Peer Scholar

Peer Scholar is an online tool used for teachers to provide a good education and help students learn subject information.  It focuses on students’ collaboration, learning, and reflection on their work. It is available for any education level as well as compatible with any digital media. This makes it easy to access.

Teachers have access to subject-based and cross curriculum assignments. They can take these assignments and use them within their curriculum  or slightly modify the assignments to fit their needs  but keep the same rubric for grading. They can also create brand new assignments where they see fit. These assignments can be shared with others.  Once the assignment is given, the teacher shares it with the class so the students can have access to it.  When the students submit their assignment  they are  able to see their classmates work also. This assists in the learning process because the students can go in and view what their peers did and give them helpful  feedback. The students are able to collaborate with one another about their work and enturn learn more from each other. They can reflect on their own work and see what needs to be improved upon after viewing all of the feedback from others.

This program can create a new form of learning/teaching and can benefit students in many ways. Constructive criticism is a good way to show how students can learn from their mistakes. Teachers can also use this tool to share good tactics with one another  and how they portray the information in an assessment form.  Peer Scholar is also less intimidating then tests which makes students be more willing to submit their own ideas and not just what they think the teacher may want to hear. I believe by implementing this in classrooms it should assist students and allow for a new teaching technique. 

Tutoring by Aleks

There is a website called Aleks that students may utilize as a great study tool. In my Chemistry class  it  was used in aiding students to understand  concepts. You have to create a user ID and register the class ID that is given by  the teacher. This will allow the teacher to post assignments to assist the student through the course.

When  beginning this endeavor  you will  take a baseline test. This takes your previous knowledge of the subject and makes sure you will be able to get on track for the class. When the test is complete it provides a pie chart. This pie chart breaks down the percentages of  your current knowledge of the subject  and what you need more work on. Each student  will have a different pie chart and different amounts of were they excelled and where they need more work. It is very important not to  cheat  during the baseline test or  all your assignments going forward will be to advanced. It is okay not to have all of the  information because the website is there to walk you through the assignments.

Aleks serves as a personal tutor for the individual student. For each assignment it will teach you how to work out the problems, give you a few sample problems to try, and grade the problems. If you get the problem  correct you will  move on to the next assignment, if you got the problem incorrect it will show you where you made the mistake  and give you a new problem to work through.. This method ensures you learn the material before moving on to the more difficult material.

I believe Aleks is a great tool to help you get through difficult courses. It will continue to go over and over  the subject to assist you in becoming stronger in the subject and push you along the way. You can also receive the  help at your convenience and on your schedule  because it works through the Internet. It is especially great for college students  who are always busy and may not have time to utilize the  office hours of the  professor for extra help. It is easy to use, inexpensive, and a great learning tool overall!

Surgery at a Touch

Ipods, iPads, and iPhones all have applications that can be used for fun and for education. There is a huge variety of  applications that can be used for educational purposes that are very inexpensive. 

There is one application called "Touch Surgery" that can give students who are interested in medical school  an idea of what they are getting themselves into. It is a free application that takes you through realistic surgeries you may perform as a doctor. All you have to do is register  and answer a few questions about your medical interests. The application takes your interests (that you may chose as a potential speciality) and takes you through the preparation and virtual surgeries that actual doctors perform. They even use the proper terminology and treat you like they would a medical student. You may not move forward to the next lesson/ surgery unless you pass the tests given. You must pass the lesson before you can attempt any other type of surgery or  advanced lesson.

As you go through each trial they ask you challenging questions and you must choose the correct answer before the next step can occur. They keep track of how many times you pick the correct or incorrect answer  and give you your score at the end of the lesson. Obviously as a surgeon you need to know your information thoroughly  so therefore there no hesitation in giving lower scores for bad answers. They provide four options for each question. Some questions even give you a circle icon that you need to move  to the correct position to indicate where to make an incision or other medical procedure. They truly make sure you know your material and if you do not, it is a great educational tool to assist in your education.

Each trial/test can be taken multiple times. There is a huge variety of different trials to choose from and by it all being virtual, there is no extra cost for using cadavers or real people.  I would suggest this application to students  either attending medical school, or those who might be interested in attending medical school. It is a great study guide.  It is a free trial to see if  a student is  truly interests in pursuing this as a career. I felt that learned a lot just by going through the trials to test my skills and see to see what a real surgery would be like. It was very interesting and educational application. Anyone can download it.

It is a free tool to be utilized for educational purpose. Many applications out there can be used for educational purposes and this one example of a great application that stood out to me.