BP15_2009113_Web2.0_Yacapaca

YacaPaca! seems like a cool Web 2.0 tool to use in my classroom. It lets teachers create quizzes, surveys, tests, and more. I can set up something for my whole class and get it marked automatically. It also lets me analyze the information that I get. Plus, it is free.

The resource section is divided by country, and the UK seems to be the most prolific. However, there are some assignments for the US. Even without creating an account, it lets you preview the assignments. I think they would be very helpful for my tutoring in third grade. I am not sure how helpful they would be in Kindergarten because for the most part, they do not read yet. I can also see how the vocabulary section could be very helpful for not only the SAT, but also for the vocabulary sections of other standardized tests.

According to the FAQ, the authors intend to keep it free. They make their money by selling training and support. Any educator can sign up for a free account, but students have to be set up by a teacher. The teacher will give the students a code to set up their own account. The FAQ also includes several 5 minute screencasts to guide you through several different processes, including the question creatr and the whiteboard. It also lets you see how to set up your own quizzes for your students and how to use the quiz statistics page. Students can choose their own avatar to represent their account as well as see a list of their teachers.

(2009). Yacapaca wiki. Accessed November 15, 2009 from http://wiki.yacapaca.com/index.php/Main_Page

BP8_2009112_e-learning

I was very excited to find this Web 2.0 site. The internet has lots of educational games, but sometimes kids get bored playing the same ones over and over so I like to find different ones as much as possible.

The people at the e-Learning for Kids site have met two of my requirements. It is pleasing to look at and play, and it is free. Since my school budget never goes far enough, free is very important.

I also like how the games are separated by subject and age level. There are games for children ages 4-12 as well as information for parents and teachers. The subjects include science, language arts, English language, math, health & life skills, and computer skills. The topics are relevant to the things that students should be able to do at each age level. The games are clear and easy to play. They are not too simple nor too difficult. They are easy to navigate and check to make sure that you didn't accidentally choose to quit the game. Additionally, it is available in 5 languages if you have a need for a different one.

In my classroom, I would differentiate the activities based upon need. For example, in the language arts courses, I could place my Tier III children on Learning Letters because they need to work on recognizing the alphabet. My Tier II children could work with the Word Recognition game to practice short and long vowel sounds. My Tier I students are pretty advanced this year so I could let them go to Putting Words Together first. When they get proficient at that game, I could move them up to Pronouns or Similar & Opposite Words.

In math, we have the option of reviewing counting, sorting and classifying or money. I would probably introduce these games as a form of review after I knew the students were fairly proficient.