Interactive Whiteboards

Even though we just began learning about interactive white boards, the benefits of these neat tools are already evident.  This can be a great way to weave technology in with learning.  I really like the different ways you can make the board interact with a class.  This could really get students more engaged and focused during instruction.  I also like how easy it is to edit or change issues on the fly.  While we were learning about interactive whiteboards, a problem arose but was quickly fixed.  Also I like that one can write on top of whatever notes or webpages are on the screen.  This makes things easier to explain to students.

This tool would definitely be useful in any classroom.  The three branches of government lesson on the interactive white board showed the differences in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  This adds a new and exciting element in what can sometimes be a boring lesson.  Also any time a student actually interacts with the whiteboard that helps the learning set in better.

Digital Images

I really enjoyed participating in the digital image scavenger hunt.  This exercise has broadened my knowledge and ability working with digital images.  First off my team had to scour campus for images related to our scavenger hunt.  After posting these to dropbox, each of us edited the pictures and posted them to Picassa. This process thus far has been quite confusing; therefore I am glad I get to practice this before I actually get into the classroom.  Other than being slightly confusing, this project has been a good introduction to digital images.

I think using a scavenger hunt would be an awesome activity to do in the classroom.  While teaching a history class, if I could take a field trip to a museum and set the students loose with a scavenger hunt, I think that could be a great learning opportunity.  Also this would be a good opportunity to use technology with my students while teaching my subject matter.  Making a presentation while using these materials would activate learning on many different levels.

Thoughts on Wordle

This week we learned about Wordle, a tool used to highlight the most used words in a block of text.  This tool has strengths and weaknesses.  The main issue with this Web 2.0 tool is that once you create a wordle, it is extremely difficult to find it again.  If you do screenshot the page after making a wordle, then you can use this tool in the classroom. 

If saved immediately after creation, these wordles can be very useful.  For example, as a teacher I could combine all the essays together and create a wordle.  Or I could give students the main idea of any speech or primary document. Wordle would create a new and exciting way to view documents and speeches in a history class.      

Time Toast

The Web 2.0 tool I researched is called Timetoast.  This is a tool which allows users to create time lines for any topic they can imagine.  If a timeline is done well, the finished product looks sleek and appealing.  Unfortunately, BC dates are not supported by Timetoast so one can only make time lines of the past 2000 years.  While working on a timeline, I found myself having fun and wanting to make it larger and more detailed.  

This tool would definitely be useful in a classroom.  As a teacher I could construct a timeline with Timetoast  for a lesson about a period in history.  This would be extremely useful for keeping track of dates and chronology, one of the hardest things for high school students to keep track of in a history class.  This tool could also lead to neat projects in which students themselves create a timeline.  Making my timeline I learned many things while researching the dates and information to put on my timeline.  I am sure students would learn along the way as well.  After students create the timeline, they could even teach what they have made to the class.  Timetoast would be a valuable addition to any history class.