INST 6223

Storybird is a website that allows students to use artwork from illustrators to inspire them to write their own stories. It is free to use, so once teachers create an account and add students, they are ready to write. Each student will have a home page. The students will click on create to get started. They have a couple of options for getting started. They can be inspired by art or start with a monthly challenge  which could be a theme. Also, the teacher could assign a writing prompt for them to complete. Once they've started, they write their story using the art as inspiration. When finished, the story is published to the website. It can be shared personally by the student through email, social media or parents can purchase the writing in a bound book. This last option would be a great way for the teacher to utilize student writing as a class fund raiser. Storybird offers the option for fund raising and will give a portion of the proceeds to the teacher.

Augmented reality has been popular in the entertainment industry such as gaming, but is becoming increasingly accessible for educational use. As technology becomes more prevalent in schools and classrooms, augmented reality has followed suit. Augmented reality is allowing our students to experience and become immersed in content in a way they never have before. The possibilities for the future are endless, but there are several ways the augmented reality are being used in classrooms and schools today. The easiest way to use augmented reality in a classroom is through pre-made resources. These could be from an app that is downloaded to a device or many textbooks now have AR capabilities. (1) Another way that augmented reality is used in schools is through the use of Aurasma. Aurasma is an augmented reality website in which any image, object, text, or place can have its own aura which can be a link to a website or lifelike 3D animation. (2) Auras can be used by students to give book revi...

Over the several years that I have taught, the needs of students in regards to learning have not changed very much, but with the advancement of technology, the way those needs are addressed has drastically changed. As teachers, we need to know what the emerging trends are in technology so that we can use those technological advancements to empower and equip our students. Technology has broadened the scope of how students are exposed to information, and also allows them to access information based on their preferences and needs. Not only can students have access to technology and information at school, but they can access that information from practically anywhere. With apps and information stored in clouds, students can begin working on a project in one place and time and them complete it in another place and time. Technology even allows collaboration in real time between students and educators. Other app features allow for talk to text and voice commands which can make writing and not...

Plickers is a simple and quick way for teachers to assess student understanding. To use plickers, the teachers must sign in to the Plickers website, then create a class. Students entered into the class roster will each be assigned a number. These numbers are associated with a card that has a QR-like code on it. On each side of the code is a letter (A, B, C, or D). once the cards are printed, the students will use the same cards for the whole year. When using the cards, the students are given a multiple choice question. They turn the card with their answer choice at the top of the card. The teacher then uses a mobile device to scan the cards. The cards can be scanned from a short distance, so the teacher can stand at the front of the room and only has to move the device from one side of the room to the other. Once the cards are scanned, the teacher has instant feedback of which students answered correctly and which students did not answer correctly. The questions used can either be manu...

The app I have chosen is called Dinosaurs Everywhere. The device I used was an iPad (3) The software  is iOS 10.3.3. This app allows users to see dinosaurs in their real-world environment. As you hold your device as you would to take a photo, the camera captures your environment, but also, dinosaurs are inserted into that environment. They walk around and even interact with one another. There are ten different dinosaurs species that can appear on the screen. What is even more appealing as an educator, when you tap on a dinosaur, information about that dinosaur appears on the screen. You can also double tap to get a closer look. The dinosaurs are all shown to scale, so you can even look up to see how big they are. This view is from the side yard at my house.

In the Ted Talk called Games Can Make the World Better, Jane McGonigal talks about 4 things that make people virtuosos of gaming. The first is urgent optimism. There is an urgent desire to tackle an obstacle with a strong belief of success. The second is the social fabric. Gamers build strong relationships with other gamers in which trust is built. The third is blissful productivity. Gamers are happy when they are working hard when doing the right work. The final thing that makes people virtuosos of gaming is having an epic meaning. Gamers love to be attached to awe-inspiring missions. All of these together give gamers a belief that they can change the world. However, it is a virtual world. All of these things are motivational for gamers in a virtual world. If these could be adapted into learning, students could possibly be motivated in similar ways. If students had an urgent optimism to succeed in a learning task, they would want to accomplish it, but would also have a strong belief...

RealSense technology uses hardware and software that allows the user to interact with a device in ways that would not be possible with traditional technology. Many of the ways we used technology could be highly enhanced with RealSense applications. Images taken with a traditional camera do not show depth perception and generally have one focus area. With RealSense technology, one change the focus of a picture after the picture is taken, changing the depth perception. Video is another form of media that can be greatly enhanced with RealSense technology. Like images, videos can be taken that show depth of perception. The technology also utilizes facial recognition which can differential one person from another. This technology could be used to track a person in a crowd. Another component of RealSense technology is gesture control. One can control the activity on a computer screen by leaning left or right, or from hand gestures. A user can manipulate the images on the screen by moving...

Digital storytelling involves using  multimedia tools such as graphics, audio, visual, and web browsing to tell a story. Like traditional stories, digital stories can be told from a certain point of view, detailing history, fiction, or nonfiction.These stories contain a mixture of digital video, images, audio narration, or music. Digital stories can be created by anyone on any topic and shared all over the world. Today, digital storytelling is used by teachers and students of all ages and in all subject areas. The following are examples of digital storytelling: http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/view_story.cfm?vid=93&categoryid=6&d_title=Mathematics This story describes what a day would be like without math. http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/view_story.cfm?vid=409&categoryid=9&d_title=Places This story is about a rescue mission that saved children during the Holocaust of WWII. http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/view_story.cfm?vid=203&categoryi...

