Technology+Tools

Digital Tool Box
Our students are growing up and changing the way they learn. Our students are text messaging, blogging, social networking with MySpace and Facebook, and e-mailing. The digital Native enters our classrooms each day powered up. As teachers we do not want them to be powering down. The latest brain research shows that brains of digital natives are developing and responding differently than the brains of digital immigrants and even some of us digital dinosaurs! This research strongly suggests that we rethink the way we engage, empower and educate  our students for life in a digital world. Here are tools you may use to help you create and enhance Technology rich lessons.**
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Web 2.0 Tools

 * How can Web 2.0 be used in the classroom?**
 * Collaborative Documents (including online calendars and maps)
 * Communication Tools (Video Chatting, Chatting)
 * Photo Albums
 * Podcasts
 * RSS Feeds
 * Survey Creation Tools
 * Social Bookmarking
 * Social Networking
 * Video Sharing
 * Websites
 * Wikis
 * What are the advantages of using Web 2.0?**
 * Free or low cost
 * Increases student participation and stimulates students to become active learners
 * Encourages successful collaborative group dynamics
 * Increases motivation for learning because student work is seen by more than just their teacher - peers, parents, and the public can view their work.

Blogs
//Blog is a web log. It can be a set of personal commentaries on issues the author thinks is important. They are easy to read, write, and it can promote discussion and collaboration. Blogs are great tools to read, reflect and resond to the thoughts of of fellow educators and technology thinkers.//
 * Blog Resources and Examples**

Blogs are grouped by blogger's role and function. Every educator can find something of interest to start reading and following.
 * [|Links to School-related blog]**

Tips on tools, safety, and getting students involved in blogging.
 * [|50 Useful Blogging Tools]**

"Teaching content with new tools, enthusiasm, and the belief that teaching is a noble profession!"
 * [|Cool Cat Teacher Blog](Vicki Davis)**

Author of //Blogs, Wikis,// //Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms//
 * [|Weblogg-ed](Will Richardson)**

[|Live from the Creek]- Great example of sharing professional development with in your school

Class Blogmeister - This is a great way to blog with your class.

[|Technorati] [|http://blogger.com] [|http://edublogs.org] [|http://wordpress.com] 
 * Become a Blogger**

Wikis
 =A [|wiki] //is a web page that allows readers to collaborate with others in writing it and adding, editing, and changing the Web page's contents at any time. Very easy to use// =

Wiki Resources and Examples:
[|Wiki Resources] Why you would want to set up a wiki in your school More Educational Wikis [|Using Wikis in the Classroom]a teacher's experience with wiki For Teachers New to Wikis- information on how to incorporate wikis into your classroom [] Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools [|ISTE Wiki] [|Wikis in Education] [|Wiki Wiki Education Cool Cat] Wiki Cool CatTeacher 21CTools - Integrating 21st Century Tools into your teaching technology tutorials for Teachers -Wiki eduwikius - Great resources for teachers [|21st Century Wiki] - 21st Century Learning [|Nets-Implementation Wiki] Here comes Learning 21st Century Learning

Lets's Create a Wiki
===[|Wikispaces for Educators] Free Wikispaces for Teacher <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> ===

**Podcasts**
Podcasting is a way to share multimedia files such as music, short audio, or video commentary on a subject.l The term Podcasts come from “iPod + broadcast” [|Audacity-] A free recording software Your will need a encoder if you use this software. LAME is available from www.sourceforge.com

Social Bookmarking
Share your favorite Internet bookmarks with others <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">[|Delicious] - This is a bookmarking site that allows you to share and store bookmarks from any computer with Internet access.

Photo sharing and editing
Search for images, or share images you’ve produced [|flickr] [|Photobucket] [|Google’s Picasa] [|Apple’s iPhoto] [|Microsoft’s Photo Story] [|Flow Gram] [|Globster]A great way to share imformation, ideas, and thoughts.

**Video Sharing**
Share and search for Videos to enhance classroom instruction. [|Voicethread]A Web-based digital-storytelling application that enables me to share my stories or slideshows through audio, images, videos, or text with others online [|YouTubeTeacherTubeGoogle Video]

**Web 2.0 Desktop Tools**
Share and collaborate your documents with others - word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations [|Google Apps]

** Web 2.0 Management Tools **
[|Calendars]Create and share your calendar with others

Other Instructional Technology Resource
[|Thinkfinity] is FREE and offers more than 55,000 state-of-the art educational and literacy resources for K-12 teachers, students, and parents. National content partners in English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Economics, The Arts and Humanities provide standards-based content lessons, resources and engaging interactives! [|ISTE] International Society for Technology in Education - National Educational Technology Standards [|Lesson Planet] Free online lesson plans that are teacher-review and correlated to state standards. [|Internet4Classrooms] Great ideas for teachers to use the Internet effectively. [|Kids Know It] Totally free chidren's Learning Newwork [|Busy Teacher's Cafe] Great website for teacher resources, free printables, theme activities. [|Education World]Wonderful website for educators. iThis site includes, Lesson Planning, Professional Development, Administrator's Desk, Technology Integration, and other school issues. [|Siemens Science Day Learning and Doing] This website has hands on science activities for grades 4 through 6. You will find videos, tools, experiments, and home extensions. [|Turn your board into a whiteboard using a Wii Controller]