Screen Hero is a new form of screen sharing which takes collaboration to a new level by allowing two viewers to simultaneously work within one app at the same time. Essentially Screen Hero lets you work with someone else, like on a Google Doc, but with any application that is shared. Pretty neat. So if you want to work with a friend on Excel you can do that. If you want to pair up with another student and work within iMovie on your Mac...you can do that. You get the idea. For more information, check out the YouTube demonstration of Screen Hero below.
Now What?
Screen Hero is a great tool for students to use when collaborating with classmates on a project but also for teachers who want to help students after school. The only downside (which really isn't a big deal) is that there is a download required in order to use the app.
Boom Writer is a unique site based on collaborative writing and student voting. Boom Writer allows students to work within a safe environment and create one chapter at a time as part of a class. The students then have the opportunity to vote for the chapter they think is the best fit for the story before moving on to the writing of the next chapter. If you want, you can even purchase a published version of your book for $9.99. To learn more about how Boom Writer works check out the "How It Works Page".
Activity: Creating a collaborative book in your class is a great way to involve all students in the writing process while at the same time validating each individual student's efforts. In an English class, this can be used to develop a creative story or as a resource for writing prompts. How about in other classrooms? What better way to give purpose to your student's hard work than to have them create a resource that can be used by your classes in the future? Another idea is to have your students begin to create a collaborative journal about their studies, school events, etc. For more information and ideas, check out Boom Writer's teacher page.
This week's technology assignment uses a website called Quizlet. Quizlet is a site that is used by teachers and students to create web based flash cards, study those cards and play games using the vocabulary. To learn more information about Quizlet and it's features, check out my previous post here on Tech Messages.
Activity: Creating flash cards is a time tested way to study information and for many students a manageable way to study on the go. For this assignment, it is time to look toward that "word wall" in the back of your classroom and see how much the students remember from the course of the year. In this assignment, students should create 15 flash cards (you decide the number up or down) using vocabulary words that were learned throughout the course of the year. Using their own cards and those created by other classmates they can study for a cumulative assessment on the vocabulary of the past year.
This week's technology assignment uses a website called Prezi which many of you are probably familiar with at this point.
Prezi is a presentation tool (hence the name Prezi prounounced pre zee) which has taken the world by storm in the past year. It is easy to use and much more dynamic than the presentation types of old.
Activity: This site is great for teachers looking for a new way to present information to their students but even better for students looking for a new way to present information to their peers. PowerPoint is an excellent program but it can be...how should I put it...boring at times. Prezi allows users to create a much more flashy presentation that is engaging and interactive. A good introductory assignment for your students would be to create a simple 5 path Prezi describing a topic in class or a vocabulary word or even answering a homework question with some supporting details. Check out the tutorial below to see how easy it is to use and publish on Prezi.
This week's technology assignment uses a website called Popplet. Popplet allows users to create an interactive bulletin board with text, images and video. As you add more and more to your Popplet board you can even link those "popples" together to show relationships and tie everything together.
Activity: This site can be used either for a homework assignment or more extensively as a project which can be presented in class. Teachers can also use this site as a way to present information in class. If you choose to assign this for students...have them create a concept map for a topic that you are currently studying or in place of a PowerPoint presentation that they are going to create. Popplet can be a great tool for summarizing a book or science topic like the digestive system. In a social studies class you can create an interactive timeline of events by creating a horizontal Popplet. Math students can even use Popplet to show their work and explain the process of solving a quadratic equation. NOTE: There have been issues reported with using Internet Explorer so it is advised to use something like Firefox or Google Chrome when using Popplet.
For this week's assignment we will take a look at a website called Wall Wisher to create a bulletin board where students can post sticky notes with text, images, and video in response to a topic that you select. I love Wall Wisher because it allows every student's voice to be heard and gives them a chance to see what their classmates are thinking/saying kind of like blogging, but without the extra steps. Check out the assignment and tutorial below for more information:
Activity: As a homework assignment have your students respond to a topic or question that you post to a board. For example, if you are studying algebra, have the students create their own problem and put it on the board as a sticky note. The next day in class you can choose three problems from the student's sticky notes and make the initiation of your class more engaging. If you are studying a historical time period or event, ask the students to give their opinion on something you are discussing. This is a great springboard for discussion the next day in class. To see how other educators are using Wall Wisher check out this collaborative document.
Corkboard.me is a great site which requires very little setup or maintenance (which teachers love). It is essentially a virtual corkboard or "wall" which allows for people to post sticky notes and images. There is no registration or account setup involved and you can be up and running in seconds. Below is a picture of a board that I created to generate ideas about how to use Corkboard.me. Click here to access the board and leave an idea. Although this is a simple concept, the possibilities are endless.
Now What?
