My Website

https://sites.google.com/site/cyberbullying102/

Web 2.0 Site

Mindmeister- concept map like Inspiration, but it has many more features such as slideshow
Spiderscribe- concept map where you can insert locations and images; used for business more than teaching
Bubbl.us- simple concept map similar to Inspiration; easy for kids to use
Linoit.com- Site where you can post notes, calendars, word documents, and much more; there is also an app for iPhone, iPad, and Android that you can download; this would be a good website for students to do group activities
Photobucket- combination of Instagram and Pinterest; you can upload all of your photos and videos. and people can like and comment; you can also see what is trending
Quinturakids- search engine for kids; has potential but needs improvement; K4- 3rd grade
Duckduckgo- kid friendly search engine like google; has a filter bubble
Gogooligans- safe search site for kids and teens; educational/ academic search engine
Padlet- blank wall where students can post questions and leave sticky notes; allows you to post on blog
Text2mindmap- concept map similar to the others; doesn't work as well as the others but is free
Stormboard- you can create different boards and add questions and comments; you can also vote on which questions you like
Kidtopia- kid friendly search engine developed by a school library; safe for kids so that they don't stumble upon inappropriate material
*Instagrok- mixture of a concept map and search engine; gives key facts, videos, images, and concepts related to the subject; you can adjust the difficulty level at the top of the pag; there is also a journal and quiz area for students; very cool and interesting website to use in the classroom
Slimekids- search engine/directory for kids; has useful information such as book trailers, book reviews, games, and author information
Wikisummarizer- search engine that gives you and summary and ample information; you can also edit information in a text box
Pearltrees- website similar to pinterest where you can organize and share things that you like on the web; also a concept map
Netvibes- dashboard intelligence platform; you can collect all of your thoughts in one place; gives summary of website and allows you to connect to the website
*Glogster- you can create online posterboards, assignments, and history timelines; you can add images, videos, and audios
Audacity- free audio editor and recorder; you can record music, speeches, etc; one of the best recording websites; can use this in the classroom by having students record educational songs or speeches
*Wordpress- this is a blog website similar to blogger where you can create, share, and reblog posts
Vimeo- video sharing website similar to youtube; you can upload and share videos
Evernote- website where you can search words from documents; good for taking notes
Compfight- free website where you can search for images
Diigo- website where you can store bookmarks, highlights, sticky notes, and any other information that you find
Blabberize- website where you can create an image and make it speak; similar to voki, but you can choose your own picture on blabberize
Easelly- website where you can create and share visual ideas; teachers can use this for meetings or to show ideas to students in the classroom
Animoto- cloud based video creation service that produces videos; you can change the theme, style, and add pictures and songs
Bookbuilder-webiste where you can create, share, publish, and read digital books; good website for kids and teachers
Weebly- place where you can make your own website; you can add audio, videos, images, slideshows, and more
Storyboardgenerator- Austrailian website where you can create storyboards and share them with friends; you can also search for different stories, videos, and education themes
Tagul- website similar to wordle; allows you to create word clouds
*Edmodo- seems like facebook for teachers that connects all learners with people and resources needed to reach their full potential; has different categories like Facebook; very useful website for educators
*Socrative- very interesting website where teachers can create quizes, tests, and more; lets you see which students answered correctly
Podbean- similar to iTunes; you can listen to podcasts and even create your own; you can make money off of this website by selling your content
Pixton- website where you can make comic strips; you can choose characters and make them interact with each other
iCloud- cloud storage that can store documents, music, photos, apps, and much more
Infogr.am- free website where you can create charts, graphs, and much more

Common Core in Action

This article explains the Literacy Design Collaborative, which goes along with the Common Core. The LDC helps students with developing better literacy and comprehension skills, and it focuses on the subjects of Science and History. Two teachers implemented this into their very own classrooms and had amazing results. Personally, this idea seems a little overwhelming to me. Science is not only a difficult subject to learn, it is also a difficult subject to teach. It is great that these two teachers were able to grasp the concepts even though it took time. The article ends with advice for teachers who are struggling to incorporate the Common Core in their classroom. The advice is to take things in small steps rather than leaps and bounds, and set goals for what you want to achieve in your classroom by the end of the year.  

Evolving Classroom Education

This article discusses technology that is growing and being used in today’s classrooms. “Bring your own device” or BYOD, seems to be a great idea and beneficial to both teachers and students. Most students today have a cell phone or iPad, and many schools cannot afford to provide such technology for all students. However, not all students can afford this. The second shift the article discusses is the “natural user interfaces” such as Wii and Xbox Kinect. The last shift is towards “personal learning environments” which aims to get students to create their own learning success.

A downfall to “bring your own device” would be that not all students can afford to have a smartphone, or any phone for that matter. If classrooms are going to use devices such as iPads, the school should provide every student with one. If there were a classroom where every student but one had a device they could bring, how would that one student learn? I also believe that so much use of technology in the classroom is limiting students to social interaction with their peers. Social interaction is important especially for Elementary students. Overall, I think that there is too much trying to be implemented at once, and this isn’t fair to students or teachers. 

Voki

Bullying

Bullying is an issue in schools all across the worlds. Most bullying takes place during the school day, and most victims remain silent. Although classmates know that bullying is wrong, they do nothing about it because they aren't the ones being victimized. It broke my heart to watch the victims being bullied when we watched "Bully" in class. I witnessed a lot of bullying in high school, and nothing was ever done about it. Teachers would act like they were oblivious to what was going on when they were actually just too lazy to take an action. At my high school, students were not only verbally abused; they were physically abused as well. It truly is heartbreaking to know that bullying often results in suicidal thoughts and sometimes even results in suicide. Bullying may never truly stop, but teachers can help a lot with this issue. When I was in the tenth grade, I witnessed a special student being verbally abused right in front of the teacher's desk. This teacher not only sat there and did nothing; she laughed at the student being bullied. This is not okay, and teachers like this should not even be teachers. As a future educator, I will make it a top priority to get to know everything I can about my students. Many students have a terrible home life and come to school as a way to escape. When these students get bullied when they come to school, they have no where else to turn. Bullying is something that should not be taken lightly, and there should be serious consequences for these people.

Augmented Reality Snags a Coveted Spot in Classrooms

Laura Devaney discusses how augmented reality is becoming increasingly common in K-12 classrooms. Augmented reality blends the real world with interactive and enhanced content through the use of technology. With an augmented reality application, you will be directed to abundant information by scanning something such as a historical landmark. This app can enhance anything that a student is learning. Theresa McGhee, a K-5 art teacher, uses this app with her students and says, "The kids think it's amazing that they can just hold something in their hand and see that something is going on in front of their screen". McGhee loves using the app in her classroom because her students are able to explore and "really dig deeper into their own learning". Augmented reality is a great way to incorporate technology in the classroom.

Surprisingly, this is a technological advance that I am excited about for educators and for students. I downloaded the free 3D Augmented Reality App on my iPhone. It had trouble figuring out how to work it, but I did get a better understanding of what augmented reality actually is. With access to augmented reality in the classroom, students will truly be able to dig deeper into their own learning as McGhee suggested. With iPads being brought into more classrooms everyday, this app will become more popular in schools. Many students learn through interaction, and this app allows them to interact through technology. I have two more years until I have my very own classroom, so there is no telling what new inventions for the classroom will be created by then. I think that augmented reality will quickly a big thing for learning in the classroom.