Digital Citizenship

Being a safe digital citizen is an important concept to teach to our students. They have never lived in a world without internet access, and sometimes cannot understand the implications their digital footprint can have on them. Having conversations with students about responsible digital citizenship should be on every 21st century teachers mind. In this blog post I have created a presentation using an online presentation software called Prezi. Prezi is a PowerPoint alternative that allows you to create dynamic and interactive presentations. Students can use Prezi in the classroom for any presentation they may need to make. The interface is simple, easy to use, and user friendly. Our 21st century students would be able to pick it up in no time. Also, students are able to collaborate on a Prezi presentation and work simultaneously on the same presentation.

The following presentation I have in this post covers the topic of Digital Divide, which is an ever increasing problem in our technology driven society. Digital Divide refers to the gap that is occurring between people who have access to internet and those who do not. Some think that this divide may be lessened as handheld devices become more popular, others do not feel this way. We just need to be aware of how this will affect our schools and students. Please take some time to view the presentation below. If you are interested in learning more about the Digital Divide there are a lot of great internet resources out there to help you go deeper into the subject.

Future Technology

Staying up to date with technology is so important for educators. There are plenty of resources on the internet that highlight new technology that can be implemented into the classroom. Two places where you can find information on future technology for the classroom are: Horizon Reports and The Evolution of Technology in the Classroom.

One piece of technology that I find super exciting and one day would like to implement into my classroom is a SMART Table. You can kind of think of a smart table as a very large iPad, so large in fact it is the size of a table, and up to eight kids can be working on a task at the same time. A SMART Table takes collaboration through technology to a whole new level in the classroom. This piece of technology could be used both the general education classroom and a special education classroom.

This technology can impact a future classroom because it would allow a student’s desk to essentially become his or her own personal tablet workspace. This would allow teachers to move to a totally paperless classroom and flip the learning experience even more. The table itself is secure and stable. It has enough weight that a student would not be able to knock it over. The table is SMART software compatible, so teachers who have existing files on their SMART software can use them with this table. The following video showcases some of the advanced features of the table.

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is similar to my early post with digital photo stories. Piecing together video clips, so it forms a storyline or presentation creates a digital story. There are a multitude of applications that you can use to create a digital story. To the right you will find some icons that will connect you with different software options that can be used to create digital stories. To make my digital story I used two programs, Green Screen by Do Ink and iMovie. First my partner and I recorded all of our scenes in the Green Screen app. In order to do this you must set up a green screen in your recording area. The green screen can be a piece of green fabric or paper, and needs to be large enough to contain the background image you select. Once we were done recording the different scenes we uploaded all of the videos into iMovie, and then did some editing.

You can use digital storytelling to extended lessons and take students deeper into content. Some examples of ways to use digital storytelling are: creating book reports, further explaining vocabulary, and creative writing. There are so many possible ways to use these applications in your classroom: just put your creative hat on! The digital story that I have below was created for my Rock Cycle Unit. During this unit students will learn the three types of rocks and how the rock cycle works. In the video my teaching partner and I explain different places around the world that you can find the rock types. The video is to serve as an example for students so they can create their own video explaining where to find different rock types. I hope you enjoy the video and it sparks some creative ideas on how you implement this in your classroom.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is any device or visual support that a student needs in order to be successful in the classroom. By using this technology it opens up doors in education for students to be able to participate with their class. Over the years assistive technology has become popular in the special education classroom and the general education classroom. Assistive technology does not need to be something that is operated by power, but can range from a specialized pencil grip to a voice output device. Some examples of assistive technology are: highlighters, writing slant boards, visual support strategies, text-to-speech software, personalized computers, and wheel chairs.

The assistive technology piece that I am going to highlight in this blog post is Proloquo2Go. Proloquo2Go is an application that operates through symbols, and allows students who cannot communicate through voice to communicate through the application. The application also supports language and literacy development. Proloquo2Go can be personalized to each student and has a bank of 20,000 symbols to choose from. The company has coined the saying, "A voice for those who cannot speak," and that truly is what this program does for students with communication barriers.


Since my school is an inclusion-focused school, this technology would be of a great support in my classroom if I had a student who was not able to communicate verbally. This application allows for the schools to be more unified in the support of inclusion, because it gives students the opportunity to communicate with peers and teachers. Without this communication device inclusion would be more difficult. The nice thing about Proloquo2go is that it is an application that can be added on to any device, whether it is an iPad, computer, or iPod. The following video shows a student using Proloquo2Go in school. By using this technology she is able to communicate with her teacher and peers. Please take some time to view this video. If you have any assistive technology products you find beneficial in your classroom please comment below.

YouTube Playlist

Video playlists are simple to create and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. To create a YouTube video playlist you first need to create a YouTube account, and then you can just start searching for videos! When you find a video that you like you, click the plus symbol and add it to the playlist of your choice. A youtube playlist can be used in many different ways within the classroom. As a teacher I can create a playlist that previews a subject, aids in homework help, or gives information to parents. I could ask students to research a topic then create a playlist presentation to share with the class. Also, by embedding this link into my blog, my students do not actually have to access YouTube to watch the playlist: they can just watch from this page.

The video playlist that I have created is to coincide with my World Geography unit. I have placed four videos into this playlist, and each video is intended to be used for a unique purpose. The first video is to serve as an introduction for my students to the playlist. The second video gives facts about each continent and their locations. During this video I have asked students to try to find the continent that has the highest population. The third video is a song that is meant to help the students learn the locations and names of the continents and oceans. I let the students know, that whoever has the song memorized the best can lead the class in the song the following day. The final video serves as a practice video. It has a map and the speaker will ask a location of a continent, then it gives about 8 seconds for the student to answer. I have asked the students to use this to practice finding the continents as many times as possible, because by the end of the unit students will need to be able to fill out a blank world map.

Professional Development Web Resources

There is importance behind Professional Development for educators; teaching is a profession that is ever changing. For a teacher to stay up to date with the latest research and resources they must participate in continuing education. This doesn't mean that a teacher has to be constantly registered in classes, but they should be constantly checking blogs, newsletters, and websites that are current in educational trends and resources. There are many useful resources out there; on my Technology Website I have created a list of my 'Top 10' online professional development resources. Take a little time to look over these resources, you may find a blog that you might enjoy following yourself. CLICK HERE to access the list of resources.

Educational Websites

I think using the internet in the classroom can be a very powerful tool for both teachers and students. There are many educational websites out there that serve as great resources. This page contains a link to my website where I list my top 15 websites for parents, educators, and students. The websites are some of my top sites for lessoning planning, student's online skill practice, and providing information to parents. Please take some time to view the list on my website. If you have a great web resource that you use, please comment on this post and share! CLICK HERE  to visit my website. Please enjoy that material provided. I encourage you to get out there and check out the web to see what web-based activities you can implement in your classroom.