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Without going to class yet, I honestly do not know exactly what “Collaboration Tools” are or how they work. I know that the word “collaboration” means working together on creating something new. So from knowing this, I kind of can guess that it is forms of technology or websites that we can use to create new things with other people who are accessing it as well. I am curious about what these tools can do and how I am able to use them in the classroom because from what I inferred from what I know, I think this type of tool will be very helpful in teaching in the classroom. I would like to know what types of different tools I am able to use. I am really interested in learning about these types of tools because I have never really used tools such as these before and I think they can be very beneficial to learners.
While preparing for class, I actually learned what collaboration tools are and what types of tools are available. As I predicted, collaboration tools are tools used by bringing others together to create something new. For preparation, I was looking up many different tools that would be categorized as “curation tools”, such as VoiceThread, ThinkLink, Poll Everywhere, and Google Docs. I have been using Google Docs for a very long time now, but once I found out that it was considered a “Collaboration tool”, I decided to look up some of the functions that it has. So for preparing for this class, I looked up some more information about Google Docs in order to make sure I knew all of its functions and what not. Preparing for class showed me all of the different functions and parts to Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Sheets, and so on. I also have used Poll Everywhere before in some of my past classes, but I had no idea how it worked. So I did some researching and some fiddling around on the website to create polls. I also learned a lot about ThinkLink and was actually very intrigued by it. It is so fascinating how you are able to make pictures interactive and add new materials to them, such as other photos, audio recordings, videos, links, and so on. I also did some research on the tool VoiceThread, which is a tool where students are able to respond and comment to things in different means of communication, such as audio, video, text, and so on. While preparing for class, I was also looking around on this website and seeing some examples. This website “VoiceThread Library” is where I found examples of this tool being used, here specifically they use the tool to talk about polar bears. I found this tool very useful and really fun to play around with. Overall,I found out a lot about these websites and tools while preparing for class and I was also able to form my own opinions on whether or not I would like to use these types of tools in my own classroom someday.
My understanding of collaboration tools has really changed through the process of before class, preparing for class, being in class, and after the class. Before preparing for class, I knew fairly little about collaboration tools and what they were used for. I kind of came to my own conclusion by understanding what both of those words meant separately, but I was not entirely sure what they really were. For preparing for class, I realized that I have been using collaboration tools for a very long time, I just did not know it. I did my own research and formed my own opinions about the tools. I was also able to play around with the tools and see their use. Then during class, we were able to talk about each tool and use them to create new things with each other. This really helped my understanding of how these tools work and what they can be used for. After having class, it made me realized that I can use these in my own classroom someday to enhance the children's’ learning of material. My understanding of this topic went from barely anything to knowing a lot about what these tools do and what they are.
While preparing for class, I actually learned what collaboration tools are and what types of tools are available. As I predicted, collaboration tools are tools used by bringing others together to create something new. For preparation, I was looking up many different tools that would be categorized as “curation tools”, such as VoiceThread, ThinkLink, Poll Everywhere, and Google Docs. I have been using Google Docs for a very long time now, but once I found out that it was considered a “Collaboration tool”, I decided to look up some of the functions that it has. So for preparing for this class, I looked up some more information about Google Docs in order to make sure I knew all of its functions and what not. Preparing for class showed me all of the different functions and parts to Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Sheets, and so on. I also have used Poll Everywhere before in some of my past classes, but I had no idea how it worked. So I did some researching and some fiddling around on the website to create polls. I also learned a lot about ThinkLink and was actually very intrigued by it. It is so fascinating how you are able to make pictures interactive and add new materials to them, such as other photos, audio recordings, videos, links, and so on. I also did some research on the tool VoiceThread, which is a tool where students are able to respond and comment to things in different means of communication, such as audio, video, text, and so on. While preparing for class, I was also looking around on this website and seeing some examples. This website “VoiceThread Library” is where I found examples of this tool being used, here specifically they use the tool to talk about polar bears. I found this tool very useful and really fun to play around with. Overall,I found out a lot about these websites and tools while preparing for class and I was also able to form my own opinions on whether or not I would like to use these types of tools in my own classroom someday.
- “Elementary ThinkLink Examples.” Web. 8 Nov. 2015. The Website “Elementary ThinkLink Examples” is a webpage where people can post their ThinkLink sources that they have made for other teachers/students to look at and work from. The website is interactive as well, so you can click on the information and read it or watch the videos or look at the pictures. It give you an idea of how this tool can be used in your classroom and shows that it truly can be used in every subject that can be taught. This is a very helpful resource for teachers because if the teacher were to get stuck on how they should make their ThinkLink, then they can look at this webpage for some ideas on what they should do. It is also has an area where teachers can leave comments and receive feedback about the material. So it allows you to connect with other teachers. You can leave a comment, ask a question, just overall interact, which can be really nice for teachers to have. I found this resource rather useful and I would use it if I were making a ThinkLink page because it is really helpful and is a great resource when you need some inspiration.
- “Getting Started with Prezi.”Web. 8 Nov. 2015. The Website “Getting started with Prezi” is a “how to” website about how to make a prezi and also basics on how to work it. Prezi is a really complicated form of Microsoft PowerPoint that is very confusing to many people. In high school, I had to make a prezi and I struggled with it a lot. This website is used to help those who are struggling with making one, which can be really helpful to teachers who are making these types of PowerPoints. Prezi presentations are very effective when teaching children information and keep them intereeged, so I think it is a very good resource for teachers to have. If I were to make a prezi presentation again, I would definitely use this website to help guide me along to be successful.
My understanding of collaboration tools has really changed through the process of before class, preparing for class, being in class, and after the class. Before preparing for class, I knew fairly little about collaboration tools and what they were used for. I kind of came to my own conclusion by understanding what both of those words meant separately, but I was not entirely sure what they really were. For preparing for class, I realized that I have been using collaboration tools for a very long time, I just did not know it. I did my own research and formed my own opinions about the tools. I was also able to play around with the tools and see their use. Then during class, we were able to talk about each tool and use them to create new things with each other. This really helped my understanding of how these tools work and what they can be used for. After having class, it made me realized that I can use these in my own classroom someday to enhance the children's’ learning of material. My understanding of this topic went from barely anything to knowing a lot about what these tools do and what they are.