Teachers are often encouraged to use more technology in the classroom, with little instruction or
direction. All they’re told is that it’s the 21st century and kids need to be learning from computers.
Never fear, though, there are several blogs and online tools with creative ideas and solutions for the
classroom.
How Many Really?
How Many Really solves a problem educators have had since the beginning of time: how to make
major, world events seem relevant to children. BBC created the tool to integrate directly into a person’s
Facebook or Twitter account and then show their ill lilefriends in relation to different historical events.
A teacher could have students each friend or follow an account specifically for that class. That way,
students could see how many people were sacrificed at Mayan temples in comparison to how many
people are in the class. It might be better for high school students, since they’re likely to already have
social media profiles.
TimeRime
Interactive timelines are great for students learning about an event who want to work on their own
time. Let students flip through timelines on World War II, colonization or even the competition between
Microsoft and Apple while you talk about them. Then let each student pick their favorite moment in
time and share with the class. Time Rime works off of Adobe Flash 8, so you’ll need to have computers
with updated software before you attempt to use this on students’ computers. Sadly, it won’t work at all
if you’re working off of iPads since iOS doesn’t support Flash.
Skype in the Classroom
Skype allows teachers to collaborate on projects around the globe. The specialized Skype in the
Classroom portal makes it easier than ever for teachers to connect their classrooms and to each
other. The main advantages of Skype are, of course, that it’s easy and free to use. Skype also boasts
a versatility that most programs can’t touch. The potential for
online school programs are enormous, since it can reach around the world. Added to that,
the Skype in the Classroom website lets teachers find each other through easily searchable project and
teacher tabs. If you need to bounce classroom plans off of someone or want to team up with another
class to learn about different cultures, Skype in the Classroom is the right place for you.
Edudemic
If you need somewhere to go to find out about all the latest in classroom technology and an analysis
of how useful it actually is, try bookmarking Edudemic. To give you a taste of what they do, take one
subject: the iPad. They feature articles on ways to use iPads in the classrooms, apps to download for
it, and stories on how it competes with other tablets, and whether or not they’re even useful in the
classroom. You can’t find coverage this complete on many smaller sites, and the specialization is great
since tech education itself is so specialized.
If you’re looking for a little classroom inspiration, look no further than
Joel Levin, who is blogging about using Minecraft to teach elementary school kids about group dynamics. He’s taken a game that typically teaches nothing— it’s basically Legos for PCs—and created a virtual lab for students to learn about leadership, working together, and respecting one another.
David Warlick works with the North Carolina State Department of Education. He gathers information on technology that teachers can use and blogs about them. He has separate sites for an infographic and a video a day that are designed with students
of all ages in mind.
Richard Byrne evaluates and writes about different tools for teachers on his Free Technology for Teachers blog. Though the title sounds a bit spammy, all of the posts are incredibly informative and helpful.
Cool Cat Teacher is the ongoing story of
Vicki Davis, a teacher who is brimming with encouragement and insight for her fellow educators. It’s well worth putting on your Google Reader.
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