A peripheral is a device that is connected to a computer system for its operation. They can be easily added through the use of USB and help increase versatility in the classroom (Technology in the Classroom 120). For a computer, it is imperative that there is an output device (monitor or printer/scanner), an input (keyboard and mouse), some storage (hard disk drive or optical drive) and a system unit (containing the CPU and RAM). Once you have all of the components for your computer you can begin to effectively use some of the tools described above!
The classroom will also need an effective network. Most schools operate by a server that connected all of the computers on one network. So basically the way computers and the internet works is: the internet goes to web server which then goes to the server, which goes to the network, and then the network branches out to all the individual computers. Got it?
I found Popplet to be really interesting! I personally am a very visual learner. Anytime that I am studying for a test or trying to understand a topic I always have to write it out with some sort of visual aid. I guess I didn't really realize it but I've been making concept maps all along! My study sheets don't necessarily look like the traditional concept maps but they are closely related.
One thing that I find very innovative about Popplet is that it is an app and not just a website. So, it has easy to access and use capabilities. Most young children are visual learners. { I guess I never grew out of this ;) } So I think this would be a great outlet for kids to get their thoughts together. This way kids can concretely see how certain things are connected and related to each other.
If we did a class project on the states, each kid could get their own state and draw connections. For example if a child had Florida they could say "the sunshine state" and oranges. I like all the cool colors, fonts, and shapes Popplet offers!
http://popplet.com
I have never mad a concept map on my own before. I have seen many of them and used them to study but never actually created one of my own. Webspiration gave me some trouble in the beginning but I figured it out after a while. I like that I could make my own map form scratch. I did't use a template. It's cool how I could pick the shape bubbles I wanted and make them any size and any color. The only thing I didn't like was Webspiration itself because it was a little slow and troublesome at times. I will definitely be using concept maps in the future and I will show my students how to create their own. Sometimes students learn better when they create something on their own.
I've never heard of Popplet before. This appears to be a great use of ipads. I often fault apps that try to duplicate computer-based software, (badly).
ReplyDeletePS - I like your use of short paragraphs and white space - makes your blog easy to read.