Assessment on 8 Technology Tools

Purcell et al. (2013) state, “A survey of 2,462 Advanced Placement (AP) and National Writing Project (NWP) teachers finds that digital technologies have helped them in teaching their middle school and high school students in many ways.” Because educators should embrace 21^st century learning, it is important to discover and evaluate technology tools that could be incorporated into the classroom. I would be assessing eight technology tools based on my personal experience.

Rating Scale: 
1 - Do not use! 
2 - Not recommended
3 - Neutral 
4 - Somewhat recommended 
5 - Highly recommended

1.     MOODLE

As a college student, I favor MOODLE, because it is a useful resource. It has features such as calendar to remind what assignments are due and specific breakdown of the grades. I am able to obtain brief description of the weekly lesson depending on the professor. If the professors provide materials or resources for the students, they have the option of exploring and even downloading it. It also helps maintain communication with the professors, which I believe is more effective than obtaining individual email like some professors do. When submitting assignments, MOODLE will send a confirmation email. In the past, I have experienced problems regarding communication and submission, because they never received my email. MOODLE is more reliable, but it has its flaws. At first, MOODLE was difficult to use and it has its glitch. Also it lacks creativity, because it does not give much option to modify settings.

    2.     Firefox 

Michael Muchmore (2014) states “Firefox remains a favorite among the browsing cognoscenti for its leading customization possibilities, attractive design, and open-source provenance.” I started using Firefox for ED-271 class, but I am not crazy about it. I do like the simplicity of Firefox. It is also safe and customizable, but from personal experience, it is slow. I downloaded Firefox on my MacBook Pro to test it, but it takes a while for a page to load in comparison to other browsers such as Safari and Chrome.

    3.     LiveBinders

I believe LiveBinders is a great resource for both students and professionals to reference from based on other’s experiences and opinions. LiveBinders is user friendly and auto saves frequently. When I made my account, I did not have any difficulty making and editing my binder. I am able to insert videos and websites, so viewers can see without having to click on the link. One downfall would be that not all websites and resources could be presented. LiveBinders is meant to simply display the URL or HTML that is inserted. LiveBinders can resize an image that was inserted, but other than that there is no feature to edit images or do voice over. User would have to utilize other technology tools to create videos and avatars.

    4.     Googleapps 

Google apps have various features that attract variety of people. Google apps include YouTube and BlogSpot, which are popular to many young people. I thought Google was simply just a search engine, but as I began to explore it features, I was dumbfounded. Google drive allows the user to save important files online such as spreadsheets, documents, and PowerPoint. Users can share the file to anyone who has an email account even from different providers. But only a Gmail user can edit the files upon creator’s approval. As a college student, Google drive has helped group members to work effectively together at the same time without having to physically meet. The only problem I have with Google apps is that loading takes a bit of time in comparison to using Hotmail. 

    

    5.     PowToon

PowToon is free and easy to use with various animations to choose from. The only limitations with the free version are that some sounds and animations cannot be utilized. I believe those that are provided for the free version are good enough. It has various backgrounds, transitions, and text animations. Also users have the option of uploading their own music and images. In PowToon, users can record their own voices and music. It provides options to search images based on approval from creators, so there’s no fear of running into copyright issues. The downfall is that once the user uploads an image, user can no longer edit it.    

    6.     Joomag

Joomag is a free eBook creator that can be used for various purposes such as promoting businesses or raising awareness. Although I love the appearance of the eBook, I had difficulty using the website. Because Joomag lacks essential directions to utilize this website, I was lost. I had to learn through many trials and errors, which was time consuming. It was a hassle to even add a page on Joomag, because I could not directly do it while I was editing. I originally thought Joomag was not capable of inserting HTML, but with research, I realized I could through the hotspot feature. Joomag allows user to add videos and images. I appreciated that Wix had variety of editing options, but Joomag only has the option to add effects to text and images. In comparison to other technology tools, Joomag was limiting. 

    7.     Masher

Masher is a free tool to create video mash-ups. Signing up for Masher is easy to do. Users can upload images and video clips. Users can add texts as well. The process of creating video mash-ups is easy, but there are huge limitations. The options are very limited regarding themes. The site states that there are more themes coming soon, but as of now, there are only four themes. Users are unable to do any voice over or recording directly from the site. Also users cannot edit video clips that were uploaded.

    8.     Wix

Wix is a free website builder that is easy to use. With Wix, anyone can showcase their creativity to their maximum potential. There are 280 beautiful templates, but once the user selects a template, there is no way to change it. Even in the free version, users are able to access all tools, so the limitations are bearable. I enjoy features such as the editing tools to fix and enhance uploaded images, which was one component that a lot of technology tools lacked. 

References

Muchmore, M. (2014, March 12). Firefox 27. PCMAG. Retrieved from 

                http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2349494,00.asp

Purcell, K., Heaps, A., Buchanan, J., & Friedrich, L. (2013). How Teachers Are Using Technology at

                Home and in Their Classrooms. Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. 

                Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/02/28/how-teachers-are-using-

                technology-at-home-and-in-their-classrooms/