Community Resource Assessment Project

https://www.dropbox.com/home

Week 8 Online Safety and Security

Learning in today’s world includes the ability to use computers, as well as other technology. Students need to know how to use these tools and resources and how to construct multimedia reports. Internet searches allow students to find information quickly and in great quantities. The key reading skill for the web is for students to be able to decide quickly whether an online document merits reading. Through the use of word processing programs, students can make revisions to their writing much easier.

While students are surfing and learning, they check their email and post to Facebook. A lot of times, they don’t realize when they are giving out too much information, or they are chatting with people they don’t know. School computers have filters and firewalls, but astute students can get around these and surf in places they shouldn’t be. 

Students also need to be made aware of what is acceptable to post and what is not. They should be aware of “The Core Rules of Netiquette.” These rules include the standards of behavior online and respecting other people, such as avoiding plagiarism and respect for copyright laws when downloading books and music.

Many schools are now instituting a zero-tolerance policy on cyberbullying; however, they fail to clearly define what it is. Maybe, it’s as Justice Potter Stewart said of pornography, that he couldn’t define it, but, “I know it when I see it.” Perhaps instances of cyberbullying are deemed to be observable facts. A lot of parents are aware of this and monitor their children’s computer use at home; however, many parents are caught in surfing and Facebook themselves, and don’t pay attention to the imminent danger that their children face. The FBI has a great guide for parents (and teachers) A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety at http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide.

Some think that teachers have been oversold on the educational value of technology. I don’t believe that this is the case at all. Teachers can develop a technology-enriched learning environment that enables students to become active participants in their own educational goals so they can manage their own learning, as mandated by NETS-S standards. To implement these standards, teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. Web 1.0 tools are search tools to help students locate information. Web 2.0 tools enable students to share and produce information on the Web. Some of these tools include blogging, wikis, and podcasts. Computers are most powerful in learning when they are used as a tool.

For security purposes, some schools don’t allow students to download anything from the web, but this is not a reasonable solution. Students are also not allowed to bring flash drives to save their work. They are encouraged to email it to themselves and pull it from the cloud at a later date. A school where I performed field service observation has bought Chromebooks, which are cloud-based. I think this a good idea.

Week 7: Technology Explorations 19 and 20

I have always been a proponent of expanding technology in the classroom, and have, by no means, seen the “glass as half-empty.” I have always tried to keep a positive attitude, even when learning new technology, and tried to pass this on to my students. To say this week has exasperated me is no understatement. However, in the class readings about software, it did surprise me that I could already identify most of the file extensions. Little victories. The frustration that I felt trying to find a school to do my field service observations culminated five weeks’ worth of chagrin and rejections. It reminds me of what a lot of teachers give their students: “busy work” just to keep them busy without really teaching them anything. This, coupled with the plethora of pages to digest in this week’s assignment, has even caused me to rethink my position on graduate school. I have always had a love for reading and a love of learning, but this week, I’ve felt broken, dejected, and my soul is devoid of joy.

The Web 2.0 tool that I use mostly in class is Google Docs, however, one that I have never used is Dropbox, which I have discovered recently when I tried to send my Wildflower Wonder PowerPoint. (When you click on the Wildflower link, download PPt from Dropbox. It will open in protected view, so click on Enable Editing, then Slide Show, and then From the Beginning. I haven't figured out how to open it at the beginning of the slideshow yet. Turn up the speakers and Enjoy!) Dropbox is great for sending large files containing graphics and audio that are too large for email, and you don’t have to separate the audio from the video. Dropbox isn’t specific to teachers, as students can use it, too, and it’s a very handy tool.

Dropbox

The objectives of Dropbox are to edit documents, add photos and videos, and store these creations that can be accessed from computers, phones, or tablets. The free version offers enough space so that students can turn in their homework, several assignments, to the same drop box to be graded. They can also share larger projects with their friends. Dropbox has been integrated by Yahoo! Mail and transcends several languages. One experiment that I want to try in the classroom with Dropbox is to see how well it works using PicLits. I foresee it to be awesome.

I don’t mind reading articles about the brain because the brain is a complex and interesting organ. However, this assignment went way beyond the pale. I did enjoy the sites about gaming and I believe that utilizing video games in the classroom helps auditory, as well as kinesthetic learners. However, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the Max Fischer interview.

