Journal 8

Recently in class we have been working with a website called Diigo. At first, I did not see the benefits of using this website, but the more we have been using it in class the more I have seen the value of the website. It makes it easy for a class to share information with each other and annotate what they think is important from that specific website. This can be beneficial in the classroom because the teacher can check the websites students are citing for authenticity of plagiarism. It also allows teachers to share supplemental reading easier because they can highlight the key aspects, which would make students more likely to read it. I also think it would be helpful for a group of teachers in the same subject to share websites of ideas for lessons easily.
Powerpoint could be a good tool in helping students learn at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Say for example students are learning about Shakespeare. At the base level knowledge, the teacher could make a PowerPoint to give basic knowledge on Shakespeare for students to build off of. At the comprehension level, PowerPoint students can review the content if they forget and use it to make flash cards to help them remember the information on the slides that are already condensed to the key points. After students have learned this information, the application level can be fulfilled by students making their own PowerPoint to explain something about Shakespeare that the teacher didn't go over. The analysis level can be met by students analyzing each other's PowerPoint.  For the synthesis level, students can use PowerPoint by combining their teams' information together to make one large PowerPoint on Shakespeare. At the end, the students can Evaluate their overall learning process on PowerPoint and decide how they can improve next time.
It is important for teachers to stay up to date with the latest technology in the classroom. If teachers are not competent with the technology they are using then the students are less likely to be engaged in the lesson, even if technology is being used. Due to this, professional development is key and teachers must stay up to date with the latest technology being used in the classroom. Through my PLN on Twitter I found an online magazine called EdTech. This website is great for keeping teachers up to date with everything technology related to grades K-12. If I was a teacher this would be the website I would rely on the most to stay up with all the technology and regulations coming out concerning education.

Screenshot of the homepage of EdTech website.

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