ICT Tools Statement
For our ICT Integration Project, we have chosen to use a selection of tools that we believe will assist & enhance our students learning. Below are brief descriptions of each tool and why we have selected to use them:
Answer Garden
This ICT tool allows students to post an answer of between 20 or 40 characters in response to a question. All the answers pop up onto the one screen and create a visual of the most common responses. This is a great tool for gauging what information is staying with students and for pulling out key ideas about a topic.
Britannica Image Quest
This is a website that offers an extensive range of copyright free images. Students can use this site to search for images that they can use in their own work. It is a great resource and ICT tool, as it teaches students the importance of using copyright free photos. It also allows them to add to the work they are completing and visualise what they are learning about.
Bubbl.us
This ICT tool allows students to brainstorm and breakdown ideas in a personalised and organised formatting. It can be arranged in terms of colour and positioning, providing students with clear and easy ways to organise their ideas or information. Bubbl.us is an easy tool to gain access to, with no login required. This tool allows for multiple editors, encouraging collaborative work amongst students. Bubbl.us can be used in the classroom to brainstorm ideas for assignments, delegate tasks and as a basic outline for a multitude of objectives. It allows students to review their ideas and improve them throughout cross-curriculum studies, as the brainstorm is editable. This resourceful learning tool is a great foundation for students to collaboratively express and elaborate ideas through a visual layout.
Do Ink
Do ink is an intricate yet simple ICT tool, it is a well-structured layout that is easy to navigate enabling students to create movies and animations out of pre-existing videos, photos or creating ones themselves. The learning tool involves timelines for short films, making it appropriate for students to present projects and information in an engaging way. Do ink allows one to add in voice overs, special effects and can be saved for free and shared. This tool can be used in the classroom to introduce, present and consolidate ideas in an engaging manner. For example, Do Ink can be used to teach students to structure complex ideas and concepts that may be easier to understand visually, like creating a report on the characteristics of particular weather systems, climates and what they look like. This versatile ICT tool has a range of tools to stimulate and engage students, enabling them to create their own informative and original films. Do Ink is a learning tool and a teaching tool, as students organise and scaffold the knowledge they have gained through research, then inform their peers. Using Do Ink enhances student understanding and appreciation of learning tools that can be referred to in the future.
Google Documents
Google Documents is a type of ICT tool that enables students to create notes, typing letters, scripts or reports that can be shared. This tool allows for documents to be saved online, enabling its use on any device and has a range of editing options. Different backgrounds and images can be resourced from google documents or uploaded from personal files. Google Documents is an efficient way for students to collate a set of ideas and make them more interesting. This tool is straight forward and easy to navigate especially with the option of using the voice-to-text, for those with a microphone on their device. It is also versatile when it comes to downloading or opening documents, this tool offers the ability to open a document in several different formats including Word and PDF, making it available for everyone. This tool has a lot of potential to engage students collaboratively and individually.
Google Images
This is a great tool that students can use to find images that they can then use in their brainstorms, creations of flyers or even in the reports that they create. When using this tool though we need to ensure that students select the labelled for reuse option so that they are only using copyright free images. This tool allows students to find extra images that other copyright free websites such as Britannica Image Quest might not provide. The use of images definitely enhances student work.
Kahoot
Kahoot is an online quiz that can be used to assess student understanding of a topic. It is an engaging resource and creates a fun learning environment for children. Although kahoot is not a main learning tool, it can be used to complement the web quest as a motivation or conclusion activity. It could even be used during the middle of lesson to re-engage students if they seem to be going off task.
MapMaker
Mapmaker is an interactive map maker created by the National Geographic, available for use on computers and tablet devices. It is a detailed map of the world, that can have many interactive components and adjustments including base maps, layers and data. It is a great tool to use educationally in the classroom as it allows the teacher to really get across what they are trying to teach as the interactive site allows you to adjust anything to suit your needs. We have chosen to use MapMaker Interactive as it is just not a great teaching tool, but a great learning tool for students in relation to geography. It can get students familiar with the world map, and many other geographical terms and concepts.
Padlet
Padlet is essentially an online cork board or bulletin board where ideas, projects and comments can be posted and found in the one place. We have chosen to create a classroom Padlet for the year threes, so that all the work they complete during the web quest can be posted in the one spot. This allows the teacher to see how his/her students are handling the activities and keeps them up to date with where all the students are at.
Popplet
Popplet is a fantastic tool that can be easily downloaded from the application store and used on an iPad. We have selected to use Popplet for the research and investigation lesson on climates, as it allows students to think and learn visually with its straight forward and colourful layout. With its simple nature, students can easily enhance their Popplet by adding in links or images to connect & complement their ideas and information. We will use Popplet as it is a fun and easy tool to use, offering an innovative alternative to the traditional brainstorm (making it much easier to be saved and added to the classroom Padlet).
Storyboard That
Storyboard That is an online tool that allows students to create a storyboard as a sequence of events. It is an innovative tool which is easily used by dragging and dropping clip art, creating a unique picture. There are endless options of characters, scenes, accessories and many more which leads to increased creativity and individuality. We have chosen to use storyboard that as it is a succinct way to represent different climate types in a creative manner. The storyboard is used to support student learning in the manner of representing climate and particular weather conditions, and how an individual should respond to this type of climate (e.g. what will they be wearing, what will they be doing).
Videos
ICT resources, videos in particular, are used as an educational aid to help students engage and participate. It uses auditory and visual cues to capture student attention. Pow Toon and YouTube are both free resources that can aid in student learning by presenting information in different ways, rather than just text. We have chosen to incorporate and videos in our web quest as it is engaging to portray information to students which can often lead to greater understanding.
