global tools – Never Grow Up

Using EdPuzzle in the Classroom

I wanted to use this particular free write entry to talk more about the website EdPuzzle. I genuinely enjoy the setup of EdPuzzle. I love the fact that this site allows students to watch a video jam-packed with info and teachers can strategically place questions or comments throughout the video. Having these question embedded throughout the videos help students reflect on all the information being thrown at them. Also, I think it is a very smart way to ensure that your students are actually watching the videos and retaining the given information. It would be very easy for students to play the video and walk away, or play the video and keep it on mute but still get credit for watching it. Putting Colorful puzzle pieces coming together these embedded questions not only grabs the attention of your class but keeps/holds their attention. I know when I am watching the EdPuzzle I take notes on what I find to be very important and nine times out of ten, the question will relate to what I have written down. However, sometimes I may miss the information stated in the question but luckily there is a “rewatch” button which I find extremely helpful.

Subsequently, I think it is great that the teacher can chose not to put any questions in the video, but can make side comments that are often really helpful and reflective. When watching the videos it is nice to pause and read a helpful fact from your personally professor. Often times, our professor will give us a heads up that the video contains older information, but that it is still very useful. Other times, our teacher will tell us to reflect back on our reading and remember how the video relates to what we are currently learning about in the class.

I have said this multiple times throughout my blog posts in this class, but I will most definitely be using this website and the majority of the websites and apps we use in this course. I find all of them very relevant, helpful, and fun. I am excited to integrate websites such as EdPuzzle in my future classroom. Personally, I believe this website is very creative as well as innovative. This will certainly make reviewing and learning easier for my future students. I wish that there was a website like EdPuzzle when I was younger because I think it would have been extremely helpful. I am grateful to have used and learned about all the new (to me) application and sites because I know feel like I have the upper hand in regards to future teachers who were unable to take a course such as Web Tools.

What HASN’T Gen2108 taught me? That’s the real question..

I feel as though, as a class, we can all agree how much we have learned from taking this course. I have be introduced to ideas that never once crossed my mind. I will be honest, before taking this class, I truly question my ability to become a teacher. I never knew if I would be good at it. With the work that we do in the class, my opinion has completely changed. Each and every weekly activity we participate in, has truly helped me feel more confident as a future educator. Making presentation and lesson plans allowed me to prove to myself that I can do this! Focusing on presentations for the moment, I wanted

to mention how before this class I though PowerPoint’s were my only option. I have now learned that there are so many different directions I can go in regards to making a presentations. I can make a presentations with a voice over, I can use google slides, I can use Prezi(https://prezi.com/), Emaze(https://app.emaze.com/mypresentations), Popplet(http://popplet.com/), etc. I am positive that when I become a teacher, I will be using all of these different platforms. I learned that I can turn social media into a educational place. I love using twitter to connect with educators across the globe, and I think beyond this class I will continue to use my twitter as such.

Also, I really love our textbook because it allows us to connect with educators via their twitters or blogs. Most chapter use quotes from these individuals and then

leave their twitter handles at the end, so that we can easily follow them and connect with them. I like how our textbook uses real-life personalities rather than people that are less obtainable, meaning we would not be able to actually

par-take in discussions with them. I can easily find these people on twitter and messaged them or reply to one of their posts and 9 times out of 10 I will get an encouraging and friendly response.

Subsequently, I learned about websites like EDPuzzle, Edmodo, and Diigo. I really enjoy these websites and I think they work really well in the classroom setting. It is interesting to see us as college students using them, and then see that children much younger than us are engaged in these sites, and even adults older than us are using them as well. I find all of the sites a lot of fun to use and I know I will be using them in the future as well.

How to Inspire Your Students

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A topic that truly sticks out to me, is the idea of inspiring students. I find it hard to feel inspired, especially in the educational setting. School nowadays is very one-toned. Everything is the same. Everything is very uniform. You show up to class and repeat a daily routine. What about this routine is inspiring? As a student, wouldn’t you be more inspired and excited to learn if you were doing something different every day? I think teachers need to realize there is no perfect way to teach. Each person is unique, and as a teacher you need to use your uniqueness to bring out the best qualities in your students. As educators, our goal is to inspire students to be the best versions of themselves. Our goal is to inspire them to reach their own goals! In the textbook “The Global Educator,” Diane (a U.S teacher) says that she aims to “inspire (her) students to change the world or to at least make a positive different” (pg. 63). Another idea to think about, is the fact that maybe the teacher is uninspired, thus causing a spiraling effect. We, as teachers, must have passion for our jobs. Children can tell when a teacher is uninterested in his or hers students educations. I’ve had plenty of teachers who could care less if their students passed or failed. In order to inspire, you must be inspired.

I found the following article extremely thought-provoking: http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/what-are-you-going-to-do-to-inspire-students/. This article creates a conversation. Whose fault is it when there is a lack of inspiration in the classroom? The teachers or the students. Honestly, it is both parties fault. I love how real this article is when discussing how hard it is to be an educator. Nothing is sugar coated. You will have hard days, and their will be times when all your effort goes unnoticed. Also, this article leaves the reader with some important questions. Where does one find inspiration? How does one stay inspired? Finally, how are you going to inspire your students?