Internet Tools

Rovileen Rios-Aflague
ED638 Intercession 2017
Dr. M. Rivera
Internet Tools

Learn Out Loud (https://www.learnoutloud.com/) is provides the largest directory of audio and video learning resources that are available to download. It started in 2005 with a goal to present the best audio and video learning content online. Its goal has not changed, but the website has grown tremendously. It now features popular audio book downloads, podcasts, YouTube, free colleges courses, and many other great resources. Learn Out Loud has a catalog of over 50,000 resources to explore. From the 50,000 resources, only 10,000 of them are free for usage. Learn Out Loud has a wide selection of categories to choose from and many are suitable for children. There is also a collection of 1,200 free courses for college level students. They are available online on audio and video and they are sourced from many prominent universities and learning institutions. Another great feature about the website is Blog Out Loud, which is an additional tool to audio and video learning with more categories from free talks, debates, inspirational speeches, and motivational talks.
            Learn Out Loud is a great website to use for educators and students. It is a great source for learning through audio and videos. It may assist many in retaining information and inquiring better listening skills. Learn Out Loud helps accommodate those who are hard of hearing or may be visually impaired. With the help of this technological tool, it will support and connect those with disabilities to the lessons being presented. It helps bridge the gap of communication and learning for many students in all grade levels. My only con with Learn Out Loud is the fee for the audios and videos which are not free. However, when purchased, the user may continue to use it in their current and future lessons. Overall, I would recommend this website to all educators. It can help modify some lessons for students and it may boost their experience with the abundance of stories!

Prezi (https://prezi.com/)  is a presentation software which enables students to create and customize presentations. Prezi was founded by Peter Arvai, Péter Halácsy, and Adam Somlai-Fischer in 2009. Currently, there has been over 325 million prezis created. Prezi allows people to share their understanding and experiences to audiences in an interactive way. Each Prezi varies with the different types of templates and allows the canvas to be zoomed endlessly. It allows presenters to add text, pictures, video, audio, and so much more. They have recently upgraded Prezi from Prezi Classic to Prezi Next, which is geared with more options for presenting. Presenters have the option of choosing between the two types. With Prezi Next, users are able create, present, collaborate, and share the presentation with ten people or less. The main user may select the accessibility of the other users to the presentation. They may be able to view, edit, comment and/ or present it. With this, users are able to collaborate with each other to enhance their presentation. 

            Prezi is a great presentation tool. It offers many options for educators and students

who are able to show their creativity with the class. Teachers may use this presentation tool to help grasp the attention of their students. It offers many ways to customize their presentation and they may choose templates that are best suited for their lessons or their student’s interest. It also features a presenter view which allows only the presenter or teacher to view any notes and cues during the presentation. It may be used for information and entertainment purposes throughout all grade levels. Overall, I highly recommend the use of Prezi to teachers willing to differentiate and expand their instruction in the classroom.

WebQuest (http://webquest.org/)  is a website which students are provided with online resources and links and must acquire information to complete a task. WebQuest was developed by Bernie Dodge in February, 1995 at San Diego State University. Educators may find complete WebQuest Models which were created from other educators. If interested, teachers may create their own WebQuest model for their students. WebQuest encourages the use of technology in the classroom. Students will explore the models in search of information with access to information on the internet rather than searching through the World Wide Web. They may only investigate the resources, links, and lessons in the models presented to them. Educators creating WebQuest may add features such as introductions, processes, tasks, rubrics, and assessments.
            WebQuest breaks away from the traditional methods of teaching. As opposed to the student gathering information and knowledge from the teacher, they will be able to obtain the information independently. They will be responsible to putting in effort to address the tasks on the WebQuests.  It also allows students to be researchers and in order to make connections with the lesson accessible to them. It will motivate students to investigate open-ended questions and acquire information into a more sophisticated understanding. Students can also cooperate and collaborate as a team in order to promote higher thinking skills. I recommend the use of WebQuest in the classroom for students who are suitable and responsible to complete the task. It will enhance their task management and problem solving skills.