Ed+Tech+Glossary

**Blogs**: Websites containing private writings and other media such as video and mp3s made public through the Internet. Blogs can include entries made periodically by a user that are updated regularly. A blog can be used to share opinions, create discourse, or provide education on a given topic. According to Will Richardon (2005), “students and teachers use them (blogs) as vehicles to draw out critical thinking, reading and writing skills. Teachers are using blogs to build classroom resource portals and to foster online learning communities” (p. 24). Blogs provide an interactive place to collaborate and learn.


 * Clickers:** According to Ohio State University, “//Clickers// allow instructors to ask questions and gather students' responses during a lecture. (Clicker systems are also commonly called Classroom Response Systems, Student Response Systems, or Audience Response Systems.) In clicker systems, each student uses a device (a "clicker") that looks like a TV remote to answer questions posed by the instructor in a specially-designed PowerPoint presentation. Summaries of student responses can be shown in real time to both instructors and students. Answers are also stored electronically for later viewing.” (Retrieved November 8, 2009 from: [])
 * Copyright**: According to www.copyright.gov, “ Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works” (12 July 2009). This is very important for all teachers to educate their students about as well as themselves. Copyright is a punishable offense that many people are not aware of. As stated above copyright protects both published and unpublished works, meaning your students original works as well. You may use materials that are protected by copyright as long as it is in small quantities for education purpose, and you may not publish any works that are covered by copyright. For more information visit the [|copyright website] to see what is and is not covered by copyright and anything else you are curious about.


 * E-classrooms:** A setting that moves traditional classroom activities to a digital Internet-based arena. While the basic idea of instructor-based learning applies, students also collaborate and interact in a third party form. Quizzes and tests can be offered and completed online and lectures can be read or viewed on online video format. This one-on-one interaction can foster active learning, but can also easily distract students who take personal accountability for granted.


 * E-mail:** or Electronic Mail according to Encyclopedia Britannica (2009) is “messages transmitted and received by digital computers through a network. An e-mail system allows computer users on a network to send text, graphics, and sometimes sounds and animated images to other users.” In schools, E-mail can be used to foster student-teacher and teacher-parent relationships outside the classroom. E-mail can also be used as a tool of collaboration between students. Some E-mail networks such as Gmail allow students to edit shared documents and collaborate through E-mail communication.

 **E-reserve:** A database usually run through a school or University library that provides access to electronic documents and other resource materials. Providing these materials in this format allows students to access information and research material easily through the Internet. E-reserves also allow students to access material without time constraints or a trip to the library. Implemented correctly, an E-reserve database can foster active learning outside the classroom.


 * External Hard Drive**: An external hard drive is a piece of equipment which rests within an enclosure and is typically portable and able to be connected to a computer via high-speed cable ie. USB cord. It is very useful for storing and backing up important documents such as pictures and other files should the primary hard drive be destroyed. Sizes vary.


 * Facebook:** According to Facebook.com, “Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.” Widely-used and widely-known, Facebook.com is a global social networking website which connects users of all ages through electronic profiles. Through Facebook, users can share and post: pictures, status messages, video feeds, comments, Instant Chat boxes, send messages and organize events electronically.[[image:Picture_3.png width="560" height="350" align="left"]]




 * GenYES**: This is a great opportunity to encourage and allow students to gain more technology experience. This program, if adopted by your school, allows students to learn new and exciting programs to facilitate teachers using technology within their own classrooms, help teachers design lessons involving technology, and assist with any tech support that teachers need. According to the GenYES website “GenYES is the only student-centered research-based solution for school-wide technology integration” (2007). This opportunity is available for elementary, middle, and high schools.


 * Google Docs:** Freely hosted by Google, Inc., “Google Docs” are created via a word processor system enabling users to create documents which can be shared with multiple individuals. Users are able to upload, edit and access selected documents and share changes and updates to the document itself from anywhere at anytime.
 * Google Earth**: This program is a fabulous way to integrate technology within your classroom. Google Earth is a free program that allows you to explore our planet Earth without ever leaving your computer. Google Earth allows you to explore everything from where you live and go to school, to under the ocean, to outer space (2009). You can even explore certain landmarks in 3-D. You can create your own tours (meaning you can go from one place to another) and then save them to show your students, or even have them create their own. All you need is a computer and the Internet and you are ready to explore the universe. In order to get a deeper understanding of what exactly Google Earth is visiti their [|online tutorial].This is a perfect tool for all grade levels.


