Tuesday, July 31, 2012
My Final Three Technologies!
ReadOutLoud Screen Reader:
ReadOutLoud is software
that basically looks like any browser that one might be familiar with: Chrome,
Safari, Firefox. The
advantage to ReadOutLoud over other screen readers is that it doesn’t only read
text out loud, but it has a bouncing ball that highlights the words as the
computer is reading them. This
helps younger readers track the words and keep their focus on the text. The student can click and unclick the
icon to stop the reading. The
speed is alterable and it has other fun features as well, such as a
bibliographer, an outline creator, and if you are a Bookshare member, the
software can read those books as well.
iPad Apps: Dragon
You talk and it types:
Dragon is an easy-to-use voice recognition application. A student can just push the record
button, speak, hit the stop button, and the words magically appear
immediately. You can then e-mail
the recorded speech to yourself or copy it into the iPad app, Pages to edit and
use in that framework.
Livescribe Pen:
Livescribe is a digital
pen that is awesome for note taking.
It can be for students who missed a class because classmates can share
the information that they wrote down with a peer. The pen creates a digital copy of everything that is written
by hand with the ink, and it simultaneously records audio. Once a student uploads the information
onto a computer, the information becomes searchable and the student can look
through their past notes. The
Livescribe pen also has a calculator and a paper piano that can play the piano
once one is drawn.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Breezin' Thru Theory
From my Kindergarten until I graduated high school, I played the violin, the baritone, the piano, and sang in chorus/choir. My love of music and math combined in a passion for music theory where I took classes at the local university to further develop my understanding of the intersection of the two subjects.
I thought I would look around the web to see where music education and technology are meeting up and stumbled upon Breezin' Thru' Theory. Breezin' Thru is a series of educational tools for different subjects, but the theory one is especially interesting because I think with interactive tools and power-point like presentations, theory becomes much more accessible than just with worksheets and music instructors having to verbally explain everything.
The breezin' thru curriculum has four parts:
See it, Hear it: these are listened to online to better explain components of music theory
Mad Dash Drills: instant scoring is available for these speed tests that students can do and use to compete against each other
Composer's Corner: Students can use their knowledge to start the composition process of music theory
Summative Tests: A simple way to measure progress.
Music theory and composition requires a lot of trial and error if it is to be done with pencil and paper. I would erase so frequently that my papers would be littered with holes. If there is a technological way to practice composing, I think the best part about this would be editing with ease.
StudyBlue
I found out about StudyBlue through an awesome blog: http://awesomeeducationtechnology.wordpress.com/. It's a blog where a teacher is totally open to using technology in her class...even Cellphones. I don't know where others went to high school, but where I went, this would be totally Taboo.
StudyBlue is a really progressive online study tool. It's made by students for students where students can make online flashcards, but it doesn't stop there. There's a mobil app that you can download to your phone, you can set reminders to make yourself study, and there's resources for teachers too. Teachers can make flashcards for their students to study online or on their cellphones on the go. The program keeps track of your progress so you can basically constantly quiz your students before a big test. There's a large search engine where you can look up information for high school and college level classes. The best part is that it's free!
There are almost 2,000,000 cards added weekly! As a flashcard maniac, this is something I would have loved to have this in high school.
StudyBlue is a really progressive online study tool. It's made by students for students where students can make online flashcards, but it doesn't stop there. There's a mobil app that you can download to your phone, you can set reminders to make yourself study, and there's resources for teachers too. Teachers can make flashcards for their students to study online or on their cellphones on the go. The program keeps track of your progress so you can basically constantly quiz your students before a big test. There's a large search engine where you can look up information for high school and college level classes. The best part is that it's free!
There are almost 2,000,000 cards added weekly! As a flashcard maniac, this is something I would have loved to have this in high school.
Google Hangouts
So I figured I'd write a post about Google Hangouts because I (along with the entire class) am going to have to experiment with it this evening. Google Hangouts is a sleeker and more useful video chat program than anything I've used previously, including Skype, FaceTime, and Google video chat (through the chat on my e-mail).
It's pretty easy to use. To start, I'm pretty sure you need a Google+ account. At the bottom of the screen are you and the other people you are "hangin'" with. You then can choose plenty of things to put in the main screen in the middle of the hangout. Options include: your face, one of the hangers' faces, your current screen (along with mouse movements), a youtube video. You can share pretty much anything. I see this as a revolutionary way to hold a conference call or meeting. I see this being used in a classroom setting where students need to communicate or work on a project from home, but can't necessarily find the time to meet up, or I can see this as a really fun way to make a mock business meeting situation.
Students could cluster in small groups around the classroom and pretend they are in other countries and communicate kind of like a United Nations. It would be a great way to informally assess a social studies class.
I hope it goes well when we try and use it this evening!
It's pretty easy to use. To start, I'm pretty sure you need a Google+ account. At the bottom of the screen are you and the other people you are "hangin'" with. You then can choose plenty of things to put in the main screen in the middle of the hangout. Options include: your face, one of the hangers' faces, your current screen (along with mouse movements), a youtube video. You can share pretty much anything. I see this as a revolutionary way to hold a conference call or meeting. I see this being used in a classroom setting where students need to communicate or work on a project from home, but can't necessarily find the time to meet up, or I can see this as a really fun way to make a mock business meeting situation.
Students could cluster in small groups around the classroom and pretend they are in other countries and communicate kind of like a United Nations. It would be a great way to informally assess a social studies class.
I hope it goes well when we try and use it this evening!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
So, I'm not posting this to reveal that I am a huge internet nerd and use Reddit all that often. I don't, but it is helpful and very similar to Yahoo Answers. It's tagline is the "front page of the internet," and it's full of information, people asking dumb questions, people asking great questions, and you can absorb some quick snippits of news while you're at it.
I think people primarily use it to vent, but that can be useful for teachers as well. You can post your questions to subreddits, and somehow, people see your questions and answer you.
I think people primarily use it to vent, but that can be useful for teachers as well. You can post your questions to subreddits, and somehow, people see your questions and answer you.
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