Web 2.0 Scrawlar

 Scrawlar is one of the best things I have learned about as a Web 2.0 tool. It is completely free, requires little prior knowledge and can be accessed by one website: http://www.scrawlar.com. Once you get to the website all you do is click whiteboard demo. This can change the way students do their homework, notes and how they analyze information.

I have learned that this is a 2.0 tool that requires no plug in (which has been a problem in our school and the different sites we use) In the school I teach we have white boards and marker that we use daily for different subjects. This tool lets the students customize their own background so they can have their own “white board,” and be able to do the work on their computers. Our school is a 1:1 school with MacBook airs. This can be a website they bookmark and use to keep notes, write what I write on the SMARTboard and be able to jot things down and save as a screen shot.

The ways to use this 2.0 tool is to go to the website. Then you can customize the background, use text and change the color of that, use a marker and write with your mouse, create shapes, create lines and save colors. This can be used for notes, school work and can replace the white board markers (that can run out of ink) and save time getting white boards and passing them out. One way I can utilize this is in math class. We can do the work on their laptops and they can do problems that I am doing in the front of the room and save it to their math folder for notes. 

Then the students can go back in their screenshots and see how to do the problems and how to get the answers as a reference. This tool was very cool to look into. I will be using this in my classroom. This 2.0 tool can be used for all grades K-12. I was completely impressed on how easy it was to access. Students in the younger grades could use this for sight words and practicing spelling words. Older kids could use this for notes and schoolwork. This could even go to the extreme of being homework and creating PowerPoint’s of how they did their homework. Another way students could use this is to “teach” a lesson on how to do a homework problem. Screen shots could help them be the teachers. I believe that all students will learn better if they become the “teacher” at some point in time of the lesson.

 -j

Importance of Internet Resources in Education

The Internet is one of the most important, if not the most important resource for learning in today’s educational environment. Technology is continuing to grow and I don’t think it’s going to be sparse anytime soon.  As a science teacher, teaching 5^th-8^th grade science throughout the day I rely on the Internet as my main resource for teaching. Starting out in our school we didn’t have many resources for science to be a substantial impact on the students. The Internet has given me the opportunity to do labs and resources that I wouldn’t be able to reach when I am teaching the different areas for science. For example, we were doing chemical reactions in one of my classes. There are no burners, graduated cylinders, or test tubes to test the different types of reactions. Online, through a virtual lab, they were able to complete the entire lesson along with understanding the concept. It may not be as hands on as they would like, but the virtual lab was so realistic to doing it in real life that it was incredible to see how the students reacted to the concept.  Not only can I use them in science, but also in reading and social studies. A coworker used the Internet to create an iMovie about the books they were reading. To take it to the next level they had to use the Internet to create a brochure (poster form) about their book and dress up like the main character in their story.  They have completely revolutionized the way we can use Internet resources for book reports. Another coworker used the Internet for a project on the Civil War. She had her students researching different facts and people of the time and creates a project. If we didn’t have these Internet resources what would we do? We would be in encyclopedias and newspapers (that we can now get online) and be limited on the information we get for these types of projects. Internet resources are so important for the students to learn in their education. It gets the students more engaged and ready to perform. I can say that I am paperless. (except this unit in science, I can’t figure out how to get it all on the computer) My quizzes, worksheets, assignments, journals are all online and the students are more willing to do their homework because they get to use their computers. Not only that, it makes my grading a lot easier. Now, instead of bringing back three bags full of books, papers, grading books, and folders, I am taking my laptop home and grading my papers, putting them on the grade book online and communicating my grades to parents and students through their email. It has changed my life as a teacher and I appreciate and value Internet resources in education.

-j

The Importance of Internet Resources in Education

"Traditional classrooms are dominated by the teacher. With the Internet, the availability of information outside the classroom is wide open."(National Association of Secondary School Principals)

I never had these type of opportunities in the classroom when I was growing up. I would have to use encyclopedias and articles from magazines and newspapers to research something. Now, I have my students get on the Internet and safely research our topic. I use it every time I introduce a new scientist when we are learning about their laws or their research. Isaac Newton was my most recent use of the Internet resources in the classroom. We are learning about his laws and I had a separate lesson where the students had to learn about Isaac Newton himself. We found facts, where he was born, how he grew up, what led him to creating his research for his laws. The students found it so interesting that all of that information was at their fingertips. They knew who Isaac Newton was before we even starting learning about him. I think this helps them learn more in-depth what his laws were. "Students have become the teacher to the teacher. They see things from a different perspective than the teacher; this allows them to see things in a new way."(National Association of Secondary School Principals)

The students now have an entire world to see, literally see. Go to Google Maps, we can visit France, Rome and Norway in one day. We can see pyramids, we can see the seven wonders in one day. This has completely changed and revolutionized  education. These students have opportunities to be scientists, explorers and journalists in the matter of minutes. Their education is endless. With the use of Internet resources they are continuously engaged in learning and are forever learning. 

-j