tool #9

1. The use of technology needs to be tied to the academic objective so teachers aren't just using technology for technology's sake. It's only beneficial if the students use technology linked to their learning.

2. Accountability is important because the teachers need to see that students are using the technology in conjunction with the academic objectives. Holding students accountable can also let the teacher know if the kids are understanding the curriculum and at the same time if they are learning to use the technology appropriately.

3. The two sites I liked best are Thinkfinity and Learning Games for Kids. There is an activity on the Thinkfinity site called, Comic Creator. This would be fun for the kids and their finished comic would serve as the accountability piece. I also like the site Learning Games for Kids. I found a math quiz game there that used vocabulary, definitions, synonyms, and antonyms. I think this would be great practice to get the students used to using the appropriate terms in math. To hold students accountable they would write a quick summary of what game they played while on the website.

4. There are so many apps in the database. I didn't look at all of them, only the ones that caught my attention right away. I found three that I think would be easy to integrate into a center or work station.
-Shake and Spell is a spelling game where players use given letters to try to spell as many words as they can within a certain amount of time. I think students will like the game format and that they can challenge each other. For accountability, students can write their list of words in a work station notebook.
-Weather Channel would be a great app to use in a science work station. Students can use the app to keep data on rainfall, temperature, etc. They will be held accountable by adding the information they gather to a class collection of data.
-Twenty-Four! is a math app where students are given four numbers, and they have to use any math operation to get an answer of 24. This sounds like a fun way to practice basic math skills. Students would write down all the ways they were able to make 24.

5. Rather than coming up with more ways to use the iPad/iPod Touch in a center, I learned about two ways to use it as a teacher. I never thought of this before, but it would be great to use to record students reading. The students can listen to themselves or the teacher can use it to record running records. Someone also told me about the app Stick Pick. This app lets you choose students at random when answering questions in class discussions. The app also gives Blooms leveled question stems and will keep a record of how a student answers. The student's progress (or lack there of) can be emailed to parents or principals as data/documentation. I'm sure I'm leaving out some things. Everyone should check out this app! It is worth the time, and I think it's only $2.99. (Whew! I think this has been the longest blog post ever!)