This week my class is looking into the different technology tools that we could use in the classroom. My job is to find ten tools that I could use in MY kindergarten classroom! Here is the top ten cool tools that I found!!
Cool Tool Reviews:
Kidblog- Kidblog is a free tool that allows teachers to create a site in which each student gets to have their own individual blog. Students can post questions or comments on their blog and participate in discussions with their fellow classmates within a secure classroom blogging community. Teachers are in complete control over the student blogs and user accounts and students do not have to have an e-mail address or provide any personal information to participate. In MY classroom I would create a literacy blog to where students can discuss any books that we are reading as a class. Students may also post about other books that they have read and would like to recommend for other students to read.
Kideos- This is a safe website that has age appropriate videos for kids to watch. Each video is monitored and screened before it is placed on this website. This website is fun while it also encourages learning. In MY classroom, students would be able to visit this website during any free time they have. I would encourage kids to get on it after they are finished with their work and are waiting for other classmates to finish as long as they remain quiet and leave the headphones plugged in.
Spell with flickr- This tool allows kids to type in any word and the computer will generate that word out of random letters that are found in different settings of the world. This shows kids that there is numerous ways of writing one letter and even though it is written different it is still the same word. This tool would also be good at helping kids with their spelling. In MY classroom, each student could type his or her name and see all the different pictures that pop up for each letter. I would explain to my students that just because the letter may look a little different it is just a "fancy" letter and show them multiple examples of the same letters.
tuxpaint- This is a free, easy-to-use tool that encourages creativity. This website is designed for younger children and provides a little mascot to help guide them while they explore this site. This can be used as a literacy drawing activity. In MY classroom students will be able to get on this website during their free time. It will help student become more familiar with technology and they can still be as creative as they want!
doppelme- This app allows kids to create avatars that can resemble themselves, family members, friends, etc.. This would teach students about physical differences between themselves and the people around them. It will also help them to learn about how there can be so many different physical characterics. In MY class I would let the students choose a partner and have them recreate each other on this website. I would then explain to them that just because they are all different, nobody is better than somebody else and that their physical characteristics make them unique.
studentpublishing- This tool allows students to write and illustrate their own page in a classroom book. With this tool they can show their creative side and still learn. The classroom book can then be published and they can show off their work to the other students and their parents. In MY class we would create a book that mimics the story of "who took the cookie from the cookie jar," but instead of cookies we would do "who took the pumpkin from the pumpkin patch" which would tie into the fall theme. Each student would create there own page and then could show their parents at parent-teacher confrence.
storymaker- This tool help kids create their own stories. Students would be in control of the caracters and objects used in the story and this tool will help them form sentences that coincide with the story. Students can also edit the text to better suit the story if necessary. In MY classroom each student can create a story about whatever they want. This allows them to show their creative side and learn as they form their own sentences and will also promote reading. After they have completed their story they can share it with the class and even take home to share with their parents.
The free dictionary- this is a tool that allows users to type in any word and it will define it for them. It will also teach them synonyms and abbreviations for the word. It also includes dictionarys in different languages, which accomadates any kids that speak a different language. In MY class students would be allowed to look up any unfamiliar words so that they can gain a better understanding of what the word means. We would also spend time looking at synonmys to improve their writing skills and vocabulary.
quibblo- This tool allows you to create your own quizzes and test. This tool can also be used for taking fun quizzes and surveys created by other users. Quizzes can also be shared with other users and promotes learning. In MY class, I would used this tool to create short age appropriate quizzes to make sure my students are understanding the material. I would also encourage my students to create their own quizzes and surveys for others to take.
diffen- This tool can be used to learn about compare and contrasting. It will show them the difference between any two objects they type in. This will help them learn to spot difference and similarities between objects. In MY classroom I write a bunch of different things on pieces of paper put them in a hat and tell each student to draw two pieces. Once they get their two pieces of paper they can type in those two objects and create a venn diagram to compare the two.
