Week 3: Evaluation of New Technologies

This week I have tried and evaluated new technologies,I found Popplet,it is great for project planning, students can use it to quickly brainstorm all the information they find about a particular subject and organize the ideas they grab later .They can create in groups and it allows up to 10 students to work on the same project. As an introduction to mind-mapping and outlining, it is simple and fast.

Then I tried Jing, it is my new favorite technology tool! It is a screen capture that allows you to easily make a video and share it thru email. I created a poster from a screen shot in less than 2 minutes. If I had created it in publisher it would have been a 3 hour project. I see many ,many possibilities for both of these new technologies!

Popplet

Description

The Popplet Lite  (Notion,free) app works like a digital diagram, by typing text,collecting snippets of research from your favorite website, adding your favorite quotes and images, you can also upload images from the web, you can take a real time photo,embed videos and even  draw your own designs. Popplet is a visual communication tool and a place to share ideas and collaborate with others.

Evaluation Rubric

Technology Evaluation Rubric	Answers/Comments
User Friendliness: Will learning to use the technology get in the way of the learning goal?	Website is easy to navigate, help guides and video tutorials are available and clear, simple tools and features are centrally located to facilitate ease of use.
Accessibility: Can Students access the technology at any time and place?	Yes Students can access Popplet on the web. There are also apps for, iPad or smartphones.
Collaboration: Are Students able to connect with peers/teachers and share ideas?	This tool invites collaboration within the popplet. Multiple users can brainstorm and collaborate on the same Popplet.
Curriculum Correlation: Do the lessons presented align with the curriculum?	Yes, The teacher assigns a topic or object and the students complete the popplet.
Differentiation: Can this technology be adapted to meet the individual needs of each student?	Yes, Students are able to interact with a variety of multimedia applications. Popplet gives both visual and non-visual learners a collaborative learning experience.
Engaging: Will the technology keep students engaged?	Popplet allow students to quickly brainstorm all the information around a subject and to organize the ideas after they are collected, keeping them engaged throughout the process.
Finished Product: Does the technology result in dynamic product that the students can easily share?	Popplet allows students to create Popples that are transformed into shared bulletin boards, scrapbooks, photo galleries, mind maps and curriculum timelines, visually linking student learning artifacts to the desired objectives.
Hardware: Is any special hardware required? If so, how much does it cost?	No special hardware is required, only an internet connection.
Technical Support Consideration: Is technical support provided by the vendor?  How much will the support cost? Will it work on your schools network?	Yes, Popplet supplies a help tab and audio visual support. Since it is a web 2.0 based application it should work on all school supported internet connections.
Advertising: Is the site free from advertising or have school appropriate advertising?	Yes, while working in Popplet, I did not see any advertising.
Cost Effective: How much does the tool/technology cost? Is the cost a one- time fee or is it a recurring cost? Who will pay the cost?	The site has no cost for the lite version, users get six free popplets, but they can delete previously created ones and replace with new ones.
Security And Privacy: How does the technology/tool protect information and privacy of its users?	Popplet states the information is private and students can only share with specified persons. Email is used to communicate with parents and teachers.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

When you first look at Popplet it seems like just another mind mapping tool like Inspiration or MindMeister, but it has four other features that make it superior to the other apps like it.

1. Free
2. You create popples that not only include text they include links,images,drawings,videos etc… And if you are using a chromebook to work on Popplet you can insert images directly from your Google Drive account!
3. Even with the Popplet Lite free account ,you can share Popples in much the same way as you do a Google doc, so collaboration can take place as well as shared design.
4. Completed Popples can be published with a link or embed code making it easy to share via the web . Popples can also be used in programs such as Schoology and Edmodo.

Cons:

The challenges that might come with adopting this wonderful tool for the classroom.

1. To access the online features,you must have an email address,most schools do not assign emails for students.
2. Teachers, and students would have to learn to use the app
3. In order to use this app and take advantage of all of the features, teachers would have to receive training and have a good understanding of how the app works and be proficiate in using Popplet.

Instructional Activity

Using Fractions

Proper and Improper Fractions:  Below a Sample Vocabulary Mind Map Wall that I created in Popplet.  Notice the videos and images (all of the fractions are actually images that were uploaded into Popplet).

For this activity  the teacher will create a wall with different multiplication or division of fractions problems. The classroom will be divided into 3 groups of 6 students. Each group will present a diagram of their information at the end of class.

