Most useful software

The software that I have found most useful so far has been diigo. I base this decision on the fact that I use it often, while I have not used any of the others.

The second part of the question is much more difficult. If I know about a piece of software, I already have a fairly good idea of how it works. If I am not familiar with it, then I don't know to ask for it. I will say that I think my fellow students would benefit from some time spent with classroom management software. It's almost guaranteed that they will have to use one.

LiveBinder

               

   

Periodic Table

I chose this binder because it had so many resources. Many of them I have found and used individually. Now, I have them all in one place.

SAS Classroom Activity

For this week's assignment I chose interactive #8. It's a gas law interactive. The reason that I chose it is because it makes the invisible, visible. Inexpensive equipment exists to make these measurements in the high school, or college, laboratory. However, I feel that at this age it will still feel like hocus-pocus. Letting them "play" with this interactive and see the changes that the gases go through when the variables are manipulated. Perhaps it would be best to use both this virtual lab and the Vernier equipment. Using data from both might really cement it for the students.

Are you kidding me

Here I sit listening to NPR tell me about the return of the McRib. Somebody drove 10 hours to get a McRib sandwich. Another guy has a website for McRib sightings. Seriously, they couldn't find something better?

Sent from my iPhone

Homework

Things that I like about Zoho Writer that makes it unique:

1. It's Free!

2. I can access it and USE it from my phone. The iPhone rocks!

3. It has bunches of features.

Things that I think Zoho Writer lacks in comparison to other word processors:

• 1. It's really not accessible offline.
  

• 2. It doesn't know how to spell zoho!
  

• 3. features can be browser dependant.
  

I could integrate this program into my classroom by... allowing students who do not have newer office suites to use the feature sof the newer suites without the expense.

 

The Book Review (cue the JAWS music)

OK. So I've been quiet and demure and nobody knows how I feel about group work. [snicker] All past events aside, there is no reason to give this assignment a group grade. The current state of affairs has us delineating the work, posting the work, and evaluating and responding to the work in a fashion that can be tracked to the individual. If you want to grade me based on my group participation, you can. It's there. In black and white, so to speak. So why give a group grade. If participant A is a slacker they can get a slacker's grade. If they participate fully, but use no critical thinking in their posts or responses, their grade can reflect that. If they shine in every aspect of the assignment, it can reflect that as well. There remains only one legitimate(?) reason for a group grade. That is peer pressure.

The reality of this is, that it will make a great deal of work for JMG. I'm sure that more than one person in the class just smiled when I typed that. 

OK. (ending as I began) That's my two cents and I'm getting off of my soapbox now.

Night all