kwalsh1's blog

Examining the “State of the SMART(board)” in education.
 

Back in April, I researched and blogged about interactive whiteboard tools that are available as online applications. These are great tools for the classroom that are quick and easy to implement, and best of all, they are free or low cost. However, the functionality available with these applications is only a fraction of that provided by many of the installable interactive whiteboard systems available today. 

The final post in a series that examines tools for students to create and host e-portfolios for little or no cost.
 

Over the last two weeks, I researched free options for creating and hosting e-portfolios for college students, to help with job search efforts. I settled on Google Sites as a great option for laying out a site to display text, images, video, web links, etc., but it won’t support Java scripting or other functionality that may be required by students who wish to display web programming savvy. With that in mind, this week I am looking into inexpensive web hosting sites.

Is Google’s “Sites” application the solution we’re looking for?

Following up on last week’s initial look into free tools for students to create and host an electronic portfolio of representational work, this week I am trying out Google Sites as a possible solution. Google Sites provides a free application for creating your own web site. Let’s see how effective it is for hosting an e-portfolio.

Can Web 2.0 tools provide graduates with a way to create an online portfolio of work, at no cost, and help to position them for job search success?

I believe that all students who graduate with degrees in Digital Media or related disciplines should have an online representational electronic portfolio when they complete their studies. This type of tool, accessible to any potential employer, can play a critical role in the job search process. An online portfolio can also be a powerful resource for students in many other academic disciplines.

The second part of our look at the free online apps for education from these kingpins of the software industry.

One of the first things that struck me about Google’s “Education Edition” of Google Apps was that their informational pages seemed a lot less cluttered than Microsoft’s. You get a cleaner, more precise overview, and while there is some depth to the information and links provided, I didn’t find myself with the sensation I had on the Microsoft Live@edu pages, where I was quickly lost, clicking from link to link across a seemingly endless set of pages, link, goofy videos, etc. The functionality available in Google’s Apps for Education were easy to learn about.

What free tools are these giants of the software industry providing to Education?

These free sites provide students an opportunity to learn in a fun, interactive environment.

I searched out and visited a bunch of sites with free educational games and selected the ten I thought were most useful and appropriate to education. In addition to a brief overview of each site, I have also attempted to define the grade range that each site is applicable to. I made my own judgement for most sites since it often wasn’t indicated (feel free to weigh in if you think I’m off target on any of these). Most of these sites are geared towards K-12 (with many leaning towards K-6 or so), but some do have fun games that will challenge the Higher Ed student and adults as well. Take one for a spin today!

Online documents, blogs, and wikis rise to the top of survey responses, followed closely by video and podcasting technologies.

First, thank you to everyone who participated in our brief survey over the last few weeks. The survey asked “What types of Internet technologies would you like to try … in the classroom for the first time this fall?” I had a few dozen responses, which makes for a nice little sampling that provides useful and informative feedback.

The most popular Internet technologies noted for introduction in the classroom this year were as follows (listed in order of popularity):

Are you using Internet tools to engage students in the classroom and improve learning outcomes, or are you just using technology to decrease the time you spend lecturing and interacting with your students?

There are many great internet based tools available to bring new elements of collaboration, interaction, and even a little fun to the instructional process and thereby better engage and motivate your students and enhance learning outcomes. Of course, it is also entirely possible to use technology as a crutch or a “baby sitter”, but this is a rather unfortunate use of these tools and can give education technology a bad name.

This week we complete a 2 part overview of two specific portal applications for education