Day Thirteen - Tech in My Classroom

Prompt:  Name the top edtech tools you use on a consistent basis in the classroom, and rank them in terms of their perceived (by you) effectiveness.

I'm so excited about this prompt because it allows me to really reflect on the effective tech tools that I use.  I've been using the majority of these tools for the last three weeks of school, and it's about time I evaluate their effectiveness.


Schoology

I came across this learning platform on Tumblr.  One of the people that I follow posted up screenshots of her homepage on this site, and I was intrigued.  Once going to the site and messing around with the various features, I saw the benefits of using this learning platform in my flipped classroom.  I was able to set up various course sections and folders for each of them.  Before the school year started, I set up each class period as a separate section.  Once my classes were able to get into a computer lab, we registered all of them.

The students found the format easy to use, and loved some of the features available to them.  Some students referred to the site being much like the interface of FaceBook, so they had a frame of reference.  I personally enjoyed their ability to access all the presentations that I uploaded, as well as the assignments that were covered in class.  I am also able to upload additional notes and resources as we complete them in class; so when the students go home, they access these notes to receive clarification before moving into a new topic.  More importantly, the students have found a way for us to connect, so should they have any questions on their notes or PBL projects, they can instantly send a message and get a response from me.

One feature that I found to be the best is the capability of holding on-line discussions.  I have set up discussions that revolve around a discussion question based on a linked article.  The students are given a couple of days to read the article and write their response.  Then, on Fridays, they have to critically analyze and respond to at least two of their peers.  The students love the option of holding discussions, and hopefully, their writing skills will improve in some way.  The students loved that I was setting up a class format similar to something that they will experience in college, and they are very enthusiastic about being to hold these discussion all on-line.


Class Dojo

I absolutely love this site for class management.  The premise of this site is to provide a visual representation of both positive and negative behaviors that students have within the classroom.  The teacher adds all the students to the site, and each student (as well as their parents) receive a code to access their particular information.  Teachers can modify the various behaviors within the site, so a teacher can customize their points based on the behaviors that they want to reinforced in their class.  Since my class is largely based on group collaboration and active participation, I make sure that my points are based on those particular skill sets.

Now, the issue I was concerned with when I discovered this site was whether or not ninth graders would think it was too juvenile and completely dismiss it.  However, the web-site allows students to customize their minions, so they were completely accepting of the program.  I've decided to create a reward system in class that allows students to trade in points for various positive benefits from choosing the music playlist we listen to in class to being in charge of the class Instagram account, but nothing that would detract from course work.  The students are excited and have been working together, and the learning environment in our classroom is much more connected.


Twitter

I use Twitter for my own professional development, but I decided to create a separate Twitter account for my class.  I keep my students updated with what's going on in class, and I can load pictures from the day.  The students often find this useful, but this semester's students are not too keen on adding the class page to their Twitter accounts.  But past groups have really liked the idea of getting class information directly to their phones.  They enjoyed the reminders and extra information I could provide them via the class Twitter page.


Instagram

I created a class Instagram last year, but never updated the site.  I promised myself that this year I would do a much better job.  So far, I have been able to upload pictures of work done in class right there in class.  The students love it!  I actually have more students following the class Instagram than Twitter.  Now with the students soon taking over the management of the class Instagram, more students are keen on seeing their work projected on the site.  They really want to be able to log in and "like" the pictures of their group work, or that of their friends.


There are other various sites that I utilize in the class, but not in the same capacity as the four that I previously mentioned.  I fully believe in using sites that the students are very familiar with or are more apt to enjoy.  I've become more aware of the importance of finding the equal ground that both the students and I can interact, and I fully support the integration of various learning platforms to enhance learning and make it more enjoyable.

-A