Davis,+Joshua+Electronic+Portfolio

Wikis

Please consider the creation of this wiki as an example of my familiarity of this technology.

A wiki is essentially a form that can be accessed and updated by numerous people from different locations. Although only a single person can be updating the wiki at any given time, the ability to update from any computer provides multiple possibilities. For example, student can compile their notes to prepare for a test, outline what each person of a group must complete for a project, or have a place to save their project in a digital format. Additionally, student can view the projects created by other groups. If used in the form of a note taker/ compiler, the wiki can provide students with poor penmanship the ability to gain access to the class notes. The wiki was one of the first pieces of technology presented in the class, and I surprised by its versatility. Even when used in its most basic form, a list, wiki's are still an extremely powerful tool. In addition to adding text I also learned how to imbed videos from other websites onto the wiki. This allows for my own captions to be added to different videos.

Blogs A blog is digital journal that can be updated in installments. The blog can be used as a journal to accomplish a number of functions. Students can blog about each day in class, recalling what the learned, they can each answer homework questions, and used the blog for self reflections. For those who are unable to see the difference between the blog and a traditional pen-and-paper journal, they must remember that a blog is digital. This means that it cannot be lost and can be easily accessed by other students or teachers. A student can also used their own blog as a way to study; looking at previous reflections and homeworks to jog their memory. A student can also see how much was learned over the course of the class. I learned how to create and update a blog. This technology was simple and intuitive to use, but could be extremely effective. I think that as a teacher, I could use blogs to track the progress of my students to ensure that none of them are falling behind.

Diigo Diggo is an online tool that provides a number of useful functions. It acts much like the notebook of the teacher. Just like a notebook, a teacher can bookmark, highlight, and place sticky notes. The main difference is not just that Diigo is an online tool, but that a teacher can distribute a marked version of a website quickly and easily. Students can then view on their own computers each and every mark that the teacher made. Diigo ensures that students will pay more attention to highlighted (more important) sections and be able to view additions made by the teacher in the form of sticky notes. In addition to the ability to view these markings, a teacher can also guarantee that each student will be able to access the correct website. For students who are unable to decide what sections of a longer reading to study, the highlighted sections could become a large help. I was not aware that tools like Diigo existed before this course. That a teacher could mark a website as effectively as a piece of paper kind of blew my mind. I learned how to link websites to Diigo, and once they were linked, how to highlight important sections. I liked that as a teacher I could provide some form of direction to the readings of my students even thought I wasn't there. Concept Mapping Tools

Concept Mapping Tools Tools like concept maps are nothing new. From the time I was in elementary school, to my current role as a college undergrad I have always been taught to use them. I have learned the "brainstorm" model, the graphic organizer, the outline, and a number or formats I have forgotten. Online concept map tool such as Webspiration provide students with the same organizational tools. However, as the student create more and more ideas, they can quickly move, add, and delete concepts. Additionally, tools such as Webspiration can jump back and forth between and bubble chart and a more traditional outline. Students who prefer to think in terms of bubble charts can do so, without being forced to then copy their work into a numerical outline. From the perspective of a teacher, the graphic organizer can be used to discuss difficult topics in an easily understandable way. The same concept map can then be used to access students, provided the teacher removes a some of the words the concept map. A concept map is surprisingly simple to use. Bubble can be created by double clicking blank spaces, and linked by dragging a line between two bubbles. They can easily altered and adjusted with the same two basic maneuvers.