Another Option: Piktochart

It has been a long while since my last post. I am back in another technology focused class. This is week one, and I have discovered a tool that reminds me of Adobe Spark. This one is called Piktochart.

Here's a video to introduce you to Piktochart, if you're not familiar.



This was my first exposure to Piktochart. I like it's usefulness with creating infographics. I think I might be able to utilize this tool in my classroom to organize and to relate concepts and details. Creating visual representations would support my students who prefer that learning mechanism.I liked the ease with which creations were made. It's as easy as click, drag, and drop.Although I haven't had too much time to play with it, I believe it does have some promise.

Here's my ALL ABOUT ME page I created, if you want to take a look:

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/23263480-all-about-me-maricar-maxine

What uses do you see for Piktochart in your classroom?

Wolfram/Alpha: Your searches will never be the same

Until this week, I had never heard of WolframAlpha. Seriously, someone created a search engine with a brain to help find an answer. Have you never heard of it either? Watch this video for a quick overview:



I am eager to show this tool to my research students to just give them another avenue to search for relevant information. Forget the "I feel lucky" button on a Google search, just type in your question on WolframAlpha and (bam!) it searches to find your answer. If you value Siri on your iPhone, you absolutely need to check out WolframAlpha! Pose a question and WolframAlpha will find an answer for you - in chart form, in graph form ... more specific and focused than Wikipedia in my opinion.

From history facts to math equations to science concepts, WolframAlpha kicks search capabilities up a notch or two (or three!). One of its awesome features is its subject focused fact page. For Chemistry, it looks like this:

And I like the way the answers are presented. It presents multiple perspectives of the answer, providing a basic graphic answer as well as some higher level thinking options as well.

I added Wolfram/Alpha to my Symbaloo webmix. I liked it that much!

If you have not yet given it a whirl, you should. I think it'll knock your socks off. This video highlights some of the cool search features of WolframAlpha:




I am in still a little in awe that I did not know about WolframAlpha until this week. Why did no one share this with me until now? Well, I for one can't wait to share this with my students and colleagues.

Two gems: Padlet & Symbaloo

I am enjoying learning about programs that hold value to a teacher.

This week, Padlet is my new friend. It's a site that allows a teacher to create a board and share with students. This allows students to brainstorm or post an answer on the board.

At first, the randomness of posts and the seeming disorganization of the board was a negative/con for me. I didn't like how kids could click anywhere on the board to haphazardly place their post. After watching more tutorial videos on Padlet, I realized the beauty in this.

First, there's a way to click and put all posts into a grid - nicely organized columns and rows. In literally a simple click, the disorganized mess in put into straight rows and columns.

Then, I realized another value of this randomness is that I, the teacher, can take students' input and rearrange into categories that I see fit. For instance, if I used this as an exit ticket, I could sort the answers into an area of correct and an area of incorrect and know how many (and who) needed more support with the concept taught. [A downside I see to this is that other students can see others' answers, so it would be obvious who wasn't on target. A way to alleviate this would be to have the kids anonymously answer. Then, after they're done posting, under settings, click "attribution" and the authors' names appear.]

Here's a video that explains how to set up a padlet and some basic features and uses:


I see usefulness for padlet in these ways:
- brainstorming
- exit tickets
- quick checks for understanding
- KWL learning charts
I'm sure this list could go on and on.

Here's a sample padlet that I used for my advanced chemistry course.

Another tool I discovered this week is called Symbaloo. I created a webmix, a collection of frequently visited websites. Now, each is just a click away - nicely organized onto this one page that I can share with others.

Here's my Symbaloo webmix:

The webmix I created was done relatively quickly, to fulfill a required assignment for my grad school class. My intention is to revisit this and create a resource that I could share with my students, one that would provide organizational sites as well as study/practice sites. The websites can be organized in different webmixes, or I can organize by color within the one webmix. Either way, it puts all the sites together in one place, easy access for my students because it is so easy to share and it makes the websites a single click for the students.

These are just two more ways to increase my effectiveness as a teacher and to use technology to support my teaching methods. Both of these have significant value in my world! You should give them a try. Let me know how that goes!

Websites that may make life a little easier ... Adobe Spark style

This week I looked at websites that would be helpful to a teacher. Much of what I looked at were lesson plan resource sites, but there are also some that help with other areas of teaching. You know - sites that help organize things or help save time ... created with the teacher in mind.

I chose three to highlight here: Teachers Pay Teachers, Remind.com and Tiny URL. All have purposeful uses in my classroom, and I actually have used each of these this year in my classes.

1. Teachers Pay Teachers is a great resource for teaching material for any grade in any discipline.
2. Remind.com is a safe and private way to communicate with students and parents.
3. Tiny URL makes it easy to share links with students or colleagues.

