What is the tool?
The technology tool that I chose to analyze is Slideshare.net. Slideshare.net is a website that allows you to upload and share presentations, documents, PDF’s, videos, and webinars. Slideshare.net also allows you to download items on any topic available and use for education and learning, research, and connecting with others.
Where can you get it?
In order to locate this tool, you must go to http://www.slidehare.net.
How much does it cost?
This website is a free to upload files up to 100 MB and download any file. The website does have three additional plans that require you to pay a monthly fee. The first plan is $19 per month and includes 300 MB to upload files, private uploads, analytics, meetings, ten video uploads, thirty capture leads per month, basic control, and basic branding. The second plan is $49 per month and includes 300 MB to upload files, private uploads, analytics, meetings, 20 video uploads, 75 capture leads per month, advanced control, and standard branding. The third plan is $249 per month and includes 300 MB to upload files, private uploads, analytics, meetings, unlimited video uploads, unlimited capture leads, full control, and fully branded.
What does the tool do? What is the tool used for?
Slideshare.net can be used by downloading the files and using them as is or you can modify the presentation or document to suit the needs that you have. Also, any files that you have that you feel would benefit other educators can be uploaded and shared with others. This tool could be used to support learning by downloading the files and presenting them to students to help them better understand a topic. It could help to keep them engaged or challenge them to think about a topic in more detail. Students or professionals could also use Slideshare.net when they are entering the workforce or college to showcase their skills through a presentation, resume, or video that is shared with educators and professionals across the world.
How does the tool relate to learning theories?
Slideshare.net relates to the progressivism theory by the use of creating the presentations on Slideshare in a more hands on approach. Progressivism is a theory that also incorporates the use of group activities that promote communication (Progressivism). Students can create presentations for a group assignment and can then use their communication skills to share the presentation with the rest of the class. Progressivism is also a theory where students are ongoing learners and we are there to help them continue to learn how to learn instead of filling them up buckets of information (Progressivism). Slideshare is a great tool for this because students can use this as a sight were they can research other Slideshare presentations and learn about different topics using those presentations.
Slideshare.net can be used for students or professionals who are visual (spatial) learners. People who are visual learners use colors, pictures, and other visual media to help them better understand a topic. Having a presentation, document, or video that incorporates these elements will help a visual learner stay engaged in the learning throughout and will help them to picture what it is they are learning. Many teachers teach students through lecture which benefits students who are auditory learners but it is also important to differentiate lessons for auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners. I feel that Slideshare.net is definitely going to help students who are auditory or visual learners.
Research on this Tool
I found an article, Free Presentation Tools on the World Wide Web, and within this article it discusses how online presentation tools are enabling students to create digital stories, projects, and reports using online presentation tools like Slideshare.net (Baumbach, 2008). It also discusses how this tool can be used to teach students the effective way to create presentations, create interest on a topic, title, or author, and organize research on topics of interest (Baumbach, 2008). This article mentions how with Slideshare.net you can tag, email, and get comments on the presentation which would make for a great assessment tool for students.
Another article I found, Introducing Your New Web 2.0 Toolkit, refers to four powerful applications for educators of English (Allen & Roney, 2009). Those include locating and learning concepts and practical strategies for teaching from teaching peers, the availability of slideshows that might be useful in the classroom, creating lectures or visual prompts for use in the classroom, and an international platform for students to share and display work (Allen & Roney, 2009). Slideshare.net has the capability for an author to add audio to a pre-existing presentation to increase the presentations effectiveness (Allen & Roney, 2009).
Why I Think This Tool is Appropriate for the Classroom
After researching this tool through Slideshare.net and reviewing the research articles on this tool, I feel that this tool would be very beneficial to use for students and teachers. It gives teachers the opportunity to incorporate technology into the classroom in a way that will keep students engaged and interested in what they are learning. It also will give students the opportunity to create, upload, and share their own presentations as a form of formative or summative assessment. Schools are currently looking for ways to incorporate more formative assessments into the classroom and this tool could help students assess their quality of work along with their peers work. A majority of students are consumed with electronics because this is what excites them and keeps them motivated. By this being a free online tool, it makes for a great resource for students and teachers.
References
Allen, J., Roney, S. (2009). Introducing your new web 2.0 toolkit!. TESOL Arabia Perspectives, 16, 6-13.
Baumbach, D. (2008). Free presentation tools on the world wide web. Florida Media Quarterly, Fall 2008, 14-17.
