Technology in the English Classroom

Technology in the English Classroom !

2010-2011!

Mrs. Schmitz

Technology in the English Classroom Web 2.0 technologies for our students (and you)!

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is the term applied to internet applications that allow for collaboration and interactive information sharing on the world wide web. It is the new “social” design of the web. Utilizing Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom allows students and teachers to share information in an easy and ef@icient manner.

Many of you are probably already aware of Twitter and some of you might think of it as a waste of time. Who really wants to know what Ashton and Demi are eating for lunch anyway? However, used as a tool to share “important” information or updates, Twitter can be an invaluable tool. I follow experts in my @ield and get priceless information and resources on a daily basis. If you haven’t yet found out how invaluable Twitter can be I suggest you try it out.

Although Twitter is not something we will be utilizing in class this year, it is something on the horizon, as Twitter can be set to receive updates via text message. Used in the classroom this way, students can be reminded of homework, projects, tests, etc. on their phones. If your son/daughter has text messaging on their phone, or if they have smartphones, there are many things they can use their phone for to keep them organized, some of which will be described here.

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Technology in the English Classroom !

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2010-2011!

Mrs. Schmitz

Utilizing a Shelfari account Shelfari.com is a website that allows you to keep a list of books you have read or would like to read. If you are a bibliophile who likes to discuss the books you read or have a place to store lists of books you would like to read, this is a site worth checking out.

What your shelf looks like Categories to put your books in

We are using it in class this year sporadically as a place to discuss the books we are reading.

Ideally I would like students to use it for posing their own questions to their classmates, but many times I will start a discussion and students will need to respond and continue the conversation.

Shelfari allows the creation of groups and we currently have a group set up for our class that students have joined.

Group Page Discussions completed in the group

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Technology in the English Classroom !

2010-2011!

Mrs. Schmitz

Learning management system: Schoology Schoology.com is a learning management system that is incorporated into a social environment.

The set up looks much like Facebook. I have created a page for our class that students have joined.

Here they are able to: access a class calendar

turn in assignments

blog take quizzes

participate in discussions upload and save documents for easy access anywhere via the web

Sample Schoology page

Along with all the above, students are also able to get reminders sent to them by me. Schoology is a great way for the students to get into contact with me with questions that they may have. It is a remarkably useful organizational tool.

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Technology in the English Classroom !

2010-2011!

Mrs. Schmitz

Learning management system: Edmodo

Features of Edmodo

Edmodo.com is another useful learning management system that some of my classes are utilizing this year. It is similar to Schoology in that there is a class calendar (one in which students can add their own items to), I can post reminders, students can access and turn in assignments, and students can upload @iles and even share @iles. Edmodo is more of a “micro-­‐blogging” tool.

Students can send messages to individuals or the entire class.

Edmodo home page

Both Schoology and Edmodo, and whichever one is being utilized in their class, should be checked on a regular basis. It is a way in which I can communicate with students to get them a reminder about an assignment/ test. The more they get into the habit of checking and utilizing these resources the better organized and prepared they will be for class.

What the class wall looks like. My post and link to students and space where they can comment/reply.

One of the nice features of Edmodo is that it has a smartphone app so students and teachers can access it from anywhere.

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Technology in the English Classroom !

2010-2011!

Mrs. Schmitz

Diigo Diigo stands for Digest of Internet Information, Groups, and Other stuff. It is my favorite new resource and a great tool for everyone to use, personally and professionally. Diigo is an online bookmarking site that allows you to bookmark a webpage and then be able to access it again from any computer, simply by logging on to Diigo. You “tag” the website you want to remember with key words, so that when you want to @ind it again, you simply search for the key word. The best part about Diigo, however, is that you can annotate the webpage you saved. You can highlight it and attach comments to the highlight, or simply leave a “sticky note” on the page to remind you of why you saved the page in the @irst place.

For students this is an excellent tool for them to utilize during research.

Highlight and sDcky note on a web page

For students this is an excellent tool for them to utilize during research. The other aspect of Diigo is that you can create groups or belong to groups that hold interest for you. You can then share your bookmarks to the group and see what others have saved too. I use “Add bookmark” window it to get information from other English teachers and teachers who are using technology in the classroom. I have discovered so many interesting tools and gotten wonderful ideas for lessons from master teachers through my participation in Diigo groups.

The features of Diigo on its toolbar

For the student use of Diigo in school I have set up groups for each class. I share resources with them through this group and at times they will be given assignments that call for them to @ind and share a resource with the group as well. It is a great way to collaborate and share useful and valuable information found on the web.

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Technology in the English Classroom !

2010-2011!

Mrs. Schmitz

Stay organized with Google Calendars Google is not just a search engine. Google has done a lot in terms of offering free resources to the public and, therefore, to our educational system. If you have not yet checked out Google Docs, you should. Google Calendars is also worth your time. Although I am in the early stages of implementing Google Calendars into my classroom the way they should be used, I see it as the future in how to keep students organized. The great thing about this application is that you can have several calendars all in one.

Different views

Calendars, color coded Sample Google Calendar

You just create a new calendar, pick the color you want it to show up in, and it all gets put onto one calendar view. I have a calendar for work, for my personal life events and appointments, and one to keep me organized in my current role as a student myself. The most helpful thing about these calendars is that you can set up reminders. So, if I have an assignment due on a certain day, I set up my calendar to send me a text message a week before. This way I get a reminder to get started.

I also set up text reminders to be sent at other points in time before it is due. This constant reminder makes certain I will not forget to get my work in on time. It is also great for remembering appointments that get made months in advance. No longer do you need to write it on the calendar on the wall at home. You can can also choose to keep your calendar private or you can share it with other people.

This is something I can use in the classroom by adding assignments and sharing the calendar with the class. They can choose to set up their own text message or email reminders. However, I see this more as a personal tool for students, one in which they put in their due dates/schedule and use it to help them in their time management skill building.

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