I used Adobe Spark to share information about these great sites. If Adobe Spark sounds familiar, it is because earlier I had created an Adobe Spark post and shared it with you here. This week, I created what is called a "page" on Adobe Spark, but that is rather misleading as a lot of information can be included on a rolling "page" on Adobe Spark. Take a gander at this:



Adobe Spark is super easy to use and the finished product appears so polished and professional looking. Don't you agree?

If you're interested in creating something in Adobe Spark, here's a tutorial to get you started:



If you create one, let me know how it goes! If you try out one of the three helpful websites, let me know how that goes too!

Revisiting Google Add Ons ...

Google Add-Ons. There are a gazillion of them. (Ok, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but there are a WHOLE BUNCH of them out there.)

This week, I was introduced to about 25 different ones. I was rather amazed/impressed/surprised that of the 25, I knew about only 3 of them. All the "common" ones I used were not part of the list! I actually appreciated that, as I was able to learn about new ways to utilize Google and find a few that I think are usable in my classroom.

So, these are all new to me. I have not had a chance to try these out in my classroom, but I plan to. As you read my post, if you've tried these and have some helpful suggestions, please feel free to post a comment!

(1) MindMeister 

I often like to take class notes and reorganize information into a graphic organizer to help kids visualize how information is related. Word maps, flow charts, Venn digrams, and the like all serve this purpose. Sometimes, though, this is time consuming to use a Word doc chart template and re-type all the information into shapes.

MindMeister seems to be a teacher's dream. Take a bulleted list and turn it into a mind map with just a highlight and a click. 

Here's a video to introduce you to MindMeister:

(2) Gliffy
In the same light as MindMeister, Gliffy allows you to create a graphic organizer in a Word doc. I use graphic organizers as a way to differentiate learning, so I will try both of these in the classroom and report back later which was easier to use and/or more successfully implemented with my students.
In the meantime, here's a video to introduce you to Gliffy:



(3) Kaizen
My current professor leaves comments for assignments using voice recordings. It's a fun twist to reading comments, allows me to hear her voice (which is nice since this is an online class), and lets her leave me detailed comments without taking so much time to type all her thoughts. I'd like to be able to offer this same feedback to my students, especially in my Advanced Chemistry Research Class. Kaizen might be the tool for me to use!
Here's a video to introduce you to Kaizen:

So, three new add ons that I intend to try with my classes. Check back later for a more opinionated post once I try them out!

Schoology for the win!

Technology has a place in the classroom and used effectively, technology can increase student engagement and improved teacher efficiency. Here is a video about the top ten reasons to use technology in education:

Edmodo? Schoology? Eenie meenie minie mo.

Which one do you pick/prefer/use?

At WCS, we have options for our platform to distribute materials electronically to students: Google Classroom, eBackpack, PowerSchool and Moodle. All are available and the school supports whichever one a teacher chooses to use. It's flexible that way, which I appreciate. I have used a Google Forms with the Flubaroo Add On to quickly grade an assessment and provide feedback to students. I post homework on a Google Sites, and I have begun to post resources for each unit there as well. PowerSchool is used to record grades, and it also provides a mechanism of communication with parents. I assign and collect much homework through eBackpack, which is linked to PowerSchool (which I love!). Although I use Moodle with my Baker U graduate classes, I do not implement that platform at all in my classroom (although the other chemistry teacher does).
So, suffice it to say, I think WCS has provided us ample opportunity to choose which platform each teacher likes best. And, different teachers prefer different platforms ... and our school is ok with that ... and our students can manage that as well.

This week, I was introduced to Schoology and Edmodo. I had heard of Edmodo long ago, but again - I didn't have a need for the bells and whistles it offered. I had never heard of Schoology until this week. As I played and interacted with each, I found that I gravitated toward Schoology, enticed by its ability to grade assessments. Convenience is a big factor in my choosing to use something. I am happy to use Google Forms now, simply because of the Flubaroo Add On. If only grades could migrate to PowerSchool on their own from a Google Forms results page!

Anyways, I digress.

I've been asked to make a comparison of the two platforms based on my limited exposure to both. So while I do not expect that either is something that will become commonplace in my world, there are a couple of functions that I like of each – and I may sporadically incorporate its use into my classroom.

(1)   Edmodo Spotlight: I love having educational apps available with a simple search function that sorts by grade level and discipline. I have bookmarked this (oh, I should add it to diigo too, huh?!?) and will use it as a resource for technology support for specific topics.


(2)  Schoology’s discussion boards: I love the idea of being able to filter comment using a “filter by” tool. To be able to easily see which students are actively participating in a discussion board would simplify the act of using that as an assessment grade. My method of doing this now is rather archaic and time consuming.


