Jing is a tool that allows you to capture images or videos of your computer screen and share them fast. It can be downloaded for free onto any computer and is user friendly. If you are interested in exploring this tool I have hyperlinked a great website that dives into the different features of Jing. What is the purpose of Jing? Well, for one, if you are a teacher or professor and you are teaching an online class this tool can be great to capture images or videos of your computer screen and share them with the class. It makes the process of following allong with the teacher and understanding what is being explained a lot easier. I have had the experience of using this tool in grad class a couple different times and I highly recommend it. Another great way that Jing can be used is to help explain how to use other online tools. For instance, I am assisting other teachers on how to create a website from sctrach. During the times when we meet face-to-face I am able to show them how to do this live but when they leave the meeting and need a reminder of how to do this, they can use the Jing videos or images that I have emailed to them. These are just a couple of basic ideas on how to use this tool but there are many other ways that it can be successful whether it is in the classroom, for a business, or for personal use.
It's downloaded, now what? This is a link to a video that explains the steps on how to use Jing. Have fun exploring and becoming familiar with this tool!
Brandi's Web 2.0 Blog Project
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Google Drive in the Classroom
Here are a couple examples of documents that have been made in Google Drive:
Google Form
Google Form 2
Google Doc
Everything in Google Drive has the ability to either be kept private, shared with specific individuals, or shared with the world. Everything is private until the user has chosen to share information. Another great aspect of Google Drive is that there is no need to worry about saving anything. Everything that is created is saved automatically.
I recommend experimenting with Google Drive! I would be willing to bet once you discover the many great uses of this tool that you will be hooked!
Google Drive
There are a number of different things that you can do with Google Drive including make a website, create documents and forms, develop spreadsheets, etc. all while collaborating with others in the process! I have linked a website for your convenience if you are interested in browsing how to use all of the wonderful aspects of Google Drive. This is a perfect tool for teachers to use in the classroom with students. I have created a website for my health education class for students to access documents related to instruction. I also have a website for my volleyball team that includes a Google Form which is another awesome tool that can be used in many ways. For example, I have used the form to collect player and parent contact information but it can also be used to create quizzes, surveys, RSVPs, etc. I highly recommend using Google Drive; it can make your life a lot easier whether you are a teacher, a coach, planning an event, running a business, or simply organizing personal information.
Pinterest in the Classroom
Teachers can use Pinterest for a number of things in the
classroom. For one, they can
follow other teachers and share ideas on a wide range of topics. For two, they can have their students
use Pinterest to gather and share ideas with other students. Some specific ways that Pinterest can
be of assistance in the classroom include:
1. Students can create a collage of information on a specific topic with brief descriptions for each pin.
2. Teachers can get ideas on how to decorate their classroom.
3. Teachers can create a board to share student accomplishments.
4. Teachers can get ideas for different projects and activities to use in the classroom.
5. Teachers/students can share notes, lessons, videos, etc.
Pinterest can be used at all grade levels including elementary, middle,
high school and even colleges/universities. I have started my own board for education on Pinterest and
you can access it here.
Other sites that can be beneficial if you are considering using Pinterest in your classroom...
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Pinterest Possibilities!
Pinterest is a virtual corkboard where images and videos can
be shared with others. It allows
you to search through other users corkboards and “pin” it to your board. There is an endless amount of
categories that one can search through including gift ideas, videos, animals,
art, vehicles, celebrities, design, education, and many, many more! A user may have as many corkboards as
they want and can categorize them by different topics. For instance, I have 8 different boards
with a bunch of different pins under each board. My two favorite boards are “Yummy, yummy, in my tummy,”
where I pin a bunch of different recipes, and “For the home,” where I pin ideas
about how to decorate my house. I
found Pinterest very helpful when searching for ideas to plan a wedding shower
for my best friend. Pins can be
created by users, posted from the web or from a specific place such as a
restaurant. Similar to Twitter and
Instagram users can follow one another to share ideas and interests.
Pinterest can be very useful for teachers and students. As I mentioned before there is an
education category in which teachers can search for different ideas of things
to do in their classroom, from decorating to lesson plans and activities. I will dive deeper into how to use
Pinterest in the classroom in my next blog. Until then, if you are interested in exploring Pinterest consider using the help center to assist you.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Twitter in the Classroom
Twitter in the Classroom
Twitter can be a great way to keep students engaged and
motivated to learn. This social
networking site makes it very easy to communicate with others, organize class
materials and information, find different resources to use on assignments,
practice writing skills and many more!
The following is a list of specific ways Twitter can be used in your
classroom:
- Post a response to a discussion question
- Post due dates for assignments/quizzes/tests
- Have students collaborate with one another about assignments
- Search for hash tags about a specific topic
- Follow information/people related to class
- Post questions
- Share notes
- Connect with other classrooms
- Involve parents and the community
- Post a summary
- Provide instant feedback
The following is an example assignment that I created for my
Health Education class:
Discussion
Prompt: This discussion will
include a total of three responses that will be completed on Twitter. The first response should be posted by
(enter specific date here) at 10 pm, the second response by (enter specific
date here) at 10 pm, and the final response by (enter specific date here) at 10
pm. When posting the first
response use the following hash tag #initialreponse; for the second posting use
hash tag #secondresponse, and for the last response use hash tag
#finalresponse. Be sure to include
the class hash tag for each response as well, #TAOD.
#TAOD,
#initialresponse: What is a
drug? Name some ways that drugs
can be beneficial for you and some ways that they can be harmful to you. Name three drugs that can be beneficial
for you and three drugs that are harmful to you and explain your selections.
#TAOD,
#secondresponse: What are some
reasons that people take drugs?
What would you do and how would you response if someone asks you if you
wanted to try a drug that you knew was bad for you?
#TAOD,
#finalresponse: Read and respond
to at least one other person’s second response. What advice would you give to them on how they responded to
using a drug that they knew was bad for them? Where/who can you suggest how to get help in this situation?
To view this assignment on my Twitter click here
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Features and Functionalities of Twitter
Twitter is a free social media tool that can be used for
many different things including connecting with people, advertising, expressing
oneself, sharing ideas and information, etc. Many people have a Twitter profile for personal use but
businesses, schools, and universities can also utilize it professionally. This tool gives you the option of
creating a private or public account that allows you to choose who can view
your profile. For instance, a
teacher may have two accounts, one for personal or private use and another for
educational or public purposes.
There are many different features of Twitter which include:
- Ability to search for people and "follow" them
- When you follow a person you are able to view their activity on Twitter (tweets, retweets, followers, etc.)
- Tweet - a test comment of 140 characters or less that posts to your page and is shared with your followers
- Retweet (RT) - re-posting a tweet that was created by another person
- Direct message (DM) - a private tweet between 2 people
- @ - this symbol is used to identify another user in a tweet
- Example: @username is the link to the profile of the user
- # (hashtag) - this symbol is used to identify key words in a tweet and links to another page of similar topics
- Examples: #ET630, #ilovecooking, #NFL, etc.
- All tweets that include the same hashtag will appear together on a separate page
- Favorite - a bookmark of tweets that you like
Twitter is very user friendly and can be understood by
simply exploring the website and experimenting with the functions. This makes it a perfect tool for
teachers to use in the classroom to increase student motivation and
engagement. Stay tuned for
examples of how to incorporate Twitter into your classroom in my next blog…
Links for help with Twitter:
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