Recent Changes

I've been known to waste an hour (or three) on the internet, and I know my way around most of the tools that students regularly use to complete traditional assignments--tables, word processing, presentations, etc.--but I am a bit of a technophobe as far as many of the web 2.0 or app-based tools go. I'm hoping that some of the tools that I find are things that enhance learning past its existing limitations, rather than just using technology that replicates traditional school work but with flash animation and weird fonts. There is what I have found so far:
Tech Tool #1: Curriki
Tool #2: WolframAlphaPrezi (UDL tool for differentiation)
Tech Tool #3: MySchoolNotebook.com
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Prezi
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Prezi is an online, cloud-based presentation platform, somewhat similar to Microsoft Office's powerpoint. Both programs have a number of means of presenting information and images, but Prezi has a little more of a dynamic feel, and while it is not as good as Powerpoint for some applications, such as data heavy spreadsheet types of information, it has a very intuitive interface and is much easier to integrate other interactive technology into a presentation, such as short video clips. As a teacher, this could be a nice way to create diversity in how I do some direct instruction lessons, and the zooming feature, while limited to a somewhat linear layout in terms of information, helps keep the material moving in an engaging way. This also seems like a tool that could be used in a UDL context, as Prezi not only helps students show what they know in an alternative format to traditional paper reports (multiple means of expression) it also has additional means of expression embedded within its functionality, such as the use of music, graphics, and video.

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Hi! I'm Andrea Kunz, and I am working towards getting my K-8 teaching certificate through Seattle U's MIT program. Right now my focus is on students in intermediate grades, as I hope to have a career teaching in a middle school science or math classroom, but I can get excited about any subject or age group and I hope I can impart that excitement to my students regardless of what I teach. I have traveled and volunteered in a number of different cultural contexts as well as working with students in schools closer to home, and look forward to applying some of the lessons from those experiences to my own classroom someday.
or app-based education tools goes.go. I'm hoping weird fonts. There is what I have found so far:
Tech Tool #1: Curriki
Tech Tool #2: WolframAlpha
Tech Tool #3: MySchoolNotebook.com
.

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Hi! I'm Andrea Kunz, and I am working towards getting my K-8 teaching certificate through Seattle U's MIT program. Right now my focus is on students in intermediate grades, as I hope to have a career teaching in a middle school science or math classroom, but I can get excited about any subject or age group and I hope I can impart that excitement to my students regardless of what I teach. I have traveled and volunteered in a number of different cultural contexts as well as working with students in schools closer to home, and look forward to applying some of the lessons from those experiences to my own classroom someday.
I've been known to waste an hour (or three) on the internet, and I know my way around most of the tools that students regularly use to complete traditional assignments--tables, word processing, presentations, etc.--but I am a bit of a technophobe as far as many of the web 2.0 or app-based education tools goes. I'm hoping that some of the tools that I find are things that enhance learning past its existing limitations, rather than just using technology that replicates traditional school work but with flash animation and weird fonts.

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on students in intermediate grades, middle school math or science or math classroom, but I have travelledtraveled and volunteered
I've been known to waste an hour (or three) on the internet, and I know my way around most of the tools that students regularly use to complete traditional assignments--tables, word processing, presentations, etc.--but I am a bit of a technophobe as far as many of the web 2.0 or app-based education tools goes. I'm hoping that some of the tools that I find are things that enhance learning past its existing limitations, rather than just using technology that replicates traditional school work but with flash animation and weird fonts.

MySchoolNotebook.com
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MySchoolNotebook.com is an app for the Google Chrome browser that organizes and shares notes. Students can take notes and organize them by subject or section and share them with friends. The app is designed to integrate both drawings and photos into note-taking, including those taken with an iPhone, and can convert to a PDF file format, should the student decide he or she wants a hard copy. Unlike many helpful apps for smartphones and other portable wireless devices, this program can function even in the absence of an internet signal. In addition to the applications for students, this also gives opportunities for teachers to reach students who may have been absent during important lessons, or to model the kind of note-taking that will help students be successful in their subject. Also, as many teachers are moving their lesson planning into digital form, this app could be used to organize unit planning and links to course resources that would be accessible from multiple locations.