Free technology for teachers-Richard Byrne

     I’ve been following Richard Byrne’s blog “Free technology for teachers” (www.freetech4teachers.com) and have been impressed with the amount of information that is available to teachers.  Mr. Byrne has put a lot of time and effort into this blog and I would recommend it to all educators who want to stay on the cutting edge of technology in the classroom.  There are sections in his blog that offer free downloads, plus Google tutorials, information on developing blogs, websites and video creation resources.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time going through these tools and feel like I’ve not even scraped the surface.  The benefit of having one site to reference any number of technology tools that can be applied to your classroom is invaluable.  One activity that I found interesting was the NCAA geography game.  With the basketball tournament being such a popular past time, this is a great tool to incorporate geography into a lesson.  By using this game I could open up discussions about the location of certain schools, their capitals and research little known facts about each team.

     My initial understanding of blogs and how they can be used in the classroom was somewhat lacking before participating in the technology classes at Peru State.  After exploring many different blogs, I soon realized how valuable they are for students and their families.  With one spot where all information can be linked and referenced, families can stay up to date on what is happening in my classroom plus it is a great way to advertise my program.