Although I do not personally have a Twitter account, I find that many people do. It is a form of communication between peers. More importantly though, it can be used to pass information from organizations and universities to people in need of such knowledge. I have not had experience with using Twitter, but there are many opportunities for teachers to use this site to maximize the use of technology in the classroom. For example, a teacher could set up a feed that is specifically dedicated to due dates, quizzes, tests, and upcoming projects. Doing this would ensure that students, and parents as well, learn to use Twitter and be able to check out what will be going on in class. Twitter can also be used to help actually teach about forms of communication, and how quickly information spreads in today's society.
Personally, I find Edmodo to be an extremely useful resource for educators. It is an type of online forum where any group of people is allowed to communicate about different topics. I have had two classes that used Edmodo. My teachers would post anything from assignments to turn in to comments or concerns they had to what we did in class that day. Edmodo is easily accessed by anyone in the group, but at the same teaches students how to submit online assignments on time and allows them to develop the skill of checking daily for updates.
Jing was hard for me to learn how to use. It is a handy tool that allows a person to capture a picture or video to use in a presentation or lesson. After downloading the program, all you have to do is select what you want to take, whether it's a picture or video, and "jing" it. It is then saved and you are able to embed a picture or video into whatever presentation you have laid out. Capturing videos was hard for me to understand, but once I got the hang of it I realized how useful it could be. Sometimes just showing students pictures is not as interactive as a teacher would want it to be. But using a video engages students more, and knowing how to insert a video clip into a presentation is more time efficient than having to pull up the internet, type in the video, and wait for it to load.
Wordle is a neat tool to use in the classroom, but I didn't recognize this until I did some research on it. In class, we made a Wordle with things about us. But in a classroom, it can be used for different things. Summarizing a story, for example, could be one such use. Sometimes people are left confused after reading an article or short story, so having a Wordle with key points to remind everyone is always helpful.Overall, technology is becoming more prominent in the classroom environment. It is important that teachers know what resources are out there and how to use them. Without knowing what tools there are, teachers can not only restrict themselves, but also their students.
