How Pinterest can be useful in the Classroom

Everyone knows what Pinterest is and what Pinterest does. Just about everyone owns a Pinterest and use it daily to see funny pictures, new recipes, or the latest craft idea. However, most people do not know that Pinterest can be extremely useful for the classroom as well. Pinterest gives teachers new ways of integrating projects in their classrooms. A teacher can look up a specific concept for example the Civil War and numerous pins will pop up just waiting to be clicked on.

Recently, my Educational Technolgy class did a project on Pinterest. We had to use it to look up a PBL project to use in our classrooms. I chose the Civil War. I looked on Pinterest and found multiple fun projects to do. I pulled from multiple pins to create my own project. I decided to do a timeline project using Microsoft Word. It was a really fun project and I really enjoyed doing it.

Here is the link to the project:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8w9Sc4zFgNBTkpTYUNXWWtUU3c/edit 

This was the first step in the project. Simply creating the timeline and putting things on the line as they occurred in history. Also this step was about color coding each part of the timeline.

This was the last step in the project. Creating summaries each of the points plotted on the timeline. This also was where the students would need to add how this affected the start of the Civil War.

Web 2.0 Blogging Tools

1. TargetMap- http://www.targetmap.com
TargetMap is a useful tool because of it's unique ability to create your own map. You can customize and make maps in-bedded into blogs or posts. You can also publish and share your maps with other people on the web. This tool will be useful in a classroom because being able to make your own map and share with others will help the students better retain the information. The student could also make their own maps, bringing out their own creativity.

2 .Mapwing- mapwing.com  
Mapwing is another useful mapping tool because you can create your own virtual tour. Being able to comment on a section helps the creator make the tour even better. Being able to upload your own personal photos would be pretty neat. If a student has traveled to a particular area, they can add their own pictures and make it that much more personal. Students will be interested in this because they can do this in groups or by themselves. Being able to be creative and share their work will make the students eager to participate and learn.

3. Yacapaca- yacapaca.com 
Yacapaca is a useful poll and quiz tool. You can use or create your own quizzes for your students and they can go online and take the quizzes themselves. They can also make their own quizzes to help expand their knowledge base. Students can make their quizzes and give them to the class to take. This will allow the students to become more engaged in their education. Plus it would be fun watching them get excited over learning.

4. Kubba- Kubba.com 
Kubba is a another useful poll and quiz tool. Students or teachers can create their own games, quizzes or crosswords. They can also do group projects with this tool making their learning interactive. Students can create their own educational games and share them with the class. This could help boost creativity and confidence. This would interactive and fun to do.

5. Bubbl- Bubbl.us 
This is a useful presentation tool. This allows students to organize and brainstorm ideas and thoughts. This also allows students and teachers to share their work online and with others. You can also print your maps for use in class. This would be useful in the classroom because it would allow group collaboration. This would be a great tool for organizing large projects.

6. Letterpop- Letterpop.com 
Letterpop is a great resourceful presentation tool. This tool allows you to create unique brochures and newsletters. You can also share and print them out. This would be useful in the classroom because teachers use newsletters to send home to parents to inform them of what is happening in the classroom. This would help teachers keep parents engaged in their child's learning.

7. Primaryaccess- Primaryaccess.com 
Primaryaccess is very useful writing tool. This tool allows students to search primary documents for writing papers. This would be especially helpful in history and English classes where writing is very relevant. This tool would also be great in college. Students are always having to write papers and it would be useful to be able to find primary resources just in a click of a button.

8. Springnote- Springnote.com 
Springnote is another useful writing tool. This tool engages the students in online writing communities. This tool is also great for group projects because you can work on the same project simultaneously. This would be great in the classroom because it will allows students more time to get projects done therefore they are not as stressed and pressured to get it done quickly. Therefore grades would be better.

9. SimpleVLE- Simplevle.com 
SimpleVLE is a great collaborative tool. This allows teachers to build online classes. This would be useful for teachers as well as students to gain a better knowledge of online work. This prepares the student better for college because there are so many chances for online classes. You can also create tests to be used for your online classes. This gives the students a wider knowledge base of online courses.

10. Debategraph- Debategraph.com
Debategraph is another useful collaborative tool to be used in classrooms. This allows teachers to facilitate online debates. This tool also helps students think through tough and complex topics. This would be useful in the classroom have creative and interactive debates. This would be especially helpful in political science courses where debates happen often.

The Crazy impact of Social Media

Social media has profoundly affected this new aged society. In this new age just about everyone have cell phones. Instead of children having to wait to they are 16, 17, or 18 to get a cell phone, kids as young as 8 or 9 have phones and know how to use them better than some adults and in many cases knows how to use them better than the adults do. One of my younger brothers, who is 9, showed me here recently how to change the text back ground on my phone. I have had the same cell phone for two years now and I just now found out. It is amazing how much technology is impacting the younger generation. Children are also starting out much younger in social networking. When social networking first came out it was intended for college students to communicate across campus. It is amazing how far it has come in less than 10 years. Now there are hundreds of social networking sites. My younger sister was 10 when she got her first form of social media, Instagram. I was 18 before I had instagram. We got it around the same time. That’s crazy to me!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2552658/More-half-children-use-social-media-age-10-Facebook-popular-site-youngsters-join.html

Social media has its draw backs as well.  Here at Henderson we have this trash app call Yik Yak. The whole point of the app is to secretly trash people, because there is not a login or name put to any post. It is hateful and disgusting and makes people feel terrible reading it. It is a massive form of cyberbullying. I had the app for less than 12 hours before I deleted it. There is no need for that much hate and distain. I agree with this article calling for a ban on Yik Yak. It is a dangerous app and really should be taken down.

http://resources.uknowkids.com/blog/why-yik-yak-is-the-most-dangerous-app-you-have-never-heard-of

All about me!!

Hi there, my name is Heather James and I am from Camden, Arkansas. I have lived there for most of my life. I am the middle child of five siblings. I currently attend Henderson State University, majoring in Social Science Education. I have started this blog for a class I am currently enrolled in at Henderson. I am very passionate about history, learning about the past and why things happened the way they did has always been a fascination of mine ever since I was a little girl. Since I am so interested in history I have been known to be full of useless facts. For example, did you know that Coca Cola was originally green?

I chose to major in education because I had a mentor when I was in high school. She was very influential to me. She made me realize I could do anything I wanted if I wanted to work hard enough to obtain it. I realized then I would like to one day have a PhD and be a college professor. That way I could possibly be that same influence to somebody like my mentor was to me. I am excited to start my blog and that it will be fun for anyone and everyone that visits it and hopefully when they leave they have learned something new. I hope everyone enjoys reading my blog as I have writing it.