Gallery
The tool above is known as Symbaloo. Symbaloo is a great digital resource that allows you to bookmark websites and webpages. With this design, each tile is a different resource and you can easily group different resources together into one single webmix. This tool is especially helpful to use in the classroom, as students can easily access different resources just by clicking on the various tiles. This makes incorporating technology into the classroom easier for not only the students, but for the teacher as well. In my Symbaloo webmix above, I have bookmarked resources I believe will be helpful for me as a future educator. These resources include, but are not limited to, online teacher comunities, engaging learning activities for students, and assessment tools. In my future classroom, I plan to create various Symbaloo webmixes for my students to assist in the learning experience.
Above is a screenshot of the website that I created to use in accordance with my service learning project. For this project, I was to assist a current teacher in integrating technology into a pre-existing lesson. The unit chosen by the teacher was a lesson on writing informational paragraphs. The students were in second grade and were still learning how to use technology within the classroom. Many different digital tools (or artifacts) were incorporated into the unit. Examples of these artifacts, include, but are not limited too, Google Docs, eBooks, and a Symbaloo Webmix. All the digital resources can be found on this website, as well as everything needed to teach the lesson. I created this website using Google Sites, which is a very simple tool to use. It is not only easy to edit your site, but manage your site as well. As a future teacher, I believe that it is extremely beneficial to organize your lessons and units and I believe this is one of the many ways you can achieve that! Along with this, creating webquests like this one allows you to share your work and collaborate with other educators within your community and around the world!
Above is a video I created about the water cycle. This video was created as a student project, meaning I pretended to be a student while creating this video. This video was created using Adobe Sparks, which is a tool that allows you to create images, videos, and websites for free. This digital tool is simple to use, and saves all your work in real time. Along with this, Adobe Sparks allows you to create voiceovers for your videos, as well as provides you with many images and templates you can use. As a future teacher, I find this resource to be extremely beneficial and I hope to be able to use it in my future classroom. For students, this website is easy to use and can be used for class projects and activities. I hope to use this tool to present concepts and information to my students as well, as videos can be very engaging for students.
This a concept map that I created using the software called Kidspiration. Kidspiration allows you to create concept maps in a simple and easy manner. You can register for a free trial with this software for 30 days, however it is required that you pay for the software after. There are many different, useful tools that are available through this software. You can choose from different colors, images, shapes, and many other tools on Kidspiration. This tool would be especially useful for teachers to use within their classroom, as they would be able to present information and concepts to their students through a visual. This tool is not only beneficial for teachers, but also for students. Students would be able to create concept maps for various projects or activites within the classroom in an easy and quick manner.
The concept map that I created above was for a lesson on basic geometry for students in the second grade. Along with this, the concept correlates with one of the mathematical state standards (2.G.1) in the state of Indiana. The concept map starts by explaining the basic definitions of geometry, and goes on to include examples. Images are also included in the map so students are able to visualize the examples. I decided to create this concept map, as it is simple to follow for younger students to follow and understand. In my future classroom, I hope to include concept maps in many of my lessons to better assist students in the learning process.
Above is an infographic that I created on internet safety for my future students. This infographic was created using Piktochart, a site that allows you to create infographics, reports, and presentations. Along with this, Piktochart makes it very easy to design these creations in a simple manner. The above infographic I created is for second grade students, who are just beginning to explore the internet and technology. Most of the rules and guidelines are simple, so students are able to understand the information thorougly. I provided a picture with each guideline, so students are able to have a visual to correlate with each one. In my future classroom, I hope to create more infographics for my students to enhance the learning experience. Not only this, I also hope to use infographics to communicate information with parents outside of the classroom.
Above is a certification that validates that I have completed an hour of code. In recent years, there has been a push to incorporate coding into curriculum throughout school districts throughout the nation. I believe coding activites to be extremely beneficial for students to participate in. Not only are students learning more about computer science, but they are also engaged while doing so. While most of these code activities are in the form of games, students will be more engaged while completing the various activities. Not only this, these activities enhance the learning environment positively. Using this resource, students are able to explore different concepts of computer science in a new way that would not be possible without technology. Along with this, students are able to apply knowledge that they have learned in the classroom to a situation that requires problem-solving and logical thinking. With this tool online and easy to access, teachers will be able to save time preparing for a lesson and students will be able to save time using this resource, making if very efficient. Along with this, this tool is extremely effective, as students will be able to apply their knowledge to content and connect the resource with their learning.
In my future classroom, I hope to use resources like this to prepare my students for their future. Along with this, I hope to educate my students on technology in this digital age that we are currently in by using this resource and others similar to it. From personal experience, we were never given the opportunity to engage and learn about activities in regards to computer science. However, I think it would be extremely beneficial if students in the future could continue to participate in learning about the digital world.