Mallory Haynes
Elementary Education
Educational Tools
These various technology tools are some I want to incorporate in my future classroom. I think that students will enjoy these tools and they will appeal to many different types of learners such as hand-on learners, auditory learners, and visual learners. Within these Tool Mastery entries I have attached a sample that correlates with the Alabama Course of Study connection I chose for each tool.
| Tool Mastery- Prezi
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Prezi is a free tool that allows students and teachers to create a presentation. You are able to choose from multiple templates to help you get started on making a Prezi. Prezi is similar to PowerPoint because you have slides and transitions to other slides with information. Prezi goes a step further and has a whole collective look when you go through the whole presentation the different slides are linked to one another. While making a Prezi students and educators are able to customize their presentation with different templates and color schemes. This is a fun interactive tool for students to use.
https://prezi.com/acqe6lclmukm/edit/#0_30863873
https://prezi.com/acqe6lclmukm/esperanza-rising/#
I was introduced to Prezi when I attended a student council meeting for the College of Education. The President made a Prezi all about the members and activities they have done over the past year. After seeing the presentation I was immediately intrigued. I later searched Prezi in my search engine and it was the first link that showed. I was able to sign in using my facebook but you are also able to create a username and password to login into Prezi. Once you have logged in the Prezi website is easy to understand and helps you make a Prezi.
Selection Criteria:
When choosing my tool mastery I wanted to use a tool that was interactive and let students along with teachers use their creative ability to make a presentation or do class work. Another criteria I wanted for this tool mastery was an easy to use tool for teachers to show students. I also wanted a tool for students to be able to use in group settings to show their knowledge of course content. Prezi met all these requirements. Prezi is an easy to use tool that allows teachers and students to create a presentation to show their knowledge of a topic.
ALCOS Connection:
To show how in a future classroom a Prezi can be used I chose and ALCOS connection from fifth grade English Language Arts from 2015.
11.) Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. [RI. 5.1]
I chose this learning requirement because I think that by using a Prezi students will enjoy showing their presentations to the class. This requirement is also an important skill that students need to be able to master to further their academic achievements. Students will be able to work together to create the presentation and demonstrate their knowledge connected to the learning requirement.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level:
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Creating
Rationale:
I chose creating for the Bloom’s Taxonomy Level because students and teachers are able to construct a presentation full of ideas in order to complete a final product. When using Prezi you are able to customize your own work. Prezi allows the user to change fonts, color schemes and other aspects of the presentation in order to create their own presentation.
ISTE Technology Standard:
The ISTE Technology standard for students that best fits Prezi is standard one.
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Creativity and innovation.
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
Rationale:
I chose this technology standard for Prezi because students are showing their creativity throughout making the Prezi. It allows the user to construct their knowledge using technology. Users are able to add their information into slides and link them to other slides in order to answer the learning requirement. When the student completes a Prezi they demonstrate their knowledge, creative thinking, and ability to develop a final product.
Classroom Connection:
As a teacher Prezi is a great tool to introduce a given topic. I can create a Prezi to my future class and by presenting information using technology I know the students will enjoy it. I believe that students will be eager to learn about Prezi and will enjoy being able to use this tool to complete group projects I assign them. Students will be able to collaborate with others and combine their thoughts in order to construct a final presentation. I will be able to introduce various literary terms using Prezi that students will need to know. Prezi is a great tool for teachers and students to use.
| Tool Mastery- Quizlet
The tool Quizlet is an Internet source used to make online flashcards and interactive games. After making a Quizlet as a teacher and student there are many different options you have with the material. You are able to make the Quizlet public so your students have a way of studying new material in a different way rather than in the classroom using books. As a student you can make the Quizlet public also to allow your friends in the same class to study the material in this way also. As a quizlet user there are multiple ways to generate a study source you can make flashcards and play the gravity game.
I was first introduced to this tool in high school. My friends and I would make flashcards for various classes and use each others along with our own to study for tests and quizzes. To access Quizlet you simple type it in the search engine bar as quizlet.com then you are taken to the wesite where you can choose from various educational topics with many quizes or flashcards connected to the topic. To make a Quizlet you are required to login with a username/email and password.
Selection Criteria:
When selected a tool I was looking for a few things of which include it being a free tool so anyone can use without paying for it. I also wanted this tool to be able to be used by teachers and students. I looked for a tool that was easy for people who are not very good at technology to use. Quizlet met all these requirements.
ALCOS Connection:
To show how in a classroom this tool can be used I have chosen a learning requirement from the Alabama Course of study. This requirement is for Mathematics from 2015 in the third grade. It is the fourth requirement on the list under Operations of Algebraic Thinking.
Represent and Solve problems involving multiplication and division.
4.) Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation relating three whole numbers. [3-OA4]
Example: Determine the unknown number that makes the equation true in each of the equations, 8 x ? = 48, 5 = ? / 3, and 6 x 6 = ?
