Internet Tools

💻My Choices for Internet Tools💻

There are many tools, applications, and resources available on the world-wide web. You can find anything and everything with Google or any other web browser. You simply type in a few keywords or topic and click enter. A plethora of hyperlinks appear. But among those list of websites you often need to do further searching, narrowing down to a specific purpose. I have included three of my favorite teacher friendly internet tools to use with your class: Google Classroom, WebQuest, and EdPuzzle. 

- Google Classroom -

Google Classroom is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that is a part of Google Apps for Education. It is suitable for academic institutions only. Google Classroom enable students to access the platform from computers, tablets and smartphones. It is included as a free service for anyone with a personal Google account.

I was not trained to use Google Classroom. I actually was self-taught by during when I taught online for 3^rd grade during the Pandemic. I taught 2 more years and trained others to use Google Classroom at my school. It was my first taste of using a learning management system (LMS). I personally like Google Classroom. It is an all-in-one place for teaching and learning. Beyond the classroom, we use it for training or as a storage of lessons and activities we could reference to team teach. For the most part, it is easy-to-use, you can manage multiple classes and provide enriching lessons with the various tools you can link. I also like that you can personalize the home page, so it is visually appealing and organized. There are many premade banners or headers, tutorials on set-up and how to utilize Google Classroom. One application that you will need is Google Meet. It allows us to connect face-to-face virtually, and work simultaneously in the same document as a whole class. Navigation is easy. You can switch from class to assignment to student easily, view and grade student progress on assignments, rubrics are available and easy to edit, give feedback using the comment bank, and you can prepare and schedule tasks, assignments, and quizzes across multiple classes. It really is so convenient and one of my favorites to use for remote learning and in-person instruction.

- Web Quest -

I only heard and learned about WebQuests during one of my courses in Literacy. Since then I have utilized WebQuests more often. Especially as a supplement to my lessons. The purpose of using WebQuestS is to encourage students to use information rather than gathering it and participate in meaningful classroom discussions. WebQuests supports critical thinking through analyzing, creating, and evaluating. Also, it integrates technology into learning and foster cooperative learning. It differs from traditional teaching methods in that it keeps students interested and involved.

Web Quests [https://webquest.org/search/index.php] can be simply defined as online-based lessons built by teachers for their students. This educational technique is an innovative way for teachers to make students more-enthusiastic about tackling assignments. The same energy students usually devote to finding sources can now be put towards information analysis. All of the research required for a WebQuest is internet-based, with the teacher being the one to provide links to required reading. It’s all at the discretion of the teacher, since he/she is the one providing the prerequisite material needed to successfully complete the course. It allows for teachers to aim towards a specific goal to be met.

There are other websites you can use to look for premade quests, or you can even create your own. Creating a WebQuest can be very simple. As long as you can create a document with hyperlinks, you can create a WebQuest. That means that a WebQuest can be created in Word, Powerpoint, or Excel. If you're going to call it a WebQuest, it must have all the critical attributes. Http://webquest.org/sdsu/templates/lesson-template1.htm is a basic template you can use. Most of the WebQests look quite basic, I personally like larger fonts, and images and videos. But importantly the content needs to be fun, educational, and interactive. A WebQuest has five to six essential parts: introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation, and conclusion (resources section is optional). Majority of WebQuests come in the form of group work, but can still be done individually depending on how the quest was intended. WebQuests can be problem-centered or case-based learning activities that provide teachers with the opportunity to integrate Internet technology into the course curriculum by allowing students to experience learning as they construct their knowledge.

- EdPuzzle -

        Not a lot of people know about or utilize this program. It is called EdPuzzle [https://edpuzzle.com/]. I actually attended a professional development training during the pandemic to learn about this tool. EdPuzzle is a web-based eLearning application that allows users to select a video and customize it by editing, cropping, recording their own audio, and adding quiz questions directly to the video stream. Unlike a traditional video editor, this is more about getting clips into a format that allows teachers to engage directly with students on a subject. It offers lots of controls that allow for the use of video even in more strict school scenarios, allows for instructors to track, monitor, and grade students engagement with the videos created. https://youtu.be/59UgkCcyJlA is a sample of a premade video.  

EdPuzzle is 100% free for teachers and students. It is a modern platform that's engaging for students but is also very easy to use for teachers. The teacher creates a video lesson and assigns it to the class. Students watch the video and answer the questions that pops up during the video. Multiple-choice questions are graded as you answer them and open-ended questions are graded later by the teacher. You can also find curriculum-specific content made by other teachers. I personally tried this tool and it is so great because you can use premade YouTube, TED, Vimeo, and Khan Academy videos, pause it and insert discussion sections, or questions for students to answer, then it will continue to play. You can voice record, and prevent students from skipping through the video. These features are what makes using EdPuzzle unique and is an application worth trying out to enhance your lessons or assign as independent work.  

 

 

I chose these three internet tools because I was a bit familiar with them but have not been able to share about how great they are. The latter two, especially, I found unique and interesting. I have been more intentional in including them to enhance my instruction in class. It’s great to use for all subjects, and allows the activity to be classroom centered, with students being able to complete the tasks independently with less teacher involvement. It allows us to use resources from fellow teacher creators, and cuts prep time. It addresses the needs of all learners, and is engaging and readily available. Web-based programs are a valuable tool in today’s generation of learners.