Cool Tools for Schools

This is a great website...something that can be put on my MHS website and there for the students to use all year. I could even introduce a class project and let them pick the "coolest tool" to allow them to present the material.

I really enjoyed the "Songza" tool. What a cool idea for kids to research songs about the 1960s protest movement and Vietnam. Also, "Hot Potatoes" was a neat idea to have the kids use games to help them present and review the material. "Quibblo" was also a good tool to have the kids use technology to interact and share material.

This is definitely something that can be used down the road.

Wordle

As is often the case with these new technology tools, I was at first intimidated by Wordle. However, when looking at the process and the finished product, what a cool idea. This can be used for brainstorming at the beginning of a unit or for a chapter/unit review. Perhaps we could even use it for the upcoming exam review as a class activity. It also outputs a nice fun thing to look at and keep and I think the kids would enjoy using it. Cool concept.

Movie Maker

I really enjoyed using the movie maker online tool. I think it can be great for kids or myself to use for class. What a great way to convey information to the kids (on progressbook or my blog) or have them use it for a presentation. The kids always enjoy making a movie rather than the live presentation anyhow. It would be time consuming for the students, but ultimately worth it. I'm not quite sure how to embed it in my blog, but I'm going to give it a try.

Diigo

This is probably the first technology tool that I am not sold on. While I think the post it note option is neat, it doesnt prove to be practical enough to use. The bookmarking option is fine but there are plenty of other options out there that are more user friendly. Perhaps I don't have the full story, but Diigo does not seem to be for me.

Wikis

I think the Wiki concept on paper is a very good one. What a great tool to have the kids collaborate together and make their own "webpage" on a certain topic. But, as often occurs with new technology, the idea in my brain of a Wiki and the end product was not the same.

Erik Vanags and I tried to incorporate Wikis earlier this year when teaching World History I to our freshmen. I had invisioned this great website that all the kids could edit and add to. What came out was a decent compilation of material, but it's aesthetic value was rather low. I would like to use Wikis later this year, perhaps through Wikispaces which seems easier than Moodle.

I love the idea...perhaps next time it will serve our purposes better.

Google Reader

Well at first I thought Google Reader was confusing and a waste of time. However, as is becoming the trend here, once I researched it further and played with it for a while, it turned out to be a helpful technological tool. What a great way for kids to see all the websites I would like them to read (in one convenient place). Also, what a great time saver for surfing the net...whether it be educational or not. You can simply "dump" all of your favorites into the reader and read it all in one place. Very cool...and also very useful for class.