The Dana site was a little difficult to navigate, but creatively, I found what I needed to read. I couldn’t sit at my computer to read it all, so I printed it out so that I could get comfortable and read. Ninety-seven pages. I read all 97 pages and right now I’m practically brain dead. I’m sure the articles contained a lot of interesting information, however, the quantity of information poured as water off of a sponge. I couldn’t absorb it, so I guess that makes my brain defective. The assignment was pretty much a waste for me with the exception that I found out that I am not Wonder Woman and I cannot learn it all. I tried to correlate this assignment with the NET-T and Common Core Standards, however, my brain refused to cooperate and begged me to leave it alone. It reminds me of what my grandma told me, “If you keep picking it, it won’t get well.” So, I guess I’m trying to give my poor, tired brain time to heal.

The webcast that I watched started out to be interesting. It is “What are They Thinking? Exploring the Adolescent Brain.” Moderated by Alan Leshner, the webcast featured three speakers at an event sponsored by AAAS and the Dana Foundation in Washington, DC in June. The speakers included: Dr. Jay Geed, who is a pioneer in the field of brain imaging; Dr. Elaine Walker, a professor of Neuroscience at Emory University; and Dr. Elizabeth Albro of NEA, who spoke about the role of Neuroscience in education. Dr. Geed’s presentation of brain imaging was very interesting in that he explained the newest technologies and how they worked in mapping brain cells. By the time Dr. Walker’s discussion of psychoses was completed, I think I may have identified four or five that I had before the discussion or acquired during the discussion. I had no idea that, including the question-and-answer session, the webcast would be two hours, but I stuck with it. By the time that I reached Dr. Albro’s presentation on the role of Neuroscience in education, I could barely think, let alone pay attention.

One thing that stuck out prominently for me is that by the time a child reaches first grade, their brain is 93% the size of an adult brain, therefore increased brain size does not dictate the ability to learn. Maturation of the brain is where real learning takes place. I don’t know why I found this so fascinating; I guess it’s just another piece of extraneous information to clutter up my brain.

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons                            Date: 08-07-13

Technology Exploration 19

Keeping Track of your “stuff”-

Delicious—URL: http://www.delicious.com

HistoryPin—URL: http://www.historypin.com

Diigo—URL: http://www.diigo.com

PBS Kids—Calculator—URL: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/calculator/          Softpedia—Another Calculator—URL: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Science-CAD/Big-Simple-Talking-Calculator.shtml

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Delicious is a link organizer for busy people. Links can be categorized by subject or category and are formatted with graphics, as well as the link. The links can be categorized so that they are easily retrieved. The site also interfaces with Twitter and Facebook. Diigo is a site similar to Delicious. Links can be categorized and the site allows tagging, public and private bookmarks, importation and exportation of bookmarks, and automatic posting of bookmarks to your blog. Some of the things that you can do with Diigo that you cannot do with Delicious include; saving bookmarks as private by default; organize bookmarks as a list and show on a slide; automatically bookmark Twitter favorites, or keep a full-text copy of bookmarks with notes and images. Historypin was created to help people to come together from across different generations, cultures and places, around the history of their families and neighbourhoods, and share their family histories. The site contains photographs, videos, audio clips and descriptive and narrative text that people can share with one another. I really like both of the talking calculators; however, if I had to pick one, it would be the one at PBSKids.org. There are real calculator functions, with the exception that the calculators tell you each number you press and the function.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Delicious and Diigo might be used in the classroom by students researching projects. These sites are aligned with the NETS-S Standard #2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. To implement this standard, teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. A link organizer can do this. When students are able to find links quickly and efficiently, teachers can develop a technology-enriched learning environment that enables students to become active participants in their own educational goals so they can manage their own learning, as mandated by the standard. HistoryPin is a good resource for students who are doing genealogical research. They can even input their own families’ histories. This site also has Street View, which allows student to explore places around the world through 360-degree street-level imaging. HistoryPin is aligned with Common Core Standard for Reading and Writing, in that students integrate and evaluate content in diverse media and formats. The talking calculators have great uses in the classroom. Numbers are universal and all kids recognize numerals. However, the written number is more difficult. This calculator would be especially useful to ELLs or students who are below band levels as specified by Common Core. Hearing the pronunciations of the numbers can aid ELLs in speaking.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I think that I would recommend Delicious or Diigo, one or the other, to other educators at this time. Students can find it helpful to manage their web links by category, subject, or project. The account is free. The links can be categorized any way that you like them and they are easily retrieved. I would probably recommend this site to other educators. HistoryPin is funded by donations from supporters, grants, and corporate sponsorship. It is free to join. There is a Schools Section containing downloadable resources and activities. I would recommend both talking calculators to other educators. I like the PBS.org calculator better than the softpedia calculator, mainly because of the graphics. Both calculators are free, but the softpedia calculator has to be downloaded and would work better with upper grade students. The PBS.org calculator doesn’t have to be downloaded and the graphics are great. Very colorful. Clearly audible voiceover. ELLs and lower grade students would benefit from this calculator.

