Module 3- Do you have a "FunBrain"?

Everyone likes to have fun. As a future teacher I want to have my classroom be a place of learning, but also a place of fun learning. As we go through teaching math and reading, students are always filling out worksheets and handing in assignments, because after all, practice makes perfect. I was wondering, how can we have our students practice mathematical concepts and reading in new and exciting ways? Well, FunBrain is the answer.

FunBrain is an educational browser game website for children and adults. The company said the site has 65,000 teachers registered, 35 million visits per month, and 60,000 page visits per day, and provides mathematics and kid style games.

On this website you are given the opportunity to choose to play Math Arcade, Reading, Fun Arcade, Playground, and all games. Under Math Arcade you get to choose what skill level you are at from 1 to 8 and then continue to play some games that helps our students practice mathematics facts that they have already learned. After all, practice makes perfect and we want to help our students enjoy learning.

To the left is a photo of one of the math games. In this particular game the student passes the bee over the wind cloud and it blows a number. The bee catches the number and then the student needs to place the number above the correct number sentence and drop it in the flower. If it is the correct answer for the number sentence then it will disappear. If it is incorrect then you must try again.

I think as a teacher, it is important to find new and exciting ways to reach out to our students and help them practice. Worksheets are great ways to practice in class, but our world is quickly becoming a world filled with technology. We need to keep up with technology in the classroom and incorporate it into our educational learning processes. I think that this is a great website to use on those days that we need to stray away from worksheet practice and do something different. It is great for all ages and really is a fun tool!

I challenge all teachers to have a "FunBrain" and find new and creative ways to help their students practice and learn, specifically through this tool!

Module 2- "Quizlet" Your Way to Better Grades!

Growing up I have always found that making vocabulary cards for tests and quizzes really helped learn the material and feel prepared. One problem I had though was it always took me longer to make the cards than it did to actually study them. My teachers always told me that writing it down was a form of studying, but it still was a pain if you were crammed for time.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could make flashcards faster? We can using Quizlet! 

Quizlet is an online learning tool produced and made by a high school sophomore, Andrew Sutherland who is from Albany, California. So, it was actually made by a student to help other students all over have an easier time making flashcards and studying. It is currently being used by 2.8 million registered users. 

What does Quizlet have to offer? Well, it is a free webiste that provides learning tools for students. This includes flashcards, study and game modes.  

I took the privilege of producing my own Quizlet. In my Quizlet I formed a list of vocabulary words and then it formed flashcards for me. I discovered that there are many different options I can chose to help me study. First, there is the actual flashcard with the definition. Then there is the flashcard with the word on one side and then the definition on the other side. Along with the flashcards, there is speller, learn, test, scatter, space race options. These test your understanding of the topic you choose in different and beneficial ways. I recommend you clicking on my Quizlet above and explore the different options. 

I think that this technology tool is an extremely useful one. It is easy to use and quick. It helps you study, not only by flashcards but why quizzing you, has you spell the answers out, ect. This tool can be used for whatever you want to be quizzed on. Whether that be vocabulary words or pictures, names, songs and lyrics, and any topic you choose to use it for. This is so helpful for students to study for quizzes and tests, but also for teachers to have students do for class time activities. By using these options, it will help students ingrain the information through repetition. Overall, I think that this is an awesome and useful tool that is beneficial to all who choose to you it. 

Say goodbye to trying to find time to writing flashcards and hello to Quizlet. You will be "Quizlet-ing" your way to better grades before you know it!

Module 1- The "Wordle" on the Block

If you would have asked me a year ago what a word cloud was, I probably would have said a cloud in the sky that looks like a certain word. Now, this is not the case. 

According to dictionary.com a word cloud is "a visual representation of user-generated electronic tags or keywords that classify and describe online content, typically an alphabetical list or a grouping of words in different font sizes, as to show relative frequency or provide links to further information." 

The "wordle" on the block is a technology tool called wordle. With this tool, you are able to create artwork with words, identify key words in passages and writings, teach languages, unscramble sentences, and categorize words and phrases. 

I decided to try it myself! I used the passage Isaiah 40:31, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk  and not be faint." into wordle and this is what I created. As one can see, it scrambles the words around and forms a collage. Generally, if you repeat a word in a passage, that word will appear larger on your wordle. It is an easy and fun way to use words to help teach, create artwork, and use as games. 

At first when I was researching wordle, I did not understand the use in it at all. I noticed that it was a tool that scrambles words, but why is this useful? I wondered how educators could use this tool in the classroom. I was very hesitant to use wordle. Sure, it makes cool collages, but how will I use this as a teacher in my classroom someday? Needless to say, I did my research and found that wordle is much more useful and resourceful that I originally thought when first discovering it. Some use it for family trees and helpful history information. Others use it for unscrambling words and sentences as a fun game in an English class. Students tend to like wordle because it has appealing colors and designs. Another use is to find what word appears most frequently in a reading passage. This can help students understand a specific topic in a reading assignment. From an artistic perspective, one could write down all the words that describe an object or person and it makes a collage out of it. When using wordle, you can print out the image, carry out a data analysis, share the data with friends, or use it just for fun. The options are endless! 

Although my thoughts about a word cloud were wrong and my ideas and uses for wordle were questionable at first, I have found my perspective and thoughts about both changed after much research. I understand what a word cloud is and I appreciate the endless uses of wordle. I plan to incorporate different wordle examples into my future classroom. I like the idea of uses it for English, being able to unscramble words and sentences as a game. 

Now you know the "wordle" on the block. 

Hello, this is my first blog post.