Corkboard.me is a great site to use in your classroom when you want to give each of your student's a voice in a quick fashion. Create a wall for your students to post ideas about your chapter's essential question or the characteristics of the main character in a book they are reading. The bottom line is that
Corkboard.me provides an excellent springboard for class discussion.
Popplet is an interesting site which is a cross between Inspiration and Wallwisher. After creating an account it was very easy to start to publish thoughts to the blank canvas. Creating on Popplet allows you to enter text, images, YouTube videos and drawings. You can then link those Popplets together to form an integrated idea or concept map. Inviting collaborators to Popplet will allow them to edit and create their own Popplets on your canvas although not in real time. This could be a great tool for classroom discussion if all of your students have accounts. Sharing a Popplet is simple using Facebook, Twitter or the traditional link or embed method. If you would like to edit your Popplets on the go there is currently only an iPad app available for download.
Now What?
This could be a nice change of pace for your students as lesson presentation medium. I can see this being very useful for introducing a new unit and some of the stops along the way. Students could also create their own Popplets for homework or in the planning of a project.
Later today I will be offering a workshop at my school on web based flash cards. I have used both Funnel Brain and Quizlet before but will focus on Quizlet because of the available apps you can use on both iOS and Android devices.
Quizlet offers four study modes: flashcard, speller (spell what you hear), learn (keeps track of learning and focuses on those you get wrong) and test mode (with leader board). Quizlet also offers two games called Scatter and Space Race which were easy to learn and fun to play. I like the fact that scores are kept in a leader board off to the side so that students can compete with one another. Students and teachers can also chat and discuss the flash card decks through a feature that can be moderated and turned on or off for each deck. On Quizlet there are several ways to share flash cards and invite people to see the decks. One way to share a deck is through the password feature which will allow students to access private cards without having to create an account. Some other great features of Quizlet are the ability to have the cards read to you in multiple languages.
Quizlet is an extremely powerful web based application that students will love to use for studying. The collaborative nature and flash card based games and quizzes will keep them entertained and focused on the content. Check out my YouTube Quizlet Channel for some quick how to videos.
Scholastic has a great website where kids can write their own book reviews or read what other same grade students are saying about books they have read. The name of this website is called Share What You've Read and it is very simple to use without registration or an account. If a student wants to write a review they can fill out the online form or visit the writer's workshop page which has information about writing a good review. Students can also read book reviews written by their peers as well. Overall, Share What You've Read seems like an excellent resource to help validate student writing and assist them in evaluation what they have read.
Now What?
Most schools have students write book reviews but they generally never leave the classroom or teacher's desk.
Share What You've Read would be a great way to encourage your students to write for a global audience and give them the opportunity to publish their work.
Boom Writer is a unique site where students can work collaboratively on the creation of a book. I have seen this type of site before but this one is different because of the teacher control panel and the ability to purchase a published book at the end for $9.99. Boom Writer allows students to work within a safe environment and create one chapter at a time. The students then have the opportunity to vote for the chapter they think is the best fit for the story before moving on to the next part of the book. When students sign up they can create their own avatar and then get points when their chapters receive votes. Students can use these points to upgrade their avatar with virtual merchandise.
Check out the introductory video below for more information:
Now What?
Boom Writer is a great way to allow students to individually work on an assignment and then create a unified work. Students will enjoy the avatar feature where they get points for having their chapters selected. Teachers will find value in the fact that they can start the book (prompt?) and then have students take it from there. Ideas for a book...select your next unit (science fiction, comedy, etc.) and have your students use the characteristics of that genre. You could also do a write-like and have students write like an author you are studying.
Hall.com is a site that I've written about before and it seems like they have been busy in the past couple of weeks. The last time I visited
Hall.com, it seemed like a great place to poll your class and provide a chat room type of environment for your students to work. Recently they unveiled their "war room" where users can now chat and collaborate together in real time in a much more powerful way. Some of the new features on Hall.com include group chatting and instant messaging, video chat, file sharing, file collaboration (up to 100 users at once), desktop notifications of @user messages, and more. Check out a screenshot below of the classroom interface:
Now What?
Hall.com reminds me of a Google Hangout but with a much more "educational" spin. Students can use this space to work together on just about anything and the chat feature enables them to work closely together. This could also be a great way to allow your different classes to work together on one unified project.
Later today I will be offering a workshop at my school on web based flash cards. I have used both Funnel Brain and Quizlet before but will focus on Quizlet because of the available apps you can use on both iOS and Android devices.
Hall.com is a site that I've written about before and it seems like they have been busy in the past couple of weeks. The last time I visited
Hall.com, it seemed like a great place to poll your class and provide a chat room type of environment for your students to work. Recently they unveiled their "war room" where users can now chat and collaborate together in real time in a much more powerful way. Some of the new features on Hall.com include group chatting and instant messaging, video chat, file sharing, file collaboration (up to 100 users at once), desktop notifications of @user messages, and more. Check out a screenshot below of the classroom interface:
