In this week’s EdTech class, our task was to explore Education websites and applications we can use in classrooms. Lizzy and I created a Powtoon (Powerpoint Cartoon) as an example of one way presentations can be spiced up a little. The website is free to use (though most of the cool stuff is limited to pricy business plans) and fun to play with, though the opportunities for creating your own animations are somewhat limited. Another cool presentation website is storybird It lets users illustrate stories and format them as picture books, chapter books, and poetry, and has a mighty collection of available images from illustrators around the world. You can also read and purchase stories published on the site, but I believe all the money goes to them. It’s a cool tool to play with and a neat way to get your work into the world, but I think more can be said for the merits of publishing and illustrating your own story… of course, if you’ve been reading about my Passion Project you’ll know I’m a little biased.
My exploration of EdTech so far has been mainly limited to presentation software (if I'm using that term correctly). There's miles to go before I can claim to have an inkling of what's out there, but what I've seen so far has me questioning what all the buzz about classroom tech is for. The sites listed above and others like them essentially seem to be flashier versions of good old poster-board or powerpoint. The sharability of these new tools is markedly better, but has there really been much change in how we expect students to present their ideas? Is there a point to exploring new sites and apps when they might not be relevant four months from now? I suppose one undeniable value of bringing tech and teaching together is that it forces us to constantly relearn and explore new templates and ideas.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out. Archives
May 2019
Categories
All
![]() edventures-of-sarah by Sarah Matheson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. |