After 11 Tools

My toolbox has certainly expanded over the past several weeks. Just as in any toolbox, some tools will be invaluable, some will be neglected, and a couple are just not overly useful. That's OK, and I truly believe that the critical thinking involved in deciding which tools are valuable to each of us personally is one of the largest benefits of this course.

My favorite tools, by far, are PhotoStory, Google Docs, and blogging. For our students, I am so excited about having them present information through digital storytelling. I see geometry and measurement as great opportunities for this. I do have a plan in the works to create a math instruction blog for our campus to facilitate the sharing of information and critical thinking that are so critical to remaining on the cutting edge of good first instruction. I do also plan to share documents with my teachers and administrators with Google Docs instead of constantly printing hard copies or leaving interminable trails of attachments through e-mail.

The real eye-opener for me is how many things I did not know how to do, and I am pretty proficient with technology. Our students are growing and learning in a world where information and digital technology are coming at them at breakneck speed. As educators, we must be responsible for leading them through that maze as best we can and be open to learning ourselves. Never has the tern "lifelong learner" taken on such meaning as it does now in the digital age.

Tool #11: Citizens Unite!

Digital citizenship is a vital part of the digital literacy we and our students are all gaining. For our students, there are several things that I believe must be explicitly taught and continuously modeled.

Etiquette: Just as we teach and model social skills for all students, we must do the same with digital etiquette. The relative anonymity of the Internet makes it much easier for folks to say things they would not in person. I've seen enough shameful behavior from the parenting board I belong to to realize this. Students must realize that although they are not face-to-face with someone, they must still act honorably and be kind. Jokes and sarcasm come across differently on the web as well. The online audience is yet another that we must model how to write to.

Evaluating Credibility: The power of the Internet is that everyone who chooses to use it has a voice. That can also be its weakness. "I read it on the Internet so it must be true" is not a valid reason for accepting a reliable source. This is really such a powerful opportunity for critical reading and thinking, and could be specifically modeled for kids.

Safety, Safety, Safety: Above all, we must teach our students to be safe. Never divulging location and never using full name or age, among many other things, are absolute necessities in a world where the door is always open to "talk to strangers." This also is probably the most valuable thing we can teach them for their computer use outside of school.

All of these things we can teach, whether in the classroom or in conjunction with the Library. We have many tools that are vehicles for this, like Brain Pop, CyberSmart, and NetSmartz. Above all, we must practice being good digital citizens ourselves and be very honest about the citizenship choices we make. Talk the talk and walk the walk...always.

Tool #10: Power in Your Pocket

I, for one, am not quite certain how I lived without my iPhone. It's a world of information that is completely portable, and so easy to use. My 3-year-old son uses it with ease.

I reviewed several free apps, and I plan on actually getting Google Earth, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence for my personal use. I also really loved the NASA 3-D Sun app, which would be great as students learn the properties of the sun. I loved the Level app. Though it may not be entirely accurate, it would be a great tool for having kids check estimates of length they make while working throughout the school building. Sudoku would be a fun extension/problem solving workstation, and Paper Toss would be a good one for exploring the physics if motion. Although they both just seem to be a game, with a strong reflection piece they could be valuable pieces of student learning with accountability.

Because iTouches are basically a pocket web browser, they can be used for anything you would use the web for without having kids tied to classroom computers. They really just open up more of the world for kids to interact with.

Tool #9: The Skype's the Limit

I had never heard of Jing before, but I really like the idea of capturing screenshots and having control over what you capture. I can really see this being used when training kids or teachers on how to use new software. I may have to play around with it a bit prior to the Forethought and Skyward trainings I am doing soon.

I love Skype! Since all of our family lives over 1,000 miles away and my husband frequently travels internationally for work, Skype is used a great deal in my home. The look on my son's face when he was able to talk to and see Daddy in China was amazing. I have also recently gotten the Skype iPhone app, and I'm interested to see how it works. It really just does an amazing job of bringing the large world we live in much closer together.

Tool #8: Two Fours

In honor of tool #8, I give you...two fours!

I begin by kickin' it old school with a little Schoolhouse Rock. I see this as a facts practice opportunity for musically-inclined kids, or as a very fun opener for a lesson on data in a table with a process column.

I then found this little dandy from Sesame Street. (How can you NOT love seeing Feist on Sesame Street??) This could be such a fun video problem-solving task by having kids watch the video then write their own question about it.

There you go. 2 videos x each about 4 = tool 8. :-)

Tool #7: PhotoStory Phun!

I have had experience with PhotoStory before; I often use it to share pictures of my son with family. It was a lot of fun using it in a new context, however. For my example, it could be an opener in an introductory lesson on parallel lines. By seeing the examples, students could then conjecture a definition of parallel lines. It really allows for kids to make connections with the world around them. I frequently had students go on geometry scavenger hunts in 4th grade and take pictures of what they found. This would be a great tool to have them present what they found with a higher level of student accountability. There are really endless possibilities, and digital storytelling could be used just about any time you want kids to share information with the class. This is definitely my favorite tool so far!

Tool #6: WikiSpeaks

Wikis really seem to be a fabulous tool for having an electronic conversation. I could see this being used in a math problem-solving situation with small groups. Students could create a problem solving situation, then trade their wiki problem with another group, who could show their solution on the wiki. Another trade could add in an critique piece so that another group could critique both the problem that was created and the solution. Another possibility would be to have students create their own questions to a problem-solving situation given in a wiki. The possibilities are truly endless. Any real collaborative situation among students could easily take place through a wiki.

By the same token, using a wiki among teachers could be extremely powerful, and streamline the massive strings of e-mails that often seem to occur throughout the school year.

My one question is about the security of wikis. It seems that a great deal of care would have to be taken to protect students' identities. Is there any way to limit who can edit a wiki, or would something with sensitive information be best shared through Google Docs?