REFLECTION ON SEMINAR
Trends and issues 2011 seminar went well, although the audience was not of what we have expected, we went ahead with our program. We were informed about some different web 2.0 tools, what they were and how they could be used to enhance learning. Some of these tools were podcast, screen task photo peach also aminoto I have learn a lot about these web 2.0 tools, It is time for us to move away from the old traditional teaching in education and these tools can be beneficial to us in helping us to move away from these traditional teaching style and implement some of these technology in our classroom.
GOOGLE DOCS
Google Docs is an easy-to-use online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor that enables you and your students to create, store and share instantly and securely, and collaborate online in real time. You can create new documents from scratch or upload existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. There's no software to download, and all your work is stored safely online and can be accessed from any computer.
Students appreciate the ability to collaborate online in their own time frame. Teachers as well as students appreciate the stronger accountability for individual effort on group projects. Google Docs enables teachers to observe the projects as they unfold, giving student’s feedback prior to the final outcome. Teachers are able to individually assess student participation and content using the revision tab on Google Docs to see how editing is proceeding and to encourage students as they work, and the students aren't the only ones using Docs to collaborate. At one school, parent council meeting agendas and meeting outcomes are in Google Docs. Also department chair and staff meeting agendas have moved from paper to Docs encouraging staff leadership, collaboration, feedback and 24/7 access." A Google produced video that gathers a number of educators who rave about the benefits of Google Docs in their schools. Instead of waiting on individuals with different schedules to send their part of the final product, everyone contributes to a centralized document. Everyone can contribute to editing, providing feedback, and have a more equal share in the final product. Google Docs includes word processing, spreadsheet and presentation web applications. According to Lipscomb (2003), this activity is “gaining popularity with teachers and students for its ability to interact with on-line resources” and connect it to writing activities (p.152) It truly does make collaboration simpler and more efficient.
QUIZINATOR
Quizinator is an online service designed to allow educators to compile questions from a large database on various topics and print them in order to be used in the classroom. Quizinator provides users with a simple click and drag interface which allows them to easily create and maintain their own custom collection of documents, and also provides them the security and convenience of having their data stored electronically in one central location, preventing them having to store stacks of papers and risk losing important or often used quizzes or tests.
Quizinator is designed for teachers and instructors, but certainly due to its origins has uses as a study tool for educational based organizations as well. Teachers can experiment with Quizinator without needing to invest anything other than time, and eventually, the benefits of the site will make themselves apparent, saving them countless hours creating documents, rewriting the same questions and answers if they intend to generate unique quizzes, or hoping they can find the original copy of that same old quiz they give out every time a certain subject is covered.
