Posts

Epic

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  Epic! I was interested in Epic because it is something that I have never heard of before. I found Epic in the “Top 15 Software Mentioned by Elementary vs Secondary Teachers” and it was the 5th on the list. Epic is a platform that makes books easier to access for kids (EPIC, 2022). Epic is a subscription service that gives many families, teachers, and children access to thousands of free books, videos, and quizzes (EPIC, 2022). It is for the ages of children that are between 2 and 12 years old (The Smarter Learning Guide, 2022). The Smarter Learning Guide (2022) also stated that there are many different devices that Epic can be downloaded on. It is also professionally curated to ensure that the books that are on the app are engaging to kids.  Here is a video on how to use Epic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTjY_bWGeGY Ease of Use From the reviews that I have seen on Epic, it seems fairly easy to use. There is a section of the review that said it is very easy to sort throug...

Canvas

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  Canvas Canvas is a tool that we are all very familiar with because we use it on a daily basis for school. I found this technology in the “Top 15 Software Mentioned by Elementary vs Secondary Teachers” and it was the 14th on the list. Canvas is used for students to view and submit their assignments. They are able to access their different classes and see files or pages that are included in the classes. Teachers also can make announcements through Canvas that students are able to see. There also is a handy to-do list and calendar for the students to follow. The items on the to-do list will show up when there are 6 days left until the assignment is due.  Here is a video on how to use Canvas for the teacher's side. https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Video-Guide/Canvas-Overview-Instructors/ta-p/384268 Ease of Use Canvas is very easy to use. The app is very self explanatory. Academic Technology (2022) expressed that Canvas is such a user friendly program. The ease of use for this ...

Word

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  Word This was a technology that I found in the “RQ2 Technologies Table” and it is 10th on the list for the Microsoft section. Word is a technology that is used for creating ideas on printer size sheets of paper. One can write a story, essay, or anything that is on their mind in word. In a word document, one can create graphs, charts, and even tables. Users can also implement images and video links into Word as well. Word can be used for a variety of purposes. You can also share files with Word as well.  Here is a video on how to use Word. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-nHYzK-BVg Ease of Use Digital Unite (n.d.) stated that Word is one of the most easy word processing systems to use. It allows you to create many different documents. Word has a page that users can go to if they do not know how to do something. It is easily organized in a heading that is above the line spacing bar. Users can easily find the files, home, insert, draw, design, layout, references, and even a ma...

Interactive Whiteboard

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  Interactive Board I found this technology in the RQ2 Technologies Hardware table of the PowerPoint. I chose this technology because we have been interacting with it in class. The interactive whiteboard is a tool that can be used in classrooms for teachers to enhance their lessons. They can create lessons on the whiteboard and include videos, games, pictures, and different technologies that will enhance students' understanding of a subject. The interactive whiteboard allows images from a computer screen to be shared on the large screen. The teachers and students are able to “interact” with their fingers or a pen on the board.  Here is a video on how to use the interactive whiteboard: Interactive Whiteboard Tutorial - Bing video Ease of Use The interactive white board is fairly easy to use. Platinum Copier Solutions (2017) stated that one of the perks of the interactive whiteboard is how easy it is to use. They explained that the interactive whiteboard is very clean and requir...

ALEKS

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  ALEKS I found ALEKS in the paragraph right next to the RQ2 Technologies Software. ALEKS was the twelfth item that was on the list. ALEKS is a program that is adaptive for students to use. ALEKS offers more than just math instruction, it offers chemistry, statistics, business, and even behavioral programs (ALEKS, 2022).  ALEKS has students start by taking a pretest of a certain subject. Then, ALEKS uses the information that is given from the pretest to create a pie chart for kids. The goal of ALEKS is to completely fill in a pie chart because that means that all of the topics have been mastered. The pie chart will start with the topics that the pretest has already identified as mastered colored in. After students temporarily master some of the topics in their pie chart, ALEKS will have them take a knowledge check. If the students correctly answer the topics that were only temporarily mastered, they will permanently become part of the pie chart and students will not have to ke...

Nearpod

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  Nearpod I found this technology in the RQ2 Technologies (Software) table. Nearpod is a tool used in the classroom that adds interactive activities to a lesson (Nearpod, 2021). This could be game-based quizzes, polls, and collaboration boards (Nearpod, 2021). If teachers decide to make students answer questions on Nearpod, they will be able to see how well the students performed. This will help the teacher see how effectively they are teaching the lesson. Nearpod even has pre-made lessons for teachers to choose from.  Here is a video about Nearpod. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anTtMRaQLsM Ease of Use Nearpod is fairly easy to use. Rogowski (2021) stated that it may take some time for teachers to learn how to navigate Nearpod. This is because there are many different tools to use on this website. However, after users get the hang of the website, it is very easy to use. At first it would be helpful for teachers to do a tutorial on Nearpod because the website is so versatile....

Dreambox

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  Dreambox  I found this tool in the RQN Technologies Software Table in Dr. Wang’s powerpoint. Dreambox is an online learning software that is focused on teaching math to elementary and secondary students (Dreambox, 2022). Dreambox adapts to each child that is in the classroom and drives each child’s learning by giving them concepts to work on that are appropriate for the level that they are at (Dreambox, 2022). Student progress is also tracked so teachers are aware as to how each of the students are doing. This will help teachers guide the instruction in the classroom because they will be aware of the concepts that the students need extra help on.  Here is a link on Dreambox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCMOEfi7Fvk Ease of Use Dreambox is a very easy tool to use. After talking to the teacher that I am volunteering for at Lincoln Heights, she stated that it is a very easy tool to use. This is because it is user friendly and simple to navigate. She said that she was ab...