Insight Advance

With the technology tool “ADVANCEfeedback,” Teachers are able to upload their own videos of their classroom during their lecture time and how they go about leading their students. After any lecture or discussion, the teacher will have the ability to upload the video they have recorded. This tool can be used for many things such as self-critiquing , or even for their superiors to give feedback on the teacher’s class session. With that being said, the teacher can network with other instructors to again discuss feedback and new ideas for classroom management. ADVANCEfeedback provides a service that makes it available for teachers to include notes on their videos for observers to view while watching that specific video. When it comes to the role of the audience, ADVANCEfeedback has the ability to operate this video recording as well which means the observer is able to identify areas of strength and growth of the teacher. All in all, for the teachers using video observations, they can capture that video from any form of device, in any video setup. ADVANCEfeedback has the capability to make any teacher successful with the tools provided by this educational technology.

http://www.insightadvance.com/

Moody, Michael, and Jason Stricker. InsightADVANCE. www.insightadvance.com/.

JoinOurClass

JoinOurClass is a website for teachers or parents to stay connected with one another. This site is free to join for both teachers and parents. It gives parents the chance to see what goes on in the classroom or what is up and coming. As a teacher, you can create blogs, send blog comments, send pictures and announcements, or even have parents sign up for holiday parties, game nights, etc. For teachers, it may be easier to post announcements such as an upcoming field trip as opposed to sending fliers home. If parents are needed for chaperoning, they can sign up on the website. When creating your website, you can choose your name or your school for the URL. As shown below, my example is my first initial and my last name. When you have completed that, parents will type in that URL and log in to see what's new!

https://kclausen.joinourclass.com/dashboard 

RoomRecess

www.roomrecess.com

RoomRecess is an educational website designed for children through the use of games. RoomRecess features different free games specifically for elementary students where they're able to apply what they learned through games and gain knowledge while playing. There are reading, language arts, spelling, and math games where each game is targetted towards a specific grade. RoomRecess developed a mobile app where children are able to play their learning games on any technology device on the go. This website is great to use in class because it encourages students to participate, engage, and learn through these games because they're having fun while learning-it's like killing two birds with one stone!

Bee-Bots

             

   Bee-Bots are exciting little robots. They were designed to help young children with learning. These tiny little robots can help teach counting, sequencing, problem-solving and used to teach the kids a little something about robots. These easy to operate little robots can be loaded with 40 commands such as left, right, forward and backward. These bots can be purchased individual for around $70 or in Hives. A bee hive can be bought for around $600, this includes 6 bees, a charging pad and a transport bag.  In my opinion these bee bots can be useful tools for elementary students. They can use them for simple math or in a project where the students can build a maze and guide the bot through using commands. The only downside to these bots is the price, for a teacher you can’t simply buy one for a whole class and if you have limited funds buying a whole hive could be out of the question.

https://www.bee-bot.us/

brightwheel

Brightwheel is a platform made for preschool classrooms that allows educators and parents to stay connected throughout the day.  The Brightwheel app informs parents when their child is doing different things during their day at preschool.  Brightwheel has many different features that are a plus for the preschool as well.  Through the app the preschool can accept payment, notify parents when their child is napping, share pictures of the child with the parent, and keep track of when the child is signed in and out of the preschool.  Security is part of this app as well.  For example, the app requires a code to be put in before a child is signed out.  The connection provided between parents and educators gives the parent peace of mind that they are getting their money's worth out of the preschool.  This app facilitates one of the most important parts of education, which is the parent/teacher relationship.  When parents have an idea of what their child is doing during the day they have a chance to continue the learning after the school day is over. Below is the video from the website that gives a better visual idea of how the app works. 

https://youtu.be/ykj6vgz2Brs

         

STEM Resources: STEM-Works

STEM resources at http://stem-works.com/activities is truly a one-stop website to immerse students in their own education. With several tabs, each filled with tons of information, students can explore several aspects of science, technology, engineering, and math. Students are able to choose from several different modules that focus on areas of study such as forensics, space, animals, wind energy, etc. Students can independently move through the website to complete activities on their own, or with the help of an adult. These activities could also be explored in a classroom setting. Materials used in the activities are practical in accessibility and price. Each of the activities that I reviewed from this website involve concepts from each aspect of STEM. Beyond the activities available to students, STEM-Works also provides articles that supplement learning done in activities.

Another awesome resource this website provides is a list of field trips and events for classrooms to participate in, or even students individually. Under the advocacy tab of this website, students and educators have access to view these events and information on how to participate.

STEM Resources: Tech Education

STEM resources at https://www.technologyeducation.org/stem-resources/ are tremendously useful when it comes to professional development for teachers, student-centered and inquiry based activities for the classroom, as well as supplemental materials to include in regards to STEM education. This website provides STEM information and resources to teachers and students of all ages. The website’s content is updated regularly with current events in STEM education as well as new developments for inquiry based learning.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics has become vital in today’s education system as it has been ignored in the past. Technology education expresses the need for STEM practices to viewers. For starters the shortage of workers in STEM related fields is at an estimated 3 million for 2018. Without skilled and innovative workers in these areas of STEM, everyday technology, like the iPhone would not exist. Not only is the deficiency in labor a reason for students to focus on STEM related careers, but these careers often boast higher salaries. The average wage for all STEM occupations almost doubles the average of all others.

Another important topic expressed on the tech ed website is the myth-busting power of STEM careers. Most occupations that fall under any STEM characteristics are associated as male-dominated careers. However, new trends show that the gender gap is closing, along with the gap associated with minority groups. Most STEM programs and curriculums appeal to people of all ages, genders, and races.

This page serves as an encyclopedia of information on evidence-based practices by providing a dashboard of other exceptional STEM resources. For example the main page has links to websites such as NEA, NASA, Engineer Girl, as well as twitter accounts and other social media connections.