Hi all! Today, in response to the Steemiteduation homework I’m going to talk about some of the tech ed resources I use in my classroom, and some I would like to try! I’m on spring break right now, and I have the brain power to actually look into new tools to wrap my head around. Yay for spring break! Yay for free time!
Okay, let’s start with the stuff I use.
Edmodo is an online platform that looks a lot like Facebook. Essentially, you set up your classes, and then your students and their parents can use a code to join. You or your kids (not their parents) can post resources and announcements for all members of the class to see. For example, often I’ll show a video, and my students will want to re-watch it or some will have missed it from being sick or something. I just post a link to the video on Edmodo so they can access it anytime. You can also set up folders filled with things like the course outline, or expectations, or support documents. My favourite part of Edmodo is that you can put your assignments on it and your students can submit their work. You can comment and mark their work right on the site. Edmodo does keep track of the grades for students, however I warn them that it isn’t an accurate mark because the site doesn’t take into consideration different weights of assignments. Being that I get emails all day, every day, and my desk is a bit of a disaster, I like anything that keeps work in one organized, easily accessible place.
What I will say is that I know there are other platforms that are similar to Edmodo that teachers are using. I did try what Microsoft 365 had to offer and it was just too… messy. And then they went and changed it so I went back to Edmodo. If my school used Google, I would definitely try Google classroom. I’ve heard good things. What do you use?
I’m all about a little friendly competition, especially when I can play too. My students love Kahoot. I keep thinking they’ll get tired of it, but they don’t. Kahoot allows you or your students to make a quiz (or use a pre-made one) and students access it through a code on either their laptop or their mobile device. Then, it goes through the questions and you get points for right answers, and speed. It’s a great way to check for understanding.
I have also heard of teachers using Quizlet with success. Do you use anything similar?
I have a confession. I love using sticky notes. My next teacher-y post is going to be about the Harvard Visible Thinking Routines (specifically see/think/wonder) and my love of sticky notes. But, after returning to Costco multiple times to buy the behemoth pack of sticky notes, I’m realizing that maybe I need to control my waste a little bit more. Padlet is a great tool that allows you to cut back on your sticky note addiction, and keep the conversations going. It’s basically a space to collaborate. It reminds me of Pinterest a little bit in that you can post documents, web links, videos, and music. Which sticky notes cannot do.
My colleague uses Padlet to set up discussions that span different classes. For example, she has students from her one English 12 class commenting and discussing the thoughts written by students in her other English 12 class. The online interaction is a requirement for her class. It’s pretty cool, and I would like to start doing this with my Socials 10 classes.
First of all, I want to cite the Cult of Pedagogy 2017 and 2018 lists of 6 Tech Ed Tools to Try. There are some other good suggestions on both lists that you should check out. I am personally wanting to look into these 3!
Insert Learning is a Chrome extension that basically allows you to lesson-ify any webpage. You can set up different classes kind of like Edmodo and then assign webpage lessons to whichever ones you want. Like Edmodo, students can use a code to access the lesson. You can highlight text, add questions, insert discussions or sticky notes yay!, or imbed things like youtube videos. I dig it.
As someone who is pretty addicted to sharing with the world on my bookstagram instastory, I like the idea of giving students the opportunity to share short videos in response to a discussion prompt. Flipgrid is a tool that allows students to do just that. They record themselves and post it, and then their peers can respond to their videos. In a world where we have budding youtubers and social media stars, they may engage with this format. I’m not ashamed to say that I would.
I’m constantly asking my students to do peer and self assessment. Peergrade, from my understanding, is a place that helps students give and receive feedback, using a rubric, anonymously. Check out the following taking from the website, and see what you think!
KP’s Teacher Tales #17: How I Exemplify Being a Lifelong Learner
KP’s Teacher Tales #16: International Women’s Day and Eleanor of Aquitaine