•  Group 1 - The students in group 1 will sort problems by their answers.  (ex.  less than one, between 1 and 3, greater than 3 Or quotient is less than dividend, quotient is greater than dividend).
•    Group 2 – The students in group 2 will sort images by the types of angles they represent

• Group 3 - The students in group 3 will sort shapes and then determine criteria for their sort.  They can complete the sort and write their criteria on the wall.  Then they can view and comment on other student’s sorts. (You may have to have an image bank and allow students to make their own walls so everyone can work at the same time without interference.)

Each group of students will contribute to the learning outcome from this lesson. By using Popplet the students work collaboratively to collect, illustrate the process and explain the results to others in their class. This allows students to brainstorm ideas based on what they see or experience.

Demonstration

Jing

Description:

Jing is a free screen capture application that allows you to capture screenshots and create videos. .Jing is absolutely free and the ease of use is amazing. It provides free online storage from Screencast and unlimited image and video capture powers. Jing is different from all other screen-capture softwares as it is designed to share images and movies with people quickly and easily while chatting or emailing, to help you get a point across. Using Jing to record a video screenshot is simple and straightforward. Capture anything on your screen as a static image or a movie, then save it or store it on TechSmith's free 2 GB of server space (hosted at Screencast.com). It allows you to easily add text, arrows or highlight sections of your screen capture. This is a great feature for teachers wanting to add notes on top of images or text, or want to indicate something to their students.

Evaluation Rubric:

Technology Evaluation Rubric	Answers/Comments
User Friendliness: Will learning to use the technology get in the way of the learning goal?	Website is easy to navigate, help guides and video tutorials are available and clear, simple tools and features are centrally located to facilitate ease of use.
Accessibility: Can Students access the technology at any time and place?	Yes Students can access JING on the web. There are also apps for, iPad or smartphones.
Collaboration: Are Students able to connect with peers/teachers and share ideas?	Yes, this tool is designed for capturing images and making videos to share through email and smartphones.
Curriculum Correlation: Do the lessons presented align with the curriculum?	Yes, The teacher assigns a topic or object and the students create a video of their research to the teacher.
Differentiation: Can this technology be adapted to meet the individual needs of each student?	Yes, Students are able to interact with  the web capturing screen shots and making videos.
Engaging: Will the technology keep students engaged?	Jing helps the student gather the information around a subject and capture it in screenshots and video, keeping them engaged throughout the process.
Finished Product: Does the technology result in dynamic product that the students can easily share?	Jing  allows students to create visual videos they can narrate and send to other students .
Hardware: Is any special hardware required? If so, how much does it cost?	No special hardware is required, only an internet connection.
Technical Support Consideration: Is technical support provided by the vendor?  How much will the support cost? Will it work on your schools network?	Yes, Jing  supplies technical support for free.  Since it is a web 2.0 based application it should work on all school supported internet connections.
Advertising: Is the site free from advertising or have school appropriate advertising?	Yes, while working in Jing, I did not see any advertising.
Cost Effective: How much does the tool/technology cost? Is the cost a one- time fee or is it a recurring cost? Who will pay the cost?	The site has no cost for the lite version, users get six free popplets, but they can delete previously created ones and replace with new ones.
Security And Privacy: How does the technology/tool protect information and privacy of its users?	Email is used to communicate with parents and teachers. The videos are uploaded to screencast and can not be viewed without you sending the link.

Pros:

1. Free
2. Students can create a visual tour of their subject.
3. Fast capture and quick video creation.
4. Up to a 5 minute video can be uploaded to screencast and saved.
5. Helps students experience technology outside of the classroom giving them ownership of their creations.

Cons:

1. Videos are saved in SWF format and can not be embedded.
2. Video limit is 5 minutes
3. Jing online storage is limited to  2 GB

Brief Demonstration:

Teachers can take screenshots of students emailed homework and add arrows with comments, highlight grammar errors etc…

Using the technology:

I created this screen shot from the archives page  found on the library website. I was creating a poster for display for upcoming events.

Instructional Activity:

Explore your favorite photo

Students will each choose a picture of a subject they would like to tell about, it can be one they have taken or one they get from the web.  The student will use Jing to create a 3 minute video about the chosen photograph.( example: My favorite photo is a stream in Colorado where I vacationed in 2001, I would capture the photo with my Jing starburst, click the video tab and begin to tell about the location of the stream and how the photo came to be).

Students will save their video on screencast using Jing, then they will email the video to their teacher for grading. When back in the classroom each student will share their video with the class.