Creating Posters for the Classroom

Creating Posters using Powerpoint

Description of tool:

I have used Powerpoint for presentations, but never for anything else until recently. I just learned how to use Powerpoint to create posters. You can create a poster of any size, and put anything you want on it. You just create a slide like you normally would in Powerpoint, but choose poster when you print it. You then put the poster together and you have a poster you made. It takes as much as you want it to. It all depends on how much you want to put into your slide. The poster will print out on anywhere from two pages to more depending on the size of the poster. Depending on the printer you choose, the poster can be in color or black-and-white. If you know how to use Powerpoint, you can learn how to print a poster.

Dr. Okland's Website

Pedagogical uses:

The uses for posters are endless. I just created three different posters for my classroom. I have multiplication strategies on one poster and division posters on another. The third poster, I created a checklist for students before they hand in their assignment. Anything you want your students to see can be put on a poster. Since the poster is created in Powerpoint, you can put pictures of any type onto the slide, so you can create posters for any subject you want. 

Students can be taught how to create a slide for any project you want them to complete. The students could then print out the posters and present them to their classmates. They wouldn't have to print them out, however, They could just share the slide if you would like to go paperless. Students could present any number of things from Science concepts to a book they just read. 

Division Vocabulary Poster 

Student assignment checklist poster 

Multiplication strategies poster

Cost of tool:

The only cost associated with the tool is having Microsoft Powerpoint on your computer and access to a printer if you want to print off the poster. I also had to have tape to tape together the posters. As you can see I have QR codes on my poster, so I would need access to a QR reader. The QR codes go to different websites where students can practice the strategies. 

Why you want to learn this tool:

I just found a new, cost efficient way to create posters. Any concept I want to show my students in a larger format I can. Creating posters using Powerpoint is easy and fun to do. Students can create their own posters and it doesn't take a long time to create. Also, you can add pictures and QR codes to the poster, which makes the poster interactive. Once students know how to create posters, the possibilities of what they can do with the knowledge is endless. 

As a teacher, you may see that your students need to see a better visual of a concept. You can put it on a poster using Powerpoint. You can then print it off and have it at a station or in a location for students to look at it. Posters can be colorful or black and white. Again, they are easy to make and can add information to your classroom. 

Sources:

ISTE Standards. (2015). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards
Okland, S. (2015). PPT-tutorial-Posters-Windows.pdf. Retrieved July 27, 2015, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-rOh7btx4EhZHBpMHc3QW5KVWs/view 

ISTE Standards:

Teacher:

1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
1. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
2. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
3. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
4. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environment
2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments
1. Design or adapt learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
2. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
3. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
4. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments, aligned with content and technology standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching
3. Model digital age work and learning
1. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations
2. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
3. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats
4. Model and facilitate effective use of emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning
4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
1. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources
2. Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. Engage in professional growth and leadership
1. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
2. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others
3. Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning
4. Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

Students:

1. Creativity and innovation
1. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
2. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
3. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
4. N/A
2. Communication and collaboration
1. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
2. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats
3. N/A
4. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems
3. Research and information fluency
1. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
2. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
3. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
4. Process data and report results
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
1. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation
2. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project
3. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions
4. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions
5. Digital citizenship
1. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
2. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity
3. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
4. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
6. Technology operations and concepts
1. Understand and use technology systems
2. Select and use applications effectively and productively
3. Troubleshoot systems and applications
4. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies

Collaborative Learning Research Articles

Collaborative Learning Research

12 Principles of Collaboration in Learning 

This resource has a graphic that shows the 12 principles of collaboration in learning. The resource was created by the staff of TeachThought. The original purpose of the graphic is geared towards business, but it can be adapted for education. The first principle is that the individual benefit of collaboration is just as important, if not more, than the overall group benefit. Each student will add his or her knowledge to a group project and that is what makes the project much better than if a single student did it. 

Principle two states that a student must do the strategy before implementing technology. A student must know the concept before typing information about the concept. Technology is a tool that can help students enhance the strategy. 

The third principle says that students must listen to the voice of the student. Each student must listen to each other when collaborating. One idea is not necessarily better than another. If a student puts both ideas together, the project will be that much better. 

In the fourth principle, students must learn to get out of the way. Each student must do their part in a collaboration. The students must allow the other students in the group to do their part. When this happens, one or more students will have to back off to allow full collaboration. 

