Digital Blog Post #D

I found a lot of things from chapters eight and ten very interesting. The first thing from chapter eight that caught my eye was Wiki's! Before we were assigned the group Wiki, I had no idea what it was. I really enjoyed doing the group project, and loved learning about them a little more. A Wiki is a website tool for students and teachers. It allows them to communicate through a blog-like style. The teacher/students can edit or revise each others ideas, which is a great way to share information! A fun thing I learned from this is that "wiki" is actually Hawaiian and it means quickly or rapidly. This article is another take on Wiki's and how else they can be used to help students learn other cool, different things like entrepreneurship.

Another thing I found interesting from chapter eight was synchronous and asynchronous communications. These are two different types of communication for teachers and students. Synchronous is a type of communication where you do not have to wait for a response. An example of synchronous communication would be a phone call, text message, or a face to face conversation. Asynchronous communication is one where you have to wait for a response. Examples of these would be an email, blog, or an online discussion. To me, synchronous communication would be more helpful as a future teacher and as a student because you get the response you need right away!

The last thing I found interesting was from chapter ten. It was on interactive electronic storybooks. An easier and more well-known term for this is called a CD-ROM. I thought this was interesting because these are something I'm sure we have all heard or before, but never really put much thought into it. As a college student, sometimes you have the option to buy your textbook on campus or you can buy it as an e-book, which is the exact same thing, and it's so much cheaper! I personally like using these types of tools because it saves money and it can also save time. It also prevents you from losing your textbook, which I am sure we can all relate to! As for elementary and middle schools, there are interactive apps that you can get on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. They are called storybook apps. They allow students to be read to or read on their smart phones, tablets, or computers. Below is an example from YouTube of an app that does these cool things!

Overall, both of these chapters were very interesting and very helpful. I learned some fun facts, and a lot more educational technologies that can be used to enhance learning in all types of classrooms. My favorite thing that I learned was the storybook apps. When I was in elementary school, we had to check out books from the library and take them home, and usually there was no "digital copy"! It is so cool to see how far technology has come, and I can't wait to see what they come up with when I become a teacher!

Resources: 

McCrea, B. (2010, October 20). THE News Update. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from https://thejournal.com/articles/2010/10/20/wikis-pulling-it-all-together-online.aspx

Pinder, S (2016, February 29). Infograph. Created with Piktochart http://magic.piktochart.com

Who stole the moon? Storybook App | Top Best Apps For Kids. (2014, December 24). Retrieved February 29, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI9CJQSJiBg