Shanika+Mack's+Cool+Tools+Review+and+Application+Plan

I found all the cool tool sessions to be very informative. I could see the possiblities of incorporating all these tools into my curriculum. The cool tools I will review are as follows: **Notefish, Wordle, Penzu, Delicious, Digital Video as a Process and Product, Voicethread, Voki, and Google Maps**. The first tool I will review and critique is the Notefish application. Notefish is a web-based service which is free of charge to both educators and students. It allows users to collect, organize, and evaluate information from different online sources. It is a great to organize websites into categories for the purpose of research especially. In addition, you can web searches into different color-coded section for easy retrival. Most importantly, you will not have to be concerned with loosing research material. You can access your notes at school or if you an internet connected computer at home, you can retrieve notes there as well. Students also can collaborate with students to create note pages together in Notefish. If students are working in pairs or groups they have to be able to work together and discuss the most important resources to include in Notefish. Students are actively participating in the learning process through Notefish. Personally, I would have benefited from the use of Notefish during the last nine weeks of teaching this past year. I created a biography project in which students were exploring nonfiction. I guided them in researching an influential African American in the areas of Literature/Arts, Science, Politics, Sports, etc. Originally, I gave students a packet of graphs and note-taking guides to assist them in organizing their information effectively. I encountered several incidents where students lost some of their research. If I had the Notefish application, I would have introduced this tool as the essential source for students to organize, synthesis, and evaluate all the websites they found for to write their biographies. Struggling readers, would have really benefited from having the ogranizing component of Notefish. The program allows students to copy and paste portions of the websites onto their note page. There are two main disadvantages to Notefish: It was last updated and copyrighted in 2006, and requires Mozilla fox 2.0, but does not work with Mozilla Fox 3.5. Overall, I think Notefish is an excellent tool for students to practice critical thinking (choosing viable websites), synthesizing (choosing websites that add to the purpose of their search), and evaluating (judging whether the websites cover the topic that they are going to write about.)

I throughly enjoyed the presentation on Wordle. Wordle is a java-supported artistic tool supported by the leading search engine Google. Educators and students can paste documents into the space provided and Wordle constructs a visual model that highlights the words or phrases used frequently througout the document. Students are able to see what are the most essential aspects of any type of piece of writing. As an educator, I can envision mutliple uses for Wordle in the classroom. For example, often times students have trouble comprehending long passages. Wordle emphasizing the major words and ideas so students can understand the concept of the writing. Wordle is also provided free by google. It has feature which allows users to publish their work. This feature can aid teachers in helping students learn how improve their writing. After students have written a first draft of their work, they can create a wordle. The wordle will highlight words that appear in the writing repeatedly. The teacher and student can have a conversation about whether students overruse certain words. As a result, students can utlize a thesaurus to enrich their writing. TAlso wordle helps less-proficient readers comprehend the "basics" of a difficult text and students can analyze poetry effectively. One disadvantage of wordle are saving documents requires students to name their product. Educators must be able to creat folders or a system that will keep up with student-created wordles.
 * Wordle Review**

This is a privately secured online journal program. Users can express themselves on this notepad and keep their entries in a private file. I could use this program for students to journal writes for weekly free writes. Most students just need to get their thoughts and ideas on paper. Users are allowed to add pictures to their documents or entries. However, one key advantaage to Penzu is that it minimizes pictures or illustrations. This shows students that their writing is the focus and not adding photos. Also students can share their journals with others or email them to their teachers. I would use this program again for journal writing, response journals, and instead of assigning questions to be written on paper. One drawback from using Penzu is that it requires students to have an email address. This can be problematic because if students forget the emails and passwords that they have created they will not be able to access their page. In addition, ideally Penzu would help teachers to go paperless in school if the school had 1 to 1 laptops available to students.
 * Penzu Review**

Delicious is a online bookmarking tool. This program is very helpful in organizing information for later use. Users are able to visit several websites and mark those into folders. Users can retrieve their saved bookmarks from any internet-ready computer. Students can work together to create bookmarks for researching a topic. Students have to communicate with their partners or group to evaluate the importance of bookmarking certain sites especially, if students share a delicious account. Teachers can devise webquests students using delcious. Students will be allowed to view the websites in which their teacher has presented to them. Delicious limits the time students spend searching for the websites to assist them in completing webquests.
 * Delicious Review**


 * Digital Video as a Process and Product Review-**

The concept of using video as a means of a Process and Product is an excellent option to traditional assessment of student performance on a concept. Teachers should use a flip camera (which is very easy to maintain and use) to film students performing written pieces or text they may have read. Cinema Verite`en is an example of a Digital Video as a Process and Product. The Flip camera is very inexpensive and does not require several components. Students at CCMS, utlized the full effect of flip camera use through their Outsiders project. Students read the novel The Outsiders, collaborated with their peers to represent the major events of the story by artisitically drawn symbols and short skits. The flip camera video also allowed students participate in the process of editing video. Students have to decide which elements capture their objectives or the project and to eliminate those that are unnecessary. Students learned the process of learning to write while taking essential elements of the text to organize, synthesize, and evaluate the novel to present the concepts on film. Conversely students learned the process of writing to learn after viewing their interpretations of the novel through video. The only obstacle in using digital video as a Process and Product is educators may not have access to flip cameras.


 * Voicethread Review**

Voicethread is a media and audio program in which assists students and educators to use their knowledge to share with others creatively. Voicethread has the capability of allowing users to upload pictures, add comments to each segment of the presentation. This program promotes the idea of sharing information with not only peers in a class, but worldwide with other teachers and classrooms around the world. The program is free of charge for educator and students with a limit of three voicethread presentations. One example of how a voicethread is can be used for educational purposes such as students devising a voicethread to share their views about Global warming to students in a country they are severly suffering from this situation. Students will research certain images and either text or record audio comments for each picture. The voicethread adds life to the outdated model of Powerpoint Presentations. Voicethread is a wonderful tool to incorporate into the classroom, however there is one drawback. Educators must have paid subscription in order to have students create voicethreads individually or in groups.


 * Voki Review**

Voki is a digital avitar (alternate identity) users can design to their desire. Most importantly, users can add text or record their voices to have the avitar to state these comments. Several uses for the Voki could be for educators to introduce lessons, guest speakers or students. Students can use vokis in their presentations to classmates. The Voki tool is free of charge. Users must have a valid email.

