ers as well as for students” (Kurtz, 2003). Basically, Inspiration consists of bubble-maps that are created by the students or class as a whole. The teacher can then print out copies of the bubble-map for the whole class for use as study material. For quick brainstorming, rapid fire tool allows for ideas to get put down in writing quickly (Kurtz, 2003). Also, “the new version of Inspiration comes with more than 50 templates for use in language arts, social studies, and science” (Kurtz, 2003). By having plenty of templates to choose from, students and teachers both have the ability to generate ideas and plug them in to the blank areas on the template. The software “is wonderful for students who have a difficult time organizing their writing and research” (Kurtz, 2003). Inspiration software can be used by every area of teaching including special education, “with the added audio component that allows text to be read aloud, this program meets the needs of students within a broader developmental range” (Kurtz, 2003). Inspiration software is an important tool that can be utilized by any student or teacher for creating in class study materials. By using this interactive software, students can improve their grades significantly because they are actually participating in the learning process.
Unitedstreaming is a emerging technology that has impacted my life in a great way and it has influenced my own way of looking at teaching with technology. Unitedstreaming is an online service available to most schools that has thousands of videos, pictures, and songs that are all standards based, which means that all of the videos meet or exceed the Standards of Learning. Through Unitedstreaming, “teachers are learning to prepare lesson plans and student activities in print, graphic, sound and video formats to give teachers and students multiple paths for understanding and retaining content” (Reed, 2003). The videos on Unitedstreaming can be picked and then edited through Windows Movie Maker.
As a student using Unitedstreaming, it is easy to use, extremely addicting and most importantly, fun to use. Searching for videos on there can be a task but it is quite an experience once you have found the perfect one. After you find the videos, you can then edit them to make one continuous clip. This is a great idea for teachers who want to make a video about their subject matter. Also, it would be a great student activity/project for them to generate and get their hands dirty doing something creative. There are however some downsides to using Unitedstreaming in school. Streaming the videos takes up massive amounts of bandwidth and essentially locks up the school's Internet system. So just remember, it is always better to download your videos!
One of the newest technologies to emerge in the past year is TeacherTube, an online database of instructional videos. Modeled after the popular video website, YouTube, TeacherTube allows educators to “upload, tag, and share videos worldwide.” These videos range in subject from those instructing teachers how to use new classroom software or how to teach a certain type of lesson to movies that can actually be used in the classroom to help elaborate upon the subject matter. Not only can educators find videos to supplement their lessons, but those who upload their videos often include access to lesson plans, notes, and activities. The fact that this website is fully interactive means other educators and even students can comment on the videos and information and provide constructive criticism, leading to the material on the site constantly being upgraded and improved. This also helps to keep inappropriate videos at bay, by allowing users to flag ones they do not find suitable. Though new, TeacherTube contains a plethora of information for educators new and old.
There are so many new and emerging technologies in the teaching field that it makes it very easy to become overwhelmed with the deluge of information. There is a great quote about teaching that comes from the Chinese philosopher Confucius. He said. “Acquire n