Software Tools for 21st Century Teaching

Materials Generators  

- Smart Exchange (http://www.exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0)

is a program that provides teachers with lesson plans and activities that they can utilize on the smart board. 

- I chose interactive whiteboard software because it engages students and I can attest that my kids both enjoyed the smart board in elementary school.  Roblyer notes (2016) "Whiteboards have become very popular in schools" (Pg. 147).  

Further information:

http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/Whatisaninteractivewhiteboard.aspx

Data Collection and Analysis

- Inforgr.am (https://infogr.am/app/#/library)

allows you to take written numbers and put it into visual format via charts and graphs

- Data for graphic illustration as an example of integration strategies for online survey tools is a great way for students to be able to visualize information as Roblyer states (2016) "Students get practice in reading and interpreting the graphic displays" (Pg. 152)

Further information:

http://www.sedl.org/pubs/sedl-letter/v22n02/using-data.html

Testing and Grading Tools

- RubiStar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php)

allows you to create and organize what is expected of a student to complete in an assignment.

- Rubistar is an example of a test and rubric generator.  Rubrics give students an outline of prompts or tasks which need to be completed in order to succeed with an assignment.

Further information:

Awesome point on how grading rubrics creates unbiased grading 

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/rubrics-as-a-defense-against-grade-appeals/

Graphics Tools

- Wordle allows students to visually see words that are prominent in a document or passage.  (http://www.wordle.net/)

- Word cloud generators can be used in many different subjects and in many different ways.  Roblyer notes (2016) "Social Studies - Compare and analyze word clouds created from two presidential speeches" (pg. 159).

Further Information:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2016/02/here-are-some-of-best-word-cloud.html

Planning and Organizing Tools

- PlanbookEdu helps teachers organize their lessons online and provide documentation for what they are teaching.

(http://planbookedu.com/)

- Lesson planning software allows teacher to have a documented plan for their teaching structure and methods.  Roblyer says (2016) "show what teachers are teaching and how they are teaching it" (pg. 161).

Further Information:

http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p2_5

Research and Reference Tools

- Google Maps is a terrific online source for finding places in the world. (https://www.google.com/maps/)

- Digital atlases and mapping tools allow students to gather much more information than a traditional atlas.  Roblyer states (2016) "Online versions of these atlases are especially helpful because they are so interactive" (pg. 162).

Further Information:
https://www.google.com/help/maps/education/learn/index.html


Content Area Tools

- World Lingo helps students translate from one language to another. (http://www.worldlingo.com/)

- Online foreign language dictionaries and translators make translation much quicker and efficient in teaching a student new languages as opposed to looking everything up in a pocket translator.

Further Information: http://blog.tesol.org/online-dictionaries-for-english-learners/

Digital Citizenship

Search Engines & Website Navigation

From the module videos and readings we see that it is important to use information from websites that have credibility. Sites with a URL that ends in .org, .edu or .gov typically represent government and institution websites that have credible information.  One of the best ways to speed up navigating and organizing the sites that you find is to include a bookmark or favorite.  Robyler states (2016) "You could write all of them down, but a quicker way to go to such sites is to let a feature in your browser help you create a list or use an online organization tool.  This browser-based list is called a Bookmarks file or Favorites file" (p. 181).

Website Evaluation

The following video sticks to the basics and is geared towards middle school students.  I think you need to keep it short and to the point when trying to explain something like website evaluation.  

I like how this video shows how you want to find sites that have similar information and present their information in a fair manner showing points for and against and with the least amount of bias as possible. Roblyer notes (2016) "Site information must not only be complete, accurate, and up-to-date, it must also be free from the sources of problems often inherent in written communications: mechanical errors, inappropriate language, lack of appropriate source referencing, and bias" (p. 199)
Favorite Professional Websites
http://www.si.edu/Kids
The Smithsonian Kids website is a great website as users can get to any content within three clicks.  In the field of Social Studies this website has activities that are interactive to the user.  I tried one out for the presidents and the information was "presented in an attractive, creative, yet readable way" which Roblyer (2016) states is a key according to her website evaluation checklist (p. 199).  There are even lesson plans according to grade on here to assist teachers when teaching about presidents.
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/
The Teaching American History website is tailor made for teachers and students.  From the articles that I read the information is factually accurate and there is a wealth of information and lesson plans available for teachers like myself who would be teaching history.
Online Safety and Security
Robyler (2016) states cyberbullying is "The practice of using technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person" (p. 175).  I think it is so important to stay in tune with children in the cyber world.  I watched the video flocabulary and the two things that stood out to me were would you say it in real life and think about the reader before you post. People tend to not think that their words and actions online are not as damaging as in the real world but Roblyer (2016) explains "Cyberbullying is the online version of regular school bullying and can produce the same harmful consequences "(p. 175).