I chose this ALCOS connection because knowing multiplication facts along with division is something students need to understand thoroughly to continue their mathematical learning. This is a different way to look at multiplication and division which students need to be able to be successful in to help their critical thinking skills. Quizlet is a way for them to be able to learn using technology in a different way from the normal text and photo copied pages.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level:
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Remembering
Rationale:
I chose remembering for the level of Bloom’s Taxonomy because Quizlet is a quiz generator for students. This is a way for them to practice their knowledge of recall and memorization of the material incorporated into the Quizlet.
ISTE Technology Standard:
The ISTE Technology Standard that best fits Quizlet for students is Standard four.
4.) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
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Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation
Rationale:
This standard is the best fitting standard because Quizlet allows students to solve given problems by the teacher. Students are also able to use this tool to think critically about the different ways to look at multiplication and division while learning how to use a technology tool.
Classroom Connection:
I will be able to use this Quizlet in my future classroom when talking about multiplication and division. Students will be able show me their understanding of the material. This will also be a way for students to learn more about multiplication and division than just out of the textbook. I think that students will find this to be more interesting than using printed pages I hand out to them while they study and learn.
| Tool Mastery- WordPress
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WordPress is a tool that allows the user to create websites and blogs. Within WordPress you are able to customize a blog for students. There are different design tools and applications available to use in WordPress that allows the user to design their own website and blog the way they want it to look.
https://mshaynesblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/ms-haynes-4th-grade-english-class/
I was first introduced to wordpress by a friend who used this tool in her high school classes. I looked up this tool and thought it would be a great tool to explore more and use in my future classroom. To locate this tool you simply search WordPress in a search engine and it should be the first link you come to. You are required to login using an email and password. This is a free tool where you simple enter an email address and password to begin creating your website/blog.
Selection Criteria:
When selected this tool I had a few criteria I was looking for one being a free tool. WordPress is a free tool for teacher and students to use. I also wanted this tool to be an easy to navigate tool that does not require a lot of technology knowledge for teachers and students to be able to freely use. I enjoy that WordPress is appealing in its look. This tool has many features where you are able to customize a webpage or blog so that it is eye catching and not just a black and white blog that students are able to access. WordPress is a free tool that is easy to navigate and appealing to students that is why I chose this tool above others for my tool mastery.
ALCOS Connection:
An example of how WordPRess can be used in a future classroom I chose a learning requirement from a fourth grade English Language Arts class.
3.) Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). [RL.4.3]
I decided on this learning requirement because being able to describe characters and events within a novel is an important task students will have to do all throughout their academic career. WordPress allows a teacher to create a blog of this learning requirement. Students are able to easily address this assignment by replying to the blog with their description of a character, setting, or event that happens within the novel.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level:
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Applying
Rationale:
I chose applying as the Bloom’s Taxonomy Level because I felt that this one was the most appropriate for this tool. Students are having to apply previous knowledge of the text in order to address the ALCOS connection. In order for the students to provide a well developed answer to the blog i have provided they are having to access knowledge they have gained from reading the required text and apply that knowledge to their answer.
ISTE Technology Standard:
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Creativity and innovation.
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
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Applying existing knowledge to generate new ideas, product, or processes
Rationale:
I chose this technology standard for student because it correlates the best with WordPress. A student is having to apply their knowledge of the text to provide an answer to the learning requirement. The student is using their technology skills to access WordPress and generate a well developed response to the blog.
Classroom Connection:
In a future classroom WordPress can be used as a tool for teachers or students. A teacher can create a WordPress blog in order for his or her students to address an assignment. Students then are able to demonstrate their knowledge of the text. After the students answer the assignment the teacher is able to provide feedback immediately through WordPress. The WordPress that I made was for the book Esperanza Rising, I think that students will enjoy this book along with using technology to show what they have learned about the characters or events within the book. This is a great tool that I plan on using in my future classroom.
Justification: Prezi meets my philosophy of believing that learning should be fun and collaborative when necessary. I understand that not all assignments can be done in group settings. Although the ones I choose to assign in groups I think that Prezi will be a great tool to help students master technology skills while learning from the other students in the class. Prezi is a great tool for hands on learners because they are able to create their own presentation. Within in the groups setting I will try and make the groups contain all different types of learners so that they will all have the ability to help produce a final product within Prezi.
Justification: The tool Quizlet contains a feature where a voice will read the information and you are able to hear it through the computer speakers. I enjoy this aspect of Quizlet because it is beneficial for students who are having trouble reading and with English Language Learners. This tool fits my philosophy of believing that all types of learners can succeed in my classroom with the appropriate tools and resources I am able to provide for them. By using Quizlet I am addressing visual learners, as well as hands on learners, and auditory learners.
Justification: The tool WordPress meets my philosophy believing that students can learn from one another just as much as me, the teacher. WordPress allows students to see other responses to the questions I have assigned. By reading the different answers given students see how others comprehend a question and they see different ideas provided by the others in the blog. I think this is a beneficially way for students to see other ideas rather than just their own thoughts and answer to the WordPress blog. I believe that this tool will help students who are shy in my classroom be able to voice their full opinion without having the anxiety of talking in front of the whole class or having the class laugh at them if they are not able to express their thoughts out loud. WordPress also meets the needs of students who work better alone and not in group settings.