“U.S. schools lag behind in use of technology”
I think that schools should utilize technology, but I don’t think society will suffer if the schools don’t have top-of-the-line everything. Kids will still experiment/ learn on their own. Also, technology costs money, and becomes obsolete after a very short amount of time, and we can’t afford to always be buying more, more, more. I do agree that we should have laptops for everybody so they don’t have to carry books around (we don’t need to add to the bad back problems…) But I also know computers can easily get viruses and a number of other problems- and what happens if the student can’t learn anything for a week- or a day- because they don’t have a computer?
“Adopt and Adapt”
I think that schools will change. I know so much more about technology than my teachers (especially the really old ones did), and I will use it. My student will probably know technology more naturally than I started out with, and those who become teachers will use it- so of course the schools will evolve, just like the teachers do.
Action Research Network
The Action Research Network looks pretty cool. I think that the teachers will really enjoy what it can do. I like that the public and not just the class can see what is said about the research.
Assign-A-Day
I am definitely a calendar person. I like to keep schedules, and tend to remind everybody of stuff they need to be doing. I think that this tool is very helpful, like it says, to help communication between the students and teachers. This way the students know they are held accountable for due dates, and there is no excuse for confusion.
Casa Notes
I don’t have a problem with Casa Notes, but I do think it’s a little unnecessary. Any of these notes could be handwritten, but that is unlikely these days. But they could also be typed up on a word processor, and still be just as fine.
Kids’ Vid
Kids’ Vid looks pretty awesome. It is pretty detailed and it goes step by step… I also like that it gives a couple of examples.
Project Based Learning Checklists
The PBL Checklists really is cool. It explains how to use it, and even has an FAQ section. I liked how they had the things separated by grade levels and subject.
ProfilerPRO
I liked Profiler PRO just because it gives surveys and I like that it can be used to assess the students’ abilities.
QuizStar
The thing that jumped out at me about QuizStar, was the part where you can attach multimedia files to quizzes online- that’s pretty cool.
TrackStar
I think TrackStar is pretty cool because you can have a site similar to social bookmarking, and you can also search for those sites.
Web Worksheet Wizard
I like that it helps create lessons, worksheets, and class pages. I also think it’s nice tha they easily get published online.
4Kids.org
I think that this website is pretty cool. I like that it is called “For Kids,” and I think that it probably helps kids because it says in the name that this website is for them. Bonus: it has educational games.
4Teachers.org
This website looks pretty amazing. I like the list of tools, and the links to resources.