Week 10: Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

This week we discussed technological tools that help you think critically. These tools, such as Webspiration, Bubbl.us, and Giffy, help you organize your thoughts in a 21st century way. A new word was also introduced to me this week: Folksonomies. A folksonomy is a product of the Web 2.0 applications. It comes from the process of creating and mantaining tags to categorize content.
I can see myself using Webspiration, my favorite tech tool in my classroom. It's a useful tool for teachers and students alike. I can see my students using it to organize their ideas and plan for papers. I can see myself using it to give presentation and organize my ideas to present to other faculty members. It's a great, fun tool all around.
The following video from YouTube is a step by step instructional video on how to use and create your own Webspiration concept map. I found myself going back to this video to give me tips on how to start my own. Because some new technological tools are hard to just sit down and start on your own, it's comforting to know that videos like this are readily available to help you get back on track.

Webspiration Concept Map

The following map shows the different ways that I will use social bookmarking tools in my classroom as a teacher. I had fun using the Webspiration website and can see myself introducing this website to my students to help them organize their thoughts and help them plan their papers.

My Webspiration Map