mmd+web2+tool+review

[|Xtranormal.com] Xtranormal is a cartoon website that can be used for all ages because it's simple to use. At the same time, older students can add interesting content to make the movie more appropriate for their content areas. However, I think younger children may find it confusing to have to spell phonetically to get the words to sound like read words. I would use this in my classroom for a variety of reasons. One main way of how I could use this is through social studies and current events. Students could have two cartoon figures discuss a current event or even historical event. I think this could be useful and fun for students and keep them engaged while mastering the topic we are studying

[|Jeopardylabs.com] Jeopardy has always been a classroom favorite in my classrooms growing up. Kids and young adults love to be competitive against their classmates. So much content area can be incorporated into the game and I think this would be a great way to study for a quiz or test. I would use this in my classroom for review days. Plus, for the teacher's side, the game is so easy to set up.

[|Classtools.net] One game from this website that I like is the Burger Diagram. I think middle school would be perfect for this. High schoolers seem a little old for this but I may be underestimating them! I would use this on a day where we are taking notes and use the Burger Diagram as a summary of the notes. I could hand it out to the students and they could fill it in with a friend and compare with the class why they put what they did as important layers in their burgers. It seems like a decently fun way to take notes.

[|Toondoo.com] I don't know why but this is my favorite. There is a lot of fun variety to chose from and I think this can really engage students' creative side. I think middle and high school students would both like to use this because it's fun. I would use this for kids to make history cartoons on events that happened in history. I would give a choice of people or events to chose from and then the students could make a comic about theri topic. I think with the variety of aspects for these comics, kids could get really creative while reviewing content.

[|4teachers.org] This website is extreamly helpful. I especially liked the rubric link. We had to make rubrics in one of our last classes and it was a nightmare to figure out proper wording and requirements. I found the rubrics to be very helpful because they have strong language, I can change whatever I want to fit my needs, and it's quick. I would use these for kids in middle and high school for projects and presentations. I think this is a great tool because it takes a lot of the work out of designing a rubric, yet I could change anything I think needs revisions.

[|It's no laughing matter] I would use this website for both my students and myself. I think political cartoons are interesting but I don't always understand them. I have a feeling a lot of my students will be on the same page. We can work together to figure out political cartoons. I would use this for both middle and high school. I think this could be an interesting way for students to express and interpret current events.

[|PowerPoint] I would use this for my own personal use in the classroom. I made it 27 years of my life without making a powerpoint until this past Spring 2010. I think basic tips like these would help me know the fundamentals of PowerPoint and help me be more comfortable with the tool. I would make PowerPoints for most grade levels and this might even help my students if they ever need to make a presentation.

[|Zoomerang.com] This website offers a student satisfaction survey. I think this is improtant because then I know what is working in the classroom and what I need to change. I would use this for middle and high school students to give their feedback on things they enjoyed or didn't enjoy in my classroom. I think it will be helpful for me to know where my students are at and what they are needing extra guidance for. I could use this quarterly (?) or more to see what level of satisfaction my students are at and what needs to stay or be changed.

[|The Authentic History Center] This page is helpful because it has all the dates listed out. If a student knows the time period, he or she can search right on the side of the webpage and go from there. It is super easy to use and kids of middle and high school could use it for basic information. I would suggest for students to use this when doing a research activity or project because there are primary sourses from historical events. I would use this as a teacher to brush up on my knowledge, which can always grow.

[|Quizstar] I was thinking that quizstar would be a great feature to have. I wouldn't know because it was a pain in the butt to get past the initial registration. Sign up, not reading my password, and having to retrive an orientation email to even get into the site made this experience a little less than desirable to me. I will have to try it again in the future but right now, there seems to be other websites that I can use for assessment that don't require all the round-about ways to use the website. I am confident that this website is helpful considering Wendy has it on her tools page, but for me right now, it doesn't seem user-friendly.