There are probably as many tools to be used in education as there are teachers. Teachers use their creativity continually to allow everyday things be used as tools of education. A colleague uses a thick rope in a modified game of Tug of War to demonstrate the obstacles stacked against colonists in a particular Revolutionary War battle. Thus this section could not begin to list all tools. It is therefore focused on the tools I have explored in the ITS program.

Video: As members of the Net Generation, current students have been raised on video. I tell my communication students that although they might not know all the methods used in creating a video, they are expert consumers since they have been watching quality video (i.e. Disney) from an early age. This age group is completely comfortable with gaining information with sight and sound. Not only is this usually their preference, the medium can give so much more information than just the printed page. Video offers the content, but also the picture of the setting, the clothing, the people. It offers the facial expressions as well as the voice intonation. I have found that quick YouTube videos greatly enhance the message in my U.S. History class. Students remember even less consequential facts (such as King Philip of Spain was Catholic) because they saw it in video (made with Lego figures).

This use of quick video from a variety of sources such as movies, History Channel, Discovery Channel, newscasts, and the like punctuate the information strongly and help visual learners gain needed insight. The subscription based Brain Pop series has 3-6 minute videos on a host of academic subjects which can be used to preview, teach, or review. Even basic procedures are enhanced by video. I can tell my students how disruptive it is to be late and sharpen their pencil during the lesson, but this movie clip speaks volumes more than my words.

An even further use of video is to allow students to present their knowledge in video format. This not only assesses their knowledge of the content, but introduces thinking (organization/presentation) and software (video production) skills, allowing students to communicate their learning at a higher cognitive level than a multiple choice test.

Games: There were two basic ideas that were presented in this course concerning  games. One is that despite often popular opinion, research doesn't support that video games make players dumber or turn them into crime spree maniacs. Rather, James Paul Gee in Good Video Games + Good Learning, says that video games cause players to "exercise their learning muscles" and learning is "pleasurable for humans." (Gee, p. 29)  Teachers can combine both the content and the pleasurable activity of learning is using a video game that applies to the course content.

Age of Empires is an example of a video game that allows players to investigate community lifestyles and military strategies during various historical eras. Priscilla Norton, Ph.D. of George Mason University said she would not know how to teach a world history class anymore without the use of Age of Empires software.

A second idea presented was the various types of games. There are arcade games (Breakout and Tetris) to recognize pattern and strategy; problem-solving games (such as Lemmings listed below); interactive fiction (Wishbringer); and simulations (Rollercoaster Tycoon). In Rollercoaster Tycoon, the player can learn the physics of building roller coasters, the economic realities of running a business, the social interactions of hiring and firing staff, or other themes that the teacher could draw from it.

In some of these, learning the course content can be inferred from the game. For example, the computer game Lemmings requires players to rescue lemmings. The requires designing a strategy to solve a multiple variable problem while only allowing a fixed number of miscalculations. This thinking strategy could be a good introduction to a variety of subjects such as computer programming or chemistry.

Databases: These are used in wider reaching circles that I originally anticipated. Use of databases was introduced early in the program and was also the introduction of ACTS and SSCC. Databases can be used whenever sorting and searching information. My database pamphlet offers basic information on the 3 types and 4 sources of databases. As a class, we experimented with database use in lessons. Collecting 5 facts about each class member, we then created our own database. Not only was this instructional on creating databases, we then in pairs wrote a mystery for the rest of the class to solve. This used both thinking and communication skills. We consulted an online nutrition database to choose healthy menu items and then composed a letter to the event organizer to justify our menu selections. Math skills, thinking skills, communication skills were all evident. We looked at a teacher created database of the U.S. presidents in order to find commonalities in those elected to write a help wanted ad (summarization and writing skills) for a current presidential candidate. The thinking skills in this not only had the learner sorting and searching in the information, but also filtering that with with known historical knowledge.

I then created a database lesson plan for feature writing. It combined the attraction of magazines such as People or Entertainment Weekly with the creation of a database for students to relay their top choices in various categories. My students would then analyze the database and write a feature article on the generalizations they could make about the students in their own school. I also composed an essay for parents to explain the learning goals.

I now see a very useful place for databases in lesson design. With the great amount of information students need to process, databases can offer an organized structure from which students can analyze and draw conclusions.

Internet: Within this category, there are several sub-categories. Besides the broad category of the Internet, I will also address activity structures, web-based learning and webquests.

As to the internet in education in general, it is a tool that students have embraced. However, what has been insightful for me is what students don't know about the tool. They usually don't know that Google offers businesses to pay to put their web page at the top of the search. They don't know that there is not a government agency that polices the web and takes down false information. Therefore they tend to believe what they stumble across. In a lesson about media literacy, my students were believing the existence of a tree octopus in northwestern U.S. It wasn't until we began looking more at the details of the site and especially some of the photos that they began to suspect. They then wondered how someone could put such false information on the web and pass it off as truth. This was a great realization for them to know that not everything on the web can be believed.

