Before taking this course, Technology Applications for Education, also known as ED271, I was opposed to letting technology become a major part of my educational career. Despite relying on technology for almost anything, I was used to the old-fashioned way. I preferred keeping hard copies of my papers in file folders. I still do. However, with this course, I discovered various technology tools that can come in handy for my future career, and eventually accepted technology’s role in my education. Not only have I realized that it is important to take advantage of the many resources that are offered but I also learned how to use them efficiently. In this assessment, you can find the picture, descriptions, and evaluations of several technology tools such as Moodle, Google Chrome, Google Apps or G Suite, LiveBinders, Quizlet, Quizizz, Storyline Online, and Weebly. Even though I am familiar with some of the tools, I also added a few new tools that I discovered over the course of the semester. It was a bit difficult to choose the top tools from my technology toolkit but I hope the chosen tools can be helpful for anyone as well.
MOODLE, also known as Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, is a learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators, and students a secure and integrated system that creates custom-made learning environments. The system is also called Course Management System (CMS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), or Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). This technology tool is an all-in-one learning platform that offers a variety of course activities including forums, journals, quizzes, resources, assignments, and chats.
As a student, I believe MOODLE is a helpful tool that is fairly easy to use. I use this tool to monitor my course assignments, access countless sources related to my courses, participate in forums, quizzes, and tests, submit assignments and/or attachments, and communicate with my peers and instructors. Although I have been using MOODLE for nearly two years now, I have yet to utilize all the course activities the system offers. That said, as I continue with my college career, I hope to become more familiar with its features. Moreover, I give this tool 4 out of 5 stars.
As a student, I believe MOODLE is a helpful tool that is fairly easy to use. I use this tool to monitor my course assignments, access countless sources related to my courses, participate in forums, quizzes, and tests, submit assignments and/or attachments, and communicate with my peers and instructors. Although I have been using MOODLE for nearly two years now, I have yet to utilize all the course activities the system offers. That said, as I continue with my college career, I hope to become more familiar with its features. Moreover, I give this tool 4 out of 5 stars.
Google Chrome is a free web browser, developed by Google, that is used for accessing web pages on the Internet. The tool provides different versions and can be accessed with different computers, mobile devices, and operating systems. Thus, it is considered to be a cross-platform browser. Even though the web browser offers basic features like the back, forward, and refresh buttons, bookmarks, a toolbar, a history page, and a settings page, the platform continues to stand out with its leading features. Google Chrome is a fast, secure, and accessible tool that grants one to search anything on Google, sync their Google account, bookmarks, history, and passwords, browse privately using an Incognito Window, as well as download and install extensions for organization and personalization.
I am familiar with the basics of Google Chrome. However, as an avid Apple user, I am more accustomed to Safari. With this web browser, I access web pages on the Internet and save bookmarks, too. After using this technology tool during this semester, I am thinking of making Google Chrome my primary web browser. I believe the web browser has so much more to offer, and I hope to become more comfortable with this platform if and when I make the switch. Hence, I give this tool 4.5 out of 5 stars.
I am familiar with the basics of Google Chrome. However, as an avid Apple user, I am more accustomed to Safari. With this web browser, I access web pages on the Internet and save bookmarks, too. After using this technology tool during this semester, I am thinking of making Google Chrome my primary web browser. I believe the web browser has so much more to offer, and I hope to become more comfortable with this platform if and when I make the switch. Hence, I give this tool 4.5 out of 5 stars.
G Suite, formerly known as Google Apps for Work, is a Software as a Service product (SaaS) that organizes all cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools developed by Google for businesses, institutes, and nonprofit organizations. With G Suite, one can have access to a variety of Google applications such as Gmail, Blogger, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, Google Forms, Google Hangouts, Google Calendar, and so much more!
Today, I use Gmail to send and receive emails, Blogger to share information, and publish blog posts, Google Drive to organize files, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, and Google Forms to create and share documents, presentation slides, spreadsheets, and surveys. I have been using Google Apps for a while now, and I believe this technology tool that is convenient to use. Therefore, as a student and future educator, I highly recommend this tool as it offers an array of applications that can be useful for one’s education and career. With that being said, I give this tool 5 out of 5 stars.