Principle five states that students must lead by example. A teacher can demonstrate to the students what to do, but the students need to take the project into their own hands. If one student steps up and shows the other students how to collaborate successfully, the rest of the students will follow in that student's footsteps.

 Principle six states that collaboration should be integrated into the flow of work. Students can start a project by themselves, but collaborate on a later part of the project. Collaboration can be an integral part of classroom learning.

 Principles seven and eight state that the teacher should create a supportive environment and measure what matters. Teachers must let the students know that collaboration can happen in a classroom. Students need to know that they can work together successfully through modeling appropriate collaboration skills. During and after the collaboration, the teacher must grade what truly matters. If the teacher wants to focus on how the students collaborated in the group, that is what should be graded. 

In the ninth principle, the students need to learn persistence. Not everything will go correctly when students collaborate. However, they must learn to not give up. The longer they work together, the better the collaboration will work. Students must learn to continue to work through the problems they may face while using collaboration.

Principle ten states that students must adapt and evolve. If one student works better visually and another works better kinestically, the students must adapt and find a way to work with each other. The more students work with one another, the more the students will be able to adapt to working with each other.

The last two principles, eleven and twelve, state that collaboration will benefit the students and make the world a better place. Students who learn how to work together will continue to enhance peer relationships. Students will collaborate with others for the rest of their lives. Each day that a student works with another student, they are collaborating. Almost every job that a student could have someday has some type of collaboration. If students are able to learn how to collaborate successfully at a young age, the student will excel as an adult in the area of collaboration. 

12 Principles Of Collaboration In Learning. (2013, June 10). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.teachthought.com/learning/12-principles-of-collaboration-in-learning/ 

How Collaborative Learning Leads to Student Success

Matt Davis writes about a school where students collaborate on a daily basis. The school is a private school located in California where students pay tuition to attend the school. Every student is admitted to college after high school. The biggest difference at the school is the way that students learn.

The teachers at this school allow the students to lead the discussions and collaborate on their assignments. In English class, the students lead the discussion about a book they are reading. The teacher may stand in the corner and facilitate the discussions, but the students are doing the leading.

In Math class, the students work together to work out their math problems. The example the article states is students recreating triangles with rope and chalk. The students are working together and the teacher observes to make sure the students are preforming the task successfully. When the students take tests, they take them in groups. The questions on the tests are harder because the students get to work in groups. The same goes for the students assignments. The teacher challenges the students because the students collaborate on their homework. The students are able to answer questions that they may not be able to answer on their own. 

The teachers admit it was hard to turn over the control of discussions to the students, but the school is seeing the benefit of the students collaborating. It doesn't take long, however, for the teachers to set up student collaboration. The teachers need to just be willing to let the students be in control of their learning and trust them to successfully collaborate with their peers. 

 Davis, M. (2012, December 5). How Collaborative Learning Leads to Student Success. Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/stw-collaborative-learning-college-prep 

Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom is Key
In order for collaboration to work effectively in a classroom, the teacher must model the correct way to work in a group. The first step would be to tell the students their task or assessment that they need to complete in a group. Once the groups have been set, the teacher and student can decide on rolls for each member of the group. This gives the members of the group a purpose or individual tasks to complete. Another helpful step is go over group rules. Rules such as one person talks at a time and be respectful of your group mates can help the group run smoothly. A poster of the group rules can be posted in the classroom for students to look back on during collaboration.
Students must learn how to be good listeners in order to work cooperatively with other students. Students also need to learn good conversation techniques such as eye contact, offering empathy, and not cutting a person off who is talking.
A great activity a teacher can do with the students is save the last word. This activity is where each student shares information one at a time. The other students must repeat what the previous student said. Another thing students can do is the three than me rule. Before the student can speak, that student must listen to three others before sharing again.
In order for students to have deep and critical group discussions, the students must learn how to ask good questions. The teacher can ask the class to generate a discussion topic and model open-ended questions on the board. Question stems such as "when you think about ___, what comes to mind?" helps students start discussions during groups. The teacher can provide a sheet that contains question starters for students to utilize during group discussions.
Students need to learn how to wait for answers; usually a few seconds which allows everyone time to think of a response to the question.
Not everyone in the group is always going to agree on an answer. Students must learn how to negotiate. The teacher can assign a student to be the negotiator. The negotiator would listen to all the students points of views and point out the ideas that everyone has in common.
If the teacher wants to have a successful collaboration of the groups, the teacher must model what he or she expects of the students. Students who understand the expectations of groups will then perform their roles successfully.