 * Linked In:** According to Linkedin.com, “LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals.” It is often used in conjunction with resumes and/or cover letters to further demonstrate or illustrate a candidate’s experiences and/or professional background and/or skills in a particular area or industry.
 * Live Links**: This is a link from one page to another. For example if you are creating something on the Internet and you want your readers to visit another page to help their understanding, you can create a live link to that other page in order to make their viewing access very easy. Live links are also known as links and hyperlinks.


 * Online language:** A style of communication for online mediated discussions that is responsive to the constraints of communicating through a digital format and thus conversational in nature. For example, unique abbreviations and symbols are used in order to get information across at a faster pace. A forum where this is frequently used is online chat rooms and E-mail correspondences. Some examples include “LOL” for “laughing out loud,” “TTYL” for “talk to you later.”


 * Podcasts**: According to Apple Incorporated, a podcast is “a video or audio series about anything and everything” (2009). So, basically you can retrieve a video or audio serious about whatever you are teaching in the classroom. You can obtain tutorials, TV series, etc. about whatever you want. You can access these podcasts through iTunes (which is a free, downloadable program you can retrieve from the Internet) and then access them through your computer or even your iPod or iPhone. Podcasts can be used at any grade level effectively.


 * Portable Internet Technology:** Devices different from a PC or laptop that allow easy access to Internet resources “on the go.” One of these devices, Apple’s iPhone, gives users access to a portable phone, Music player, and Internet from the palm of one’s hand.


 * PowerPoint**: This is a program that allows you to share information in an efficient way with others. According to Microsoft Corporation, “Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 enables users to quickly create high-impact, dynamic presentations, while integrating workflow and ways to easily share information” (2009). This is a perfect opportunity for students to take what they know and bring it together in order to present it to their classmates and teachers. This program is most effective in the upper elementary all the way through college. [[image:Picture_2.png width="549" height="298"]]


 * Skype ** : Skype is an online communication program that is much more effective then others such as AIM or Yahoo!. This program allows you to communicate in several different ways. For free you can Instant Message (type to one another) with someone all the way around the world or you can videoconference with that same individual if you both have a webcam. If you only have a microphone you can just use audio to chat with your friend/colleague. You can also pay an additional cost you can call people on their home or cell phone to communicate if you do not have access to a phone. This is especially effective if you do not to pay the additional international fees if you want to talk to someone in another country. This can be used to nicely within a classroom if you want to communicate with people you can’t easily access otherwise; whether it is other classrooms, businesses, family members in other countries, etc. Skype can be used at any grade level effectively. 


 * Wikis:** A collaborative website that can be easily edited and changed by its users. Wikispaces.com (2009) points our some benefits of utilizing wikis in a classroom setting. “Students have ownership of the knowledge (posted on a wiki). They actively seek it, and they create it. Increased information literacy skills are required (when using wikis) as students check their facts for accuracy and correct errors discovered by their peers. Wikis, when used properly in a classroom setting can foster a unique shared learning experience.


 * Wimba Pronto:** According to Wimba.Com (2009), “The Wimba Collaboration Suite™ 6.0 of products enables institutions to bridge the gap between technology and pedagogy by supplementing course management systems with the proven disciplines of in-person learning environments. By combining interactive technologies students and teachers are empowered with a unique collaborative environment that enhances learning, improves outcomes, and increases student retention.” Wimba, more practically, allows students to Instant Message, Video Chat and otherwise communicate for course collaboration and/or peer support via chat rooms, etc. Further, Wimba users can electronically view lectures from distant locations and maintain an classroom-oriented feel and communication with members of their classes.


 * YouTube:** Created in 2005, this is a video-sharing website where users can upload and/or share other videos with others as either a registered or unregistered users. Content varies across a myriad of subjects and is potentially limitless within the set-posting criteria.

