URLs
The easiest way to think about URLs is to consider them as the “addresses” for sites on the web (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 216). Much like home or business addresses, each part of the address is a signal for the user as to where they are going. Consider the site, http://www.montevallo.edu/. If we’re searching for a site, we know that we’re on the Internet, but the domain name—montevallo in this case—shows that the site we’re connecting to has something to do with the word Montevallo (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 217). In the case of this site, the domain designator—edu in this case—is our biggest clue to the contents of the website. From this designation we now know that it is the University of Montevallo website. Each URL can be dissected in this way allowing students to better understand the website links they are clicking on.
Search Engines
Now we’ve all typed a simple word or phrase into Google, hoping for specific results only to find that there are far too many “hits” or search results that are not relevant to your needs (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 219). One tip for students and teachers alike is to employ Boolean search terms—“”, +, -, and, or, etc.—when using search engines. Though Roblyer and Doering do not touch on this important element of web searching, there are multitudes of online resources about Boolean searching methods.
Tapestry
Tapestry is a fantastic site that allows users to create “tap essays” or single click PowerPoint like presentations on any topic imaginable. The creation platform is much more limited than PowerPoint allowing for simplicity to reign. Each slide can contain pictures, text, or gifs. Overall it is a very interactive in that, once published, students can view their peers’ work as well as the work of other tapestry users. Roblyer and Doering claim that this interactive element increases the value of a given site (2013, p. 256).
Owl Online Writing Lab
This is a website that I frequented often in my undergraduate writing career, but it is not limited to college students. Teachers can use the Owl site as a reference point for their students’ at home writing assignments in every stage of the writing process. It is also a valuable resource because it is updated frequently in accordance to the ever changing MLA and APA style manuals (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 256).
Website Evaluation Video
Reference
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Prefixed Media in the Classroom
Interactive Storybooks
Roblyer and Doering offer the reader a number of options when it comes to hypermedia products from instructional software and interactive storybooks to reference materials and collections of development resources (2013, p.174-176). In an English classroom, the most effective tool often comes in the form of outside media that will make reading more fun.
U-Ventures’ interactive storybooks seem to do just that. The books are written in the “Choose Your Own Adventure” style that combines a traditional storyline with that of a game. The reader is given options to choose from that change the story and often dictate the outcome of their adventure. Each time the student picks up a choose your own adventure book, the experience can be completely different. While these books do not necessarily fall under the term “instructional games,” there is still something about choose your own adventure books that mimic “the motivational qualities of games” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 174). In addition, “various studies have reported positive impact of interactive storybooks on children’s enjoyment of reading and development of reading skills” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 175).
Podcasts & Garageband
While Garageband does not at first seem like a tool that can be used in an English classroom, the application’s other uses such as podcasting allows teachers of all disciplines to take part. “Podcast, a term that combines ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast,’…originally meant posting audio on a website” ” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 189). While Roblyer and Doering go on to say that this word now encompasses video platforms, there is more nuance and creativity required to make audio interesting to listeners (2013, p. 189). In the classroom, teachers can record lectures, read aloud to their students, or assign homework. Podcasts like these will most likely be listened to outside of the classroom, but can engage the student in their down time. Students can also be tasked to create their own podcast episode.
Roblyer and Doering offer the reader a number of options when it comes to hypermedia products from instructional software and interactive storybooks to reference materials and collections of development resources (2013, p.174-176). In an English classroom, the most effective tool often comes in the form of outside media that will make reading more fun.
U-Ventures’ interactive storybooks seem to do just that. The books are written in the “Choose Your Own Adventure” style that combines a traditional storyline with that of a game. The reader is given options to choose from that change the story and often dictate the outcome of their adventure. Each time the student picks up a choose your own adventure book, the experience can be completely different. While these books do not necessarily fall under the term “instructional games,” there is still something about choose your own adventure books that mimic “the motivational qualities of games” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 174). In addition, “various studies have reported positive impact of interactive storybooks on children’s enjoyment of reading and development of reading skills” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 175).
Podcasts & Garageband
While Garageband does not at first seem like a tool that can be used in an English classroom, the application’s other uses such as podcasting allows teachers of all disciplines to take part. “Podcast, a term that combines ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast,’…originally meant posting audio on a website” ” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 189). While Roblyer and Doering go on to say that this word now encompasses video platforms, there is more nuance and creativity required to make audio interesting to listeners (2013, p. 189). In the classroom, teachers can record lectures, read aloud to their students, or assign homework. Podcasts like these will most likely be listened to outside of the classroom, but can engage the student in their down time. Students can also be tasked to create their own podcast episode.
Reference
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)