 Alber, R. (2012, December 31). Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom Is Key. Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/deeper-learning-collaboration-key-rebecca-alber 

Non-Collaborative Learning

My students do non-collaborative learning all the time. My favorite way to do non-collaborative learning is through scavenger hunts and webquests. Below you will see a scavenger hunt where students learn about food webs and food chains. During the scavenger hunt, the students have a chance to get up and move. At the end, the students get to do my favorite brain break. The students have a sheet that goes along with the scavenger hunt. On the sheet, the students draw and answer questions related to the websites. You will see QR codes on the scavenger hunt. The students have access to IPads with a QR reader already installed. The students would use the ChromeBooks if the websites do not work on the IPads.



The video at the end of the presentation doesn't work. Here is the link for Mrs. Fox's FAVORITE brain break.


Pop See Koo. (2015, March 30). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RqMflGzRjY

Google Tools

Google Tools 

I love Google. I use Google Apps all the time in my classroom and by the time my students leave my classroom they are expected to be able to use Google Docs and Google Slides with ease. One app I do not use a lot is forms. However, this is a form that I would have my students fill out on one of the first days of school to become used to signing on the Chromebooks and using Google apps. The students would then see the live data go to me and see how I can use the information to find out more about each of my students. It is my goal, by the end of the year, that my students are comfortable with Chromebooks and are able to use them in their future classes. 

Third Grade Survey

Example of third grade Google Form survey

SMORE- Creating Classroom Flyers

SMORE

Description of the tool:

SMORE is an online application for teachers to create newsletters for the classroom. The newsletters can be sent to parents weekly through email, social media, or printed. The flyer automatically adjusts for parents using cell phones and tablets. Teachers can also share videos and media with parents. SMORE is more than just words; a teacher can make the flyer fun and interesting for parents to read. SMORE is a great way to incorporate technology into the students' homes and can be used for flipping the classroom. Students can look at the flyer and do an assignment before coming to class. 

Pedagogical Uses for Tool:

• Teachers can use this tool to communicate weekly with parents. The teacher can share upcoming events, spelling words, music, and videos for the week.
• The teacher is able to see who has viewed the flyer, so teacher can give students an assignment and give the students credit for viewing the flyer.
• SMORE is paper free. Teachers can reduce the amount of mail that is sent home to parents while incorporating technology into the classroom.
• Students can use SMORE to present a research project to parents and teachers. Instead of the students writing a paper, the students can create a flyer related to the research topic. 
• Clubs in school could use SMORE to create flyers for upcoming events. SMORE can be shared in social media in groups or on a classroom page. 
• A teacher can send videos and audio files to parents so parents are unaware of what is going on. 
• Teachers can create a gallery of the projects students did that week and share the gallery with the parents and community.

Example of SMORE Flyer
GoNoodle Flyer

Location of the Tool:

SMORE

Cost Associated with the Tool:

SMORE has a plan just for educators. For 59.00 a year, teachers can use their own backgrounds in the newsletter. Teachers can also make the flyers private every time a new one is created. This plan will allow the teacher to see if the newsletters are being read by the recipients. The teacher is also able to make an unlimited amount of flyers. The regular price is 230.00 a year, but SMORE will allow the teacher to access these tools for a lower price. There is a free version, however, the teacher is only allowed to create 5 flyers. 

Why a Teacher Would Want to Use this Tool:

This tool makes going ¨green¨ in the classroom a lot easier. A teacher can create a flyer for parents to stay informed about what is going on in the classroom. The teacher can also make a flyer that students have to interact with before coming into the classroom. SMORE is user friendly and makes a flyer look fun to read. A teacher can incorporate galleries, videos, music, text, animations, and tools to help provide students and parents with as much information as possible. Instead of students taking home a piece of paper that may never actually get to the parents, SMORE allows the teacher to email the flyer to the parents. The parents are able to interact with the flyer on their tablet, computer, or cell phone. There is no paper wasted, and the parents are utilizing technology.

