How many tools??

As a future teacher it is going to be very important that I use many different types of technology in my classroom. I have assessed 8 different browsers or tools below. Some I found were useful and some I found were not.

My rating scale:

18-20 Four stars

16-17 Three stars

14-15 Two stars

12-13 One star

0-11 No stars

FIREFOX



Total = 17

Comments: This is a browser. Most people use internet explorer. I honestly didn’t see that much of a difference in the browser. I like that I can personalize the top of the page to make it look pretty, but is it really necessary? The search engine seems to pull in the same information that my internet explorer pulls up. The speed of the site also seems to be the same. I really don’t have a preference between the two, except that I had to download firefox to my computer. THREE STARS 




MOODLE



Total = 19

Comments: This is a VERY useful tool. I have used it in the past for 4 classes. The content depends on the creator. The professor has to create the content and the links. I have had some professors who have not used this program well and others who have used it beautifully. I think that this is a useful tool if used properly. FOUR STARS


DELICIOUS http://delicious.com/ed.tech



Total = 19

Comments: This is a VERY useful tool. I usually bookmark my stuff in favorites in the internet explorer. It has taken me a bit to get used to using this site. It is designed by me and will only be successful by me, the user. It is an awesome website for teachers to help organize all of the sites that will help with the teaching process. FOUR STARS


DROPBOX www.dropbox.com

Total = 20

Comments: This is an amazing tool! This tool is a way to save your files online. It makes your files available to you wherever you are and on whatever computer you happen to be using. I will definitely use this tool. FOUR STARS





GOOGLE APPS


Total = 19

Comments: This is a collection of applications that can be used through google. It contains searches, blogs, alerts, news articles and more. It is a one stop shop if you like google. The links are still active. I have recently been introduced to the blog tool. Definitely useful tool. FOUR STARS

PHOTO PEACH

Total = 20

Comments: This is a tool that would be useful for putting together pictures for the end of the year. You can import pictures from facebook, picasa, or your camera. Sound can be added, along with sound. This website does require registration, but it is easy and free. This is definitely an easy site to use. FOUR STARS

PREZI http://prezi.com/

Total = 17

Comments: Prezi is a program for presentations. It uses flying slides to present information. I found it to be a bit more challenging to figure out than the rest of the websites that I have experimented with. It has an introduction video which explains how to use it, but it still requires some time to get it the way you want it. It seems to be something that could make awesome presentations if the user has time to sit and play. This is not a program that you can just sit down and instantly make a presentation with. Takes practice. THREE STARS

PICNIK http://www.picnik.com/

Total = 20

Comments: This website got me addicted quickly. I spent way too much time using it. It is a program for editing photos. Over half of its features are free and if you want to use the more advanced features, there is a minimal fee. I ended up spending hours editing photos. (whitening teeth, cropping, changing color) I definitely think this could be used for the classroom. Sometimes we take pictures that need to be cropped. This program can then be used to make a collage. The collage can then be put into a slideshare program and shared at the end of the year. Awesome. FOUR STARS




Photos by Lynn Morris