Technology+Resources

A blog is a type of personal journal that is published via the internet. In a classroom setting blogs can be used by students and teachers as a means to communicate or express thoughts about a variety of topics. Blogs provide a platform for students to expressively write on a variety of topics that their teacher and classmates can read. Blogs can increase student motivation with reading and writing. Student blog’s also create a place that allows students to showcase their work online and collaborate on their work through constant dialogue from their classmates. Classroom teachers can set up classroom blog that allows for individual students to have their own blog space. On these blogs students will be able to engage and interact with other students in a meaningful way. Students will need to have access to a computer and have some basic word processing skills in order to complete blog assignments. The teacher will need to review guidelines of blogging that covers how to appropriately comment to a classmates blog entry and providing a rubric that includes what a good blog post should entail. Students will also need to know the difference between social commenting and making academic comments on classmates blog entries. A safe, free classroom blog website is www.kidblog.org which allows for the teacher to control all aspects of the blog while students are able to publish blog entries as well as comment on fellow classmates.
 * __Blogs__**

Setting up a class blog is an easy process especially since there are free blog spaces available for teachers that provide a safe, secure place for students to complete writing assignments. To get started, a teacher must create a username, password, and class name for the blog. Teachers can upload their class list or enter each student manually by giving them a username and password. It is best that all students have a password that the teacher who will be the blog administrator, has access to. There are different roles that teachers can assign to a blog, but it is best for students to have author capabilities that will allow them to publish their own blog and comment on other student’s blog posts.

A wiki is a site that allows multiple users to access and edit content; it is therefore ideal for collaborative projects. There are many wiki creation sites, and many of them cater specifically to educators. Some of the more popular sites that offer special features for educators are Wikispaces, PBworks, and Wetpaint. These like most wiki creation sites are free to use; however, many of them have upgrades available for reasonable monthly fees for users who need a lot more space.
 * __Wikis__**

To use a wiki, one needs to first sign-up for an account on a wiki site. Most sites offer instructions or tutorials in order to help users navigate their system. One can then invite users according to email, or users can visit the site and initiate a request to join. Once users are approved they can begin adding content. Most wikis allow users to add and edit text, upload documents or photos, add video or audio, and participate in discussions. In addition, most wiki sites allow for the addition of content from other sites that allow them to create slideshows (Flickr), surveys or polls (Survey Gizmo), maps (Google Maps), or interactive posters (Glogster). Content that is uploaded can also be viewed and downloaded by all users.

One feature that is available on wikis specifically for education is the ability to create numerous accounts without email addresses. What this means for teachers is that they can actually create accounts for their students without having to know email addresses or waiting for students to sign up. With Wikispacesfor example, a teacher can upload as many as 100 students at a time and create accounts for each. To use this special feature, the teacher/creator needs to go to "Manage Wiki" and then choose "User Creator" under the "People" section. Wikis also give teachers the ability to view what edits were made when, and by whom. This feature assures accountability for students in both the positive and negative sense. For example, if a student claims that she wrote one section of text on a page, a teacher can verify that she did log in and make changes; conversely, if a student writes something inappropriate, a teacher can not only delete it but also determine who wrote the text.

Ultimately, the wiki is a space that allows teachers and students to find, produce, upload, and respond to content all in one place without having to be in a classroom. The possibilities for its use for education are virtually (pardon the pun) endless.

__**Museum Box**__ [] Museum Box is an online organization and presentation tool that can be used by teachers as a performance assessment. As Museum Box explains, " This site provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box" (Museum Box). Once students have researched or studied a particular time period or topic, they can build 3-D cubes to represent important people, places, events, and/or present their argument to an important issue. An informational video is included on the "About" page to provide teachers and students with an overview of how to use Museum Box. Once a teacher registers his or her school and an individual at the site confirms the school, student accounts can be created and monitored by the teacher. Additionally, Teachers and students can better understand the different functions and icons on the site by clicking the 'Help" icon and running the mouse over the icons for a popup explanation.

media type="youtube" key="U6fDRktWIGg" height="251" width="448" To meet the use of 21st century skills, Museum Box allows students to include a variety of new technologies on the faces of their 3-D boxes to represent the topic. Pictures and images can be uploaded to the site, or students can use pictures already on file with Museum Box. Additionally, students can type text or upload files to include on the cube faces. Students can also include sounds by either using samples already on file on the site or upload their own sound clips. Museum Box allows students to upload videos, their own or ones they found pertaining to the topic, to include on a cube face. Lastly, links to websites can be included on the cube. All of these skills give students practice using skills necessary for creating online presentations or websites which are created by professionals in many areas of the workforce (Jacobs, H.H., 2010). Likewise, Museum Box allows students to be creative, make choices, and think critically in a stimulating/engaging format, all of which are part of developing 21st century skills (Jacobs, H. H., 2010). Many of these skills can also be connected to Bloom's digital taxonomy, ensuring that the task is implementing a variety of thinking skills. For example, as students create their boxes, they are categorizing, or digitally classifying, the materials being used which is found at the understanding level of the taxonomy (Churches, A., 2007). Similarly, when students upload pictures, files, sounds, and video clips, they are working at the applying level (Churches, A., 2007). As students compile various media for their cubes, they are engaged at the analyzing level by mashing, linking, and validating information (Churches, A., 2007). Lastly, students are engaged at the creating level while completing and publishing this multimedia presentation (Churches, A., 2007). This website allows students to be constructivists within the classroom (Thornburg, D., 2004). I would suggest that teachers have a rubric containing the criteria that they would like students to incorporate in their boxes. Churches, A. (2008). Bloom's taxonomy blooms digitally. //Educator’s eZine//. Retrieved from __http://www.techlearning.com/article/8670__. Jacobs, H. H. (Ed.). (2010). //Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world//. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Curriculum 21 : Essential education for a changing world by Jacobs, H.H. Copyright 2009 by Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Reprinted by permission of Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development via the Copyright Clearance Center. Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options.(Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved from __http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/expectations.pdf__

= __Glogster__ = Glogster is a technology resource that allows students to create digital posters. Students are able to decorate their posters using pictures, clip arts, adding borders, decorative fonts, and sound. When students are given a research project, they can place their findings on the glogster along with embedding youtube videos and web cam videos. Creating Glogsters are simple. The only knowledge that is needed is a description of the assignment and the web address to create the Glogster. All the instructions are on the screen and a tutorial is available for students that need it. Glogsters help student to develop 21st century skills such as think critically apply knowledge to new situations, collaboration, and making decisions.