Sources:
Fox, S. (2015, June 27). GoNoodle. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from https://www.smore.com/2w8vj
ISTE Standards. (2015). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards
Okland, S. (n.d.). EDUC 675 Teaching with 21st Century Tools. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from https://bb.vcsu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?
Okland, S. (2014, June 17). Smore. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from https://www.smore.com/3nxcc

ISTE  Standards:

Teacher: 
1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
3. Model digital age work and learning
a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations
b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats

Students: 
1. Creativity and innovation
a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
2. Communication and collaboration
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
3. Research and information fluency
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project
6. Technology operations and concepts
a. Understand and use technology systems
b. Select and use applications effectively and productively
d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies

Connecting with Parents

Connecting with Parents

Description of the tool:

Remind101 is a tool that a teacher can use to communicate with parents and students. A teacher can send an announcement to parents through a text message. When the teacher sets up a class, Remind gives the teacher a number so the teacher's cell phone number is private. The teacher also receives a class code. Each class has their own code. The code is unique to the class. The teacher must give the code to the parents and students in order for the parents and students to use Remind101. Once the parents and students are signed up, the user will type in their name. The name of the person will appear under the subscriber area on the teacher's Remind page. 

The teacher can then send announcements to the people who have signed up. The teacher can choose to send the announcement to all the subscribers or just a certain subscriber.
The website also allows the teacher to chat with students and parents. The parents and students can chat back with the teacher. The website doesn't share the teacher's actual phone number. However, the teacher is the only person who can initiate the chat. 

A parent or student can also receive messages via email. To unsubscribe from Remind101, the student or parent needs to reply with "unsubscribe." The website provides a great handout that teachers can give parents and students. The teacher can set the time to send the announcement. The website also tells the teacher if the time is too late. However, the teacher can send the message anyway.
When the parent or student receives the announcement, he or she has the option of downloading the app which is available on Apple and Android products. The subscriber can also download the file sent by the teacher. 

Pedagogical Uses for Tool:

There are a lot of ways that teachers can use this tool for parents and students. 

Parents:

• Teachers can set up meetings with parents. Instead of sending home parent-teacher conference slips, the teacher can send out an announcement using Remind101. Since the website allows the teacher to choose a subscriber to send an announcement, the teacher can send out individual announcements to parents. 
• Teachers can remind parents of upcoming events. Parents get busy and can forget events coming up in school. However, a teacher can send a weekly update of the week. Parents will have this message on their phone for later viewing.
• Teachers can send individual messages to parents. If a student did a great job in class or a note needs to get sent home, a teacher can send the message to the parents. It is still a good idea to personally call the parent, but a teacher can send a positive note to the parent in a text message form. 
• Teachers can share homework assignments with the parents. The teacher can also attach files to the announcement. If a student is absent or missing an assignment, the teacher can attach that file into the message so the parent has access to the assignment. 
• Teachers can share a weekly newsletter. The teacher can send out the events of the week and attach the newsletter to the announcement. 
• The parent can receive a digital copy of a student's report card or weekly progress report. Again, the teacher can attach what assignments the student is missing and share the progress report with the parent.
• Teachers can share what standards the students are working on. The teacher can a checklist to the parents so the parents understand exactly what the students are working on. 
• Almost every parent has a cellphone, so parents are able to communicate with the teacher. If the parent doesn't feel comfortable calling the teacher, the parent can just text the teacher using this website. The website doesn't share the teacher's cell phone number, so there is still privacy between the teacher and the parent.
• Parents and teachers are the only ones who can see the messages. If there is private information that needs to be shared, the website won't share them with other subscribers. 
• The website gives the parents accountability for their children. If a student goes home and tells a parent that he or she doesn't have homework, the teacher can share a daily announcement of homework assignments. Parents are then aware of exactly what their student needs to complete. 
• The teacher can share the week's spelling words. The parents can have the words on their phone, so parents can practice the words on the go with their children.
• The teacher can chat with the parent about any concerns. The message goes directly to the parent, and the parent can chat back with the teacher. The parent doesn't see the teacher's actual cell phone number. In the chat, the teacher can attach a file. This allows the teacher to share assignments, data, and various other documents with the parents. 

An example of announcement page

An example of chatting with a parent

Students

• Remind101 allows teachers to have a flipped classroom. The teacher can send out a video lesson and have the students watch it. Students will then be prepared to do their assignment when they come to class the next day.
• Students can have their weekly assignments instead of having a planner. 
• The teacher can text the students their missing assignments, and attach the assignment to the student. 
• The student can send the assignment back to the teacher. If the assignment disappears, the digital copy from the teacher is still available.
• The teacher can chat with the student. Only the teacher can initiate the chat. However, the teacher can ask the students a question to think about before class and have the students respond to the question. 
• Students can communicate with their teacher privately. If a student doesn't want to share information with the class, the student is able to share information using his or her cell phone.
• Students can no longer say they didn't know about an assignment or upcoming event. Students use their cell phones all the time. Students can have the announcements right at their fingertips.
• Students can have assignments adapted to their needs. Teachers can send students different assignments via chat or text message. 

