Tool # 9

Technology should always be a seamless part of what is being taught in any classroom so that the students know technology is not just a device that thay can 'play' with but one that helps them learn, produces a product for a specific objective or enables them to understand a concept better.

Students should always be held accountable at every center or station they go to whether it be alone or in a grouping of some sort. Students are kids first and will vere off track if not given a vehicle to keep them honest. They should always be asked in some way [writing or speaking] about what they have learned before they can move on.

I liked Tutpup and MangaHigh the most of the links listed on the tools Blog. I had some trouble getting an account with Tutpup but after a few error messages it worked. This site could be very effective with middle school students since they always enjoy competing against one another which this site is about. This site would be great for a station/center since the group could work together to compete against another or just have a good round of competition within the group itself. MangaHigh has been used in some of our math classrooms and I have noticed that the students like the pace of this site and I think that they enjoy learning and being reinforced by using a website sometimes more than they do with an actual teacher. they can move at their own pace. In both these situations the students could be held accoutable for the usage by printing out history at the end of their session or even using a screenshot with their login as proof. Teachers could also use exit tickets with questons for the students explaining what they worked on.

Ipads and iTouches can be used cameras to document what the students are accomplishing or as QR scanners to find work or other elements that pertain to the station.