Video Conferencing Tools

Video Conferencing Tool	Pros/Cons	Features
	Pros- Free, Easy to use, free download and account. Offered on a variety of platforms. Great for casual conferencing Cons- To message or call worldwide will require an upgrade and money, requires a download of software	Instant messaging and file sharing, video and voice calls. Offers mobile, landline and text messaging service worldwide. Group messaging for 3 to 10 people
	Pros- Offered on a variety of platforms, no downloading software. Effective way to conduct a webinar or conference. Easy to manage who can attend. Looks to be an effective option for the corporate world. Cons- Looks to be costly and only has a limited free trail	Tracks effectiveness of the meeting, integrating with social media. Ability to repurpose webinars by converting them to be used elsewhere. Can pre record content to be used during presentation.
	Pros- Free, multiple chat rooms, offers a variety of topics and categories Cons- security	Communication through instant messaging, video chat and voice chat. Chat rooms on any topic and category. Multiple chat rooms can be used at once
	Pros- Offers a substantial free offering for up to 10 attendees. Easy to use and navigate.  No downloading of software Cons- Need to pay for more than 10 attendees	Screen sharing, audio and video conferencing, mobile capabilities, automated email reminders for meetings, meeting recording, VOIP. More features offered with paid subscription.
	Pros- 30 day free trail for all offerings. No downloading of software. Accessible across numerous platforms Cons- Cost after 30 days	HD video conferencing, sharing screen, VOIP and recording meetings to be used later
	Pros- Free offering for 1 invite, free account, easy to use. Substantial upgrade in features for paid subscription Cons- limited time of meeting for free offering.	Desktop sharing, public and private chat, schedule meetings, annotation of meeting, polling capabilities, dated tracking of registration.
	Pros- Built for people on the go. Product integrates with other products. Top class security. Geared towards corporate world. No limits on meetings or times. Cons- Looks to be very costly	Face to face calling with HD video. Share screens, easily add callers with VOIP. Recording meeting ability

 Video conferencing is a great way to bring together people rather it is at work, school or home. I’ve only used Skype out of the ones that have been reviewed. I believe that all of the options have very strong merits and could be used to fulfill any video conferencing needs. I have chosen to look at Meeting Burner because it looks to offer a substantial amount of features for free in comparison to the others. I like Meeting Burner because they are very upfront with what they have to offer across their free and paid subscriptions. I find this very helpful when making a decision on a video conferencing tool. Additionally, their website is easy to navigate and very engaging for the customer. Meeting burner offers for free the following features, up to 10 attendees, instant screen sharing, Mac and PC compatible mobile support, instant or scheduled meetings, in meeting chats and customizable meeting registration pages. I believe that Meeting Burner would be a great help in education trying to bring the classroom outside while still in the room.

Web 2.0 article

This article helped me realize how technology has evolved since it was published. Written in 2006, I think it captures very nicely the role in which technology played 8 years ago. In 2006 the world was different from today (duh)… the tech world was limited in terms of social media- MySpace was all of the rage and Facebook was in its infancy (definitely not the billion dollar tech giant it is today). Moreover, this article really makes me think how the world has evolved through technology.

Additionally, this article points out the differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. The author points out that Web 2.0 offers openness on the web through new medias such as social media, wiki’s and blogs. This openness allows the authors and readers to have an open dialogue through their chosen platform in the form of comments.

Web 2.0 is a substantial upgrade from Web 1.0, in terms of personalizing. For instance, now users can personalize any type of social media they would like through the uploading of pictures and the choice of different backgrounds and layouts.

The article also ties in education and how Web 2.0 has helped in the classroom. As a teacher Web 2.0 has allowed for almost instant feed back on writing assignments to students and allows for others students to critique their others work.

One aspect of the Web 2.0 world that the article misses is the utilization of the cell phone. I believe that is the case because this article was published in 2006 and Apple didn’t introduce the first iPhone until June of 2007.

This article definitely makes me wonder what Web 3.0 will look like going forward and the impact in which cell phones will really have on technology.

Online tool explored

I thought this weeks blog assignments were really cool and could be very beneficial for any classroom. Wish I had more time to play around with them.

 Voice Thread- A great way to change up a typical video in class. I like how students/ teachers can comment in a variety of ways. Additionally, it's a user-friendly product.

Animoto- Awesome web tool! I don't often get blown away by an internet tool but this one made me say "WOW!" This tool is great because you can pick a theme, upload pictures and select music. This an extremely user-friendly tool, one that I would highly consider implementing into my classroom.

Wordle- This is a great tool to keep track of vocabulary words. I like how you can alter a number of the settings to make it look like the way you want. Another user- friendly tool

Microsoft Access

I will admit that I have never used Microsoft Access before this week. My original thoughts were that this software is going to be exactly like Excel. That was far from the truth, it's much much more! I found the software somewhat difficult to use, even after watching the tutorials and countless other videos on the software. At times I became very frustrated with the software and had to take a break and come back to it. With that being said, I found this weeks assignment very challenging. But that made it that much more gratifying when I completed it. 

