Classroom Managment Systems

Moodle is a free set of online tools for teachers and administrators. The tools for teachers range from lesson plans and grade books to chat tools and blogs. One benefit of moodle over other tools is that moodle does not cost anything the only obstacle for teachers is that the administrator has to set up an account for teachers before they can begin to use the site. Moodle is available in a number of different languages and is available for use in countries all over the world. It is also customizable to fit your needs and there are different development partners in countries all over the globe to help you develop and customize you site and tools to best fit your class and needs. There is training available to help you learn to use the software to be the most effective in your classroom.

Blackboard is a company that has been the dominant force in the computer management systems world, and is designed to take courses that traditionally have been face-to-face, and add in an element of the online world. On the flip side, Blackboard also is able to transform online courses into an arena where little to no face-to-face interaction is needed at all. The cost of the regular Blackboard is $4 per student, whereas the enhanced version of Blackboard is a flat fee, not one based off of the amount of students, with that fee being about $10,000, which includes the training of personnel and the feature of online hosting. This cost (both the regular and enhanced versions) is one of the biggest cons of the system, as for smaller schools, the rate per student would differ greatly than a bigger school, who is probably more likely to utilize it extensively. Blackboard will work with schools to tailor its product “from 100 percent virtual, which includes data collection and data analysis, to using technology to help lighten the load and help teachers get back to teaching,” by helping them create, manage, share, and organize course content, said Jessie Woolley-Wilson, the president of Blackboard K-12.

D2L:

Types of features:

· Online dropboxes for professors

· Post excel, word, ppt, adobe projects

· Shows statistics on how student performs on test, instant feedback

· Post discussions

· Post quizzes for students

· Email back and forth between students or professor

· Pager

· Classlists

Pros

Instant feedback for professor and student; Post assignments online; Discussions; Good information; Shows previous classes

Cons

Teachers have issues with posting quizzes and grading them at times; It seems hard for teachers to understand how to set some of the dropboxes up; Some issues with opening course materials

Podcasting

Podcasting is a great tool to use in the classroom, no matter what you are teaching. Whether it is listening to speeches by politicians, major figures in society, or something prerecorded by yourself, or listening to two pundits talk about something pertinent to the material in the class, it is a phenomenal way of presenting a different approach to the teaching. It gives an audio dynamic to learning, which is something that can be beneficial to students with different learning styles. Plus, it can be used by students in ways that they can capture thoughts in the moment through speech, rather than having to write them out. So really, it works both ways for stduents and teachers, and the more entities we have like that, the better off our schools will be.

Social Networking

It seems to me that social networking could be a big issue within the school system, because other than filtering the entire systems out of the network, there is little way of being able manage these systems appropriately in the schools. It can become a distraction, it can be used as a tool to slander people, and it can be used as a means of searching for inappropriate things. There are good uses for social networking, such as being able to keep it contact with people all over the country and world without regard to costs and is great for people once your out of that high school setting. As a teacher, I know that it could be a dangerous thing within the school system, and it's that fear that I think shows that this is something that schools need to take seriously.

Google Docs

I love the calendar aspect of the Google applications, because it's very easy to follow, and very easy to use. The color coding and the ability to break the areas down into half-hours makes it very simple to use and resourceful, because it's easy to access in Google, and for people who don't enjoy using large, normal calendars on a wall or a fridge, this is perfect.

I thought that Picasa was a little too much like Flickr, with the only difference being that one is done through Yahoo, and the other through Google. A lot of similarity in how photos are stored, and how they can be altered, and how you can upload them to a blog. It can be useful, but I think only in the case that you are not a Flick user, otherwise, you really only need one or the other.

Knol, to me, reminds me a lot of a wiki, but in more of a teaching type aspect because I thought the format lent itself more towards students using it for a demonstration presentation, or a teacher doing something similar. Still, I wonder if it has the same issue as wiki's in that it may not be the best resource, albeit still a good one, because of the fact that anyone can put the information on there. I like this aspect of Google applications, but I think I still have the same reservations I had with the wiki's

For iGoogle, I like that you can just compile all of the information you find pertinent to yourself, and put it in one place. It' s very resourceful, and something that is a huge timesaver, which is one of the best thing that you can say about something when it still gies you the same results. It's almost Google's version of the RSS feed, but the big difference is that it proides you with all of the information through Google that you need, which is much more a resource now that I know about all of these other Google applications. This was my favorite of the applications we looked at, and one that can really help me in the future, both in organization, and as a time saver.

Wiki's

I found the wiki concept to be extremely cool. It seems like it can be very useful for gathering a ton of information on a topic in a quick fashion. At the same time, there could possibly be repetitive information on the wiki, and you run the risk of overflowing the reader with too much, making it harder to understand, when the whole idea of a wiki is to make this information easier for people to find and use. So what fascinates me is how it can be such a great tool to use, and yet have so many pitfalls.

I think this is also what leads teachers to not like Wikipedia as a resource, because there is no sure way of verifying some of the information on the site. Unless there is a direct link to another source, any of the information put on the site could be completely fabricated, and it happens all the time because, again, the term wiki refers to the fact that anyone is able to add content to the topic.

So while the idea of collaboration and pooling the information that people have at their disposal seems great, I feel like I can't blame the teachers for taking the stance they have, on either side of the fence. Personally, I think if you can directly link to another source with the information put on a wiki, then just use that as your source. But if there isn't a direct link, I can't say that I trust the information. It's almost like rumors, because once the information is out there, it's hard to make it go away, een if it's wrong, unless you can directly prove otherwise, or show that there is indisputable evidence that the information is true, not just circumstancial evidence.

Google Docs

It seems like there isn't much of a difference between the two applications, Google Docs and Microsoft Office. Both are easy to navigate, and both are very useful in creating the documents that you need for class. Obviously, using Google Docs can be an advantage for people who don't want to have to pay for Microsoft Office, but I like the versatility of Microsoft Office as well, and if you have the ability to get it, then I would probably prefer Microsoft Office, if only because of the comfort level I have with it.

Comfort level is huge in this case, because if you don't have that familiarity or trust in the program, then it can be difficult and imposing to use. As a golfer, I know that there is much better equipment out on the market that I can use, but I feel comfortable with the clubs I have now, because I'm used to them. Whenever my clubs get worn down and I buy newer ones, it usually takes me a while to break them in and get used to the different feel, but eventually I get back to playing comfortably and better. So it's not that I think one is better than the other, but it seems like the best way to distinguish between the two, at least for myself, would be by preference and comfort, which at this moment, would be with the Microsoft Office system. However, I'm sure if I spent enough time on the Google Docs system, I would have to flip a coin to pick between the two.

RSS Feeds

I think RSS feeds are fantastic. Now, I don't have to spend an hour scrounging the internet for all of the sports and world news I like to read and need to read. Also, I can get updates on current events, especially pertaining to my content area of math. Maybe there are some new discoveries in the field, or some new advancments in the way things are taught that can benifit my teaching. I can get it all at one place, at one time, and it's just so much more convenient than what I usually do. I am able to take the information from many different websites, and put it all into one place for myself, and I love that, because it exemplifies everything we are as a society. How can I make this process faster and more convenient? RSS feeds are like the Sam's Club or Super K-Mart of the internet - anything you want, you can get in one place.



This could be really useful as a teacher, because you don't have a ton of time in the morning as a teacher, so being efficient with your time is important. These RSS feeds are perfect for that, because it allows you to get all of the pertinent news in one spot, and gives you more time to get ready for the rest of the day teaching.