Emma Jones

ETEC 562
Discussion Board Post

Investigate three (3) examples of emerging/evolving hardware and/or software

technologies that can be used in instruction. Do NOT use the links I have already
posted in the Webliography! There are literally hundreds of options beyond the ones I
have already posted. Choose three that are NOT included in the links I have already
posted.
In the Emerging Technologies - Hardware/Software Forum under Week 3 share the
following, for each selected technology, in a single post...
IXL (Ixl.com)-This is a great program that many school districts in Texas are beginning
to use such as Allen, Plano, and Frisco ISDs. IXLs goal is to facilitate a deeper level of
learning, while providing skills to engage students minds. IXL approaches math and
language arts topics by offering vibrant visual representations, a host of interactive
activities, and many more based on state standards. One of the best parts is that it
provides hidden awards and certificates throughout the site to encourage and reward
students when they have mastered a skill/concept. The rewards seem to be a great
motivator! The coolest thing that IXL provides is tracking/reporting tools that show
questions missed, where trouble spots lie, progression over time, and how much
knowledge they have genuinely understood and retained. For teachers, IXL includes
classroom implementation ideas for teachers such as classroom integration, standards
prep, intervention, enrichment, and parent involvement. Also, IXL provides teachers with
assessment and motivational tools, along with an administrator dashboard. IXL only
requires a subscription fee and computers or tablets with internet access. There are
resources and a tech team to provide support to users throughout use. For schools, the
annual subscription cost (both subjects) for one teacher and 30 students is $349. For
parents to use with students at home, IXL provides a monthly subscription fee of $9.95
or a yearly feel of $79.00. I believe the cost is fair considering how credible and effective
the program appears to be.
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Creaza (Creazaeducation.com)-Creaza is the leading global educational toolbox for the

creative expression of knowledge and skills in the classroom and spare time. Creaza
provides educators and students with technology tools to create movies, cartoons, mind

Emma Jones
ETEC 562
Discussion Board Post
maps, presentations, soundscapes, comic strips, movies, and audio productions to
name a few. Creaza also provides students with more than 500 ready-made exercises
on different subjects and topics that are curriculum based. Teachers can easily choose,
and later assign the exercises provided to their students by simply clicking an "Assign"
button. Teachers are also able to edit and adjust the exercise's title, description, set a
due date, and add media files that the students can use with the touch of a button. The
content provided also gives ready-made resources such as backgrounds, characters,
props, effects, graphic elements, video clips, and audio clips. Teachers can upload their
own images, audio clips, and video clips, which can then be used separately or in
combination with Creaza's built-in content. Creaza is used and designed for grades K
through higher education. I really like Creaza, because it can be used in every subject
or topic. Creaza enables students to work on multimodal texts that combine audio,
images, and text. The tools allow the students to work both orally and in writing
simultaneously by allowing them to record and use their own audio using Creaza or the
option to upload from somewhere else. Creaza is ESL friendly and provides users with
the ability to choose from 9 different languages for the entire site or just for one
exercise. An example of how Creaza can be used in science and social science using
the MovieEditor tool is the Global village theme. The Global village theme lets
students work with different questions related to energy, environment, climate, and the
interplay between human beings, nature and society. With the Cartoonist theme "Future
Globe" one can work with questions concerning how the Earth will look in the future.
Which kinds of energy sources we will be using, what sort of consequences climate
change will have caused, and which types of technology we will be using. Another
theme example includes the "Space" theme. The Space theme contains elements
such as planets, constellations, astronauts, galaxies, asteroids, space crafts and
telescopes. It is also possible for students to illustrate different phenomena, such as
moon phases, Earths seasons, solar eclipses, and the life cycle of stars. Student could
show how our solar system looks, how a star develops, or maybe how the spacecraft
Curiosity completed their successful trip to Mars? These are all good examples of
topics that can be explored and presented using Creazas built-themes (which consist of
30 themes). Fortunately, Creaza is accessed online and requires no installation or
downloads. The cost of Creaza is unknown (unless I request a quote), but does provide
a free trial.

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Emma Jones
ETEC 562
Discussion Board Post

Knewton (Knewton.com)-Knewton is awesome in my opinion and is different because it

is strictly a tool for digital course educators. Knewton is a company that does many
things, but for digital course educators, it provides the most in my opinion. Knewton is a
company that is based on helping educators better support every student. Because
classrooms are filled with students with different needs and educational backgrounds
Knewton provides resources for differentiated instruction. Many hardworking educators
like myself differentiate instruction manually, by creating individualized materials or
spending time with students one-on-one. But it can be difficult, if not impossible, for
instructors to find the time to differentiate instruction. Knewton empowers educators to
personalize digital coursework for every student, in every class they teach. Knewton
provides tools for educators that figure out exactly what a student knows, what they are
struggling with, and what near-term goals they are working towards in class. Knewton
will provide the educator with recommendations of the best activities for that student to
work on next as well. Educators can use Knewton analytics to see exactly which
concepts a student needs help with, while enabling the educator a chance to intervene
before they fail or become disengaged. Educators also have the ability to zero in on
learners who are struggling or moving ahead. The content insights tool allows educators
to see exactly how well different pieces of content work for each student on an
individual basis. This helps the educator to evaluate their instruction and improve
lessons by replacing poor performing content with new or optimized material. Knewton
empowers educators by providing such tools mentioned. Unfortunately, I was not able to
view the prices without emailing the company explaining how I plan to use Knewton and
the exact tools I would be interested in obtaining.