For my last blog assignment, I am looking at a variety of technology tools to incorporate in the library or classroom.  The first one I want to highlight is PearDeck.  Basically, you have a presentation, and your students log in with computers, tablets, or smart phones throughout for an interactive lesson.  You can ask them to put a thumbs up or down online if they understand a concept, ask a question, give a multiple choice question, etc.  This is a really cool tool.  I have students who hate drawing attention to themselves by asking questions and may be more willing to ask something online.  Even though their name appears, it seems “safer” them than by raising their hands.  I can see this tool working well in a collaborative library lesson.  As librarians, we can quickly check that they understood the information since we do not have as much time with them as their classroom teachers.  Definitely going on my list!

Storyboard That is another great tool for students to create a story.  They can customize many details of either their own story or understanding a concept from a story.  I have already looked at some cool video and comic strip tools, but I really like how easy this storytelling tool is.  One of the examples they give is identifying a character's harmatia or tragic flaw.  I can see this tool being used to reinforce a concept such as gravity, characterization, or the causes of WWII.  A great idea for both classroom teachers and librarians.

What Was There is a tool where people upload various photos of locations within a town.  They may be from as far back as 1880!  When you click on a town, various photos appear depending on what you want to view.  It is a community effort; the more people that contribute the more photos they will have.  This is a great tool to use with students while reading historical fiction, learning geography, or studying history.  It is quite simple and quick to use.  The best part is that it requires nothing on the part of the teacher/librarian other than typing in a city.

The only negative side to these tools is that for many of them you have to pay to use after a free trial.  That is frequently difficult for teachers to get money to incorporate these tools in their classroom.  In Newport News Public Schools, teachers can apply for mini-grants through one of our organizations and receive up to $500.  This could be a possibility to try out new ideas in the classroom.