Katy J. Kaldenberg
EDU-225 Instructional Technology (O102)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Zach Beck, B.S. Ed., M.Ed. C&I: Technology

Technology Review

Five Educational Technology Examples: 1. Compass Learning Odyssey a. http://www.compasslearningodyssey.com/ 2. Skyward Family and Student Access b. http://www.skyward.com 3. ePALS c. http://www.epals.com/ 4. Google Earth d. http://www.google.com/earth/index.html 5. WebQuests e. http://webquest.org/ f. Webquests are more controlled and focused than a Web search.

The three technologies that I have chosen to review are Compass Learning Odyssey, ePALS, and Google Earth.
Compass Learning Odyssey: A. Usefulness in the classroom (either from a teacher or a student standpoint) a. Compass Learning Odyssey allows students to work at their own pace and to reinforce the classroom curriculum. b. The Odyssey Manager delivers individual learning paths based on student assessment scores. Student data is immediately available through a wide variety of reports. B. Ease of use c. It is very easy to use and has visual graphics as well as spoken and written instructions. C. Cost d. The exact cost is unknown however, there is an access fee. Must have internet access. D. Reliability e. Available where ever an internet connection is available. E. Availability f. It is available 24/7 with a personal log in ID, password, and internet access. F. Teaching or learning outcomes g. Customizable, easy-to-read reports provide the information educators need for data-driven decision making. h. As students move through the curriculum, Compass Learning Odyssey allows educators to easily monitor individual, group, and class progress through comprehensive quizzes and tests. i. Naturally integrates 21st century skills into class activities j. Engages today’s digital natives k. Increases student discussion and peer-to-peer interaction ePALS: A. Usefulness in the classroom (either from a teacher or a student standpoint) a. The online project ePALS allows students from all over the world to communicate with each other (Shelly, Gary B., Gunter, Glenda A., & Gunter, Randolph E. 2010). b. ePals offers schools, teachers, students, and parents worldwide a safe and secure platform for building educational communities, providing quality digital content and facilitating collaboration for effective 21st century learning. B. Ease of use c. Very easy to use and child friendly. C. Cost d. Some features are free others have a fee. D. Reliability e. It is available 24/7 with a personal log in ID, password, and internet access. E. Availability f. It is available 24/7 with a personal log in ID, password, and internet access. F. Teaching or learning outcomes g. When students know that other students, in addition to the teacher, are reading their work, "their writing is so much more improved," Ms. Connelly said. "When they're on ePals, they are much more formal. They're not focused on socializing; they're focused on their assignment." (Davis, 2011) h. Teachers can create a class homepage for their students to share homework assignments, promote conversations related to unit studies, and use presentations with content. i. Educators have opportunities to collaborate with peer groups, PTA organizations, and community sources and also to maintain a professional development meeting place. j. Lesson plans, rubrics, unit studies, resources, and best practices can be shared with others.

Google Earth: A. Usefulness in the classroom (either from a teacher or a student standpoint) a. Google Earth is an online, virtual globe, 3D program that allows students to develop critical thinking skills on how everyday decisions affect our environment as they travel and explore the globe, while communicating with other students and teachers through Google Community (Shelly, Gary B., Gunter, Glenda A., & Gunter, Randolph E. 2010). B. Ease of use b. Very easy to use and has simple directions along with a help feature. C. Cost c. Free. Must have internet access. D. Reliability d. Available 24/7 with a free download. Must have internet access. E. Availability e. Available 24/7 with a free download. Must have internet access. F. Teaching or learning outcomes f. Google Earth can help you bring a world of information alive for your students. g. Students can use Google Earth to explore topics like the progress of human civilization, the growth of cities, the impact of civilization on the natural environment, and the impact of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. h. Teachers can use Google Earth demos to get their students excited about geography beyond the static map, or use different Google Earth layers to study transportation, demographics, economics, and in specific local or exotic contexts.

