Module 6

As Roblyer and Doering (2013) said, social studies is probably the most affected subject since the interconnectivity of people has grown with the boom of technological growth.

Advantages 
Simulated Problem-Solving Environments

• Oregon Trail
• GeoThentic
• Making History

Information Visualization
Uses pictures, videos, colors, and symbols to represent concepts.

Virtual Field Trips
Allow classrooms to explore historical sites, museums, or any number of educational places that are too far away or simply outside of the budget for a classroom.

Adventure Learning

• Earthducation
• GoNorth!

Digital Storytelling
Uses images to tell stories
According to Roblyer and Doering (2013 pg 340), digital storytelling can:

1. Assist students in comparing and contrasting the past and present
2. Sensitize students to diverse perspectives and biases
3. Provide visual cues that reinforce geographic concepts
4. Foster skills in analysis and critical thinking
5. Represent abstract and concrete social studies concepts
6. Facilitate greater connections to the community 
7. Personalize associations

Disadvantages
Due to the lack of moderators on the internet sifting through information that is being published and made available for young minds to absorb, teachers must be a buffer that corrects falsely discovered rumors that have been published as fact. A few such outlandish claims that Roblyer and Doering (2013) mention are the Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico superstition and the CIA intercity dispensery of drugs.


Resources

The most dreaded resource that disadvantages technology in the social studies field is
http://www.wikipedia.org/. Although the site is monitored and false information is usually removed, the site still maintains that users can alter the information and the new information is readily available for others to see before it has been fact checked.

A great resource I have found is the site I listed in my twitter posting, http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/.
This site has links for maps, games, information, and so much more that has all been reviewed by educators for educators.

http://t.co/fYbmUQBE6e #ED447UM This is a great site for resources in a SS classroom
— Daniel Donaldson (@MrDonaldson14) November 20, 2013

Module 5

The Interactive Classroom

Discuss how the interactive classroom (and interactive lessons, like flipcharts) relate to the following criteria (Make at least one connection (1 - 3 sentences) to each. Be sure to bold and italicize these headings so that they are recognizable.):

21st Century Skills for Students and Teachers, including the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (p. 21)
Flipcharts and other interactive lessons give students the hands-on technology use that is necessary in the 21st century. Working on projects with fellow students allows for communication and collaboration which Roblyer and Doering cited from the P21 framework as being essential skills along with creativity and innovation which can be learned from the task of creating an original work. (2013) 

Technology use based on problem solving (p. 25 - 26)

Roblyer and Doering (2013) state that technology in the classroom facilitates the best learning when the three components, motivation and engagement, support for learning needs, and preparation for future learning, are used together correctly. Keeping students engaged and motivated will create a more malleable mind that is ready to learn. Addressing and working with student's individual learning needs makes each student feel like they can succeed. Preparing students for future leaning means that every student will leave the classroom able to accustom themselves to new environments.  

Constructivist vs. Objectivist
Roblyer and Doering (2013) define constructivist learning as learning that occurs when the student creates their own knowledge from hands-on experiences and objectivist learning as learning that can only occur from direct instruction from a knowledgeable teacher.
Based off of these definitions, interactive classrooms would more closely align with constructivist because the students are constructing their own learning through real life, hands-on experiences.   

Flipchart

http://www.prometheanplanet.com/en-us/Resources/Item/156681/multiplication-facts-review-flipchart#.Unmiuvmkpvk

I really enjoy this flipchart because in my placement right now, it would be really helpful to have a game they could do to practice their multiplication facts. Like Roblyer and Doering said on page 25, technology can always grab students' attention and focus them on learning tasks.

#M5 http://t.co/S5hmr8wt75 this site gives some great examples and uses for flipcharts in a classroom #ED447UM
— Daniel Donaldson (@MrDonaldson14) November 5, 2013

Module 4

Wiki: https://grade4commoncoremath.wikispaces.hcpss.org/

---This wiki has the common core standards for fourth grade as well as good forms to use for both formative and summative assessment. This would be a great website for first years teachers to get ideas on how to assess the new standards that need teaching. It could also be helpful for veteran teachers who just need new ways to assess their classes under the new common core. Using this wiki as a template could also help a teacher in having their class create their own wikis. (Roblyer and Doering 2013)

Widget 1
-- http://scribblemaps.com/create/#lat=33.104676734458515&lng=-86.8563764678954&z=15&t=Map&y=0&p=0
This is an awesome widget that lets you write, draw, and add text to Google maps. This would be a great tool to use in geography classes so the teacher could find a map of the student's actual school and home town and then draw and map on the actual screen to share with the students. The students could also screen shot their own path around town to send in to the teacher for assessment of understanding.

Widget 2
-- http://www.online-stopwatch.com/
Possibly my favorite widget of all time, the online stopwatch is a great way to keep a visual tracker for timed assignments. The stopwatch can be used as an actual stopwatch to time students work, or any other task. However, it can also be used as a timer. The timer is ridiculously helpful when you need the students to work on a project for a few minutes and you need them to stay on task because you can set it up on any over-head display and it will count down on the board or wall of your choice. Having used this in classes myself, it has definitely helped keep students on track when they can visually see the time slipping away for their assignment. Since time management is such an integral part of the school day,(Roblyer and Doering 2013), this widget can be very helpful.

