And what have we learned?

ActiveInspire. Glogster. Virtual Fieldtrips. Turning Point. We’ve used a lot of technology in EDU-3110. Some of these technologies were fantastic, others not so much. At least, that is my own humble opinion. In the following paragraphs, I shall discuss the technologies that I found the most useful and how I would use them in the classroom.

The first subject is not a new technology, but a new way of using old technology. The virtual field trip created in PowerPoint was one of the more tedious, yet entertaining projects I’ve done yet. I actually recall making something similar to a virtual fieldtrip in PowerPoint. Though, now that I am older and technology has progressed, I can see the real use in this. Additionally, this creative experience allows students to go through the subject as if they were there. Such as my example, I presented the fictional duo of Marty McFly and Doc Brown going through time to see the classical heroes battling monsters and the origins of such myths. While I wish not to fall back on someone else’s work, Kevin Ruppel’s virtual fieldtrip is a prime example of one: It goes through 17^th century London, exploring the theaters of Shakespeare’s time. As a student who has sat through such lectures, a virtual fieldtrip is a much more interesting and engaging way to teach such lessons.

In the classroom, I would use the virtual fieldtrip as I did for the class: an engaging way to discuss topics in class. My example of a sprite comic or Kevin’s faux-video game are really good ways to keep a high schooler’s attention. It gives entertainment while disseminating knowledge. And, on my end, it allows for easier creation because I have previous experience with creating comics and such on the computer. The virtual fieldtrip allows for me to create something with already-possessed skills, engage the class with relevant entertainment, and still include a lesson.

Probably the most entertaining project for me to make was the podcast with the iPad and Camtasia. Using ScreenChomp to compose the video podcast was just fun to do. It allowed me to draw on the podcast and insert my witty quips; it was just fun for me. Hopefully, listening to me was just as fun for the listener. I digress, though. Within the classroom, this podcasting can be used as tutorials for apps or visually showing a lesson. Also, using it for class recaps and summaries provides good use for the podcasting technologies. Camtasia can also be used to film a class incase students are absent. Overall, these digital recording programs have a variety uses that are really useful in the classrooms.

Finally, Glogster is probably my favorite of the new programs we used this semester. It allowed for as much creativity as the virtual fieldtrip, minus the sheer amount of work required in getting creative with PowerPoint. In the classroom, Glogster can be used in a plethora of different ways. It can be used as a review (such as my example) or it can be used to introduce a new topic. Looking back at it now, Glogster would be really good for doing biographies of authors and summaries of books read in class. Overall, Glogster is just a fantastic tool that can be used for many purposes and many subjects.

Compared to the technologies in EDU-2110, the technologies learned in this class are much more interesting and engaging. I can see myself using these tools in the classroom.

       

Some helpful links:

Glogster review: http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=4733

A Camtasia tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPl_DnQPA0U

A link to the aforementioned virtual field trip by Kevin Ruppel: https://sites.google.com/site/kevinruppel11/virtual-field-trip

Intergrating iPads in English.

Curse you, English! You broke my alliteration! 

Tablet technology has existed for around a decade, but it wasn’t until recent years that the technology became user-friendly (and cheap enough) to become mass-produced. The big breakthrough tablet is the Apple Corporation’s iPad and its successor, the iPad 2.

            Schools and education programs have taken a liking to the iPad 2 for a multitude of reasons. One reason is that it lightens the carrying load of students. This is especially advantageous to high school students that have to carry around heavy books such as Literature textbooks. While it is quite the generic app available through the App Store, iBooks is fantastic for students. With the ability to download novels, short story collections, and poetry anthologies, the student’s carrying load is lessened. Even better, books on iBooks are always cheaper than the actual physical books.  Writing is also affected by the iPad2. While no formal word processor is available on the tablet, there is a notes app that allows the student to type up notes. Papers and other assignments can also be started in this app. This way, the teacher can see the real-time progression of the assignment.

            The iPad2 has a multitude of other apps that can help a student in high school literature.  Take for example the 500 AP English Literature Questions app. This allows students in higher classes (or even in the lower class, just for an extra challenge) to test their knowledge of the subject. It can also be used as a test study guide.

 Shakespeare Pro is another useful app, especially for the teachers of British literature and poetry. It is the complete works of one of the greatest writers, William Shakespeare. It includes all 154 Sonnets, 41 plays, and 6 poems – all of this for only $9.99. Compared to an expensive text book, the iPad2 certainly sounds like a good replacement for the traditional text book.

           

MaxJournal also proves to be a useful app. It allows for a better writing experience on the iPad2. It gives the user the ability to separate entries into specific fields (personal, work, travel, etc) and photos into the journal entries. This app would fantastic for writing reflections about the stories and poetry read in class.

These are just a few of the apps available for iPad2 that enhance the literature learning experience. However, below, I’ve listed a few more apps and other articles speaking of the iPad’s advantages:

Click here for a list of other apps that cover almost every high school subject there is!

Click here for an article discussing the addition of iPads in high schools in Santa Cruz. 

Click here for another list of English focused apps for the iPad.