I also see the upside in using Microsoft Access in a school setting. The software it self is very powerful and once mastered can make ones job easier. Microsoft Access allows for one to create a database to manage grades, student addresses and other information. Beyond using this software as an administrative tool, it is a great program to challenge ones self in something new. 

Web based tools

The EdTech teacher website provides hundreds if not thousands of way to incorporate technology into the classroom. The website is well laid out and is divided by topic, making it easy to navigate and to understand. I found several resources within the website very intriguing, leading me to investigate about them a little bit more.

Timetoast- We learned earlier how to create a timeline in Excel but this resource is great because they provide already made examples of timelines to use. The site is very simple to use and all you need is to create an account. Once registered, you can create a timeline, inserting text and pictures. This tool is essential to the classroom because it helps provide a visual aide in which students can be engaged by.

ePals- I like this resource because it brings out of the classroom without leaving the classroom. the ePals students can engage in learning bu creating real world, culturally- enriching  experiences. This resource helps by matching classrooms with other classrooms. For instance, a high school class studying Chinese can connect with a class studying English in China, or the classes can work on a another project together.

Scribble Maps- This resource is awesome! I always wondered how people altered maps while on the internet. This resource allows you to add text, draw shapes, and other countless abilities. Their website is easy to navigate and allows users the ultimate control in creating a custom map.

EdTech teacher provides so many valuable resources for educators to use, I love these types of websites because they allow teachers to find cool, active, engaging resources to make learning fun for all of our students. Rather searching around multiple websites, EdTech teacher brings it all to one spot, sure we have to explore the website a little to find something that works for you but that's half the fun :)  

Web 2.0

Netflix- This by far is one of my favorite websites/apps that’s on this list. Sure, I use Netflix to relax and be entertained at home as most people do. However, I’ve found this tool extremely useful in my classroom. Working in a classroom with severe and multiple disabilities, my students need examples of what we are learning. For instance, we have been working on a problem-solving unit. Using Netflix, I’ve found a few age appropriate show that we can break down different problems and discuss the problems in the show and how they might have been solved differently. However, Netflix has several downsides: the first being it costs money to use beyond the free trail that is offered; the second downside is that to use in a classroom you must have a projector for your entire class to enjoy. Netflix definitely out weighs the cons and well worth the investment.

Wordle-  I like Wordle because  it provides a different way to convey information to your students. Instead of using markers and chart papers to create lists, Wordle is a great way to introduce a unit and access prior knowledge. Also, Wordle can be used as a partner activity and have other pairs guess whose they are. Worlde’s can be used to tell one-word stories. The possibilities for Wordles are endless. The only con I can see to using Wordle is that you need access to laptops or a computer lab but in most schools this isn’t a problem. 

Prezi- I like using Prezi because it’s different from all the other presentation tools such as PowerPoint and other similar tools.  Prezi offers a zooming canvas which  opens up the classroom to active learning and interactivity, making lessons more engaging. Most of the time teachers are under a time crunch causing them to skip over important information. Prezi allows you to mange your time more efficiently. However, with Prezi there is a learning curve that the presenter needs to over come.   

Typing Adventure- This tool is great because it keeps students engaged while learning an essential 21^st century skills. Typing is essential because almost every job application is online, requiring you to type. I see this as a functional skill for my students that needs to focused on and reinforced.  Typing for many of my students is a challenge can be very frustrating, I can see this tool at being very helpful in my classroom. This tool will require a lot of adult supervision for my students which could be the only downside. 

Classdojo- This tool is awesome at classroom management. I really like that this tool has the ability to instantly reinforce good behavior. I haven’t used this in my classroom but I would highly consider it because of this aspect. This part is essential for me because my students like instant gratification. I also like the tool because it also allows you to communicate with parents in a safe manner. Also, this tool increases student engagement and allows you to easily collaborate with fellow teachers. This tool does have a downside of being time consuming at times.

Excel

 I will admit, I do not use Microsoft Excel a whole lot in the classroom. I use it once a month to calculate my mileage that I have driven for work. However,  I know a ton of people, especially my roommate from college who spend the majority of their day looking at Excel spread sheets and picking out a specific chunks of data. He knows the ins and outs of Excel.

However,  I do know a few capabilities of Excel. For instance you could create a timeline with multiple visuals. This is a huge benefit as I like to put visuals with almost any handout that I create. Also, I will occasionally use Excel to create a chart or a graph for a research paper that I am working on for grad class. I find this experience stress free because the charts are clearly labeled and easy to manipulate. Additionally, Excel can be used to keep a grade book, if your district doesn't have an alternative software. Other then the rare opportunity to use Excel, I fully neglect this powerful program.

Microsoft Excel is a great tool to have in your tool bag. This program not only benefits people in education but also people in all walks of life such as business. Excel is great for compiling data and sorting through it in a quick and efficient manner. As time goes forward I would like to increase my skills in Excel because it can make tasks more efficient and less frustrating if I was to use another program.