Two technologies that I have an interest in and would like to incorporate into my classroom are Grockit and Socrative.
Grockit
This tool gets your students to connect with each other in study sessions that take place on this great social site.
https://grockit.com
Outcomes:
C.4 - Students will use organizational processes and tools to manage to inquiry.
I believe Grockit would be a great tool to use in the classroom to enhance communication. It is accessibility allows students to log in both in the classroom and outside the classroom to receive their assignments, as well as view the due date, and view alerts that have been sent by the teacher. The note section allows for students to leave any questions they may have or share something they have found on the internet with the rest of their class. This also teaches students responsibility with what they are posting as everyone can see it, an important message within the hidden curriculum. Quizzes can also be created by the teacher online to be used as a study tool. By allowing parents access to the page as well you are keeping them up to date with what is going on in the classroom. Grockit accomplishes the Education Acts mandate as it provides students with an organized base for successful learning and living through its tools and the outcomes it connects to in the ICT curriculum. It also students to first handed view the way technology can be used to learn, innovate, collobrate, communicate and discover, all in one class ran website.
Socrative
Available for computers, mobile devices, and tablets, this student response system engages students through games and exercises on any device they have on hand. Even better, teachers can easily assess student progress and track grades.
www.socrative.com
Outcomes:
C.5
1.1 share information collected from electronic sources to add to a group task
2.1 retrieve data from available storage devices, such as a shared folder, to which a group has contributed
C.7
1.4 make predictions based on organized information
3.1 Identify patterns in organized information
3.2 Make connections among related, organized data, and assemble various pieces into a unified message
Rationale:
Socrative is a great database specifically designed to teach students in a simple step by step way. Everything is manageable and well organized so that a student can access the exact information they need without going through a ton of other data. Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers by engaging their classrooms with a series of educational exercises and games. The application is super simple and take seconds to login making it ideal for the classroom. As well Socrative runs on tablets, smartphones, and laptops. This makes it that the student can easily access and start to learn more and more material, therefore making them able to draw parallels between related information. Though this tool by no means replaces formal instruction in the classroom, it is a great way to solidify what has already been attempted in class and give the student a resource they can access at any time. The fact that it is free and available for multiple devices makes it accessible to almost anyone and it increases the likelihood of students using it to help teach other students(outside the classroom) concepts with which they might be struggling.
Grockit
This tool gets your students to connect with each other in study sessions that take place on this great social site.
https://grockit.com
Outcomes:
C.4 - Students will use organizational processes and tools to manage to inquiry.
- 3.2 - Develop process to manage volumes of information that can be made available through electronic source
- 2.1 - Comply with the acceptable use policy of the school and school authority for Internet and networked services including software licensing agreements.
- 2.3 - Use appropriate communication language and etiquette.
- 2.5 - Respect the privacy and products of others.
- 4.3 - Respect ownership and integrity of information.
- 1.1 - Compose a message that can be sent through communication technology.
- 4.1 - Select and use the appropriate technologies to communicate effectively with a targeted audience.
I believe Grockit would be a great tool to use in the classroom to enhance communication. It is accessibility allows students to log in both in the classroom and outside the classroom to receive their assignments, as well as view the due date, and view alerts that have been sent by the teacher. The note section allows for students to leave any questions they may have or share something they have found on the internet with the rest of their class. This also teaches students responsibility with what they are posting as everyone can see it, an important message within the hidden curriculum. Quizzes can also be created by the teacher online to be used as a study tool. By allowing parents access to the page as well you are keeping them up to date with what is going on in the classroom. Grockit accomplishes the Education Acts mandate as it provides students with an organized base for successful learning and living through its tools and the outcomes it connects to in the ICT curriculum. It also students to first handed view the way technology can be used to learn, innovate, collobrate, communicate and discover, all in one class ran website.
Socrative
Available for computers, mobile devices, and tablets, this student response system engages students through games and exercises on any device they have on hand. Even better, teachers can easily assess student progress and track grades.
www.socrative.com
Outcomes:
C.5
1.1 share information collected from electronic sources to add to a group task
2.1 retrieve data from available storage devices, such as a shared folder, to which a group has contributed
C.7
1.4 make predictions based on organized information
3.1 Identify patterns in organized information
3.2 Make connections among related, organized data, and assemble various pieces into a unified message
Rationale:
Socrative is a great database specifically designed to teach students in a simple step by step way. Everything is manageable and well organized so that a student can access the exact information they need without going through a ton of other data. Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers by engaging their classrooms with a series of educational exercises and games. The application is super simple and take seconds to login making it ideal for the classroom. As well Socrative runs on tablets, smartphones, and laptops. This makes it that the student can easily access and start to learn more and more material, therefore making them able to draw parallels between related information. Though this tool by no means replaces formal instruction in the classroom, it is a great way to solidify what has already been attempted in class and give the student a resource they can access at any time. The fact that it is free and available for multiple devices makes it accessible to almost anyone and it increases the likelihood of students using it to help teach other students(outside the classroom) concepts with which they might be struggling.