Technology and the Teacher

Five resources or tools that I have researched and found that I can incorporate in the classroom are listed below. I have found that each tool would allow me as a teacher to either save time, enhance the learning experience or prepare better classroom management. Along with these tools it allows the student and parents to keep in constant contact with each other regarding grades and assignments as well as with the teacher.

Digital Grade Book: SchoolCircuit

SchoolCircuit has put the grade book online and easy to access for parents and students, and easy to manage for teachers. By assigning access codes to create accounts, teachers can give students and their parents the ability to check grades, attendance and assignments, as well as messages from the teacher and upcoming events. This feature alone goes a long way in saving time for teachers who are used to fielding inquiries about grades and due dates.

This program makes it easy to create classes and notifies the teacher when students and parents create their accounts. The teacher can choose his or her own grading scale; choose to make certain assignments weighted; and color code by late, missing or complete assignments. By being able to do this all online it saves time for the teacher and student and makes it easy for parents to keep track of their students progress.

Give Feedback Online: Backboard

As more students complete their work on computers, it just makes sense to give feedback to students online. Backboard enables groups to access a shared document and make notes and corrections. It saves time in group projects, draft assessments and even grading.

Create and Grade Quiz's: ClassMarker

Instead of printing paper quizzes and grading them by hand, teachers can use ClassMaker to make online assessments that are graded instantly. Teachers can choose between five different formats including essay responses. They can also randomize test questions and set time limits. Teachers have access to e-mailed results, overall question percentages, overall quiz results percentages and learner score averages.

Manage Lesson Plans: PlanbookEdu

PlanbookEdu is a free, online lesson plans book that functions much like a paper book. First, since it is cloud-based, it's impossible to forget at home or at school. It also makes customizing and editing easier, and each box functions like its own tiny text pad. The capability to easily share plans with substitute teachers, colleagues and administrators is invaluable.

Take Attendance: Attendance for iPhone

An iPhone application for taking attendance. Instead of typing each student's name manually, teachers can upload from an address book or a CSV file. Teachers can snap headshots of the students with their phones or upload