Web Resources

So far my favorite resource I found was the PBS website for teachers. It helped me find technology, activities, lesson plans, and unit plans. It has primary documents, videos, and what not. I feel like I could use this the most because its important to show students physical evidence from history so they can create a personal connection with the material. As a teacher you can show the students information and they might be able to spit back the information for the test, but forget it as soon as its over. A goal for me is for my students to get a connection with the material and if they can see the information first hand they might be able to remember it beyond my homework assignments, quizzes, tests, and even my class.

Inspiration in the Classroom

I really like inspiration, I've used the idea of concept maps during my methods I class and during my early field experience. In both occasion they were extremely successful for note taking. It can be used for:
1. Note taking
2. Mapping things such as how a bill becomes a law
3. Branches of the government
4. A flow chart for historical events
5. Understanding historical figures and key events in their lives
6. Ranking importances of events
7. Flow chart of American Presidents
8. Timelines
9. Creating study guides
10. Using it for brainstorming for papers, projects, etc.

Social Bookmarking

Yes Social Bookmarking has the potential to be something that can be used in my classroom on a daily basis. In social studies primary articles and primary sources are key to make history come to life and the more you can show to your students the better. The internet is a wonderful tool to show them these sources and instead of having them search online, the teacher can use a social bookmarking tool. If this is used the teacher can have appropriate, relevant material available for the use of his/her class. This makes students feel a connection to the material and can allow them to become more interesting in an area of study.

Diigo Jawn

http://www.diigo.com/profile/sswope

GoogleApps/Advantages-Disadvantages of GoogleApps over traditional Office Apps

Personally I do not use GoogleApps enough to say whether or not I like them. I use the Mircosoft Office package and have used that for as long as I can remember. I would like to explore these Apps more to make an informed opinion on them. The advantages of the GoogleApps: they're free, its easy to access, students can work together in a very easy manner, and it has all of the types of programs the Mircosoft package offers. Disadvantages include the Google Chat function, at Hamburg High School they are beginning to use the GoogleApps and one of the concerns was that the students would use the chat function in class to talk about things not revolving around the class discussion. While the GoogleApps does have the same sort of programs as Mircosoft Office they are not as advanced and may not be as well used as the MO system. GoogleApps include: Mail, Sites, Calendar, and Docs.

Blogs in the Classroom/Advantages-Disadvantages of technology in the classroom

Blogs are something that we as college students use very often whether it be through Moodle or sites like this one. Blogs are easy places for students to post information/opinions about material covered in class, that can be viewed by both the instructor as well as fellow students. Blogs can be used in a classroom by assigning homework assignments to create blog post and to read others blogs. This creates a new environment where students can share their ideas. It is great especially for students who are shy and do not like to talk in class, because it allows these students to be active in dicussions. Despite these advantages there are some disadvantages for example these blogs can turn into sites that include material not suitable for a classroom which can lead to bullying or other inapproiate actions. This new area of the classroom needs management, just like the normal classroom and if a teacher can montior the sites then they can be a successful tool for the education of the youth.