I didn’t know you could do that!Tech Tools For the Non-Tech Teacher

Chatterjee, A. (2011).Retrieved from: ttps://chaoticsoulzzz.wordpress.com.

About Me

(Slide time 3min)This is my third year as a middle school teacher of students with severe disabilities. I am currently a student working toward a Masters in Library Science. I love learning news words, reading good books, and quiet time when I can get it. I am a mother to four teenagers, and I am a teacher who is shamefully, not tech savvy. Having teenagers really does have it’s benefits. You just don’t know how many times I’ve had to employ one of my children to help me with a new technology tool for a presentation or assignment. One of the things that has surprised me is the excitement I’ve seen from my children when I use a new technology tool, and their eagerness to use the tools in their free time. Just imagine the excitement your student will have in the classroom setting.

Saunders, L.(2014).Saunders family photos.

(Slide time 4min) which includes discussion about the slide.This is Wordle. Wordle looks like a big word search, but it’s actually a word cloud that you can create by typing in your own words or copying and pasting text onto the screen. Wordle is a great tool to use in the classroom setting. Students could work together in groups or individually to brainstorm as many words as they can think of for a particular lesson. So, if you are the math teacher, you could ask the students to create a Wordly using terms from their Algebra 1 lesson. Expressions and Operations A.1 Have students verbally or visually explain how to solve a problem. Student would come up with as many words as they can , type them in the box and create a display that could be printed out for the student to keep. Language arts teachers would really love using Wordle to enhance SOL objectives such as; 6.4 The student will read and learn the meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases within authentic texts. Students could take the unfamiliar words they find in a texts and put them in a Wordle. Student would enjoy playing around with the fonts, colors and layout styles.

Feinberg, J. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.wordle.net/

Slide Time(4min.)Here is a Wordle I create by simply copying and pasting The Pledge of Allegiance onto the screen. Wordle could be used during a History lesson on Civics and Economics CE.4. The student will demonstrate knowledge of personal character traits that facilitate thoughtful and effective participation in civic life by showing Patriotism. Students could research historical speeches, constitutions and words pertaining to an event and put them in a Wordle. Wordle is easy and fun to use. I simply saved what I created to my computer and uploaded to this slide. Once a Wordle is created it can be saved, printed and used elsewhere. There is no fee or sign up. There are tons of fonts and color schemes to choose from, but you are limited to only using the color schemes they have available.

Feinberg, J. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.wordle.net.

Slide Time (3min)Here is another example of a Wordle I created using math terms. Wordles can be print and made into posters, used on bulletin boards or put on T-shirts. You and your students will enjoy the creativity.

Feinberg, J. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.wordle.net.

Mobouy. (2010). Retrieved from:http://blabberize.com/

Slide Time(4min)I’m sure you’ve seen talking pictures with interesting facts about different topics. Well, Blabberize is a technology tool that can be used to create these talking pictures. You can give any image a talking mouth and create an interactive learning experience. There are lots of fun ways to encourage student engagement and collaboration using Blabberize. Let’s look at a few. Students in foreign language classes like Spanish can meet SOL object SI.6;1; The student will present rehearsed material in Spanish, including brief narratives, monologues, dialogues, poetry, and songs by communicating coherent ideas using appropriate visual and technological support. Students would be required to create an account using an email address, using the browse button to find the picture they would like to use and create a narrative or poetry in Spanish to share with their classmates. Language Arts students could use a picture of a character in a fiction story read in class, identify the main idea, and satisfy SOL objective 7.5; The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.

Slide Time(4min) Students could create historical figures from the Civil War and Reconstruction Era, VUS.7, and identify their major role and events during the war. Here is a Blabberize I created, she’s reciting The Pledge of Allegiance. Blabberize is free and pretty easy to use. If your computer does not have a mic, students are able to use their phones. They would call a number, record their message and the computer will attach the message to their image. Blabberize isn’t without limitations though, students need to set up an individual email accounts in order to use, and only one Blabberize can be used at a time.

Mobouy.(2010). Retrieved from:http://blabberize.com/.

(ND)Retrieved from: http://www.qrcode-monkey.com/#url. (ND) Retrieved from: http://www.classtools.net/QR/index.php.

QR Codes

Slide Time(4min)QR (Quick response) codes are quick to create and easy to use in the classroom. QR codes are basically a quick, scan able barcode-like image that takes you to a specific digital destination. QR code readers must first be downloaded on any smartphone device or IPad. The QR readers are free and be found just by doing a simple search. Once the QR reader is downloaded students can be lead to information within the classroom. I really like the possibilities with QR codes. Pictured here is a treasure hunt generator that can be used to create quizzes that will engage the students and get them out of their sets and moving around the room. The teacher creates the quiz and places codes around the room. The students use their phones or IPad to scan and answer questions. This is a great way to get your students using there phones for something other than texting each other.

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Slide Time(5min)Laminated sheets could be created and place around the classroom with QR codes on them. This would be great for Earth Science SOL ES .6; The student will investigate and understand the differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources. Key concepts include fossil fuels, minerals, rocks, water, and vegetation. Students would identify the concepts and determine if their answer is correct by scanning the QR code. QR codes can also have multimedia links that go to YouTube videos about a subject area. When discussing SOL BIO.7; The student will investigate and understand how populations change through time, imagine how engaged the students would be it they could scan a worksheet and go directly to a video about how natural selection leads to adaptations. This slide shows an example of how to address SOL 6:10 Problem Solving with Area, Perimeter, Volume, and Surface Area solve practical problems involving area and perimeter. Create a math QR worksheet beside each problems. After scanning the barcode a YouTube tutorial video comes up to explain how to solve the problem. Students can use this when they get stuck or want to know if they got the answer correct. Limitations might include not have the right device to download a barcode reader.

Name

Directions: Solve the problem and scan the QR code to check your answer.

Saunders, L. (2015). Homemade worksheet.

(2012). Retrieved fromhttp://www.powtoon.com/.

Slide Time(3min)Say goodbye to PowerPoint and Hello to PowToon. PowToon is an animated video tool that lets you create amazing presentations. PowToon is user friendly, has lots of images, effects and style. Best of all it’s free for basic use, the limitation is that some images can’t be used unless you upgrade your package. Packages start at $19 a month.

Slide Time(4min.) Includes playing a portion of the video.I created this PowToon for a class. This video is set to music as I present a brief discussion on the Declaration of Independence. This was a fun assignment that I’m sure your students will enjoy as well. PowToon can be used to address SOL 6.3 communication: speaking listening, media literacy. Students will craft and publish audience specific media messages. Student will enjoy creating presentations and you will enjoy all the possibilities you will have in creating presentation for your class.

(2012). Retrieved fromhttp://www.powtoon.com/.

Questions and Answers

The Smiling Pony.(2012). Question mark cutie mark. Retrieved from: http://the-smiling-pony.deviantart.com/art/Question-marks.

5min questions and answersTotal presentation time 45min.

ReferencesChatterjee, A. (2011).Retrieved from: ttps://chaoticsoulzzz.wordpress.com

Feinberg, J. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.wordle.net/

Mobouy. (2010). Retrieved from: http://blabberize.com/

(ND). Retrieved from: http://www.qrcode-monkey.com/#url

(2012). Retrieved fromhttp://www.powtoon.com/

Saunders, L. (2015). Homemade worksheet

Saunders, L. (2014)Saunders family photos

The Smiling Pony.(2012). Question mark cutie mark. Retrieved from: http://the-smiling-pony.deviantart.com/art/Question-marks.

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs