Glogster: A tree's new best friend

Some of you may know Earth Day is just right around the corner. Some people may think of me as a borderline hippie. For clarification, I take showers daily, brush my teeth, and shave…therefore, I am not 100% hippie. I am always interested and active in finding new ways to help the earth.

Sometimes, when I think of a teacher, I envision a big, messy desk with papers and projects everywhere!

This is not ok with me for three reasons:

1. You cannot find anything you need at the time.

2. Things get lost or damaged.

3.  It seems to be a waste of trees!!! This is especially important on Earth Day!

I’m up for anything that helps keep a teacher’s life organized and more simple!  I recently stumbled across a site online called Glogster EDU (click here for the link). Glogster is a free online interactive poster. You may be thinking what I thought at first, what’s the need or desire for an online poster? But after awhile I got to thinking, this is a great teaching method to use in the classroom! Teachers or students can put together a poster online using pictures, videos, audio, text, data, drawings and attachments. I feel that putting together a poster for certain projects would be faster and just as effective than putting together a website for an activity.  

Reasons why I think Glogster EDU is a great tool for the classroom:

1.  It’s free

2.  No more big awkward sheets of paper to store (like on a desk,  perhaps)

3.  Won’t fall apart on you like a paper one would

4.  Portable

5.  Provides a variety of ways to teach

6.  NO PAPER! (saving trees)

As a future teacher, I have to think of ways to cut corners financially and physically without taking away a child’s learning experience. I feel like putting together a poster for certain lessons would be faster and just as effective as putting together a website.   Most schools do not have an increasing spending budget, so some supplies, like paper, are on a strict limit of availability. Overall, I would love to create something on Glogster for my personal life or the classroom. And I am sure the trees will thank me for it later! Peace out! 

Image used with permission from Flickr by Vbecker.