Now it's your turn. Take the remaining time in the professional development mimi-course to implement technology into one or more of your existing lessons. You do not need to radically change your lesson. Use a digital storytelling program or a game to engage students and emphasize your learning goals. Please take time to explore the list below of my top 10 websites, blogs, web-based programs and other useful resources. Below the list is a symbaloo. It contains links to all 10 listed resources and a number of other important links. In the upper left corner, you will find links to technology education sites and useful web-based programs. In the upper right corner, you will find links to sites for personal use. The bottom row is filled with blogs that will help you keep up with what is new in technology education. Feel free to bookmark this page for future use or set the symbaloo as your homepage.
- PBS Teachers website - This website has quality videos, education news, games, lesson plans and professional development opportunities in nearly every subject.
- Adventures in Pencil Integration Blog - The author of Pencil Me In, John T. Spencer, comically explores integrating technology in education. I also suggest his other blogs: Rethink Education and John T. Spencer.
- Voicethread - This site lets users communicate with each other through talk, text, video and images. Students can use this to tell a collaborative story or debate a topic.
- Twitter - This is an extremely popular micro blogging site that your students will already be familiar with and therefore be excited to use. This can be used by your students to discuss a topic, post links or post pictures. Just have your class use a #hashtag to easily find your students' tweets. Already have a twitter account? Make sure to follow @TeachPaperless, @audreywatters, @mcleod and @TechEdNews.
Xtranormal - This fun and user friendly site lets teachers and students direct videos. It allows us to reinvent the way we lecture and learn. Students can use this site to explain a concept to classmates or recreate history. Animoto - This is an amazing site that lets you upload your photos, videos and audio files to create a professional looking video. Your students will be excited to create stories using their own images and ideas. Prezi - This is an enhanced version of Powerpoint. Please reference the example of a prezi presentation on the previous page.Wall Wisher - This is a simple but effective collaborative website where students post videos, images, text and links on certain topics. Teachers can use the site to critique an article, post their thoughts on a topic or collaborate on a project. My Big Campus - If you use one site from this list, pick this one. This site is set up similar to facebook. My Big Campus extends the school day by allowing students to sign on and gain access to assignments, collaborate with peers and create blogs. Teachers can use this site to post assignments and connect with other teachers. Tech With Intent Blog - This is a great way to keep up with new programs, sites and ways to use education.