Educational Technology-Week 7

After seven weeks of the Educational Technology class I have learned that there are many great resources that can be used as teaching tools.  There are several Web 2.0 tools and software programs that I think will be very beneficial in my future classroom. 

One that I think I would really like to incorporate into my future classroom is Scribblar.  Scribblar is an online collaborative whiteboard that many users can join and respond to different things that are shown on the “whiteboard” or screen.  This tool can also connect with Skype users; which allows people to use the program together.  Once you have created an account the user can create different rooms.  Once you have created the room there is basically a blank whiteboard that can be used when the students have all joined the room.  This can be a great tool if the school that I end up teaching at offers ipads to the students.  This is great because each student can be on an ipad and the teacher can teach a lesson using this interactive whiteboard.  This is a great way to mix up the teaching styles and teach the class a lesson. The teacher has the option to ask questions that can be answered by the students on the whiteboard. This would be effective for teaching math when you want a student to show the class how to do the problem.  The students do not even have to get up and waste time but they can answer the problem on their ipad and the whole class will have the ability to see how to do the problem.  

This is similar to the Smartboards that many schools have added to their classrooms.  I have observed teachers that do a great job of using this tool for interactive learning.  The Smartboard allows teachers to create different lessons that require the students to follow along.  I have seen a Science teacher create a PowerPoint presentation that has blanks within the notes and the students have to fill out the printed out slide show. This helps the teacher ensure that they are paying attention.  If I have access to Smartborads in my classroom I will do my best to use it to keep students engaged in the lesson.  

Finally, I think that the Microsoft Office Software will be one that I use daily.  This resource is simple and can help with so many of the daily tasks that a teacher needs to do.  This is a tool that can assist with classroom newsletters, lesson plans, grades, and presentations.  There are other tools that can be used to make newsletters and presentations but this is one of the most common and simple to use.