Today, I use Gmail to send and receive emails, Blogger to share information, and publish blog posts, Google Drive to organize files, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, and Google Forms to create and share documents, presentation slides, spreadsheets, and surveys. I have been using Google Apps for a while now, and I believe this technology tool that is convenient to use. Therefore, as a student and future educator, I highly recommend this tool as it offers an array of applications that can be useful for one’s education and career. With that being said, I give this tool 5 out of 5 stars.
LiveBinders is a free online bookmarking site that stores online educational resources in digital binders. The tool offers opportunities for collaboration, organization, and distribution with other educators and technology admirers.
After creating a digital binder titled “Elementary Education Resources,” I would like to say that this technology tool is efficient, user-friendly, and straightforward to use. In addition to this, I believe this tool is a great platform that promotes organization and reduces paper consumption in the classroom. Even with the advantages, the technology tool still has its flaws. In short, the tool has limited features unless an educator upgrades their account to a pro plan. Besides, although the plain design may appeal to others, I think the tool could improve if more options for customization were offered. For these reasons, I give this tool 3.5 out of 5 stars.
After creating a digital binder titled “Elementary Education Resources,” I would like to say that this technology tool is efficient, user-friendly, and straightforward to use. In addition to this, I believe this tool is a great platform that promotes organization and reduces paper consumption in the classroom. Even with the advantages, the technology tool still has its flaws. In short, the tool has limited features unless an educator upgrades their account to a pro plan. Besides, although the plain design may appeal to others, I think the tool could improve if more options for customization were offered. For these reasons, I give this tool 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Quizlet is a web-based application developed to help students study information using interactive tools and games. The tool incorporates collaboration and teamwork with peers and instructors. With its visually appealing design, Quizlet is a simple-to-use tool.
As a student, I use this tool to create and share flashcard sets, learn information using the study guides, study for my courses’ quizzes and tests, and interact with my peers and instructors. With this tool, not only have I received high scores on my assessments but I also strengthened my memory and comprehension skills. Because of its efficiency, I upgraded my account to Quizlet Plus, and now take advantage of the tool for almost all my classes. As a future educator, I highly recommend this tool as it is great for anyone’s educational career. In the classroom, I would utilize this tool to create study guides and test my students’ knowledge of certain subjects with the various study modes. Based on these considerations, I give this tool 5 out of 5 stars.
As a student, I use this tool to create and share flashcard sets, learn information using the study guides, study for my courses’ quizzes and tests, and interact with my peers and instructors. With this tool, not only have I received high scores on my assessments but I also strengthened my memory and comprehension skills. Because of its efficiency, I upgraded my account to Quizlet Plus, and now take advantage of the tool for almost all my classes. As a future educator, I highly recommend this tool as it is great for anyone’s educational career. In the classroom, I would utilize this tool to create study guides and test my students’ knowledge of certain subjects with the various study modes. Based on these considerations, I give this tool 5 out of 5 stars.
Quizizz is a free quiz tool that can be accessed through a web browser, Apple or Android device or Chrome app. With this tool, educators can either access a variety of prepared learning quizzes or create one of their own, then use the game’s link or code to share the assessments with their students. The tool notifies students for completing assignments, automatically grades the students’ answers, and displays their results. Each quiz also uses memes, ready-made or custom-made, and classroom scoreboards.
I was introduced to this tool after I assisted my little brother, a 4th grader, with completing his homework assignments. Although I have not used this technology tool myself, I am familiar with its features. Based on my involvement with the quizzes as an older sister and understanding of the tool as a fellow student, I believe this technology tool is fairly simple and convenient. As a future educator, I plan to use this tool as a supplementary resource to test my students’ knowledge of the lessons taught. Thus, I give this tool 4 out of 5 stars.
