Thinkport Review

After reviewing http://www.thinkport.org/Technology/simulations.tp, I saw several tools that would be beneficial to me as a classroom teacher.   The interactive tools and the graphic organizers both caught my attention as great technology attributes that could be added as an ehancement to regular classroom instruction The interactive tools consisted of four tools that could be used by students to motivate their learning as well as increase their knowledge of technology.  For example, two of the tools that stood out to me the most were the pattern maker and the timeline builder.  The pattern maker can be incorporated into a math lesson teaching patterns.  After delivering the lesson whole group, the teacher can use the interactive tool, pattern maker, as an assessment tool to determine whether or not the students grasp the concept taught.  The interactive tool, pattern maker, will allow students to create their own patterns and trigger their critical thinking skills by asking a question about geometric techniques used to create that pattern. After observation of the students' work, the teacher can determine whether or not the objective was met. Graphic organizers are used to help students organize information for further understanding.  I would use the W's graphic organizer during a small group instruction lesson on a nonfiction story with my struggling readers.  This type of organizer will give my struggling readers an opportunity to organize factual ideas easier.  It will also allow my struggling readers to disect a story to a level where they can comprehend and understand the contents read.  I am looking forward to incorporating these new ideas into my classroom instruction to help motivate my students' learning and increase their technology experience.