Semester Favorites: Prezi and Google Docs

My favorites of the semester are........drumroll please..........Prezi and Google Docs.

My Prezi Creation

Prezi was an amazing alternative to the regular boring power point presentation that most teachers and professors still stick to today. My class used this resource when we were discussing Challenged Based Learning (CBL) and it opened my eyes, as a future science teacher, to the possibilities that created in my classroom. I could do project on water conservation, recycling, and anything that improved the way we live today and could reduce the use of natural resources. This type of project would be a HOTS style of learning because it would make students think about their impact on their own world and on their classmates lives. Besides inspirational projects, I could also use it for basic lessons and projects with the students. It is much more interesting than any power point I have ever seen. I enjoyed the fact that YouTube videos are embedded straight onto the presentation instead of having to open in another window and wait for that connectivity to start. To me all of these things make it an excellent presentation resource. This brings me to my next resource Google Docs.

Example of a form

I love love love Google Docs. I have used it before for spreadsheets and the basic document, but I never knew about the form feature or the drawing feature it offered. Once I learned about these helpful applications offered by Google Docs I have used these features in many of my classes. In another course of mine we created book strategies and I used the drawing tool to create a map. It was much easier than using my other documents to create a visual map. I have also used the form application multiple times this semester. It is a great way to create a short quiz or exit pass for students in my classroom. Besides the teacher aspect of this resource, I could see my students really enjoying it. The sharing feature allows for students to still meet and collaborate on a project without the hassle of finding a mutual time to meet outside of school or in school. I still have this problem of deciding on times to meet with members of my group and this feature of the documents eliminates that problem. I will definitely keep using this throughout my schooling and in my classroom.