Three Pieces of Technology Integration Essay
As a 21st Century teacher I would integrate Compass Learning Odyssey, ePALS, and Google Earth into my classroom curriculum. All three programs will provide opportunities to enhance my students learning. These three programs will also help to develop 21st Century skills.
Compass Learning Odyssey is an internet-based program. Compass Learning Odyssey would be used to allow students to practice targeted skills based on their standardized test results. I feel this would be a good program for my students because it allows them to work at their own pace and will reinforce the material they are learning in the classroom.
This program will allow me as a new teacher to easily access data on all of my students and differentiate my curriculum accordingly. Educators nationwide are using Odyssey in their classrooms and are seeing results. I will also take advantage of the Compass Learning Odyssey message center which is much like email only in a safe and controlled format which will allow me to have one on one communication with my students and their parents inside and outside the classroom.
Another great feature of Compass learning Odyssey is that my students can use it at home as well as in school bridging the gap between home and school. I will post weekly questions to my students on the Compass Learning Odyssey message center to extend my students learning process. Another program that I will use to extend my students learning process is ePALS. ePals offers primary and secondary schools, teachers, students, and parents worldwide a safe and secure platform for building educational communities, providing quality digital content and facilitating collaboration for effective 21st century learning (Davis, 2011). ePals is used more than 700,000 educators and 25 million students and parents in 200 countries and territories (Smithsonian Institution and ePals To Deliver Rich Educational Content with Enterprise-Grade Social Learning Platform. 27 June).
I will have my students post some of their writing assignments to their ePALS. Studies have shown that when students know other students are reading their work their writing is improved and more formal (Davis, 2011). This online forum will also allow my students to bring ideas that I may not have thought of myself (Davis, 2011). ePALS will also offer my students a safe, online storage area for personal school files including documents, photos, video, and audio. My students can also upload homework assignments.
I will create a class homepage on ePALS which will also provide a place for my student’s parents to access their homework assignments and grades along with classroom news. My students will enjoy the opportunity to interact with peers around the world (Electronic Resources for Schools. 2011). ePALS will also provide my students the opportunity to interact with students who are native speakers of the target language and is a way to investigate cultural differences (Glisan and Shrum, 2005; Kinginger, GourvesHayward, & Simpson, 1999; Wang, 2005). I will also plan mutual projects with other classroom across the world (Aline Stomfay-Stitz, & Edyth Wheeler. 2001). In addition to Compass Learning Odyssey and ePALS I will introduce my students to Google Earth.
Google Earth is easy to use and presents, in a visual geospatial context, a great deal of information that applies to topics that are addressed in geoscience courses and many other educational settings (Richard, Glenn A. 2011). Google Earth will help me to bring alive a world of information for my students. I will have my students use Google Earth to learn topics such as the progress of human civilization, the growth of cities, the impact of civilization on the natural environment, and the impact of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
Google Earth will help my students to become excited about the world of geography, history, and science. I will have my students access up to date data on weather, earthquakes, elephants migrations, and so on. Because Google Earth is a free download my students can use it in the classroom and at home once again bridging the home school gap. Google Earth is a great tool for visual learners and will help to provide better inclusion for visual learners in the classroom (Karimi, 2006).
All three tools will be a great addition to my classroom. However I will not limit my technology to these three technologies instead I will continue to seek out technologies to integrate into my classroom and enhance my students learning.

References
Aline Stomfay-Stitz, & Edyth Wheeler. (2001). Kids reach out globally for peace. Childhood Education, 78(1), 36F-36G. Retrieved July 23, 2011, from Career and Technical Education. (Document ID: 83485941).
Davis, Michelle R. (2011). Safe' social networking tailored for k-12 schools. Education Week, 30(35) p. S17-18, Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?recid=0bc05f7a67b1790e05ffc7b82686c1ca7acd468603eceb391cc34e95ad80

83cc836206123f1ba3e4&fmt
Electronic Resources for Schools. (2011). Internet@Schools, 18(3), 29-32. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Glisan, E., & Shrum, J. (2005). Teacher’s handbook: Contextualized language instruction. Boston: Thompson Heinle.
Karimi, Sabah. (2006). Google earth in the classroom. Associated Content, Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/74487/google_earth_in_the_classroom_pg2.html?cat=4
Kinginger, C., GourvesHayward, A., & Simpson, V. (1999). A telecollaborative course on FrenchAmerican intercultural communication. French Review, 72(5), 853866.
Richard, Glenn A. (2011, January 28). Teaching with google earth. Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/google_earth/index.html
Shelly, Gary B., Gunter, Glenda A., & Gunter, Randolph E. (2010). Teachers Discovering Computers Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom Sixth Edition. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.
Smithsonian Institution and ePals To Deliver Rich Educational Content with Enterprise-Grade Social Learning Platform. (27 June). Business Wire. Retrieved July 23, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2385235551).