They need teacher modeling for ways to academically search the internet. Students then need strategies to help them assess if a web page is relevant.  Working with a partner in class, we created a quick survey for students to complete when judging a website. This reminds students of the basics for which to look such as the web address extension, the author, date updated, and if information can be corroborated in other sources.

During my summer online courses in this degree program, I came to know  the difference between activity structures and web based learning. Activity structures, a term used by Judi Harris are telecollaborative projects (usually designed by educators) that allow students to research and create curriculum-based projects while working collaboratively over the internet. The overall term activity structure is divided into 3 sub-categories: Interpersonal Exchange, Information Collection/Analysis, and Problem Solving.  An example of Interpersonal Exchange is the Letters to Jefferson site an the lesson plan using the site. An example of a Information Collection/Analysis activity is the Global Grocery List where students compare prices on basic food items around the world (see reflection on group using this activity). Such an activity could be used for math, civics, history, and geography to name a few. Another Information Collection/Analysis example was the class yearbook using graphic and writing skills to compose an introduction to each other in an online environment. An example of a Problem Solving activity is the Teen Court concept and its accompanying lesson plan.

Web-based learning is online activities that enhance the content of the lesson and allow students to learn individually. One such site I used this year with my 6th grade history students was The Jamestown Online Adventure. This was a simulation activity that allowed students to see the consequences of their choices in establishing the settlement in Jamestown (lesson plan). Even when they chose unwisely (either by lack of knowledge or wanting to be different), the simulation showed them the consequences of such actions and thus was a learning activity. In addition, the activity allows students to consult the charter from the Virginia Company to help their decisions. This is a great use of primary sources. In the end, the simulation compares the student's choices to the actual choices made by the Jamestown settlers. For rote skills, I used with the same history class the 13 colony geography site. I posted the link to this on my class web page and encouraged students to play at home and come in and share the lowest score they achieved. This sparked a sense of competition among many and helped them study and do well on the 13 colony map quiz. Similarly, I posted the site on Latitude and Longitude and Continents and Oceans to allow students to practice their map skills in a game setting. An interesting site that encourages problem solving is the Zero Gravity Connect Four site which allows learners to play a familiar game while having to allow for new strategies.

Graphics: Prior to this program, I thought of graphics as supplementary art or pictures that added to the overall concept. This was primarily describing the use of graphics as decorative, the D in the acronym DROET which outlines five uses of graphics (Decorative, Representational, Organizational, Explanational, and Transformational). The descriptions of these as well as graphic technique and tools are found in the brochure we completed in class. In addition, I became better acquainted with the affordances of the tools Paint and Draw. Paint uses the process of filling in pixels, whereas Draw uses mathematical formulas to create shapes.

My observation, however, is that students don’t see these programs much differently that I did originally. They use it as a place to draw their name in large magic marker and fill their design with different colors. In using these, I would now scaffold the instruction to demonstrate the variety of Paint tools and how perspective, shading, texture, and color can alter and enhance the image. The advantage of using these programs is that students can draw exactly what they have in mind instead of choosing something in clip art and then having to alter their plan to match the graphic. Just as with paper and pen drawing, technique and artistry can be practiced and improved whereas talent differs among individuals. My attempt at drawing my shoes demonstrates that I require both practice and talent.

I also have learned how Paint can be used as an image editing tool. I have had students use this when they had photos that were too large to be used in format in which they were working. In my news writing lesson, I hold a mock press conference where I become Queen Cynthia from Evania. Using paint, I edited an image to enhance my lesson. My skills in Paint did not allow the photo to look as polished as I would have liked. So I took the concept of image editing and completed the image with Photoshop. I also altered a Google map image to include the country Evania. This was not only helpful in creating a mood and setting for this lesson, it also piggy-backed on media literacy. I explained that if I can alter a map, anyone can. Students need to be ever vigilant in the media they consume

Desktop Publishing: The use of word processing and desktop publishing software has allowed students to present their work in a more professional format. This not only offers more engagement for students; it causes them to encounter design, thinking, and software skills as would be used in professional fields. I use desktop publishing in a couple lessons. Students learn principles of newspaper design and how to publish using columns in their design. I also use it in the advertising unit. Here, the design principles are different from newspaper and I stress PARC (Proximity, Alignment, Repetition, and Contrast).

Web Publishing: Publishing via the internet offers a cost effective way for students to publish their work. Web publishing can go hand in hand with desktop publishing. As an example, I created the idea for an Informational Collection and Analysis activity structure for a web newspaper to which middle school students could contribute. Once an educator established an account, middle school students from all over the world could publish articles they had written. Not only would this provide an authentic publishing outlet, it also serves to educate students of issues in other parts of the country or world.