I was introduced to this tool after I assisted my little brother, a 4th grader, with completing his homework assignments. Although I have not used this technology tool myself, I am familiar with its features. Based on my involvement with the quizzes as an older sister and understanding of the tool as a fellow student, I believe this technology tool is fairly simple and convenient. As a future educator, I plan to use this tool as a supplementary resource to test my students’ knowledge of the lessons taught. Thus, I give this tool 4 out of 5 stars.
Storyline Online is the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) Foundations Daytime Emmy-nominated and award-winning children’s literacy website that streams videos with YouTube, SchoolTube, and Vimeo. These videos feature well-known actors and actresses reading children’s books that are accompanied by illustrations and activities. The tool is available 24 hours a day, and it is a nonprofit organization that relies on gifts, grants, and donations for its funds and production of videos.
I was introduced to this tool after receiving a list of educational websites from my little brother’s teacher. With this course (ED271), I developed a tendency to save the names of educational websites for later use. So, after browsing the site for a while, I was able to become familiar with its features. Because the website offers narrated videos of children’s books and additional activities for FREE, I believe it is a great technology tool that can be helpful for children, parents, caregivers, and educators. As a future educator, I plan to use this tool as a supplementary resource for reading and language arts lessons, class reading sessions, as well as independent reading assignments. For these reasons, I give this tool 5 out of 5 stars.
I was introduced to this tool after receiving a list of educational websites from my little brother’s teacher. With this course (ED271), I developed a tendency to save the names of educational websites for later use. So, after browsing the site for a while, I was able to become familiar with its features. Because the website offers narrated videos of children’s books and additional activities for FREE, I believe it is a great technology tool that can be helpful for children, parents, caregivers, and educators. As a future educator, I plan to use this tool as a supplementary resource for reading and language arts lessons, class reading sessions, as well as independent reading assignments. For these reasons, I give this tool 5 out of 5 stars.
Weebly is a free website builder that allows anybody to build their websites swiftly. This tool allows one to create functional websites or blogs.
I was introduced to this technology tool in high school, where I not only accessed resources for my work experience program but I also created a website for my ProStart restaurant project. After utilizing the website creator for a few assignments in this class (ED271), I now consider this to be a valuable tool. My group members and I created two websites called “Know Your Cereals” and “Don’t Panic Pancakes.” Although Weebly is easy to use and navigate, the tool does have its drawbacks. One one hand, after choosing a theme and inputting information, our site crashed and turned into black screens. On the other hand, after nearly completing our site, the images did not show up at all. Because of this, we switched to another presentation platform. Unfortunately, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, so I give this tool 3 out of 5 stars.
References
About Moodle - MoodleDocs. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://www.howtogeek.com/411808/what-is-g-suite-anyway/
Gavin, B. (2019, November 12). What is G Suite, Anyway? Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.howtogeek.com/411808/what-is-g-suite-anyway/
Louisiana State University. (n.d.). What is moodle? Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://www.lsu.edu/it_services/moodle/what-is-moodle.php
Moreau, E. (2020, March 9). What is Google Chrome? Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-google-chrome-4687647
Stallings, J. (2019, December 17). Educator's Guide to LiveBinders. Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.theedublogger.com/livebinders/
Stauffer, B. (2019, July 23). Pros & Cons of Using Quizlet in Your Classroom. Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/quizlet-pros-cons
Storyline Online: About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://www.storylineonline.net/about-us/
TeachersFirst - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers. (n.d.). Quizziz Review. Retrieved May 16, 2020, from https://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=16739
Wiebe, G. (n.d.). LiveBinders. Retrieved May 16, 2020, from https://teachinghistory.org/digital-classroom/tech-for-teachers/25517
Wong, J. (2020, January 8). Weebly Website Builder Review: Free Websites For All. Retrieved May 16, 2020, from https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/website-builders/weebly/free-website-builder-for-all/
Hi:
ReplyDeleteYou are encouraged to try technology tools that new to you. Be brave; stretch yourself; step outside of the box. Familiarity with new tools comes with practice. You owe it to yourself to try something new.
Very nicely written!
-j-