Blog Post #7- "21st Century Learning and Communication Tools"

Turning a classroom into a 21st century learning environment can be a daunting task considering the rapid pace at which technology tools change as well as the extensive number of tools from which to choose. Additionally, teachers must be able to select tools which contain a balanced mixture of student learning, skills acquisition, and quality engagement as well as analyze the effectiveness of select tools based on student products as a result of utilizing them. Thus, before blindly reaching into the proverbial "digital toolbox", one might find it helpful to consult with other professionals, as I did, who have test driven and reviewed many of the technology tools now trending. One of my personal PLN favorites is The Adventures of Library Girl, a blog by Jennifer LaGarde. The following presentation of hers entitled, "Technology is Not Transforming Education...YOU ARE!", tied in nicely with this week's topic, so I thought I'd share it here.

Technology is NOT Transforming Education. YOU ARE! from Jennifer LaGarde

The "In-Class Flip"

I found this concept very interesting in light of the recent idea of a "Flipped Classroom" where students watch video lectures at home and practice/homework takes place in the classroom. Instead, the "In-Class Flip" uses the same idea of video lectures, but students rotate through centers with the lecture being one stop in the rotation. This way, the teacher is in control of what is being viewed, the problem with having technology at home to view lectures is eliminated, and the teacher is freed up to help students doing small group or independent work.

The following video shows you how it works.



Storify

Storify is a relatively new concept which combines the idea of blogging with the ability to integrate other elements from social media to create a "story" of your own. Like blogger, Storify still allows users to upload images and create original text. However, what it does differently is allows the user to integrate other people's voices into your own content with tools used to extract Tweets, Flikr or Instagram images, and YouTube videos which can be interwoven into your own story. According to a review of Storify on www.pcmag.com, the overall features make this tool an effective way to powerfully illustrate stories, ideas, or concepts.

Here is an overview of Storify on Vimeo as well.

If you're wondering how this technology tool can help students, check out this blog for four ways to use Storify in the classroom.


Poll Everywhere

The last tool I chose to review is Poll Everywhere. The idea is simple. Using mobile devices, Poll Everywhere allows an audience to respond to questions, and the results are immediately displayed on the web in PowerPoint or Keynote presentations. Imagine how students would be engaged if a teacher allowed them to use their cell phones to participate in classroom discussions which showed live results!! Here's a Vimeo showing an overview of how it works. Also, according to toptenreviews.com, Poll Everywhere received a 9.5 out of 10 rating for its fun, interactive polls. The only downside is this tool isn't free, yet relatively inexpensive considering the features. Pricing options are available by clicking here.