Technology in the Classroom

There is currently a push for teachers to use more technology in their classrooms.  I have struggled with this in the past.  However, I have found so many resources on the internet that could be used in the classroom to help integrate technology into the curriculum.  In this blog we are going to take a look at some things that you may find helpful.

Animoto is a great website to use to create all sorts of slideshows.   Many teachers only think about slideshows at the end of the year.  Here is an example of an educational slideshow I created: 




Voki is a website where you can create a character that will say anything that you want it to say.  You can use your own voice or a computerized voice.  Once you have created your character you can then embed it into a website, blog, or any other interactive activity you create.  There is an example of a Voki on the right hand side of this blog page.

Wordle would be fun for kids.  This website creates word clouds out of whatever words you type into it.  This would be a great activity to do at the beginning of the year.  Let kids type in words that tell about them and then click on create and you have a wordle.  See my example below:

If you are fortunate enough to have a smartboard or active board in your classroom then integrating technology becomes easier.  A smartboard was installed in my classroom recently.  I was so excited because I quickly realized that there is a website called smart exchange which contains ready made lessons for the smart board.  All you do is search by grade level and or topic and you will find a plethera of activities to use for your smartboard.  Another thing to keep in mind if you have a smartboard is that any of the websites that have educational games can become a whole class interactive activity vs. one child sitting at the computer playing a game alone.

The following are some educational game websites you will want to explore:

I hope that this information is helpful to those of you who have been a little nervous about technology and how to use it with students.  There are so many great educational resources on the internet, so don't limit yourself to the ones I have highlighted here.  Go out and explore all the educational opportunities that can be found on the internet.