Week 13 - Application Reviews

Google Docs

Google Docs is a free web-based office suite offered by Google.  It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users.  Because we already have a plethora of documents already created and saved in other places, we are also able to upload pre-existing documents to Google Docs for future use.  It is especially useful when collaborating with other people for one project.  You can create a document and then invite those who you want to be able to view and edit your document.  Multiple people can view and edit the same document at one time.   You can see who revised the document, how they revised the document, and when they revised the document.  With Google Docs there is nothing to download.  Everything is stored online, saving storage on your personal computer.  Not only can you utilize Word, you also have access to Excel and PowerPoint.  Just as you would on your computer, you have the capability of file management by a folder system.  Once your document is completed, you may publish it to be a web page by just one click; you can publish it to the world or just to who you want to give access; or you can post it to your blog.  I would definitely recommend this application as your documents are secure and easily accessible.  (That is unless someone hacks Google Docs and destroys everything ;)

PicMonkey

PicMonkey is free and there is no registration required.  This would make it easier to use in a classroom setting.  Users can create photo collages to capture their thoughts in images instead of text.  Some interesting suggestions are to use PicMonkey for the following projects: summarize a unit of study, retell a story or novel, illustrate vocabulary and definitions, showcase student work, define mood or tone of a book or a piece of music, create an advertisement, create a persuasive poster, etc.  All a student needs is their computer and pictures already downloaded to their computer.  This sounds to be a very useful product to integrate into assignments.  I plan on doing this in the last few weeks of school and have my students create a collage summarizing what they learned throughout the entire trimester (perhaps one picture for each unit covered). 

Week 12 - Website

Finance Website

I decided to create a Finance website because of all the possibilities.  I wish I had endless amounts of time to truly create it to the best of my ability, but unfortunately, time is not on my side these days.  However, I will be forever grateful that my professor assigned this for me to struggle and learn how to create a website.  I believe that when you struggle through something, you are able to learn and retain more knowledge because of the struggle. 

To start, I included a quote from Dave Ramsey and would continue to update that on either a daily or weekly basis.  I am a huge fan of his and believe in many of his principles.  He also is a very funny man and his blog is full of great information.  I, next, included a spot for a "Student of the Week" (my girls are there right now because I didn't want to use a student's picture without their parents' permission.  However, I believe it is extremely important to encourage and recognize students for their work, attitude, effort, etc.  I also added a "Homework" spot because I know how important it is for students to quickly be able to see what is most important to them.  In that same section, I put in an "Announcements" section for anything of great importance and to them, spring break is very important!

The gadget I decided to include on the home page was a "Top Stories" gadget because I believe it is important to stay current on all news, financial or otherwise.  It helps a student to be more well-rounded and generally knowledgeable on a variety of topics. 

On the left of my home page, you can click on a "Syllabus" link which leads you to what a dual enrollment class is all about.  It also includes an attachment of their actual syllabus and what they can expect for each and every day of the trimester.  I put another picture of my daughter here with her little Superwoman costume on in order to add a little fun and humor to the topic but also to convey that you can be "super" with your finances and live life freely without debt.

On this page I also included a calendar gadget as it pertains to their syllabus schedule.  I thought that they might want to check their days to an actual calendar. 

Concept Mapping

I have used and will continue to use concept mapping in my Career class. I used bubbl.us, had my students create their own account and assigned them to create a concept map including the following information: 1. The middle circle is titled "Career Interest Areas" 2. The middle circle of bubbles should include all of the 12 career interest areas. 3. In addition to what you see here, my students went even further and added 5 different types of jobs to each of the career interest areas. In the end, their concept map was enormous but they were very engaged and learning. Some students will take the time to change the colors of the bubbles and do extra formatting.

Jing for Uploading Picture Demonstration

I use Jing in order to demonstrate to my Yearbook students how to upload a picture they've saved to their desktop to our Pictavo website. Pictavo is the website we use to create our yearbook. Students are required to upload a total of approximately 12-10 pictures per week depending on how many pages they have been assigned to. I demonstrate in class how to upload but many times the students will forget and need to be refreshed on how to do it when the time actually comes.