Honestly, there isn’t one (Edmodo or Schoology) that is a “must have” feature for me, although I see value for both. If I didn’t already have the programs available to me at WCS, I would probably lean toward Schoology for the assessment grading capabilities and the collaborative discussions. I like that both allow you to post resources, communicate with parents, and organizes assignments. 


What I do like about both is the ability to make announcements. I have a “Did you know” section on my website, but I think the way this shows up on both Edmodo and Schoology is better than on my website.


Interested in learning about either? Check out these videos:

• An introduction to Schoology with a message from its CEO
• Some reasons why you should incorporate Schoology into your classroom
• A quick overview of some features of Edmodo
• Some reasons why you should incorporate Edmodo into your classroom

If you try these out, post a comment and let me know what you like about whichever one you choose! 

Collaborative efforts in the classroom: twitter, diigo, & padlet

So many new ideas, so where do I start?

As I learn new technology applications, these always fall into two categories:
(1) something I can use a teacher to improve myself as a teacher
(2) something my students can use to facilitate learning in the classroom

As I look back at what was introduced this week, I think I am going to focus on category #2. This is probably more of a brainstorming blog post. It might be a little (ok, a lot) focused on me and my chemistry world. But, in order to use what I have learned, I have to find motivation to incorporate something new into my classroom. This week I found a few things that I could do that would (could be) useful for my students.

I always have the grandest of ideas to do exit slips each day. But we always run out of time or I forget to have the slips of paper ready. I read the Teacher's Handbook to Twitter and was inspired.

What's my plan? At some point during class time, I will stop and have the kids tweet. They will have to use a specified hashtag so that I can see their tweet using a hashtag search. They will need to tweet a fact, something they learned in today's class. The other option would be to have them tweet a question they have about what we are covering. If I ask them to tweet facts, my intention would be to use paper.li to compile a review sheet of their facts, something useful as a study tool for the unit test. If I ask them to tweet questions, their questions would guide my teaching the next day. I just started a new unit with my AP Chemistry kids, so I might give this a go this week!

If you're interested in creating a Twitter account, but do not really know what Twitter is all about, watch this video:

How many of you find a fabulous website and bookmark it? How many of you have a tool bar of so many bookmarks that you cannot really find what you are looking for? How many of you look at a bookmark and wonder why you saved that site to begin with?

I remember how tickled I was when I created folders for my bookmarks. Mine are actually well organized with titles that help me remember what their value is in my life. But this week, I was introduced to diigo and I think this is going to be an awesome tool for this OCD teacher.

This is a website organizer that you can easily share with others. Compile a list of your favorite science websites, type a comment to state what you like best about each one, and share your library with others. Find a few awesome webpages, highlight or add a sticky note to indicate importance, and (again) share with others. 

One of the best features of diigo is the ability to tag the websites or webpages. I can give a general category of AP Chem, but then I can give a secondary tag of Thermodynamics and a super general category of chemistry, and if it is about a lab experiment, I can tag it as such. So one article, four tags. And, as my library grows, I will be able to search a tag and find all the resources relevant to that particular tag. For someone who loves organized lists, this is a game changer.

Does diigo sound like something you need in your life? Watch this video about how to create an account and how to use diigo:

I think this social bookmarking tool could be useful in my Advanced Chemistry Research class. I knew from last year that we needed a way to keep all the articles in one place, so I started a class blog for students to post articles and summaries. The problem arises because I did not have them put tags on their articles, so when they look for something now, they have to scroll and scroll and scroll ... and (because they are teenagers) eventually just give up. I am considering having students post their article link on diigo with a 20 word or less description, with tags. I will probably have to provide a list of possible tags, so that there will be some consistency among the class. In my head, this sounds like it would solve some of our issues. I need to see it in action to confirm its value. (Of course, the tell tale sign is if the kids like it and find it useful. Otherwise, I am just creating busy work for them.)

I was also reintroduced to Padlet this week. It is a great tool that could easily be used in the classroom. It is a collaborative board on which each student can place a "sticky note" to add to the class effort. The page is automatically saved and students can see each other's posts. It sounds a lot like the Twitter feed I mentioned earlier, but this is one one board.

I think I might use this and have the kids add a question on one day - something that they learned in class, but written as a question. So, if we learned that sodium forms a +1 ion, the question posted could be "What ion does sodium form?" These questions will all post on a padlet page. The next day as bell work, I could ask them to answer a question (not their own). Do you think that will work? I will have to try again. Sometimes the grandest of ideas flop in my world. 

So, three new tools to use in the classroom, each with potential to increase student engagement and to improve study skills. I'll have to post an update in a couple weeks to let you know which ones were keepers in my science world.

If you try something awesome with twitter, padlet, or diigo, let me know how it goes.