Blog Journal 8

Working with Diigo has been very interesting, I am not particularly fond of it because I really feel like there has to be another source that is more effective in doing what Diigo does, but it is also very useful. I was able to learn how to annotate on a webpage and I think that can be very useful, especially as an educator when your colleagues may suggest other resources and they can have their annotations on them so you can have a general over view of what it is about. The annotation and sticky note features as well as the tags, allow for information to be found more efficiently. I think it is a great time saver in that department.


Powerpoint has proven to be a very useful tool. I have used it in many instances for presentations or in class for note taking as a professor is lecturing. Today I was able to see how it could be used in a more fun manner and I never knew those types of programs were made from powerpoint so that was interesting. Powerpoint touches on each area of Bloom's Taxonomy because it allows for your imagination to run wild and truly create anything you want.

At the remember level of Bloom's Taxonomy, powerpoint aids in providing information for students to study and review. It can be used to receive information and even be used, as seen today in class, to play a game of Jeopardy to help remmber further.
Powerpoint also can be used at the understanding level. Powerpoints can hold information that can provide further explanations for new ideas or can provide great examples. You can even Hyperlink other sources available for students to use if they need extra help. Providing more information can also help at the apply level of Bloom's Taxonomy because it is about using information in a new light. Power points can present examples of the multitude of ways an idea can be applied, or it can be in the form of a game.
At the analyze level, powerpoint can be used to present two contrasting ideas or present so claims and debunk them. There are many ways to go about it. At the analyze stage, students are now spotting the differences and similarities of information and with the help of powerpoint, we as educators, can provide a visual aid to guide them in finding those comparisons.
For evaluating, students are now trying to make sense of information to formulate their own opinions or perspectives. Powerpoint can be a great way for students to present their ideas and opinions in an effective, professional manner. It is easy to use which allows students to effectively communicate their ideas while being true themselves and incorporating their own style. This leads in to the create stage, where the students are able to create a digital work that is completely their own. This is very benficial especially in classes as our own, where there are instances where we have to teach our peers. It is usually easily understood coming from a peer who speaks in the same manner or slang as you do and can break it down to your level.

Technology is constantly shifting and growing, it is important as educators that we remain on top of what is going on because the school or institution we end up working for may incorporate it into our classrooms. One website I found that seems to be very useful is EdSurge. Edsurge an online database that works as a media outlet, it has all the latest articles in the advancements in educational technology. It also has research and events to attend to learn more about these advancements. It is a great tool and there are some apps you can get on your phone to read or listen as you go.

Blog Journal 7

Twitter has been an interesting experience because I have always had a twitter but I have never been consistent about using it. This class has forced me to use it and I am getting more comfortable with it. I have learned how to effectively use hashtags, this is something I never use on my own twitter. I've never seen the purpose of them till this class where they are used to keep related topics under the same category. I would like to learn how to have a discuss chat on twitter, its a feature I've never known about. But overall I appreciate twitter and it is very easy to use, I have not run into any problems thus far.

For the web design project it was both fun and irritating. I liked getting to make my own page and using the different tools. It makes me appreciate some cool, elaborate websites. But at the same time I did not like the limits on the formatting of specific themes. Also there was not much of a variety of themes available to use. I felt very limited and maybe I was unsure of how to use it but I settled for how my website came out. I will definitely use weebly in my future career, I feel like every teacher should have a page that is designated to their class and offers information for the parents to easily be kept up to date with everything. My website came out pretty nice in my opinion, I wish there was more freedom with the layout but I am happy with it.

Class Dojo is an online digital classroom, that allows teachers to communicate with students and their families online. It has interactive tools that can be used during the class and can make things easier for an educator. Through exploring on Class Dojo, you can see how easy it is to keep not only the students and parents up to date with all the activities going on in your classroom, but also with other teachers. This tool allows for everyone, whether they are in the physical classroom or not, to be a part of what is going on in the classroom right online. 

 Assistive and adaptive technology includes technology that we would never even think of as being assistive  or adaptive. I have used text to speech before and I never realized how beneficial these tools can be for someone with an exceptionality. I would love to incorporate these technologies into the classroom because each student learns at their own pace and these technologies help to keep everyone on the same playing field. One struggle would be having the technology accessible to all students. Everyone's financial situation and levels of access is different and it will be hard to make accommodations with these technologies if they cannot access these technologies.