Location of the Tool:

Remind101

Cost of the Tool:

As of right now, there is no cost for the free messaging system. The website states that premium features may be added later. However, the messaging will always remain free.

Why a Teacher Wants to Use This:

Remind takes 15 seconds to sign up and get started. The teacher can send out messages to students and parents. Almost every student or parent has a cell phone. Students text all day long. Remind is a great way to communicate with students about classroom assignments, projects, and discussions. Remind allows parents to communicate with teachers without having to physically come into the classroom. The parents can communicate with the teachers on a daily basis and also have access to student assignments. Parents and teachers can be on the same page with communication all through email or text messaging. Remind is user friendly and a great way to integrate technology into the classroom setting. 

Sources:

ISTE Standards. (2015). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards
Okland, S. (n.d.). EDUC 675 Teaching with 21st Century Tools. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from https://bb.vcsu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_3_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher?type=Course&id=_10455_1&url=
Remind. (2015). Retrieved June 27, 2015, from http://www.remind.com

ISTE Standards:

Teachers:

1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness

c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes

2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their won educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.

c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. 

3. Model digital age work and learning

b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation

c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats.

4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

c. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

Students:

2. Communication and collaboration

a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media

5. Digital Citizenship

a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology

c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning

6. Technology operations and concepts

a. Understand and use technology systems

b. Select and use applications effectively and productively

d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies 

Cloud Storage Devices

Cloud Storage Devices

Description of Tool:

GDrive also known as Google Drive is a storage device where users can access their files offline. Users can back up their documents in the random event that the user's computer crashes. If the user has the files in the Drive, the user can access the files from any computer. The user can also share the files to collaborate with others on their documents. Google Drive is associated with Google so the files in the GDrive are Google documents. However, a user can upload documents from other places and the documents will be saved in the Drive. The Drive is user friendly and it is easy to organize the Drive to fit the user's needs. 

Pedagogical Uses:

Both teachers and students can use this tool to share documents with each other. Teachers can share their lesson plans with administrators and other teachers. Students can share documents with their teachers without using paper. The teacher can see the student working on the document and make comments while the student is working. The student can access the document at home if the student doesn't finish in school. The student needs to have internet access or have downloaded Google Drive before the student can work on his/her document. Teachers can use Google Drive to share websites with students and have students interact on the page. If a teacher wants to incorporate more technology into the classroom and use less paper, Google Drive is the way to go. 

Example of Google Drive

Location of the tool:

Google Drive - If you are not signed in, you must sign in with your google account before viewing your drive.

Cost of tool:

Google Drive provides 15GB of free online storage when you sign up. If a person wants more, he or she can pay 1.99 a month for 100GB of storage or 9.99 a month for 1TB of storage. 

Why a teacher would want to use this tool:

Google Drive is a great way to store documents online for later use. The documents can be shared with students, administrators, and other teachers. The documents never go away, even if a computer crashes. A teacher can see students working on a document in real time on Google Drive and make comments on the document. Instead of teachers using file cabinets, Google Drive is an online, digital version. Google Drive is user friendly and easy for students to learn how to use. Once students get the hang of Google Drive, teachers can have students complete assignments online and hand in digitally to the teacher. The teacher can comment and grade the document without using paper. 

Sources:

drive.google.com

ISTE Standards. (2015). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards

Okland, S. (n.d.). EDUC 675 Teaching with 21st Century Tools. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from https://bb.vcsu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_3_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher?type=Course&id=_10455_1&url=

ISTE Standards:

Teacher:

1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources

c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes

d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments

2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

a. Design and adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress

c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources

3. Model digital age work and learning

b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation

c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats

Student:

1. Creative and innovation

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression

2. Communication and collaboration

a. Interact, collaborate, and  publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media

3. Research and information fluency

b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media

5. Digital citizenship

b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity

6. Technology operations and concepts

a. Understand use technology systems

b. Select and use applications effectively and productively

Classroom Management

Class Dojo

What is it?

