Software Reviews

http://www.sreb.org/page/1379/98t08_Evalutech.html

Evalutech is a resources where professionals evaluate education software and resources. This program is searchable collection of reviews. The reviews cover instructional materials, to include computer software, CDRoms, videos, and books. The link to the actual site was down, so I could not search the titles and reviews.

http://clrn.org/home/

The California Learning Resources Network seems quiet limited. I looked around the site and did not find that many software reviews. I feel that this website would probably be more beneficial to an educator in California or another state in that region. The site seems easy to navigate, but the reviews are limited and have not been updated lately.

http://superkids.com/

Superkids seems to evaluate most titles. The website also seems to be updated regularly. This site also allows for visitors to review the titles as well. I like sites that allow visitors to review the product or software. This gives me a real world evaluation of the product. This site seems to be user friendly, but I still think I prefer education world because of all of the additional resources.

http://www.educationworld.com/

I have used educationworld.com in the past. I would use this website for my classroom and to look up reviews for software. Most titles have been reviewed by this website and the website seems to be updated regularly. The reviewers are all professionals, but the website does not allow for other users to comment on the software.

Teacher Tipster (Magic Trash)

I found the Teacher Tipster randomly searching blogs last summer. I found this video to be quite interesting and decided to try the tip in the classroom shortly after the school year started. The kids (3rd graders) loved it and the classroom was trash free in no time. After watching this video, would you use this in your classroom? How would you modify this tip to fit your classroom? Also, what type of "reward/incentive" would you use? I would love to hear your suggestions!

Web 2.0 Resources

I am really impressed with all of the great technology tools that were used for the Web 2.0 resource project. The first part of the project I tackled was the bubbl.us web for my Earth's Ecosystems unit (3rd grade science unit). I would use this unit to span several subject areas, while thoroughly covering many 3rd science objectives as well. I am really getting the hang of the bubbl.us program, though I do not like the way the program reacts to my mouse on my laptop. The program tries to enlarge and shrink, but all I am trying to do is move from one bubble to the next, but this small problem will not deter me from using this tool. I think this program would be a great tool for students in any grade level. I believe this tool could span the subject areas and be used in may different way. Here is what my map looks like:

I then moved on to use the Glogster website and created an interactive poster for my unit. I thought this program was a little difficult when I first started working with it, but quickly caught on after playing with the features. I plan on using this tool many more times in my classroom. I had fun using it and I am sure my students would enjoy using the program as well. I also think this poster would serve as a great introduction to a unit displayed on an interactive board. Here is the link to my Glogster poster:

http://www.glogster.com/stephcrossley/earth-s-ecosystems/g-6lpg05gtdt0ija5ts1oe2a0

I then created a video on animals and their ecosystems using the Animoto software. I think that since I was using a basic subscription, that it limited my creativity and the video seemed too short. Although I feel that the video was too short, I still could use this type of video to introduce a topic and to get students excited about the start of a new unit. I plan on using this resource again. I just need to figure out if I want to upgrade or not. Here is the link to my Animoto video:

http://animoto.com/play/IZOBMKIK0CrhFzpMRVPyiw

The last resource I used for this project was a really unique website called bighugelabs.com. This website features tons of creative activities that students would enjoy using during a unit as a center or as a part of a project. I also thought that I could use this website to create posters and decorations for my classroom or for display prior to the start of a unit. There are endless possibilities with this site. Below are the examples that I created to go with my ecosystems unit.

Introduction

Hello! My name is Stephanie. I am a new teacher that graduated in December of 2010 from Athens State University with a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. I am currently working on my Early Childhood Education master's degree here at UWA. I have always wanted to be a teacher and look forward to advancing my career.