The+Common+Good

Common Websites that can help in all subjects.

Levels of usefulness will be shown in smilie emocons.

[|Proboards] Proboards.com is a website that allows you to create and maintain your own private forum. I have created an example of this website usage for the purposes of education. [|YourTechnology] In this example I have created a homework forum, a long term assignment forum, an absentee forum and a help forum. It is my hope that students would use this website as a kind of virtual classroom. Usefulness: :) :) :) :) :) Downfalls: I have yet to find a function to make it private.   [| Skype]  Skype.com is an online phone and video chat service. A good way to utilize this is by making a classroom account and have students watch from home if they are sick and are able to watch this. I believe that this tool can help students keep up with their classes, and it will also lower the tendency to skip class. A classroom policy is that a student, if he or she is home sick, must tune in to the class skype and watch or at least listen throughout the class.  Usefulness: :) :) :) :)  Downfalls: It is unlikely that the teacher will be able to enforce the previously stated classroom rule. Texting I have been in a small classroom situation where we were instructed on texting a missing student to see where he or she was. This was very effective, and the student showed up through the relentless texting prompts of their peers. Usefulness: :) :) :) Downfalls: Texting is something that a student can do in class and not pay attention to the material at hand.    [|Twitter]  Using Twitter.com or "Tweeting" can be an effective teaching tool for the innovative technology classroom. There is almost always a case of a student missing the assignment homework. Through the use of Twitter this will not be a problem. A teacher can set up a classroom Twitter account and assign the students to follow. The teacher could then update and post (or "tweet") these homework assignments, almost as though they are online reminders or an online agenda book.  <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Usefulness: :) :) :)  <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Downfalls: Students might become complacent and might stop writing the homework assignments down for themselves. Students might also not have regular access to the internet.