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons                                    Date: 008-07-13

Technology Exploration 20

Math Wiki Example—URL: http://2write4math.pbwiki.com/

PicLits—URL: http://www.piclits.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. The Math Wiki example is a great resource for cross-curriculum instruction. The educational reform movement of teaching across curricula began in the 1970s and is coming fully to fruition now. This site’s objectives are aligned with NETS-S and Common Core Standards. It also lists the objectives and methods of assessment. PicLits is an education site that uses words and pictures to inspire writing. Much as YouTube uses “edutainment” as a teaching method, this site combines the same method of using education and entertainment to keep students interested in creativity. I have used the PicLit method before, of placing words on pictures to create a story, however, I didn’t know that it was called a PicLit.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. The Math Wiki site is not particularly colorful or outstanding in graphics, however, utilizing poetry to teach math is a great concept. Students can benefit from this site because Common Core Standards of Writing are addressed. Students should learn the five types of writing: Journals and logs; solving math problems; explaining mathematical ideas; general math writing; and creative math writing. PicLits works well in a classroom. The drag-n-drop feature allows students to choose words from lists of adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs, and even punctuation, and drag and drop them onto an image of their choosing to tell a story. The activities generated by this site inspire picture writing.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend this free Math Wiki site to other educators at this time. The site has teacher resources, such as lesson plans, assessments and reflections, Cornell and Frayer models, and anticipation guide examples. I was particularly impressed with one of the lesson plans: Bio-graph: Graphing Life Events, an interdisciplinary plab which uses graphing, interviewing, and resource writing for writing ideas throughout the school year, the source being Read, Write, Think, grades 9-12. I would definitely recommend the free PicLits site to other educators. The free version of this site would be sufficient to encourage creativity in students in the classroom. A premium service is also available, but I don’t know if the students would get that much more out of PicLits apart from the free version.

Week 6 Blog: Definitely a Learning Experience

This week has really been a learning week in that I have learned how to make a webquest. The assignment called for going to Quest Garden to make the webquest. I signed up for the free account, but when I went to hit the submit button, it wouldn’t submit. I followed the directions on the site, as there was a message telling visitors what steps to take should the submit button not submit. Mine didn’t, so I sent a Bug Report and they would manually upload my registration. However, I didn’t want to wait on Quest Garden, so I found Zunal, another site that allows free registration and creation of webquests. Zunal is very user-friendly, however, creating the webquest is time-consuming. Quest Garden did get back to me two days later. I was going to transfer my webquest to Quest Garden, but I decided that I liked Zunal better. I still have my account with Quest Garden as another resource. 

My webquest is called “To Frack or Not to Frack? That is the Question.” The webquest is designed to give sixth-grade students practice and experience in working on a group project; sharing the work; and collaborating on ideas. The subject matter involved hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, because it is a timely and interesting topic; one that affects everybody. The webquest did take time to create each section, as I had to search the web for the best evidence. I learned how to format my text and experimented with different graphics to make the webquest pleasing to the eye. The URL for my webquest is: http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=206354.

I searched the web for other webquests, as I was unsure how mine was supposed to look. I found one webquest by Shenika McFadden of Edison State College called “Race As We Know It.” This webquest embodies just about everything that I didn’t want my webquest to be. I don’t know if it is age-appropriate or not; this was not mentioned. The task seemed to be busy work and there was no process listed. Also, the webquest contained too many mechanical and grammatical errors. I didn’t really care for it at all. The URL for this webquest is: http://questgarden.com/161/29/7/130719161101/

I did find a webquest that I thought was intriguing. It is called “A Conference of Creatures” by Pam Bolen of Delta College. This webquest is designed for fifth graders and Ms. Bolen employs the use of graphics and links for all of the sections. I found it to be quite nice, however I did not see where any standards were addressed. I particularly liked the subject matter. It is easily adaptable across grade levels and has the potential to address Common Core Standards for writing. The link for this webquest is: http://questgarden.com/161/30/4/130719192532/t-index.htmhttp://questgarden.com/161/30/4/130719192532/t-index.htm

Technology Explorations 15, 16, 17, and 18

I have learned a lot this week from exploring websites and watching videos. I particularly like the Scorsese video, if for nothing more than his admitting that the violence that he claims is a real part of life and that he portrays onscreen is not suitable for students.

