Adobe Captivate

I recently completed some online training on an Adobe product that is part of their e-learning suite, it’s called Adobe Captivate.  It gets used a lot for corporate training but would also be a great tool for differentiated instruction, amongst other uses.

It’s a lot like Powerpoint in that you create a file that’s essentially a presentation.  However, each slide can be a video tutorial, or it can be an image with annotated comments when you roll over parts of the image.  It can just be text. 

Where it gets particularly useful for the classroom, is with its use of built-in assessment tools.  So, you can create a stand-alone lesson and then quiz students at the end of it.  The results of the quiz can be stored and even interface with an integrated learning system.  As mentioned, I thought this could be useful for differentiated instruction, or also for formative assessments of complex topics.

Being Cybersmart Just Got Easier

As part of some research I was doing for EDTC 630 I came across a useful website that I thought I would share.  It is http://cybersmartcurriculum.org/.  I know we’ve all been exposed to the necessity of educating students about safety on the internet.  This website takes it a bit further and provides a curriculum to be used over the K-12 spectrum teaching various aspects of internet over the years as students mature over time.  Now teachers don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to internet safety.  It’s all there at http://cybersmartcurriculum.org/assets/files/CyberSmart_Scope.pdf, and even has some suggested activities incorporated.  I’ve already e-mailed this link to some teachers I know.   Enjoy!

iPads in the Classroom

Many students look forward to using computers as part of their learning experience.  I believe that iPads have the potential to take that motivation to another level entirely.  I have just recently introduced myself to the iPad, downloading many educational apps, and watching them in action.  Young technology learners get the hang of it almost immediately, and are up and running with it in seconds.  While they can (and do)“waste” endless amounts of time on apps such as Angry Birds, there are also a wealth of truly beneficial apps that make learning fun.  I have listed some links along the side to some of the apps that I thought could be of interest to others.

Since apps are often limited and one-dimensional, they could be beneficial for students who need help in a specific topic area.  I have been looking at apps for the lower grades such as Word Bingo, Bonescan Bob (teaches the major bones of the body), Pizza (teaches fractions), Under the Sea (coral reefs), and Geo Walk (teaches geography). 

While the cost of the technology is definitely a barrier, the potential value of this technology to have a tremendous impact on learning is already very high and growing without bounds.

Have any of you seen or used this technology?  What do you think?