This week's assignment allowed me to evaluate three websites I have been curious about for quite some time but hadn't yet had a chance to explore. Many websites lend themselves well to education, but there are different categories these sites fall into and different purposes they serve depending on whether the user is a teacher or student. I will examine those three websites (one for social purposes, one for creation, and one for curation) and how they can be integrated into the classroom.
Social: Edmodo
My school does have an institutional account for Edmodo, and while I had signed up for my own account months ago, I never really took the time to play around with the features or set up anything beyond my basic personal profile. Once I was able to really spend some time on the site, I saw just how useful it could be! It very distinctly reminded me of Facebook. This would definitely appeal to my 6th graders. The layout is similar, and there's even a "feed" that allows users to see recent posts of groups they belong to or other users they've connected with. I was surprised at how easy the site was to navigate. With a few simple clicks I was able to easily create a classroom, and I was given a "group code" to share with next year's students in order for them to access our class group. I like that this makes EdModo and any of my students' interactions safe and secure from the prying eyes of online predators. Students are also unable to send private messages to one another, which eliminates the threat of cyber-bullying or sending inappropriate messages/content (at least on this platform!).
There are many ways in which I can see myself using this site with my students next year. The feature I liked the most was the ability to upload content that could be shared with the whole class. I could easily share study guides, note-taking guides, lab report templates, and other documents, eliminating the old "I forgot to bring it home," or "I don't know where it is," excuses. Parents could also have access to the group page for added involvement. Class announcements, such as project deadlines and other reminders, could be quickly and easily shared with the whole class too. Another useful feature is the ability to create "small groups," which could be used for group projects. Students would be able to collaborate online, and I would be able to monitor the group's progress and step in to offer assistance, if needed. Finally, one last feature that I thought was really neat are the "badges." These can be added to a student's profile by their teacher for a job well done. Positive reinforcement is key in building self esteem and helping to grow confident learners, so I love that I can assign these to students and give them something to be proud of and show off on their profile!
David F. Carr recently wrote an article for Information Week Education about the use of Edmodo in the classroom. He gave one example where a teacher had uploaded lessons to Edmodo for the substitute to use while she was out of the classroom for a week. He also provided other examples of classroom use, such as creating online class discussions with the teacher as faciliator, creating and administering tests and quizzes on the site, and updating assignment deadlines and details. It was great to read that other teachers have had success using Edmodo in the same ways I had planned to use it with my own students next year!
I can see myself using this site not only with my students, but also for myself as an educator seeking new ideas. Carr also touted Edmodo as "social networking for teachers" and explained how teachers are using it to share resources with one another. The "Discover" tab on the side of my profile page instantly linked me with other users and resources related to the subject and grade level I teach (which I had previously identified as part of creating my class).
After evaluating this site and all that is has to offer, I can't believe I haven't used it more since signing up!
Creative: Prezi
While I found Prezi to be a fun alternative to the tried-and-true PowerPoint presentation, it wasn't quite as user friendly as I had hoped. At first, I found it tricky to navigate. Even after watching one of the tutorials, I still found myself scratching my head later on while playing around and trying to create a sample presentation. This is definitely a website that would be fun for students to use, simply because it is so dynamic and customizable, but there is certainly a learning curve present with this site that would require me to work with students to feel comfortable using it. In fact, Kathy Wickline in a ReadWriteThink strategy guide admits that the site can be "difficult to navigate" and actually recommends that teachers not only create and share an example presentation for students to view but also create a tutorial to guide students in using Prezi.
The non-linear nature of a Prezi presentation certainly makes it more interesting to look at than a typical slideshow presentation (PowerPoint, Slideshare, etc.). It also allows students (or any viewer, for that matter) to interact with the slideshow by clicking around the motion paths, playing videos, and zooming in to images or other multimedia. It takes the viewer from inactive to active and involved. I would think this would increase student engagement if they were learning from a Prezi presentation created by their teacher or classmates.
I would love to offer Prezi as an alternative project option for my students. Not only could they use Prezi instead of PowerPoint, but they could also share what they've learned about a particular topic in a Prezi rather than writing a research report, book report, or science lab report. I could also use it as an instructional tool in the classroom to introduce a new topic or unit of study. Kathy Wickline had additional suggestions for student use. One idea was to have students create autobiographies or tell short stories through images and narration or text. For students with writing disabilities who are given the opportunity to present assignments through other means, if they can get past the initial difficulty of creating a presentation, this could be a great accommodation tool for differentiation. This is definitely a tool I'd like to examine further.
Curation: Symbaloo / Symbaloo EDU
At the very end of this past school year, a colleague had raved to me about Symbaloo and shared the link with me. I will admit that I was very intrigued by this site, but the link was still sitting in my inbox untouched until I had the opportunity to visit it this week. Boy am I glad I finally checked it out! Symbaloo gives you the ability to conveniently bookmark any website, RSS feed, or widget you want to on your homepage. I cannot express how excited I am about the possibilities to use this not only in the classroom but for my own personal use!
If I were teaching in a brick-and-mortar classroom, I would set Symbaloo as the homepage for any classroom computers. This would give any student using computers in my classroom instant access to educational resources as soon as they sit down and sign on. I could also create different "webmixes" based upon subject area or even unit of study. Other benefits, which were echoed by the students in the student testimonials (here and here), include keeping resources and research organized, submission and feedback of student work, and the ability to look at other students' webmixes and share resources. Symbaloo seems like the perfect way to not only organize but also visually display resources in one convenient place.
Carlos Fernandez, who has spoken at conferences and written about educators using Symbaloo recommended some other great ways to utilize this tool. Not only is it a great way for students have research tools immediately available at their fingertips, but teachers can use it as a PLE (personal learning environment) to learn and share resources with other educators. When I realized there was a separate Symbaloo EDU page, I was amazed at the menagerie of websites and tools that I could find just by looking at different webmixes and selecting specific subjects and subtopics. A quick glance at the main Teacher EDU webmix presented different color-coded subject areas and main branches or topics within that subject. By clicking on "Biology," I was taken to a new Biology webmix that linked to 32 different websites and widgets that were all related to Biology. Even before sharing this resource with my students, I am able to locate even more fantastic new websites and tools to investigate!
After reviewing each of these three websites, I can see that I have a lot of preparation to do before the next school year starts! I'd like to continue to familiarize myself with these resources so that I can be comfortable sharing them with my students come August.
Resources
Carr, D. F. (2013, April 92013, April 9). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.informationweek.com/education/instructional-it/edmodo-social-collaboration-for-teachers/240152473
Fernandez, C. (2012, March 12012, March 1). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://fishingforedtech.com/2012/03/01/4-ways-to-use-symbalooedu/
Wickline, K. ((2013)2013). Teaching with zooming slideshows through prezi. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-zooming-slideshows-30886.html
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