Answer Garden is a an awesome resource that I really enjoyed using. I liked the idea of being able to allow my future students to use technology to see how they are learning. The idea of using answer garden to brainstorm ideas in the classroom sounds amazing. I have used this in some of my classes here at UVU. It is a nice way to see how everyone else interprets a certain content that we have been learning. I like to see what answers become the most popular ones. There are so many ways that it can be used including brainstorming ideas, taking a quiz, and voting on a question or idea. I think that using this in the classroom helps to break up the normal boring lectures and gives students a way to be part of the lesson without having to feel uncomfortable speaking in front of everyone. I think that this would be a great tool to use especially for those students who are a little bit more on the shy side.
I used answer garden as a quiz that could help me to evaluate where my class is sitting with a social studies lesson. This will fulfill the following fourth grade standards:
Utah Core Standard:
Standard 1
Students will understand the relationship between the physical geography in Utah and human life.
Objective 3
Analyze how human actions modify the physical environment.
EdTech Standard:
Standard 6
Use telecommunications efficiently and effectively to access remote information and communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning and for pursuit of personal interests. (4)
ISTE Standard:
Global Collaborator
I strive to broaden my perspective , understand others, and work effectively in teams using digital tools.
I liked using Tiki-Tok. There was a little more required then some of the other resources that I have used, but I really did like the overall experience and the look of the final project. It could be a useful tool in the classroom. However, it was really time consuming and I am not sure if I would use it for a lot of things. I think that I would like it a little bit more if i wouldn't have had to constantly change the date format for each entry. It would be nice to use for large timelines that are really important for the students to remember. It is a good way to visualize dates for students. I think that you could use this in a science curriculum to show the advances of science or technology. The obvious thing for me to use it for, was a history type of project. Students might even be able to use it to show the sequence of a book or play.
I used Tiki-Tok for social studies. I made an example of a timeline of Texas that a student could make to use in a oral report. This completes the following 5th grade standards:
Utah Core Standard:
Standard 1
Students will understand how the exploration and colonization of North America transformed human history.
EdTech Standard:
Standard 5
Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)
ISTE Standard:
Knowledge Constructor
I critically select, evaluate, and synthesize digital resources into a collection that reflects my learning and builds my knowledge
Google slides is a very user friendly medium to use in the classroom. It is pretty fun to use. My daughter actually makes slides just for fun all of the time. She learned how to use it in school and now makes slides about all sorts of things from what her favorite kind of candy is, to book reports of books that she has read. It can be used for so many things. It is perfect for students to present their information while doing a report. Whether it is a book report, a science report, or a speech. It is really a very versatile tool. As a teacher, you can put your lessons on a google slide for your students to look at while you are presenting you lesson. Sometimes, having something for the students to look at can make a lesson go from boring to exciting. You can put in pictures that relate with what you are presenting to your class and make it a lot of fun.
I made a Google Slide with an example of a book report that a student can make. This will fulfill the following English fourth grade education standards:
Utah Core Standard:
Reading: Literature Standard 3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions)
EdTech Standard:
Standard 5
Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)
ISTE Standard:
Innovative Designer
I solve problems by creating new and imaginative solutions using a variety of digital tools
