Technology Assessment 2

Assessment of 8 technology tools:

          Moodle                      Prezi

      Google Apps                  Wix
          Firefox                    Blogger
            Jing                     Livebinder 

The rating scale is as follows:

Poor:  The tool is not effective and not easy to learn.

Fair:  The tool is somewhat effective and easy to learn.

Excellent:  The tool is very effective and user-friendly.

Moodle is a free web source that enables teachers and students to productively interact online.  All class information can be displayed on Moodle.  It allows educators to post lessons in advance and students to upload assignments in a timely manner.  It is also useful for online courses which are convenient for both educators and students.  Initially, it is a bit intimidating but the more you explore, the easier it gets.

   Rating: EXCELLENT

The most common and popular search engine.  The apps offered are user-friendly and handy, especially for students.  I found Google documents to be most valuable for school assignments.  It was a great way to interact with my group members to complete projects if we were unable to meet face-to-face. 

        

 Rating: EXCELLENT

 

I have always been loyal to Internet Explorer, but when I was introduced to Firefox, I found this web browser to be faster and more secure.  It is simple to navigate and easy enough to understand. 

Rating: EXCELLENT

 

   

Because I own a PC, I do not have the luxury of capturing images or videos on my screen like a Mac.  But since I was introduced to Jing, I automatically fell in love with this tool.  Jing is a great way to share images and videos to friends, family, classmates and colleagues.  Best of all, it is free, easy and quick to download.  You also have the option to upgrade to better features for a low annual fee.  

Rating: EXCELLENT

 

Wix is a website creator that is

simple enough to use.  I found this website creator

more user-friendly than others.  Uploading images

and videos were hassle-free and programming skills

were unnecessary.  My group and I used Wix for

our digital safety project and I think it turned out

better than what we had hoped for.

Rating: FAIR

Goodbye Powerpoint, Hello Prezi!  This online presentation tool makes creating presentations fun and exciting.  I found it entertaining for the audience and enjoyable for the presenter.  Prezi quickly uploads videos and images so there is no time wasted, zooms into and highlights important details and engages the audience to pay closer attention to the presentation at hand.

Rating: EXCELLENT

I never imagined I would be one of those people to create a BLOG online.  But since it was a requirement for class, I had to do it.  Surprisingly, using my blog to upload written assignments to share with my professor and classmates is actually a smart and effective way to communicate.  All that is required is a gmail account and you can start blogging.  Most importantly, it is free and paperless.  The site is easy to navigate and the tools are pretty straightforward. 

Rating: FAIR






Livebinder is a handy tool for teachers,

parents and students.  It is a 3-ring binder

that is located on the web.  This tool allows you to share your binder full of useful information to anyone and everyone.  This tool helps keep you organized and neat.  Say goodbye to messy papers and a stack full

of heavy binders that you once carried around with you.

Rating: FAIR



Digital Safety Group Work

This digital safety assignment was the most useful and informative lesson I received in class.  I learned essential information on Phishing and Pharming, Textual Harassment and Sexting, Cyberbullying, Fair User Practices and Copyright Issues, and Digital Safety and Privacy.

 

According to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, “Internet safety or online safety is the security of people and their information when using the Internet. Numerous groups, Internet sites and governments have expressed concerns over the safety of children using the Internet.”  He shares main issues concerning digital safety and provides tools on protection from becoming an online victim.  This assignment made me more aware of the dangers behind a computer and being safe should be a top priority to all Internet users.

I appreciated that instead of a class lecture, this assignment was student-centered and gave us the opportunity to learn while researching our group topics.  Allowing students to “teach” each other gives us the chance to learn effectively in a more fun and interesting environment.  My partner Chloe and I presented on the topic of Textual Harassment and Sexting.  As I conducted my research, I discovered valuable information that not only I could benefit from, but will definitely benefit my future students.  I learned it is important to be tech savvy in order to be safe while on the Internet. 

Designing a lesson for a digital safety activity for my future students would require further knowledge on all five topics.  As an educator, I would have to gather useful information to share with my students and briefly illustrate why these topics are important not only for educational purposes, but basically for life in general.  The lesson would include a group project to create a video/mini-movie on one of the topics that demonstrates valuable information that their fellow classmates could learn from.  Each student would then be required to write individual essays to reflect what they learned on their assigned digital safety topic and include what they contributed to the project. 

Although the Wiggio tool is an efficient and useful online tool, I feel that it is also necessary for students to meet face-to-face when working on group assignments.  I feel that there are some disadvantages to assigning group projects.  According to the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL), “It is difficult to accurately evaluate the contribution of individual students within group work. Valid and fair assessment of individual competence in the group setting is difficult.”  There can be a handful of students who do not contribute to group work/projects, so I would suggest including a short essay or response paper to what each student had contributed to the assignment.  Furthermore, with this group assessment paper, the teacher can give a fair and valid grade to each student.  Although there are some disadvantages to group work, I think the benefit does outweigh the disadvantages and educators simply need to be more diligent about it.  

References

Wale, Jimmy. (2011, October 20). Internet Safety. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_safety

Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. (2009). Group Assessment. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from http://ar.cetl.hku.hk/group.htm#3