Mind Mapping

I've actually seen this before as part of an educational package. When I first logged onto mind mapper, it was slow and a little sluggish. Maybe it is my computer. Whatever the reason I have used these in classes before on a white board. I think students would react more positively to this digital version that can be updated quickly. Students could conceivably add to mind maps outside of the classroom and these could be used as part of their assessment, much like portfolios are used today.

After reviewing this for some time I began to think about how students learn now as apposed to the pre-digital age. Does there need to be an entertainment factor included in our lesson planning as compared to before? Or is the use of technology a natural evolution in how we now gather and process information.

del.icio.us

This is a terrific tool. It was easy to set up and I will no longer be using "My Favorites" as a way to track my web sites. I have many sites affiliated with Egyptian, Viking, Roman, Greek, Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation history when I used to teach Grade 8 Social Studies. Frequently I would research at home and at work and more than once after I had found a relevant and interesting web page I lost it because I made it a favorite on another computer. This would be very beneficial for my school where there is a lot of team teaching. Teachers could build their own web site catalogue to share with other members of the team. I have already started tagging sites for administrators.

Goggle Docs

I found it interesting when we tried Google docs. Although at first it was a little confusing with people adding and changing text, I do see some practical applications. This would be quite useful in a classroom setting where you have multiple users posting and updating entries. Peer editing is a great way to use this tool. Students could edit each others' assignments. From an administrative stand point, I can see how this would save time and avoid confusion. When I publish a monthly newsletter, there are several staff members who need to contribute. I usually email them and they email me back with their versions and contributions. However, there have been times that they have needed to edit their contributions. I see an immediate use for Google Docs in these situations. By having just the one document, always updated by the staff, there would be less confusion and more collaboration.