Sunday, January 24, 2016

Reflection #2: LiveBinders



Link To The Website: http://www.livebinders.com/

The website that I will be reviewing this week is LiveBinders.  This site allows you to organize file and folders into a virtual binder in much the same way that you would keep them in a physical binder.  You are able to organize your work with file tab dividers to make it easy to find everything.  You can then share your binder with anyone you would like to grant viewing permission to and it can be accessed from any device.  The site is very easy to use.  It is free and has a quick sign up process.  Once you are logged in, it automatically has already created "Your First Binder" and double clicking on it allows you to get right to work.  It also has a tab automatically inserted into the binder giving step by step instructions as to how to use the site and this tab can simply be deleted from the front of the binder once you feel comfortable with the site.



This website would be used for Teaching in the Planning phase.  It is a great place to keep lesson plans, to organize all web 2.0 content, to keep portfolios, and document professional development.  I is very versatile in terms of the content and file formats that can be used on it.  Also, not only could be it used for lesson planning, but it could be used for administrative purposes, for packaging information and resources for parents, and to leave lesson plans and instructions for substitutes.

Here is a sample of what Parent Resource Binder might look like:





I could see this being a resource that I would use everyday and something that I could heavily rely upon to stay organized.  I plan on exploring this site more.  I can see me using it now for school and for my extra curricular activities and non profit work.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Reflection #1: Jeopardy Labs


The tool that I will be reviewing this week is Jeopardy Labs.  This tool allows anyone to create a Jeopardy Game template without the use of PowerPoint.  Also, there is no registration or fees associated with the website.  Any game that is created can be played from anywhere in the world.  You can also access templates that have already been created to see if one will meet your needs without having to create one from scratch.  To begin, the website will ask you to create a password that will allow you to access the game you create to view it at a later time or to make changes to it and then it will immediately launch you into the game board.  Everything is very self explanatory and easy to use.  Even students would not have a hard time learning to use this website.  To edit a box, just click inside of it and it will allow you to type in the answer and question into the boxes.  It even reminds you that in Jeopardy, the answer is originally given and the person responding is supposed to come up with the question.  Once all of the boxes have been edited it is easy to access the game again to edit it or to play it.


This website would be used for Teaching and Assessing students.  Ideally, it would be a great way for students to review for a test.  Also, since it is so easy to use, students could even separate into groups and each have a different subject that they create their own Jeopardy board for and then later all of the boards could be viewed and played by the class.  In this way it is moderately versatile because it could be used for every subject and could be used by teacher and student.

I can definitely see myself using this tool in my classroom a few times a year.  I would not want to use it too often because I would always want it to be exciting for my students.

Here is a link to the website: