TeachThought 30 Day Blogger Challenge- Day 13

TeachThought 30 Day Blogger Challenge- Day 13

I have so many tech tools that I love, so where do I start? 

I have some hardware piece that I use on a daily basis. Of course, I have an LCD projector that I just could not live without! And then laptop of course- I don't know how I ever got by in my teaching without it. Seems so odd to be thinking about how I taught so many years with chalk, a blackboard, a yellow pen that i used to mark attendance with (and put it on the outside door for the hall monitor to pick up), a mimeograph machine, a film projector....you get the idea. The computer seems like it has taken care of all of that.

But my favorite tech seems to be software and any Web 2.0 Tools that I use in combination with my lessons to help deliver a knockout lesson to the students in my classes. I like to try them any Web 2.0 Tool (I am always volunteering for Beta testing), like to evaluate their usefulness and then narrow my go-to list to a couple that are user friendly, easy to use, beneficial for students, and free.

I really love Socrative as a method for formative assessment in the classroom. With Socrative, I can quickly and easily determine if my students are ready to move on in the learning or if we needed to review more in class. The students really like the "Space Race" game! It also gave my students valuable exposure to using smartphones in a responsible way.

I also really enjoy using Google Apps for Education. So easy to work with and a collaborative dream for everyone that uses it! Using the Google Apps in my classes has cut down on my paper use, has increased students working together productively, has inspired me to re-evaluate and re-create some project ideas to be even better that they were before. I do admit that Google Apps does not give me much room for my creativity and has a somewhat flat/boring interface, but GAFE makes up for it in so many other positive ways with my students that I have gotten past those lack of options.

And finally, I do like using Remind as a way to stay in touch with students outside of class. I like to send my students inspirational quotes, pictures to ponder and upcoming important dates/events. As we know, the contact with students outside of the school period is becoming more and more important. It helps to form even stronger relationships with them and our encouragement and coaching of students need to continue even when they are not with us.

Looking forward to reading your blogs and possibly finding a new gem to check out and play with!