The concept of BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, has been under much debate and scrutiny. The idea behind BYOD is based on the idea that if students already have their own technological devices such as cell phones and tablets, they should be allowed to use them in the classroom. Teachers are often looking for ways to incorporate technology into their lessons, but the technology that is needed may not be available through the school system. If students were allowed to bring their own devices to use at school in their studies, part of the problems would be solved. However, having those devices in the school could create a whole new set of problems. There are, in fact, many pros and cons to BYOD. Some of the positive implications would be that most students do own a device, and it would be cost-effective for schools to allow those devices to be used in the classroom. Many systems can not afford to provide 1-to-1 devices for their student population. It would also allow students to have a ...

The tool I have chosen for backchannel is Google Slides. The following are steps to using backchannel in Google Slides: 1. Create a presentation using Google Slides. 2. Once ready to present, click the arrow to the right of the Present icon. Select Presenter View 3. A window will appear for Audience Q&A. Click Start Now 4. Once enabled, a link will appear along with a toggle to turn the feature on and off. (If the presentation is closed, when reopened again, a new link will appear.) 5. The link will appear at the top of the slides. Students must be logged in to a google account. Anyone logged in and using the link can ask a question during the presentation. 6. Once a question is asked, it can be seen by anyone connected to the URL. Those students can then give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. 7. The questions are displayed to the presenter in order of importance as noted by thumbs up or down. 8. To display questions to the audience, the presenter must click the Present tab....

Virtual reality and augmented reality are similar in that they can alter the mind's view of what is real, but they also differ in the way reality is altered. In virtual reality, a computer generated environment replaces the actual environment of the user. The user can put on a headset that completely blocks out the real world environment and fools the brain into thinking that the user is in an alternate place. Although early use of the technology for virtual reality were not successful in the mainstream, the advances today have made it relevant in many areas such as gaming, architecture, and even space exploration. Augmented reality differs from virtual reality because it's purpose is not to replace the environment, but to enhance it. Things can be digitally enhanced or added to the existing reality. A simple example of this would be using filters in Snapchat. In augmented reality, objects can appear in the user's field of view, as the existing environment remains the sam...

Animated video is something fun and exciting that can be used in the classroom to teach or give instruction, or it can be used by students to show their understanding of content or learning. As a teacher, sometimes I feel as if my students have tuned me out because they have to listen to me all the time. With animated video, I can share the same information with them, but in a way that is fun and engaging. Animated video can be used to spark interest and get the students' attention. Students can also use animated video to share what they have learned. It could be used to give a book review, which in itself can go in many different directions. They could talk about author's purpose, the characters, a summary, and so many other elements. Students could also use animated video to give a report about a historical figure as shown in the example below. In a blog posted by the website, https://www.prayananimation.com/blog/benefits-of-using-animation-in-educational-videos/ , the b...

In my classroom, I am continually thinking about ways to motivate my students to be engaged and be more invested in their own learning. I know that if it is something they want to do and like, they are more likely to be engaged, but most of the time, I feel like I am not successful. If I could incorporate the seven ways to reward the brain in my own teaching by creating a game with those means, I believe that students would be engaged and learning would be the result. The following are ways to incorporate the 7 ways to reward the brain in the classroom: 1. Experience bars measuring progress - Instead of grading a whole assignment at one time, break it into increments that can be accomplished and rewarded. 2. Multiple long and short term goals - Break an assignment into many short term goals that will lead to the long term goal. 3. Reward for effort - So many times, students try to be successful, but fall short. If they were rewarded for their effort, the effort will increase. 4....

Seesaw is a digital tool that allows students to create a portfolio in which they can use text, video, drawings, and other methods to document their learning. Once an account is set up by the teacher, students are then added to the class. The teacher can post assignments from the Seesaw library, or assignments can be created by the teacher. Once the assignment is completed, the student submits the assignment for approval. The teacher receives notification of a pending post and can choose to approve it or not. After approval, it is then a part of the student's portfolio which can be seen by the student's parents. This is a great way to share what the students are learning in school and parents are able to see the work their student is doing. Seesaw would be a great tool to use for 21st Century learning and assessment. 21st Century learning is centered around the student, and Seesaw provides students that opportunity to take ownership of their own learning. They use critical th...

Although I have used Google Docs, it has only been recently, and I have not used it in collaboration with anyone else. I do, however, see the benefit of collaboration when working on a project, particularly when thinking about my own students. They often work together to solve problems or to perform an activity or experiment. This would be a perfect tool for them to work in groups or for us to brainstorm as a class. In science, we often start a unit with a KWL chart. I usually have students write on a post-it note as we brainstorm ideas for the topic. Using Etherpad, they could each add ideas from an iPad, and we could see them instantly, spurring on other ideas. It also seems to be very easy to use. I don't see that my third-graders would have any trouble typing in the web address and using Etherpad. This is definitely something I would like to try in my classroom.

VGo is available by using technology that I have been aware of, but I had not thought about the possibilities of using this technology for the benefit of students who are physically not able to attend school for health reasons. According to www.vgocom.com/vgo-students-special-health-needs, the VGo system replicates the physical appearance of the student at school while that student controls the robot from a computer at home. This gives the student the ability to interact with teachers and other students, not only in the classroom, but in all areas of school since the robot is mobile. Although this technology could potentially be life-altering for students who are home-bound, it is not without obstacles that could make it difficult to obtain or work properly in the school system. The first obstacle could be the cost of the equipment. According to www.vgocom.com/how-much-does-vgo-cost, the unit begins at $3995 and could be above $6000. This price does not include many other options tha...