By spending the last two weeks reading about all the ways and reasons why we need to include/increase the use of technology in the classroom, I decided to do a bit of research and come up with some tools that are free and out on the web. Both of the resources that I found have the benefit of students working together as in a group or solo.
The first one I will talk about is called writeboard.com. This is the link - http://writeboard.com/
I plan on using this tool this school year. This software allows students to work together on a text document. What happens is each write board (or project) is given a URL. The students are able to work on this document at school and or at home. The best part of this is that you get to see how many times each student edits or changes the document. That way you can tell that everyone in the group is working. You are able to see if a student makes a big change or a small change. You can also leave comments to help the students complete the task. Because the students can log into the write board at any time/place. You will not have the issues of students being out sick and not pulling their own weight on a project. You will also not need to worry about the document getting lost or who has it. Take the quick tour when you go to the website. It really helps to explain the program.
The second tool I think I will use is called prezi this is the link http://prezi.com
This tool really will take away from the traditional poster board project. It is used to make a presentation. Students can use it solo or in a group situation. It is pretty easy to use and allows you to upload pictures and video. It has built in templets and the ability to change color/size of font. The coolest part of it is that you create a "path" on the order of what you want to be displayed. Prezi also has quick tour that you can take and it is really helpful.
The learning curve on both of these tools is very small. They are very easy to learn in just a couple of minutes. I just think the students will really have fun with them and will be able to use them in many different types of classes.
Excellent tools! Another great tool that reminds me of the writeboard is ietherpad and it is real time updated typing for collaboration. It could be used in the classroom as a note taking platform to share later with the class or a back channel type forum where students are actively note taking while you watch a video or movie and they can ask you real time questions. Each person who is in the room has a different color associated with themselves. Prezi is fun too and my 6th graders loved using it last year. Here are a few resources I have for prezi prezi Enjoy!
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