Answer Garden
This ICT tool allows students to post an answer of between 20 or 40 characters in response to a question. All the answers pop up onto the one screen and create a visual of the most common responses. This is a great tool for gauging what information is staying with students and for pulling out key ideas about a topic.
Britannica Image Quest
This is a website that offers an extensive range of copyright free images. Students can use this site to search for images that they can use in their own work. It is a great resource and ICT tool, as it teaches students the importance of using copyright free photos. It also allows them to add to the work they are completing and visualise what they are learning about.
Bubbl.us
This ICT tool allows students to brainstorm and breakdown ideas in a personalised and organised formatting. It can be arranged in terms of colour and positioning, providing students with clear and easy ways to organise their ideas or information. Bubbl.us is an easy tool to gain access to, with no login required. This tool allows for multiple editors, encouraging collaborative work amongst students. Bubbl.us can be used in the classroom to brainstorm ideas for assignments, delegate tasks and as a basic outline for a multitude of objectives. It allows students to review their ideas and improve them throughout cross-curriculum studies, as the brainstorm is editable. This resourceful learning tool is a great foundation for students to collaboratively express and elaborate ideas through a visual layout.
Do Ink
Do ink is an intricate yet simple ICT tool, it is a well-structured layout that is easy to navigate enabling students to create movies and animations out of pre-existing videos, photos or creating ones themselves. The learning tool involves timelines for short films, making it appropriate for students to present projects and information in an engaging way. Do ink allows one to add in voice overs, special effects and can be saved for free and shared. This tool can be used in the classroom to introduce, present and consolidate ideas in an engaging manner. For example, Do Ink can be used to teach students to structure complex ideas and concepts that may be easier to understand visually, like creating a report on the characteristics of particular weather systems, climates and what they look like. This versatile ICT tool has a range of tools to stimulate and engage students, enabling them to create their own informative and original films. Do Ink is a learning tool and a teaching tool, as students organise and scaffold the knowledge they have gained through research, then inform their peers. Using Do Ink enhances student understanding and appreciation of learning tools that can be referred to in the future.
Google Documents
Google Documents is a type of ICT tool that enables students to create notes, typing letters, scripts or reports that can be shared. This tool allows for documents to be saved online, enabling its use on any device and has a range of editing options. Different backgrounds and images can be resourced from google documents or uploaded from personal files. Google Documents is an efficient way for students to collate a set of ideas and make them more interesting. This tool is straight forward and easy to navigate especially with the option of using the voice-to-text, for those with a microphone on their device. It is also versatile when it comes to downloading or opening documents, this tool offers the ability to open a document in several different formats including Word and PDF, making it available for everyone. This tool has a lot of potential to engage students collaboratively and individually.
Google Images
This is a great tool that students can use to find images that they can then use in their brainstorms, creations of flyers or even in the reports that they create. When using this tool though we need to ensure that students select the labelled for reuse option so that they are only using copyright free images. This tool allows students to find extra images that other copyright free websites such as Britannica Image Quest might not provide. The use of images definitely enhances student work.
Kahoot
Kahoot is an online quiz that can be used to assess student understanding of a topic. It is an engaging resource and creates a fun learning environment for children. Although kahoot is not a main learning tool, it can be used to complement the web quest as a motivation or conclusion activity. It could even be used during the middle of lesson to re-engage students if they seem to be going off task.
MapMaker
Mapmaker is an interactive map maker created by the National Geographic, available for use on computers and tablet devices. It is a detailed map of the world, that can have many interactive components and adjustments including base maps, layers and data. It is a great tool to use educationally in the classroom as it allows the teacher to really get across what they are trying to teach as the interactive site allows you to adjust anything to suit your needs. We have chosen to use MapMaker Interactive as it is just not a great teaching tool, but a great learning tool for students in relation to geography. It can get students familiar with the world map, and many other geographical terms and concepts.
Padlet
Padlet is essentially an online cork board or bulletin board where ideas, projects and comments can be posted and found in the one place. We have chosen to create a classroom Padlet for the year threes, so that all the work they complete during the web quest can be posted in the one spot. This allows the teacher to see how his/her students are handling the activities and keeps them up to date with where all the students are at.
Popplet
Popplet is a fantastic tool that can be easily downloaded from the application store and used on an iPad. We have selected to use Popplet for the research and investigation lesson on climates, as it allows students to think and learn visually with its straight forward and colourful layout. With its simple nature, students can easily enhance their Popplet by adding in links or images to connect & complement their ideas and information. We will use Popplet as it is a fun and easy tool to use, offering an innovative alternative to the traditional brainstorm (making it much easier to be saved and added to the classroom Padlet).
Storyboard That
Storyboard That is an online tool that allows students to create a storyboard as a sequence of events. It is an innovative tool which is easily used by dragging and dropping clip art, creating a unique picture. There are endless options of characters, scenes, accessories and many more which leads to increased creativity and individuality. We have chosen to use storyboard that as it is a succinct way to represent different climate types in a creative manner. The storyboard is used to support student learning in the manner of representing climate and particular weather conditions, and how an individual should respond to this type of climate (e.g. what will they be wearing, what will they be doing).
Videos
ICT resources, videos in particular, are used as an educational aid to help students engage and participate. It uses auditory and visual cues to capture student attention. Pow Toon and YouTube are both free resources that can aid in student learning by presenting information in different ways, rather than just text. We have chosen to incorporate and videos in our web quest as it is engaging to portray information to students which can often lead to greater understanding.