Week 7 - Top 10 Tools I cannot Live without

Week 7—After going through this course and learning about different technology tools, please write a post entitled the Top 10 Tech Tools I Can’t Live Without.

 1.     iPhone: I have finally gotten an iphone. I was hesitant at first but have found it to be so helpful in many instances. I have used it to send information to co-workers, check for a phone number, look up an address, use apps for discount coupons, text messaging, and check emails. I can also check in with students when necessary, take and send pictures of ideas to students and I am able to talk to my grand-children using facetime. I love being able to see their faces as we talk.

2.    Desktop computer and Laptop: I have used both of these almost every day. I have installed a “dropbox” so that I can retrieve work I may have started on one and pull it up to continue working from my laptop when away from home. I have spent many hours searching for classroom ideas on both computers and have stored many new ideas for my next years’ classes to work on this summer. I really enjoy the speed in which I can locate information on almost anything I am looking for.
 
3.    Blog: Now that I have my blog, I have looked for others. I have found a wealth of information and am able to share these ideas with other teachers and found the information shared by others to be very helpful.
 
4.    Twitter: With my new Twitter account, I am able to keep up with others in education and stay up on new ideas to use in the classroom. I use twitter to communicate with other teachers in my field as well as other technology teachers who share their tips.

5.    Wiki:  This is my first experience with a Wiki. After the first one I had several ideas of how I would use it in my classes. Students will enjoy using this tool as well. It is engaging, creative and motivating.
 
6.    Glogster: This technology tool was such a surprise to me. I have made 3 more and know that my students next year will enjoy a new updated way of presenting material to them.

7.    Prezi- I had not heard of this before and will definitely use it more. It was fun even for me to work through the information presented in a fun and engaging way.

8.    Youtube: I have found many sewing skill videos to use in my classroom through searches on Youtube. Having links to these for my students allows them to view the skill on their own time, replay it if needed r pause to work on the skill themselves. It is amazing how much is available for viewing and new videos are being submitted every day it seems. I have found many on the same topic and can choose the one that is most appropriate for the skill I am teaching.

9.    Tutorials: ClassicI have been seeing these made by others for several years and always found them to be easy to follow with detailed photos and text. For my sewing construction lessons, this can be sent to my students ahead of time for review and they will be exposed to the skill we are learning in class before they actually do it themselves.

10. PowerPoint: I would not really put this one last, it should be further up this list. I have developed a number of PowerPoints since I first learned to make them. I can make them short of long and have exactly the information need for my classroom. The images are large and clear. The text is simplified to get the point across in a condensed form easier for retention.