Among the websites I explored, I found that Prezi is aligned with NET-S Standard 3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning. This standard entails teachers exhibiting knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Section 3; subsection (a) of this standard requires that teachers demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

I had never heard of radial tree layout engines until I checked out SpicyNodes. The nodes can contain formatted text, pictures, and video, or links to other nodes and content. Edmodo has also added a photo editor and SchoolTube website.

Before I checked out Glogster, I didn’t even know what a glog was. This was totally new to me. Since, I have found out that Glogster is a social network based on the creation and sharing of Glogs. These interactive graphic blogs contain text, graphics, and video and audio. GlogsterEDU is a platform for teachers and students. They can use glogs as instructional aids or in virtual classrooms.

The purposes of TeacherTube align with NET-T Standard V, Sections A,B, C, and D. Standard V deals with Productivity and Professional Practice, wherein teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional resources. Teachers use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning; continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning; apply technology to increase productivity; and use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the community in order to nurture student learning.

 

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons         Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 15

Prezi - http://prezi.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Prezi is a virtual whiteboard that allows three-dimensional presentations. It is another tool for making presentations. It is interactive in that it has a zoom feature that allows you look at the big picture and then zoom in on details or a portion of the canvas.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can use the PowerPoint import feature e to import their information from PowerPoint onto the Prezi zoom canvas. Not only can students be creative with their presentations, they will be memorable. Presentations can be stored in the cloud so that if students are working in another class, they can access it from anywhere. They can also use Prezi for iPad.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I don’t think I would recommend this to other educators as it is cost prohibitive. I don’t know that for what the price is that students would get that much more out of it than other presentation programs. I tried working with Prezi, and the zooming canvas, of which they are most proud, was difficult for me to figure out. Traditional arrows didn’t do what I expected them to do and it seemed to me to be more trouble than it was worth.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons          Date: 07-23-13

 

Technology Exploration 15

SpicyNodes - http://www.spicynodes.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. SpicyNodes is a system nodes for displaying data. A central node displays details while the surrounding nodes display related information. These surrounding nodes are linked to other nodes. The nodes appear and disappear as users navigate the web, and the page layout changes to fit the current page. The central node changes from node to node. I had never heard of radial tree layout engines until I checked out SpicyNodes. The nodes can contain formatted text, pictures, and video, or links to other nodes and content.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can visually browse the web and can display those thoughts and links between the information they find. This is also a great concept mapping tool and users can publish an information map for other users to browse. The style of SpicyNodes is non-linear, so students could travel from node to node or descend through one line for specific information.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? Even though SpicyNodes is free, I don’t think that I would recommend it to other educators at this time. I have found that only a limited number of nodes can fit on the screen at a time, so all of the nodes in a path cannot be displayed simultaneously. If there are too many nodes, they do not fit.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons          Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 16

Edmodo - http://www.edmodo.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Edmodo is a social learning platform for teachers and students. It is very popular among schools. It is designed for students to learn in a familiar environment.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can use Edmodo for their reading assignments and papers. They can embed video clips, create learning groups, post quizzes for each other to take. They can also turn in their assignments and upload them for their teachers to grade. Teachers, in turn, can give feedback directly on the assignment. This site is also parent-friendly in that it allows parents to view their children’s work and grades. Teachers can also communicate with parents via Edmodo.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend Edmodo to other educators. Teachers can communicate with parents, track student progress, and can upload quizzes and assingments. Edmodo has also added a photo editor and SchoolTube website.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons          Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 16

a math dictionary http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/dictionary.html

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. This is a great site for students as it explains more than 600 common mathematical terms in simple language. The animated site is also interactive and has definitions, examples, and activities. I am particularly impressed with this site. Because the site has opportunities for interactive practice, there is room for IEP adjustments and fewer behavorial problems because students will be involved in enjoyable tasks.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can view the math charts which contain examples and definitions on Numbers, Operations on Numbers, Fractions, Decimals, Percent and Percentages, Ratios and Rates, to name a few. Advanced students can use amathsdictionary for beginning Algebra, Data and Statistics, Probability, Geometry, Time and Money, and Measurement.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would highly recommend this site because, even though it requires Flash Player 6, it has more than 200 printable math charts that are suitable for interactive whiteboards and classroom displays. The printouts also cover math walls, student handouts, homework help, as well as the introduction and consolidation of math topics.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons      Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 17