Progressivism. Retrieved on December 2, 2012 from
http://www.siue.edu/~ptheodo/foundations/progressivism.html
The technology tool that I chose to analyze is Slideshare.net. Slideshare.net is a website that allows you to upload and share presentations, documents, PDF’s, videos, and webinars. Slideshare.net also allows you to download items on any topic available and use for education and learning, research, and connecting with others.
Where can you get it?
In order to locate this tool, you must go to http://www.slidehare.net.
How much does it cost?
This website is a free to upload files up to 100 MB and download any file. The website does have three additional plans that require you to pay a monthly fee. The first plan is $19 per month and includes 300 MB to upload files, private uploads, analytics, meetings, ten video uploads, thirty capture leads per month, basic control, and basic branding. The second plan is $49 per month and includes 300 MB to upload files, private uploads, analytics, meetings, 20 video uploads, 75 capture leads per month, advanced control, and standard branding. The third plan is $249 per month and includes 300 MB to upload files, private uploads, analytics, meetings, unlimited video uploads, unlimited capture leads, full control, and fully branded.
What does the tool do? What is the tool used for?
Slideshare.net can be used by downloading the files and using them as is or you can modify the presentation or document to suit the needs that you have. Also, any files that you have that you feel would benefit other educators can be uploaded and shared with others. This tool could be used to support learning by downloading the files and presenting them to students to help them better understand a topic. It could help to keep them engaged or challenge them to think about a topic in more detail. Students or professionals could also use Slideshare.net when they are entering the workforce or college to showcase their skills through a presentation, resume, or video that is shared with educators and professionals across the world.
How does the tool relate to learning theories?
Slideshare.net relates to the progressivism theory by the use of creating the presentations on Slideshare in a more hands on approach. Progressivism is a theory that also incorporates the use of group activities that promote communication (Progressivism). Students can create presentations for a group assignment and can then use their communication skills to share the presentation with the rest of the class. Progressivism is also a theory where students are ongoing learners and we are there to help them continue to learn how to learn instead of filling them up buckets of information (Progressivism). Slideshare is a great tool for this because students can use this as a sight were they can research other Slideshare presentations and learn about different topics using those presentations.
Slideshare.net can be used for students or professionals who are visual (spatial) learners. People who are visual learners use colors, pictures, and other visual media to help them better understand a topic. Having a presentation, document, or video that incorporates these elements will help a visual learner stay engaged in the learning throughout and will help them to picture what it is they are learning. Many teachers teach students through lecture which benefits students who are auditory learners but it is also important to differentiate lessons for auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners. I feel that Slideshare.net is definitely going to help students who are auditory or visual learners.
Research on this Tool
I found an article, Free Presentation Tools on the World Wide Web, and within this article it discusses how online presentation tools are enabling students to create digital stories, projects, and reports using online presentation tools like Slideshare.net (Baumbach, 2008). It also discusses how this tool can be used to teach students the effective way to create presentations, create interest on a topic, title, or author, and organize research on topics of interest (Baumbach, 2008). This article mentions how with Slideshare.net you can tag, email, and get comments on the presentation which would make for a great assessment tool for students.
Another article I found, Introducing Your New Web 2.0 Toolkit, refers to four powerful applications for educators of English (Allen & Roney, 2009). Those include locating and learning concepts and practical strategies for teaching from teaching peers, the availability of slideshows that might be useful in the classroom, creating lectures or visual prompts for use in the classroom, and an international platform for students to share and display work (Allen & Roney, 2009). Slideshare.net has the capability for an author to add audio to a pre-existing presentation to increase the presentations effectiveness (Allen & Roney, 2009).
Why I Think This Tool is Appropriate for the Classroom
After researching this tool through Slideshare.net and reviewing the research articles on this tool, I feel that this tool would be very beneficial to use for students and teachers. It gives teachers the opportunity to incorporate technology into the classroom in a way that will keep students engaged and interested in what they are learning. It also will give students the opportunity to create, upload, and share their own presentations as a form of formative or summative assessment. Schools are currently looking for ways to incorporate more formative assessments into the classroom and this tool could help students assess their quality of work along with their peers work. A majority of students are consumed with electronics because this is what excites them and keeps them motivated. By this being a free online tool, it makes for a great resource for students and teachers.
References
Allen, J., Roney, S. (2009). Introducing your new web 2.0 toolkit!. TESOL Arabia Perspectives, 16, 6-13.
Baumbach, D. (2008). Free presentation tools on the world wide web. Florida Media Quarterly, Fall 2008, 14-17.
Progressivism. Retrieved on December 2, 2012 from
http://www.siue.edu/~ptheodo/foundations/progressivism.html