Web-based Lesson
---http://www2.gsu.edu/~mstjrh/webbasedtemplate.html
This site is a template for a web-based lesson plan. This would be a great help to a student trying to create their first web-based plan. However, just as a word of warning, the links in the lesson plan provided are dead links so they would need to be replaced or just taken out before using the lesson. Since so many classes are now integrating leaps and bounds more technology in the classroom, this would be a great place to start. (Roblyer and Doering 2013)

http://t.co/v9ZBLBkRQo This site gives some great ideas on why and how to implement a wiki into just about any class #ED447UM #M4

— Daniel Donaldson (@MrDonaldson14) October 15, 2013

Module 3

URLs: What do URLs tell you/students about web sites?
URLs tell the user what kind of site they are using: commercial sites, government sites, networks, education institute sites, or non-commercial sites. The URL link also allows a user to see how deep into the website a particular page is. (Roblyer and Doering 2013 pg 216)

Search Engines: How can learning to use search engines help you/students find better information?
When a user knows how to use search engines optimally, they can find current, reliable information quickly and efficiently.

Internet Tool: Choose one Internet Tool (in the section beginning on p. 223) and discuss how you might use it in a classroom.
Podcasts would be a great tool to use in a classroom especially for when students are absent. If the teacher has their lessons set to be recorded and the students are automatically sent a download of each lesson, then there becomes little room for forgetting to catch a student up on what is going on in class. It would also come in handy for students who just need to hear the lesson again on their own maybe at home or just in the back of the room during centers. (Roblyer and Doering 2013 pg 224)

Favorite Web Sites: Finally, pick two web sites that you feel are your favorite. Post the web sites and talk about why they will be beneficial to teachers and/or students.
Tumblr: I love using Tumblr because you can find everything from project ideas, to pictures from across the globe, to gifs about different cycles, and more. It is a great way to make visual learning a simpler task in the classroom.
Dogpile: I love using Dogpile because it gives more of a variety to searches than just using Google, but you also get all of Google's top searches. It is very beneficial when you are trying to find resources for lesson planning or writing papers. (Roblyer and Doering 2013 pg 219)

http://t.co/RLej509agl I mayb the only one who didn't know this site existed bt I love tht it pulls from Google & Yahoo. Great Search Engine

— Daniel Donaldson (@MrDonaldson14) October 6, 2013

Module 2 #Hypermediaintheclassroom

kids.britannica.com
Reference Materials
This site is an online encyclopedia and like the text said, it is a free resource that allows students to "search for information easily and efficiently." This site would be a great for use in science, history, or any subject where the students need to do research on a topic. The site is also more user friendly than a printed encyclopedia due to the search bar that separates searches by level, 8-11 or 11+, or as a dictionary/thesaurus.



3-D Models
3-D models like the ones the book mentions at nlvm.usu.edu, are a great way to show students what is being discussed in class when there is not a way to physically show them. A great example of this is when discussing the solar system or artifacts. A great way to engage the class when opening up a subject like this would be to show them a 3-D rendering of the whatever object they can are supposed to be visualizing. This could also come in handy for classes that can not afford to take field trips to see the different things that they are studying. With a 3-D model, teachers can lead field trips without leaving the classroom.

#M2 http://t.co/MS3REoLg4A This site offers some great tips for using hypermedia in the classroom. #ED447UM

— Daniel Donaldson (@MrDonaldson14) September 23, 2013

Flash Card Creation-- http://quizlet.com/
Drill and Practice Software
Quizlet allows the user to create flashcards to use as study aides. This could be a helpful tool in the classroom to use as a study aide while working with struggling students, or as a fun activity to use as homework instead of copying all the definitions ten times.

Jeopardy Game-maker and Library-- http://superteachertools.com/jeopardy/
Instructional Games Software
This site allows the teacher to make a fully playable jeopardy game to use on review days or as a new lesson opener to judge how ready the class is for the new information. I have used this program in a class before and it is really enjoyable and helps break out of the monotony of regular classroom reviews.

Stock Market Simulation-- http://www.howthemarketworks.com/
Simulation Software
Users are given a lump sum of virtual cash to use in a virtual world of buying, trading, and selling stocks. This would help when trying to explain how the stock market works to young students. Given it is a hands on experience where there is a visual representation of how well they are managing their assets, this simulator could be used in economics, math, and even social studies to discuss supply and demand scenarios.

Inkscape-- http://inkscape.org/
Graphics Tool 
Inkscape allows the user to draw, paint, and design their own artwork, or to choose from an extensive online clip art library. This site will help when making presentations so that one is not reusing the same pictures constantly.

Puzzle Maker--  http://www.discoveryeducation.com/
Materials Generator
Although it is listed as a puzzle maker in the book, this site gives access to puzzle creations, lesson plans, pta kits, homework help, parental links and a lot more. It would be a great resource in the classroom for building resources and finding new ideas as well as a great site to share with parents and students so they can find help if needed.

#ED447UM #M1 http://t.co/RzrticFOzW this link gives a great description of the discovery education site that I talked about in my blog
— Daniel Donaldson (@Prentice14) September 10, 2013

Here's my first post for ED 447 courtesy of Blogger!!