comparing technologies

I have taken a look at three different powerpoint presentations which suggest ways to use specific technologies in the classroom.

The first one, Wordle, creates posters using words. The posters can be about any topic. Students can compile the words onto the poster and create the layout. This can be done as a whole- class project, but certainly works well with individiual projects. There are several suggestions. I would suggest using Wordle to even introduce a unit. Give students the vocabulary words on Wordle, have them tell you what they think they mean and what they think the unit will be about; then have them revisit the website after the unit is completed to assess how much information they gained.

The next is using a visualizer in the classroom. By doing so, students can create short movies and creative pictures. Visualizers also work well when showing things with specific patterns, such as magnetic fields. It CAN be used with a smart board. By allowing this, students can create their works, then have them displayed on the smart board. What's good is that teachers can learn how to display the child's work on the smart board and add new text/ designs to it to further enhance students' learning and understanding. If I understand it correctly, a visualizer seems to be a modern- day projector, that now is digitally enhanced.

The last presentation that I viewed is using audio in the classroom. There s so much to do with audio in the classroom. Students/ teachers can add audio sounds and music to presentations, students can listen to songs that pertain to something being taught in ELA. Students can generate their own lyrics for the songs. Audio can be used to express emotion and set the scene for what you are about to teach the students. Students can also use audio to express themselves creatively and emotionally. There are endless uses for audio in the classroom.

I am glad to see that these three technologies are becoming more prominent in classrooms today. It makes learning much more interesting and fun. I believe that these tools allow students to be hands- on. They create their own work- work that they can be proud of. The end products when using these tools are products that relfect who the students are and the dynamic of the class as a whole.