Class Dojo is a tool that can be used for classroom management. The teacher sets up a class with the students. The students can earn preset points for positive behaviors in the classroom. The students can also lose points for negative behaviors in the classroom. Each student has their own avatar. The teacher can determine how the avatar gets set up. Class Dojo can be used on an Apple and Android products. Teachers, parents, and students can use this to see how they are doing in class. Each student is assigned a code that they simply type into the website. Students can see how many points, positive and negative, they received as well as change their avatar. Parents can also log in to Class Dojo to see how their students are doing. Parents can message the teacher via Class Dojo and teachers can comment back. The website allows teachers to share pictures with the parents, so it is an easy way to communicate with parents. The teacher, students, and parents can look at graphs to see the balance between positive and negative points. The teacher has the option to allow the students to "spend" their points for rewards. It is completely up to the teacher how the students use their points. 

Pedagogical Uses

The teacher can use this as a behavior management tool in the classroom. The behavior expectations are outlined for the students, and the students get rewarded if they behave accordingly. There can also be consequences for negative behavior. It all depends on how the teacher would like to use the website. Class Dojo is a great way for students to learn responsibility. Teachers can have the students keep track of their points, or be in charge of the store to spend their points. Class Dojo can be used in many different ways. It is up to the teacher to find creative ways to use this tool.

An example of a Class Dojo Report

Example of negative behaviors

Example of student avatars set by Class Dojo

Example of positive behaviors 

Example of rewards and consequences 

Example of rewards for points

Location of tool:

Class Dojo can be found at https://www.classdojo.com/. 

Cost of the tool:

Class Dojo is completely free for parents, students, and teachers. The users need access to a phone, tablet, or computer. The user needs an access code that the teacher prints out to see the students' behavior report.

Why a teacher wants to use this tool:

Class Dojo is an easy way reward students for positive behavior. Students enjoy changing their avatar and seeing how points they can earn. It is a great way for students to be in charge of their behavior. Parents can be involved with their students' behavior plan if they choose and are able to communicate with the teacher via the app. Class Dojo is a fun way to help students  meet goals and be in charge of how they behave in a classroom.

Sources:

ClassDojo. (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2015

ISTE Standards. (2015). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards

ISTE Standards:

Teacher:

1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.

b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. 

2.  Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.

d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments, aligned with content and technology standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

3. Model digital age work and learning

b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation

c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats

5. Engage in professional growth and leadership

a. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning. 

Student:

4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making

c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions

5. Digital citizenship

b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity

c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning

6. Technology operations and concepts

a. Understand and use technology systems

d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies 

Skitch

Skitch 

Description of the Tool:
Skitch is a tool that helps teachers write on worksheets and annotate lessons. Teachers can help students focus on what's important in a lesson and help lead students through a lesson. The tool allows teachers to type, underline, and draw arrows on the pdf document. The app is free to use on various sources such as an Ipad or a computer. Students also can have access to skitch and write on lessons teachers provide them. The teachers and students can then go over the lessons to check for understanding. 

Example of a Skitch document
This is a third-grade reading lesson on making generalizations. 

Example of a Skitch document
This is a third-grade math lesson on rounding to the nearest ten and hundred. 

Location of the Tool:
Skitch can be found at https://evernote.com/skitch/. 

Cost of the Tool:
It is free to download unless you want the pro version. The premium version is 49.99 a year. Teachers also have the option for a plus version which is 24.99. This version allows teachers more options and more access.

Why a Teacher Wants this Tool:

This tool allows teachers to actively show students how to do a worksheet. The students can also do the worksheet with the teacher. Instead of the teacher having to do the lesson on a whiteboard, the teacher can write on the pdf document and share the document with the students. The tool can be used across many surfaces, so the students can use an Ipad while the teacher uses a computer. The tool allows teachers to take charge of the lesson and show the students images from everyone around the web. Teachers can point out things students should know, and allow students to have new discoveries. 

ISTE standards:
Teacher:

1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness

2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources

3. Model digital age work and learning

c. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

Students:
1. Creativity and innovation
a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
2. Communication and collaboration
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
3. Research and information fluency
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation
5. Digital citizenship
c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
6. Technology operations and concepts
a. Understand and use technology systems
b. Select and use applications effectively and productively 

Resources:

 Skitch.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2015, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-rOh7btx4EhcWg1MTMteDFvVU0/view  

 Evernote. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2015, from http://evernote.com/skitch 

 ISTE Standards Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf