I first explored Wordle. This website really intrigued me because I loved that you can pick a theme and type as many words as you can think of that relate to it. The webiste then allows the viewer to be creative by editing the text, colors, and how the words are arranged on the page. As I worked on this website creating my "Wordle", I kept thinking about all of the ways I can relate this program to an educational activity. For example, this could be a great brainstorming activity to help students generate ideas about a topic. I can imagine students having so much fun being able to work as individuals or in a group setting generating ideas about a designated topic. Students love technology and this is bringing brainstorming and thinking maps into the world of technology.
I chose Glogster and quickly began exploring some of the different ideas people had created on the website. After only viewing a few so far, I can already see different personalities exploding on the pages of people's creations. It made me think about how much fun students would have being able to use such a great resource that would allow them to explore and create a poster on an educational topic, as well as have the ability to represent who they are as an individual. This website allows students to present their ideas through music, pictures, video and text. I believe that this type of activity will hold students' interest and intrigue them. This website is accessable to all students and the limits are endless.
I believe that children are now born into a world of technology. Therefore, I think this type of website can be of crucial importance in the classroom to expand students' needs for the use of technology, creativity, and learning. Students would present their posters to their classmates in such a different format than how they would present a paper poster because a Glogster is interactive. Students would be engaged in how to organize their thoughts, along with learning all the elements that relate to technology. Students would have to manipulate the information on the page in such a different way from how they would on a paper poster. Another positive it has over a paper poster is that a teacher can link all of the students' posters to a classroom blog for students to share their thoughts about each other's work. I will definitely be using Glogster in my classroom.
I also thought that Glogster is a great tool to use in the classroom because it is interactive and, like you said, the limits are endless. I think your idea of linking the students' poster to a classroom blog is a great idea because students and parents would be able to see the posters and comment on them from school and home. I will also definitely use it in my classroom.
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