Symbaloo is a visual bookmarking tool that is cloud-based and allows users to organize and categorize web links. It stores bookmarks “in the cloud” so that, with a free account, you can access saved sites from any device and any location with an internet connection. The bookmarked sites can be organized by category and are identified by tabs similar to a notebook. It uses colorful tiles that can be easily arranged.
Link to video tutorial on Overview of how to use Symbaloo:
Sharing
Symbaloo has a share feature where the user can share bookmarks with others or make them public for anyone to view. Users can create a “webmix” of topic specific resources to guide student research and share the webmix with students. Symbaloo will generate a link for you to share with others to take them straight to your webmix. Here’s a video tutorial on how to share your webmixes:
Other uses for teachers
Teachers are using Symbaloo to create lesson plans by creating a webmix for each subject that they teach. We have a few examples for you.
This is a webmix for a physical science class project. Shared privately - you must have the link to access.
Example of a 3rd grade landing page on a school website where Symbaloo included resources for students
Teachers are preparing students for the global marketplace by teaching digital citizenship, and teaching students how to navigate and organize resources from a variety of different sources. With Symbaloo, students can customize their own learning space. Students can create their own Symbaloo pages with their most used websites, such as their school email account, personal blog, social networking sites, classroom blog, and school website. They can curate content from their research for a classroom project by embedding Youtube videos, Prezi presentation, and Google Doc in a webmix. Students are able to stay focused in the classroom by accessing all their resources from within the Symbaloo platform without having to go all over the web. Which leads them to take responsibility for their own learning while creating a fun learning environment.
Teachers are required to work a lot harder and longer hours to create lesson plans for different subjects to meet the needs of many students level. Teachers use Symbaloo to collaborate with other teachers for curriculum mapping throughout the district. Teachers can create webmixes that include resources that explain each of the standards that the class is covering each month.
More detailed tour of how to use Symbaloo
-Elisa Harris, ITF, Hartselle High School