Blog Post #6

Here are a few of the Web 2.0 tools that I could and have incorporated in my classroom.

Wiffiti – I created an account for use in my classroom. I tried it once with my Geometry class. I posted the question “Name a polyhedron that has at least 5 faces” and allowed the kids to post. It didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. The students did answer the question, but I had to refresh the page for it to work and show up for the students. When I refreshed, it did show everyone’s answer and we had a discussion about the answers.

Xtranormal – I liked this web tool. I created an introduction video about studying for the Pre-Algebra test. The kids loved it and I would definitely use this again. It was very easy to use. The only downfall was that I could only create the one video for free. If I want to create more, I will have to pay or find a different website.

QR Codes – I downloaded an app for this on my phone and actually used it at Lowe’s in the garden department. The QR Code brought me to a website about how to care for the plant. I like the idea of placing these on homework assignments to guide students to a helpful website. The downfall is that the student would have to have some sort of Smartphone.

Discovery Education Network – Our school district currently uses parts of the Discovery Education Network. We can create probes that allow us to test students, see immediate and real-time results, and allows us to track student progress. The website also provides videos and tutorials for specific learning targets.

Bitstrips looks like a fun tool to allow students to be creative with a project. I created my own little comic about spheres. It was quick and easy. Students could easily use this tool to create a comic strip on a given topic – say – finding the surface area of prisms. Students could include the formulas.