Technology

**Technology**
Here I'll post about technologies that I've encountered or have heard of and would like to try.

I love my concept maps. It's so much better than taking notes and I think it's more stimulating. Not to mention, if you're not paying attention, you're going to doodle any ways. I like CMAP but some people complain that you have to download it and it's not intuitive to use and that it's also ugly. I agree to an extent but after using it for about 10 minutes, I got really comfortable and I really enjoyed using it. It certainly looks very professional.
 * Concept Mapping**

Bubbl.us is another one that is web-based (no download!). It has the benefit of being very quick and easy to use. It's also very pretty. That's always a bonus.

I want to have a class set of these. I think they would just be handy to have. Students could hand in papers this way, students could easily transport their "notes". And by giving students the responsibility of a USB Key, I think they start to own up to their own actions in the classroom. The caveat is that you have to be careful about how they use them. I remember telling a friend of mine that I wanted to do this and he advised me not to. Why? Because a student who didn't like me would put pornography on it, hand it back to me, and then call the police. Obviously that's just silly but the idea remains - the student can do malicious things with that key... so protect yourself. Keep a class list of keys, have them sign contracts (you sign one, too), and let the principal know that you've done this.
 * USB Keys**

Things to consider when picking WBLT (from Robin Kay)
 * WBLT (Web-based Learning Tools)**
 * 1) Usability (Ease of Use & Learning)
 * Is it natural to use? Does it take a long time to figure out? Easy to navigate?
 * 1) Engagement (Colour & Look)
 * Is it colourful/have quality graphics? Possess several learning modules (text, videos, audio, etc.)? Would a student be motivated to use it?
 * 1) Ergonomics
 * Is it easy to read? Well organized?
 * 1) Interactivity, Multimedia, & Learning
 * Will students actually learn anything meaningful? Do students control their pace? Or is it all just flash and pizazz?

Also, think about how you'll set up using it.
 * Will you use tinyurl.com?
 * Will you use guiding questions?
 * Will they work alone, pairs, groups?
 * What is the overall goal? What kind of question should students be able to answer after using this WBLT?

[|A video]. ||
 * Collaborative Tools**
 * Collaborate Tool || Analysis ||
 * //GoogleWave// || [|Google wave] is a great little program. Its purpose is to allow people to connect and share ideas that are stored online. Put another way, it's like creating an email that isn't sent to specific people but an email that people are invited to view. These people can then change the email and modify it however they want - in real time.
 * //Yuuguu// || [|Yuuguu] is a program that lets people share desktops with each other. It works by having someone (let's say the teacher) download the desktop client. They will be the host. Students are then given a pin number by the teacher. If they go to yuuguu.com/share, they can put in the pin number and after a few moments, will see what's on the desktop. Chatting is also a function of the program. Note: Students don't have to download any client. Currently, Skype can do this but only in a one-on-one conversation.

This would be useful if you wanted to show students how to use a certain program, etc. It's limited because it's not a video: you can't watch it at your leisure and you can't pause. ||
 * //Pirate Pad// || [|Pirate Pad] (Click on Create New Pad) is lot like Wave but it doesn't have the cool gadgets. It's also hard to keep it private. There's also an accountability problem; everyone can be anonymous.

I think I would offer this resource to students but I don't think I'd use it in the classroom. I think students could find a really good use for it when working on projects. I'd make them aware of it and offer it to them, but I think I'd stay away from this one. ||
 * //Wiki// || Hit or miss with me. In theory, it sounds like it'd work really well! Don't know how to do this problem? Check the wiki; it's there! But I want to hear from teachers who have already tried this. I want to know if it works or not before I put the effort into it. That's not to say that I'm not willing to try new things, but we're not here to re-invent the wheel, right?

Update: After using Wikis for a while, I really like them. It's like having a blog but a lot more organized. Plus, students know what a wiki is. They know how to use it. It's fast and it's effective. This gets a recommendation from me. || I actually really like this one. All the convenience of a wiki but designed to show both sides of an argument. This has applications to almost all subject areas though I think it lends itself less well to math (where it's hard to have any real debates at this level). Still, I think it's nice to have kicking around. ||
 * //Blog// || I really don't know about this one as a tool for education. We're using it in [physics] class to reflect and touch base on stuff. I think I'll write more on this after having used it more. For now, I'm using my Reflection page as a kind of blog. It's certainly helping me to reflect. ||
 * //Debatepedia// || //[] //

I really like this one. It's easy to use, provides a safe and secure means of answering questions (even the shy students can get in on this!), and I think it's just fun. I could answer clicker questions all day. Not to mention, this is a great way for teachers to assess just where the students are at. "Oh, looks like they really //don't// know how to add and subtract integers... Better spend some more time on that." Clicker Question PPT Template:
 * Clickers**

I love it. I think it's fantastic. It's easy to use and it's fast and free and uploads really fast! Not to mention it uses .swf files so anybody can view it without jumping through Apple or Microsoft hoops (just one Adobe hoop, but those are usually so big you can fall through it; in fact, I think Windows comes with Flashplayer now).
 * Jing**

I'd use this to ask students to create their OWN lessons. Just a quick two-minute clip that shows how to do something. We encountered something similar to this in Math Camp. I forget the name of the program but Jing is better because it lets students pause, collect their thoughts, then move on.

Here's my first Jing video: @http://screencast.com/t/NjQzZGI2Z (uploaded August 31st, 2010).