I use a myriad of technologies to plan, communicate and teach with during each school year. I've limited the technologies on this page to only those that I've used and will use again. Part of technology integration in my lessons includes trying things out, and accepting that a tool in theory is not equivalent to a tool in practice. The best thing we can do as educators is be mindful that not all technologies will work, and we have to be diligent in finding what works for us, and for our students. For each tool below, I've included a brief description of how I am using it. To explore the tool further, click on the pictures or the links in the descriptions.
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Google Classroom is the hub of my classroom. I am using Google Classroom to link to Google Drive (where I house all documents and presentations), keep an up-to-date calendar for students, and most importantly, link all assignments and embed important information. All students have Google accounts, setup by my district.
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Nearpod is an interactive presentation tool, which I can use to engage students in activities and lessons. I use Nearpod to keep all of my students on the same page during lessons. The ability to share out student responses during the presentation offers a unique anonymous capability when students are first learning a new topic.
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Classkick is an interactive whiteboard, that allows me to upload PDFs, write on them, add audio to them, then push them out to students. I am using this software primarily as a tool for students who are absent. I can upload our guided notes, fill in correct answers, and add my explanations to each section with individual audio additions.
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Seesaw affords students to create personal digital portfolios. I am using this app to collect assignments, and keep track of student progress during the week. Students upload all classwork and homework assignments through this app, and I am able to easily grade and assess. There is also an app for parents, who can access their child's portfolio.
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Weebly is a website building service that I've used for my classroom site. It is user-friendly, making updates fast and easy from week to week. I also have a class blog on this site, where I provide info about new apps, games and resources.
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Remind is a communication tool that allows teachers to communicate with parents and students through text and email. With the ability to schedule remind texts in advance, it is a service I find invaluable when I need to send updates or reminders.
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Twitter is an online social networking service, which I use as an additional communication tool with parents and students. I also use Twitter to shout-out or send praise to students who were caught working hard, or won the coveted DJ nomination each week.
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Instagram is an online social networking service, which I was driven to create for our class. I use Instagram to post relevant updates and reminders, pictures of projects or in class activities, and memes to get students excited about future activities.
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Quizizz is a game-based formative assessment tool, where I am able to steal or create my own formative assessments, and push them out to my students through their technology during class, or at home for practice. This creates a great "game" atmosphere for students who struggle with competition.
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Kahoot! is a game-based formative assessment tool, where I am able to steal or create my own formative assessments, and can play as a class with my students through their technology. Kahoot! is competitive, and serves as a great review tool, as well as survey tool.
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MindNode is a mind mapping tool, that allows students to brainstorm freely. My students used this software to create mind maps of their personal learning networks. This is also a great brainstorming tool for students who are struggling to get started.
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Educreations is an interactive whiteboard and screen casting tool that allows students or teachers to create an interactive lesson and record their own voices. I use Educreations for vocabulary activities, asking my students to illustrate and interact with words.
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YouTube is a video sharing website, where I am able to pull videos to insert into my daily lessons. My students love the math raps I include, and our weekly Fallon Friday videos. YouTube is easy to embed into a power point presentation and allows students to hear more than one voice in the lesson.
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EdPuzzle is a video and lesson sharing website. I am able to search for videos, edit them to the portions I am looking for, add audio notes and questions for students to engage with, and create virtual classrooms. I use this to increase engagement with videos shown during lessons.
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TedEd is a compilation of Ted videos that are geared toward teaching and learning. The lessons include an engaging video, with additional lesson ideas and supplementary materials. I am using TedEd to spark conversations in my classroom and get students thinking critically during our TedTuesday talks.
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TodaysMeet is an interactive discussion tool, that teachers can use as a parking lot for questions, a conversation spark, or a polling tool. I've used TodaysMeet for all three of these, and my students say they love it because "it is like texting to the whole class."
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Google Drive is my home base for lesson planning, creation and resource collection. I create a power point presentation (PPT) for each day which, essentially, is my lesson plan for the day. I then link all of these PPTs to my website, where students have access and can go back to review. I also use Google Drive to collaborate with other teachers, sharing resources and my calendar.
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Adobe InDesign is my notes and test creation software. It is typically used by designers and graphic artists, but I find that it gives me freedom I do not have in Microsoft Word or comparable programs. It is an expensive program, but I find it worthwhile to have complete freedom in the creation of my lesson materials.
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Piktochart is an infographic design app that allows me to create graphics that are ascetically pleasing and quick to browse. I've used this in my own graduate classes, to create supplemental materials in my classroom. In the past, I've asked high school and college students to create infographics with this software and had incredible results.
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I received one free year of VoiceThread, and haven't started my trial yet, but plan to create interactive lessons over the summer. VoiceThread transforms media into collaborative spaces with video, voice and text commenting.
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I hope to use Formative in future lessons, especially during our testing window, when students will be in and out of class frequently, and I need to check for understanding. This is a quick way to give a formative assessment, with instant feedback.
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After using Blendspace by Tes in my own graduate courses, I plan to use this planning software to create a flipped learning unit later in the year. With this site, all types of content can be easily created and uploaded.
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