Glogster - http://www.glogster.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Before I checked out Glogster, I didn’t even know what a glog was. Since, I have found out that Glogster is a social network based on the creation and sharing of Glogs. These interactive graphic blogs contain text, graphics, and video and audio. GlogsterEDU is a platform for teachers and students. They can use glogs as instructional aids or in virtual classrooms.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Glogster EDU is an education platform for students that was developed from Glogster, a site used mainly by teenagers. Glogster EDU has similar features to Edmodo, such as giving teachers the ability to create projects, presentations, post assignments, grade student work, and communicate with parents and students online. EDU also allows users to combine videos, music, sounds, pictures, text, and data attachments into a digital poster, or a glog. The supervising teachers can also access the glogs and determine which ones can be published. Students have the ability to become independent problem solvers.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend Glogster to other educators at this time. There is a free version of Glogster EDU that is available. Also, Glogster embeds glogs into the services of Edmodo, Wikispaces, SchoolTube, and TeacherTube. Glogster is also part of the Creating category of Bloom’s Technology Taxonomy.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons           Date: 07-23-13

                       Technology Exploration 17

                       Jing—http://www.techsmith.com/jing  

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Jing, a screen capture and recording software, is a product of TechSmith, a software company based in Okemos, Michigan. The software takes a screenshot and uploads it to the web. Besides Jing, some of TechSmith’s other products include Snagit, Camtasia Studio, and Morae.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can use Jing to capture web pages and save them to their computers or clipboards. If the screenshots are uploaded to the web, a URL is automatically created so that the image can be shared with other students. Screenshots would be a good medium for student note-taking.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend Jing to other educators. The software is relatively simple to use and it is free. Educators can also create images and videos of what they see on their computer screens and share them with their colleagues.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons          Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 18

You Tube for Education-http://www.youtube.com/education?b=400

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. YouTube EDU allows for educational videos to be viewed by students and teachers in schools. The educational content is also isolated from other video content. YouTube EDU categories include Primary and Secondary Educational, University, and Lifelong Learning.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can use the “edutainment” of YouTube to view educational content. Even though YouTube, itself, is censored in most school districts, students can access YouTube EDU because it contains strictly educational content in all subject areas. The site is aligned with the NET-T Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. “Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.”
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend YouTube EDU to other educators because all subject areas are well documented and students and teachers can share globally. However, as bandwidth limitations and the potential for misuse by student have been cited as reasons for YouTube’s censorship in schools, the YouTube URL will automatically redirect to YouTube EDU.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form.

Student Name: tparsons         Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 18

SchoolTube—http://www.schooltube.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. This site is an online video community for K-12. Based in St. Louis, Mo., SchoolTube was founded by Carl Arizpe and his son, Andrew in 2007. Despite being relatively new to the field, this site has amassed tens of thousands of users. The site is considered safe and can be adjusted to public or selective video viewing.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can utilize SchoolTube in the classroom, as the content is student-generated and teacher-moderated. This means that all content that is student-generated is appropriate for students in grades K-12. Schools also have the option to limit the video viewing to its own school. This moderation process can lead to high-quality student work.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? SchoolTube is an awesome site, however, I’m not sure whether I would recommend it to other educators. As far as the content goes, I am all in favor of learning through the visual medium of video. However, accounts must be registered and the information from adults that must be given, valid Social Security Number or valid credit card number, is not what I’d feel comfortable putting out on the web. This information is to be used to verify a person’s identity. I’m sure it’s a secure site, but I still don’t feel comfortable with providing too much private information.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form.

Student Name: tparsons         Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 18

TeacherTube—http://www.teachertube.com                              

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. This is a relatively new site for educators. TeacherTube gives the teacher’s perspective of sharing, producing, and community building. These purposes of TeacherTube align with NET-T Standard V, Sections A,B, C, and D. Standard V deals with Productivity and Professional Practice, wherein teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional resources. Teachers use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning; continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning; apply technology to increase productivity; and use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the community in order to nurture student learning.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. There is a myriad of classroom uses for TeacherTube. Teachers can upload, tag, and share short or long instructional videos with students; upload support files to attach educational activities, assessments, lesson plans, or notes. The site gives the ability to browse hundreds of videos created by others. Teachers can also create or join video groups with others of similar interests. They can also embed videos or application programming interfaces on other websites, and decide what material is public or private.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend TeacherTube to other educators at this time. I spoke with some teachers who have used TeacherTube and they say that the site is very user-friendly. They also like the search field that allows them to search for a specific topic and a plethora of videos will emerge. However, they did say that sometimes during video presentations, the videos lag or have to be restarted. Registration is required, but not the depth of information that is required by SchoolTube.