Instructional Technology

To engage students, teachers often pull tools that the students are familiar with and enjoy using in the classroom. In the modern day, this means incorporating technology into lessons and teaching students how to navigate it. These basic technological skills not only allow students to complete assignments but will help them later, as technology will most likely remain part of their day-to-day well into adulthood. Additionally, technology is a great opportunity to make learning fun and rewarding for students of any age.

Brush Ninja

Brush Ninja is an animation website that allows students to draw frames that combine into one, fluid animation. The website is completely free and allows students at all levels of skill to create animations. I will use Brush Ninja as a teacher to teach new vocabulary words and concepts. For example, students could draw an animation to demonstrate the action that creates an onomatopoeia sound and then shares it with the class. This tool allows for increased student creativity, as well as engagement in the concepts behind lessons which may be hard for some students to grasp. It also builds websites and general technology navigation skills while students interact with the site.

Google Forms

Google Forms is a tool that allows surveys, tests, and quizzes to be given in an effective and timely manner. I will use this website in my classroom because it can be utilized in so many different ways. Forms can be used at the beginning of a unit to assess what your students already know about a topic, and combines the data from responses quickly, providing it in a variety of charts. It can also be used for tests and quizzes, or for something as simple as sorting students into groups for an assignment, based on what topics they like for the project. Not only is Forms useful for teachers, but it is also helpful for students. Students can get instant feedback in multiple-choice quizzes and teachers can include explanations for each answer. In quick writes turned in through Forms, teachers can return the assignment through email with feedback for the students included. Finally, Forms are often used in middle school, so introducing students to the website around 4th or 5th grade makes them more comfortable with it later.

MyOn

MyOn, is a website full of ebooks in almost all subjects, mainly aimed at elementary-age students. MyOn not only gives students access to ebooks, but reads the books aloud to students while they read. This is incredibly helpful for students with reading disabilities or attention problems, to help them stay engaged with and love reading. In my classroom, I will allow students to use MyOn a few days a week, as a way to help them immerse in reading where they may get bored with typical silent reading time. Reading allows students to row their vocabularies and overall knowledge by itself, but when paired with audio, students can hear how words are pronounced and it helps them to understand the segments of words they read every day.

Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing website, which allows for quick video chats that can be protected by a password from hackers. Though Zoom was used heavily for distance learning, I will use Zoom in my classroom to have guest speakers from other states, cities, and even countries. Many people are willing to talk to students if they are asked and guests are a great way to keep students engaged. Students may see teachers as an authority figure, however seeing an expert in, say, astronomy, can allow students to make connections between the classroom and real life. Additionally, zoom could be used to contact parents or students who need extra help when they are not available to come to school for help

IXL Math

IXL Math is a website that allows teachers to assign math activities to their students, or students to individually choose topics to practice. While the game setup of the website of course makes it engaging, it also rewards students in a variety of ways (points, mastery, prizes) which encourages them to learn. In my classroom, I will use IXL Math to help my students learn concepts that they are having a difficult time understanding as well as an activity for students once math classwork is complete. Math is widely regarded by students as a disliked subject, so it is important to include aspects of fun, creativity, and reward in the subject.

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