really almost anything you can think of. Expansive listing.

This looks like a great resource. I was just thinking the other day how can I use the technologies and programs I don't know a thing about. This has it broken down really well and includes a summary with them. Very user friendly!

Just FYI: sorry if this gets posted twice. I accidentally posted these far before the assignment was due, and wanted to ensure they are still visible on the group.

This is YouTube's free video editing Web 2.0 program.  Students and teachers could use this to create and store online media for classes.  Many schools have Google accounts for their students that could be used to access the YouTube video editor as long as administrator provided the proper permissions.  This could also be a free alternative to programs districts must pay for like iMovie or WeVideo.

I know someone else already posted this, but it was such a great find (and I did not know it existed!!) that I had to bookmark it for myself. I am posting this for totally selfish reasons, and not for use with my students exclusively. Although, I am sure I could use this editor to enhance instructional videos, or my students could use it to enhance videos they may create as projects. Currently, I'm excited to use it for myself, for current class projects. =X

This is the pin board on Pinterest for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). They put up all kinds of educational technology resources for both teachers and students, and it's nice to know these pins/recommendations are from a credible source!

Reading and writing tips, ideas, and lessons for teachers.

Thanks for sharing this site, Haley! I love the free "student interactives" given under the resources tab; I just had a lot of fun exploring some of those -- especially the "printing press" which I am actually adding to my own bookmarks....it looks like a cool way to get students interested in writing, and incorporating an "app" to make their publications look more professional. Definitely something I'd like to use in my upcoming student teaching, or my own classroom! :)

To The Lesson is a teacher blog that is full of classroom ideas, organizational tips, management tips, etc. that can be helpful to use as ideas for any classroom!

This blog's simplicity is what I liked best about it. It shows great pictures and is organized in a way that easy to understand. Also, it gives great ideas for early education. I plan on teaching k-2 so this could give me great ideas for fun lessons!

I found the first few posts in this blog to be really interesting, although probably not very useful for me as a future teacher. I don't know much about Montessori teaching or schools. Based on my initial impressions, and the fact that I fully plan on being a "messy classroom" teacher (lots of differentiation, lots of AT (I'm a special education minor in addition to being an ed. tech. minor), I'm not sure how much my classroom philosophy and organizational principals could relate to this teacher's. A very different perspective, to be sure! If I ever have free time (maybe over winter break!?) I'd like to read more about what this Montessori stuff is all about; I'm especially interested in the value of the "Practical Life" work this teacher is doing?? Totally different than anything I've seen in my educational training. Thanks for sharing. :)

This blog follows the authors journey through learning about instructional technology. You follow him through discovering the variety of tools and applications as well as seeing his thoughts on each one. He ends up touching on any type of educational technology you can think of. This blog would be extremely helpful for teachers because you can search any topic and read his thoughts and research behind it.

This website is a site where teachers can go and create a wiki for their class.  I would use it for different subjects or just for my class as a whole.

Good source to pass on to teachers looking to expand in their classroom. Neat examples that would benefit the teacher that is looking to challenge their students. I have been looking for something like this to help our English teacher wanting a good source with Wikis - Thanks

I thought this was a great, easy to understand resource. It also gives great examples. For me, it answered a lot of questions about wikis that I had. It also gives great ideas of how to use them. Overall, a very informative great website!

This is the YouTube channel specific to education. Can be used by teachers to brush up on their own knowledge of some primary subjects. Some vids are appropriate to be incorporated into the classroom for students to view - potential for use in Webquests.

Just FYI: sorry if this gets posted twice. I accidentally posted these far before the assignment was due, and wanted to ensure they are still visible on the group.

This is a great resource for teachers! I always have trouble knowing what videos are more "educational" than others and this would be a great way to ensure you have good videos to show! I never knew there was a specific channel for education. I love how you can browse according to the subjects. I watched some of the videos and they seems great!

I great website with blogs about special education and different types of teaching and learning for students with mild to severe disabilities.

This is a blog with various educational resources including resources relating to technology and how to use it in a classroom setting.

Blogs about integrating technology into the classroom.

Resources, guides, ideas, and videos about teaching reading

A great source for collaborative tools for both teachers and students. One of the coolest parts of GFE is the lesson plan search!! Can easily search for what you're looking for in a lesson plan and come up with many ideas and outlines to get you started.

Google for Educators is a very good tool for teachers to use, i liked the way it organized, it is easy to research and find what you want, classroom videos are awesome tools to use.

Just FYI: sorry if this gets posted twice. I accidentally posted these far before the assignment was due, and wanted to ensure they are still visible on the group.

Blog of a fellow educator, whose interests include successful integration of technology into the classroom. A teacher working on their Ed.D.

Just FYI: sorry if this resource gets posted twice from me. I accidentally posted these far before the assignment was due, and wanted to ensure they are still visible on the group.