Write on Glass is a cool tool!

One of the most useful and potentially great new tools I have found on the web lately is Write on Glass. This is a tool that can be used in so many different ways in the classroom. Essentially it is a tool that allows teachers, students, and contacts to annotate or type on top of any webpage. Once a person has written on the page, it is shared with classmates and/or contacts through the Write on Glass. This opens up a world of possibilities for collaboration in the classroom. Why not send students to a webpage with an important news article and have them read and analyze it. When they are done have them write on top of the webpage with Write on Glass and share with the class. The students can then collaborate and respond to each other straight from that news article in real time. This conversation created on the webpage with glass can also be monitored and directed by the teacher. Try it out! It could be the coolest new thing in education! Follow the link to the site: Write on Glass.

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The Chrome Store

The Google Chrome Store is an awesome resource for teachers. The store can be accessed easily through the Google Chrome web browser, which is a free download online. The store has a huge library of educational apps and tools that would be great for teachers. You can find an app for almost anything you need to support your discipline. One example of the many would be the Planetarium app for astronomy or science classes. Check out the app at the following link: Planetarium App. Enjoy!

Use Splashtop!

Splashtop is a great application that you can use on your tablets in order to control your computer. The program is basically a remote desktop tool that you can access on your tablet. This is important because you can use it as a teaching tool. Being able to control your computer from your tablet means that you can walk around the room, face the students, and initiate interactive activities with the students. You can even use the tablet as a virtual slate by opening annotative software on your computer from the tablet. This would allow you to draw on or highlight important information on the computer, which could be projected on to a wall or screen. If the students are given access to the tablet during class then they could solve problems, show media, and access files on the computer as it is projected to the front of the room. Get Splashtop at the following link: Splashtop. Don't forget to get the compatible app from the iTunes App Store or Android Market!

More Web 2.0 Information

Check out my website for more information and examples of some things you can do with Web 2.0. Following is the link: Mr. D's Website

Dropbox

Many of you may already be using this tool, but for those of you who aren't, consider trying Dropbox. This is a cloud based storage folder that works on several different platforms. You can download the program and create an account for the service. The greatest thing is that it is completely free! Once you download the program you can put pictures, folders, files, music, video, etc into the Dropbox icon. After dragging the files into the Dropbox you can then access them from any device you have installed the program onto. For instance, if you write a paper on your laptop and need to access it on the go, simply download Dropbox to your smartphone and as simple as that you will have access to that file from the phone. You can also use Dropbox on tablets and any other smart media device with the right requirements. Get Dropbox at the following link: Dropbox.

What can a tablet do for you?

As we begin to see more and more tablets arrive in the market, it is important to try and see the potential of the devices in education. Apple has already done a great job getting into the field as they have developed a ton of great apps and devices to help out with teaching and learning in the classroom.  A quick trip to the app store and you can find a great educational app for almost any subject or person. Android tablets are slightly further behind but are definitely beginning to dip their toes in the water a bit in regards to education. The Android market is now starting to provide its users with more and more educational tools. The apps themselves are self explanatory when considering their use in the classroom, but how else can these devices be used to help engage the students and help with student learning and differentiated instruction? One of the main uses for the tablets that is now starting to creep into the classrooms is its replacement of interactive whiteboards. Most tablets can now run a desktop sharing tool, where the teacher can control his or her computer from their tablet. This allows the teacher to remotely access files, pictures, videos, presentations, and other visual aids straight from the tablet. This is  important because the teacher can then project the material onto a wall or screen to help aid in instruction, as long as the host computer is plugged into a projector or large television. This also allows the teacher to always be facing the classroom and providing more one on one attention to his or her students. Another great use for the tablets is to put the technology in the students' hands. It is amazing what students are capable of accomplishing when given the right resources. They can use these tablets to look up information, create projects, and even research. All of this right from their desks in the classroom. Of course this also opens up collaboration opportunities between the students if they all have access to a tablet or computer. Students can share documents with Google docs, they can create videos through a variety of different sources, they can create maps and diagrams, they can participate in backchanneling and the list goes on. Because of all of these opportunities that tablets can give to students and teachers alike, it is definitely worth taking a look at them for your classroom.

The Kinect in Education

The amount of possibilities for a device like the Xbox Kinect in education seems endless. This video does a great job showing the capabilities technologies we have today have for our classrooms.

Educational Technology Podcasts

There are a ton of great resources out there for people who are looking to learn more about educational technologies. Podcasts are one of these resources. If you log on to iTunes and search through their podcasts you will find a ton of good audio and video selections to choose from. If you narrow down the search results to education technology there are several great podcasts. One of my favorites is called "The State of Tech" which can be found through a simple search on iTunes. This podcast provides its audience with a variety of great technology topics and ideas from educational technology people in the state of Ohio. You can also find them at the following website: The State of Tech

Wii Whiteboard?

For those of you out there who are interested in having an interactive whiteboard in your classroom but do not have the funds, consider what a simple Nintendo Wii remote could do for you. With the purchase of a Wii remote, an infrared pen, and the download of some free software, you could have an interactive whiteboard like a SMART Board or Promethean Board at a fraction of the price. Check out the website from the creator of this innovative idea here: Wii Whiteboard. Don't forget to watch the video example above!