Mindtools for Learning

Mindtools are programs that allow students to visually demonstrate relationships, processes, or ideas through webs, charts, and so on.  Mindtools essentially provide a means for students to demonstrate their thinking in a visual way, or in other words, model their thought processes.  This is invaluable in the educational process, both for teachers and for other students, because it gives an opportunity not only for students to show what they observed or noticed in their learning, but to see and learn from the thought processes of others.  Students can comment and discuss their ideas through the mindtools and demonstrate how they arrived at certain conclusions and relationships.  These tools are also very interactive and help to build numerous other research and publication skills that could prove useful in their future education or in the workplace.
There are a number of different Mindtool programs available to use for educational purposes, such as Cmaps (a basic concept mapping software) and Inspiration (a versatile mapping/chart software designed for grades 6-12). I was drawn to the Inspiration software since I can see the appeal for students in the colorful mapping capabilities and in how user friendly is appears.  I also liked that the program allowed you to make various other charts and concept maps.  The media libraries also provide an additional visual dynamic that often appeals to students when creating charts or maps like these.
I can certainly see how Inspiration could be used to show character relationships in my English class, or even how plots evolve, or themes are reinforced by actions, events, or dialogue.  I did a search online to fine out how Inspiration is being used in other classes and stumbled across this assignment for a high school science class.  I also found a list of uses for Inspiration in an English class.  Unfortunately, it appears that most of the assignment links are broken, but the list itself gives a pretty good view of Inspiration's versatility.  I don't think there is a subject area where Mindtool programs could not find some value, especially when it comes to creating models of concepts and relationships.

Google Tools

Google tools are ever expanding and continue to make life easier for those that are always online. Google has created many tools that make creating, collaborating, sharing and reading information easier than ever before. Some of the more popular tools are Google Docs, Sites, Reader, Forms, and Blogger. Each of these tools can be used for personal needs or for the needs of your profession.

Google Docs is exactly what it sounds like. It is a one stop way to create text documents, presentations, and spreadsheets all through “cloud” computing. This means that these documents can be taken anywhere and can be accessed at any point as long as you have access to a computer and internet (there is no requirement to purchase expensive software like Microsoft Office). Like any product there are advantages and disadvantages. One advantage has already been mentioned; your docs can be accessed anywhere you can find internet access and with many of the newer smartphones you can even view, create and edit docs without a computer. Another huge advantage is the collaboration aspect. After creating a doc, you can share it with multiple users who can all edit and resave in real time without having to email back and forth. This means that colleagues in different parts of an office or different parts of the world can work together on a project and instantly have the newest version of the document. One of the problems, as you may expect, is that if there is no internet access, there is no document to edit or print. Google Docs is quickly becoming a great resource for group projects because students can work on their own time and put the information together when they are available.

Another nice Google tool is Sites. Sites allows individuals to create free websites that can actually be customized quite a bit to make them their own. The user begins with a template and builds the site with all the information they need to share. Students can work collaboratively on sites and share them with friends, teachers or the entire world when finished. Like Google Docs, Sites allows users to specify who can edit the website and allows multiple students to work together to create a final piece of work.

Google Reader is a nice feature that allows users to compile all of their favorite news feeds and blogs into one spot so they can always have the most up to date information. Fitting into this category is Google Blogger which actually allows users to create their own blog. For school, this could be used as a weekly or daily blog about what they are learning, or could be used as an online journal for personal use. Users can invite others to post on the blog site and can also follow other blogs through Reader.

The final tool that Google has developed that can be quite useful in the education world is Forms. Forms is part of Docs but allows users to create forms which can be used for surveys. Google will automatically compile the results from the form and create a report that shows the responses.

With the ever increasing want and need for collaboration and integration of technology, Google has developed some very nice tools that make it extremely easy to work together without having to be together. The best part of all of these services is that they are a free included feature of having a Google account.

Web 2.0 ang Google Tools

Web 2.0 essentially has come to mean any media source online that includes an interaction or collaboration to achieve a certain goal or to further communications and understanding.  Social networking sites, blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, and podcasting are all examples of Web 2.0 tools that allow end users to interact and communicate in a virtual forum.  This communication ultimately leads to further understanding and knowledge through the process of responding to and cooperating with others.  Since these types of tools promote responding and adding to (or even editing) the ideas of others.  This means that internet use can be more responsive, active, and engaging as opposed to passive. 
The benefits of Web 2.0 technologies are rooted in a number of different learning theories including constructivism and social learning theory.  Since much of the web is information based, Web 2.0 tools give the end user an opportunity to take part in the process of discussing and drawing conclusions.  Both constructivism and social learning theory have an emphasis on the people with and environment in which we learn, and Web 2.0 technologies support these theories of learning.  In constructivism, learners build knowledge as they interact with others and resolve misconceptions or “disequilibrium” about the world.  In social learning theory, a person’s interactions and efforts will lead to greater achievement.  In both cases, there is an emphasis on interface and participation for the sake of knowledge acquisition (collective agency).  Blogging and social networks are both ways in which users not only get information from others, but are encouraged to participate in the conversation.  Wikis allow users to change or elaborate on information right where they find it, which takes the information from being accepted to being scrutinized. 
The implications of Web 2.0 in the classroom are quite broad when considering the access students have beyond the classroom.  Having team blogs for projects or novels allow students to discuss the text in threads and even provide evidence and links to back up their points.  Students can also create class wikis on certain topics and add/modify information as they learn.  Web 2.0 essentially takes the classroom to a virtual level, allowing students and the instructor to correspond at different places and times.  Some Web 2.0 tools also provide opportunities to discuss and debate over current issues or specific subjects (news outlets).  While there are always obstacles to technology use, these web tools, at the least, provide valuable resources for students to correspond individually about assignments.  Web 2.0 tools ultimately allow students to learn and interact cooperatively with each other, whether remotely or within the same classroom setting.  Considering the increasing competition and expectations of society in regards to job performance, utilizing Web 2.0 tools in school would prove quite valuable if our students are to develop the cooperative and critical thinking skills to remain competitive to other nations.
A number of Google tools are included in the blanket term of Web 2.0, but there are also other Google tools that allow shared access to resources (documents, etc.) or information, such as Google Reader, which lets you customize and gather numerous writing sources all onto one page.
Blogging seems like one of the best ways for students to communicate and collaborate using web 2.0 tools.  There are numerous sites dedicated to blogging, including edublogs.org, a site dedicated to educational blogging. This site provides teachers with the access and tools to monitor student blogs and provide resources for students to perform various tasks and collaborate with each other on various assignments.  More information on edublogs can be found here and here.  What makes ultimately makes blogs so valuable is the opportunity for written student feedback in an environment that promotes accountability and academic integrity.  It provides a forum beyond the classroom for students to correspond and interact, thus demonstrating how the learning process extends beyond classroom settings.
Since my other ETC 547 included a project sample for a recent assignment, I went ahead and created an edublog. While mine is pretty basic, there is a much better example called Huzzah, created by a teacher in Canada for an elementary school class.  This edublog really shows the versatility of blogging, both in subjects and in grade levels.