Blogs: Personally, I am not overly excited at the prospect of blogging. I have tried it as a requirement of my graduate program (Cindy's Design Blog). I realize the potential of blogs and can see great opportunity if my employment was enhanced by continual communication with a growing public (such as a book author, conference speaker, or actor). Having said that, I do see using blogs in education. I would most likely use them in a closed, protected setting such as Loudoun County's Vision web program. I understand that this eliminates some of the attraction of blogging such as communicating to anyone in the world. However, currently, I will trade this for the safety concerns.

In a classroom, there are multiple ways to incorporate blogs. Students can use them as a portfolio. They can then add reflections of learning to both their own blogs as well as those of other students. Blogs can be used in novel studies where students discuss the plot or the characters, predict some possible outcomes, share connections to other novels or current events, or simply ask questions for understanding. Other uses could be for information such as notes or directions, current events, shared understanding of content, photos, reflections, and writing assignments. In all these, the comment section of blogs is an effective way for a teacher to offer feedback. The overall use of blogs is limited only by the teacher's imagination.

Use of a blog provides for collaboration, synthesis of ideas, and publishing for an audience. Students may tend to be more thoughtful about their writings when they understand there is an audience beyond the teacher. In such, the student experiences an authentic writing experience. As students learn the excitement (and perhaps the pitfalls) of putting their writing "out there" in a controlled environment, they also learn valuable lessons about communicating in the Web 2.0 environment. As they might/will experiment with blogging and other Web 2.0 tools, it is good to give them knowledge and experience on those same tools in the classroom.

Wikis: The explosive use of Wikipedia, a web encyclopedia totally written by anyone who wishes to contribute, is the best understanding most people have of a wiki. The newer Wikileaks site gained headlines for time, but did little to help explain the concept of a wiki.

In the classroom, a wiki promotes collaboration. When a group is given an assignment, no longer does only one member have to physically take the paper home and finish writing while the other members watch TV. A wiki allows all members to contribute electronically without massive rewriting.  It is less cumbersome that editing a document and sending it by email, since all the edits are saved as prior versions on the wiki. I used wikis in class when students had to write a script in small groups. I set up each group's wiki in my class page on www.loudounvision.net. Students then logged on to their group's wiki and continued the collaborative process whether at home or in resource (study hall), or anywhere they had computer access. In this instance the wiki was only used for less than a week. Some students found this to be a wonderful tool and used it to great benefit. Other students found it hard to part with the security of the tangible pencil and paper.

Podcasting: This tool allows a low-cost method for students to have their own audio or video voice to the world. With a computer, software (often downloaded for free), and a microphone, students can share their opinions, observations, knowledge, or whatever. Much like blogs, there are numerous opportunities in education to implement podcasting. Having recently gained understanding of the concept, I began experimenting with it. I created a podcast as a quiz review for 6th grade History. I thought it would be better received if there was a visual component, so I used my voice as a soundtrack over still images. About a fourth of the students said they used the podcast to study. I don't have any real hard evidence as to its benefit as most all students did well on this particular quiz. However one student made the suggestion that I create just an audio podcast so students could download it to their iPod. I read in Blogs, Wikis and Podcasting by Will Richardson how to do just that. That will be my next project.

Hypermedia: The concept of hypermedia involves a great deal of organization and pre-planning, whether creating the project for students to use or teaching them to create their own. Having said that, I also found it to be fun. Our first task was to re-design a fairy tale using hypermedia so that it could have multiple plot diagrams. My Goldilocks tale allowed me to "play" with the tools so that I gained a better understanding. I then created a lesson plan and hypermedia project to help students understand the interdependence between the developing 13 colonies. Using hypermedia was a great tool for this particular lesson since students could direct their own learning regarding how people, economies, religion, and geography affected the growth of the colonies.

I was only able to implement this in a limited fashion, given the team structure of our lesson planning. However, I found students to be completely engaged and moving through the links building their own understanding in a organization that made sense to them individually. Instead of the full Venn Diagram as suggested in the original lesson plan, I used this to review with students. Having built the hypermedia project from the notes in their notebook, I asked students to find 10 facts they did not already know. This allowed them to realize what they knew and understood already. It also aided in them in gaining any information of which they might have missed previously.

As I realized that my understanding of the intricacies between the 13 colonies was enhanced by developing the hypermedia project, I also developed a lesson plan and sample template for students to create their own hypermedia project on the U.S. History SOL of First American migration patterns. I hope to be able to implement this soon.

It is of note that the hypermedia projects above were created in PowerPoint. Although, the same projects could have been created in web page creation software, most students have greater access to PowerPoint.