ISTE Int’l Society for Tech in Education. Resources, national STANDARDS
Tech Tools are the BEST technology for students to use...
Technology tools allow students to be creative, and show their understanding of content in a wide variety of ways. Their power is in the ability for students to edit, revise, and create content in any language, ALL students can create beautiful projects. They also allow students to learn (and teach you) how to be technically competent, to communicate with you and classmates (shy students are engaged), and to shine as they demonstrate their learning.
Tech Tools can also support students with spell check, reading aloud their writing, recording their words via dictation, voice typing, etc. Students with special needs can have work that looks like the rest of the class. Quiet students often feel freer writing to you than speaking with you. Kids with poor motor control suddenly have understandable writing pieces. If tech is used as a tool for creativity, demonstrating what students know, editing and revising until student work meets the rubric...wonderful things can happen.
Here are some of the basic tools...and if students understand the basics, they can learn how to use anything.
And...this article backs up the need to teach the basics: Students Say They are not as Tech Savvy as Educators Assume
1) Writing - Most common apps:
Students should learn how to: Change fonts, size, color, add images, edit, revise, leave comments, use spell check.
Goals: Create, write, illustrate, revise
Benefits: Adding/enhancing one’s writing, revision leading to a better writing piece, it looks just as good as anyone else’s in class (bad handwriting or printing isn't a factor).
2) Presentations - Most common apps:
Students should learn how to: Change fonts, size, color, add images, add sound, add video, resize and move things around the slide, edit, revise, leave comments, reorder slides, customize colors, change the background, add animation effects
Goals: Students show learning visually with images, video (older students need to cite resources), very little text (keywords). Often part of an oral presentation.
Learn the more advanced features: customize your slides, fonts, colors, make images large, make your point. Also edit/revise to make sure all student work is high quality.
Need more background? Here are some places that provide training and info.
This is a private online place for your classroom, to give assignments, information and links to resources. It's a place to gather student assignments and have class discussions. Students turn in work, send you comments, you leave them comments.
Many allow discussion areas for students - here you need to set boundaries and monitor discussion frequently. My rules were: be nice, be positive. It's a good idea to talk about examples and non-examples of these 2 rules. Even after an intro, someone always writes something not nice or not positive, so that's your teaching moment, deal with the student, explain why it's not ok. Sweep right in and nip any comments you don't approve of in the bud, and things will go well after that!! But always be vigilant here, it's part of your responsibility to make a safe space for your students.
I listed the free services first (always my first choice!!).
2018 Back to School Google Classroom Guide
Google Classroom Free! Tutorial: How to use Google Classroom with a gmail address (if your school is not a “Google for Education” account). I have used Classroom and consider it very effective and easy to use. Google's Guide for Using Classroom
Google Classroom Basics & Tips
-ClassDojo Free! Lots of people use ClassDojo!
-Edmodo - Free! I used Edmodo before I started with Google Classroom, and I liked it a lot as well, but it's probably better for elementary (that's why I switched to Classroom). It also allows for sharing among teachers who use Edmodo--lots of support.
-Kiddom Free! Read a review here.
-Powerschool Learning (used to be Haiku Learning, acquired by Powerschool) Free as a solo teacher, up to 5 classes, can subscribe if you want more features.
-SeeSaw Free or subscription upgrade
-Schoology Basic version is free, or you can upgrade
-Canvas Subscription service, you can get a free trial.
-Otus Subscription service
This page is Part 3 of Technology in the Classroom: What are Tech Tool Basics? + Learning Management Systems, Blog resources, other tech tools good for classroom use
For more resources check out...
Part 1: EdTech Resources
Part 2: Tools for Classroom Management
Part 4: Digital Citizenship resources