Blogs--the new journal

A lot of teachers turn to journaling for students. They use journals to help kids get their thoughts down, and also for the teacher to read and see the progress of their students. In today's world there are these new things called blogs. A blog is what I am using right now to create this blog about blogs! Teachers could set up a blog for each student and keep track of what students have to say throughout the year. As a teacher, you could use the blog just for assignments and reports. You could also use to blog as a way for students to give input to the teacher. Kids know how to type, and sometimes they know how to use the internet better than most adults. Using blogging in the classroom is a advance in technology for teachers and students.

photo retrieved from:http://www.flickr.com/photos/luptonlibrary/5063379968/sizes/m/

Ipods in the classroom

The Ipod is a multimedia player that can fit in your pocket. Most people use Ipods to listen to music, play games, or watch videos. Not many people have ever used an Ipod to take a test or a quiz in class. This new idea is not just limited to older students. Elementary students can benefit from the use of Ipods in the classroom. Some teachers have began put spelling tests or any other type of test on an Ipod. The student can listen to the reading of the test as they take it. Some students would greatly benefit from the hearing of the test, rather than reading it on their own. The students can pause the recording at any time if they are falling behind. Teachers can also have songs with no words playing for students who prefer to listen to calm music as they take a quiz or test. The Ipod can also help block out the outside noise of the classroom or hallways. If a school can't afford laptops for students, an Ipod could be the cheaper solution!




http://www.flickr.com/photos/zengame/244198071/sizes/m/: Zengame

Twitter in the classroom

Twitter is one of the latest forms of communication, mainly used by teens and college students. Twitter like sending a message to a whole list of your "followers." When you send a tweet, you can also specify who that message is directed to. Twitter is a great way to stay involved in other people's lives. Twitter is also starting to be used in college classrooms. It is hard to believe, but many professors have gone to Twitter to help them engage students in large lecture classes. There are 99% of college students that have cell phones, and of that percentage, mostly all of them use text messaging. If you are capable of sending text messages, you are capable of texting Twitter. Some professors realize that in large lectures people do not like to talk out loud in front of the class. If the professor uses Twitter they can get messages sent during class. Messages can be sent to Twitter from cell phones or from twitter.com. This can be very helpful and interactive for the professor and students. There are probably a few down falls to using Twitter in the classroom, but I find it could be very successful.



If you aren't signed up to Twitter, here is a link to get started:http://www.twitter.com


photo from: http://www.amitbhawani.com/blog/twitter-logo-generator/

Promethean Interactive Whiteboards

If you were to walk into a classroom today, you may see a large, white board with a projector. This new piece of technology is called a Promethean Interactive Whiteboard. They seem to be the latest thing for teachers in elementary classrooms. The boards make teaching very interactive, and students get hands-on experience with the boards. I have been in a classroom with one of these interactive boards, and the students love them! It is a great way to get students involved and excited about learning. The video below will go into greater detail on this latest advance in technology.




This link shows a list of FAQ regarding the Promethean Interactive Whiteboards.
http://rupertcollins.com/promethean/faq.htm