Week 13: Tech Reviews

During class this week my classmates and I each shared technology tools we had previously reviewed. The tool that stood out to me the most was Scratch. This tool introduces students to programming. I liked this tool the most because it pushes students to use a different kind of thinking than most tasks in a fun and challenging way. Not only will this challenge upper level students, but I had a special education teacher use this with her students who had profound diverse abilities, and they could complete the programming quicker than her typically developing students. How great is that? I truly believe that every student can learn, and Scratch is a program that can reach students that traditional education sometimes does not. This tool prepares students with 21^st Century skills that in turn could help spark an interest with students in this field, a necessity to keep up with the ever-changing advancements of society.

Check out this example of a Scratch program my classmate created.

As a preservice teacher, I can already understand the evolving nature of technology. I will stay current with these changes through social media, in particular Twitter and blogging. I will also attend professional development conferences as well to see how other teachers successfully implement technology into their classrooms. Specifically, I hope to attend the ITEC Conference or another PLAYdate. 

Tech Review #2: Haiku Deck

I first learned about Haiku Deck when I went to the Waukee PLAYDATE, a professional development opportunity where I spent the morning simply “playing” with technology. 

Haiku Deck, an app on the iPad or usable on the Internet, is a program that allows you to make presentations in a simple, fun, and visually appealing way. The program can be accessed for free by visiting their website or downloading the app. The website below gives you access to both options. 

https://www.haikudeck.com 

To create “a deck,” as they call them, you will first select “new deck.” From there, you will choose the layout of the slide on the left hand side of the screen. These enter text and image boxes for you. As you type your text, Haiku Deck automatically resizes the text as you type to fit the screen. The less text, the bigger the font. 

Next you would select an image, background color, or chart. You can upload your own or select from their beautiful options by entering key words to narrow the search. The image on this slide is one I found on Haiku Deck.

There is also a chance to change the font or theme (top of the slide.) This automatically changes the font and size for you. Once the slide is complete you can add more slides as you wish. Once finished, you can export the slides to PDF or PowerPoint format or share the slides on the Internet.

This program doesn’t necessarily give you a lot of freedom when selecting font, font sizes, font placement, etc., but these same restrictions can be very useful and powerful when used in an elementary classroom. Haiku Deck is also very user friendly, walking you through the tool in simple steps! 

What I like most about Haiku Deck is the visually striking images. I can see this being used very powerfully in a classroom for students to create posters to then be hung up in their classroom. They will be very visually appealing and students have ownership of class rules, philosophies, etc.

It could also be used as a visual to go with a poem students wrote. These beautiful images have the capability to really bring student work to life, making it seem more "official" when published.  

Another way to use this program would be to create a class book that features student work. When compiled onto Haiku Deck, this book now has the capability to be shared with the world, an authentic learning opportunity for students. Here is an example of a few slides from a class book I found in Haiku Deck’s gallery: https://www.haikudeck.com/anacondas-education-presentation-OVVbKYQ3TJ

What are other ways Haiku Deck could be used for an educational purpose within your classroom?