Learning about Tools

In class, we learned a lot about the different tools that are available for classroom use.

Popplet is a great tool for many different students. It allows them to map out ideas, and become more organized. Likewise, it can help educators become more organized when creating a lesson. It incorporates learning for the diverse population that can be found in a class. For instance, many students learn better through pictures and creativity, and this tool allows for this type of learning. I like that you can create your own drawings because it allows the students to personalize their own work. This is often times what can get a student involved in the learning process. It is sad that you are limited to six discussion boards, but one can delete old mappings in order to allow for further instruction using the tool. Educators can go to www.popplet.com in order to create these fun discussion boards for the students to explore and learn through.

Storyjumper is a really cool site, and it can be used in multiple different classrooms. Likewise, there are no age restrictions on this tool. It can be used to create lessons for educators, such as math problems and word problems. However, it can also be used for students to create their own material. Students can personalize this by adding their own photos, which is really nice for students. Many kids like being able to make it more relatable by turning it into a narrative. I like the idea that you can order a hard copy of the book that you create. Parents need to be more involved, and this allows them to see what the students are doing in class. It also allows the teacher to create hard copy of the lesson. An idea is creating a mini yearbook for the students at the end of the year, which many parents and students would be excited about getting. It is important to remember that we are limited to 16 pages in the book, but for my major of early childhood, this would never create a problem. Teachers can go to www.storyjumper.com in order to create a creative new tool for interaction in the classroom setting.

Wordle is another creative tool that can easily be incorporated into the classroom setting. This allows students to create a mix of words, and the students have a say over the size of the different words. Therefore, they can use this to represent themselves and what it more important to them. This tool is great for an introduction and welcome because of the control over what is the biggest vs. the smallest word. If I was creating one, I would put organization as the largest word, and people could really get to know me. Although I do not see this being used by the younger grades, teachers can use this to create fun and interesting posters for these younger children to experience. An educator can go to www.wordle.net in order to create these fun and intriguing new designs for students to experience with.

There are many new tools available on the internet for teachers. The important thing to remember is the age group that you are working with and how you can incorporate these tools in a beneficial way for that particular age group to gain information from. Exploring the options is important to create an interesting classroom for all students to have a fun learning experience in.