Web+2.0

The first tool I looked at was SketchUP by Google. It allows you to create 2D and 3D shapes to create a scene from anything we can think of. With web 2.0 people from all over the world are able to create sketches and share them with others. The ability to share culture is fascinating and will make an ever important difference within classrooms. I draw as a hobby so this tool sounds rather appealing. Now instead of using a pencil and paper to sketch out something that might look like what I am thinking of, I can use these tools to create a more realistic version. Students and teachers can install the program onto their computers for free.  The prospect of allowing my students to have the ability to create any idea that they can think of makes me want to utilize this product. I had no idea such a thing existed and it has proven to me how far technology has gone. It will allow the student to use their imagination when attempting to re-create either story scene or perhaps even a sketch based on a lesson such as drawing the solar system. This will break the barrier between students who can draw and who cannot draw. It will give them the power to be creative and allow me to have a wider range of lessons.  After reading about this tool I am a bit distraught that I had not discovered it previously. Plenty of classes last semester had group presentations and it was nearly impossible to meet up. With this tool we would have been able to all work from our own computers and able to save to the data over the internet to work on it simultaneously. You only need a web browser to create and if you download it from the internet you can save it to your hard drive. The presentation slides themselves are webpages so they are easily accessible from any location as long as you have internet.  This tool allows me to realize it’s accessibility. In today’s world we cannot go anywhere without having access to the internet either through WIFI or direct connection. Our MP3 players are even able to access it now. For students and teachers this could allow for greater access and reliability. For my class presentations I could create slides from my home and then go to school without having to worry about bringing a memory stick. My students could create their own presentations in class and post them on the web, enabling me to view them and assess their knowledge.  This tool sounded appealing because it allows teachers to create games and puzzles that could correlate with class lessons. It allows for one teacher to have an account with 30 students under their name. Up to 15 activities can be going on at one time so half the class could be using this tool while the others do a different activity. It allows easy tracking of students, allows group e-mails to be sent, the ability to create a class page, and also allows you to share activities with other teachers.  I am mostly excited for this tool because it allows me to create an out of the ordinary way of assessing my students. For example, instead of a test being multiple choice or true or false, we can use crossword puzzles or games such as dominos to match up synonyms. After looking at several of the examples it became apparent to me that the quizzes are much more interactive. Since a majority of our students spend time on technology, why don’t we teach that way.  When it comes to math, chartgizmo allows for easy creation of a variety of graphs from data through the use of a computer. Bar graphs, scatter plots, pie charts, and various other graphs can be created with great ease. Students will have a much easier time in creating these charts for school work and do not have to be worried about whether or not they are artistic enough to complete one. All they need is the data and an understanding of the math involved.  When it comes to working with this tool in class the graphing will come in handy for math lessons and allow the students to greatly expand on what they are trying to work out. It’s use can also allow for students to post a larger number of assignments much more efficiently. I can also create many graphs for my students in order to show them how they can visualize the math.  This website was interesting. It didn’t quite have anything innovating but it allows the students to create books with turning pages. It is incredibly easy to use and once you finish your writing you can save it as an HTML. This will allow the student to save it on the internet so we can view it in class later, much like the presentation tool I had previously spoken about. It allows students to either write diaries, notes on class, or perhaps their own stories.  When I use this tool in my class I would like for them to create responses from the books we have read. They can save it as a webpage and I can view it later in order to grade them. What I liked about the webpage was the simple fact that the pages can turn digitally which will create a fun and easy way for the students to interact with the tool and have fun.
 * Drawing Tool: SketchUP **
 * Presentation Tool: Prezent it **
 * Quiz tool: Kubbu **
 * Graphing tool: Chartgizmo **
 * Writing tool: Classtools.net **