Project One: Come to the Edge

Answer Garden is a collaborative platform where educators can post topics, and students can respond using one word or single phrase answers. This tool can be used in any classroom that uses technology during the day. The answers are posted and the more frequently a word is used, the larger it appears on the post. This would be a good activity to discuss class readings, such as, “Who was your favorite character in the book?” Or even, “How do you feel after the lesson?” This tool can be used as an informal assessment tool to help educators decide if the lesson needs to be retaught. We appreciate that it gives students a way to respond to questions and discussions in a low-stress way. The answers can be displayed in front of the entire class, or the teacher can privately view the responses. All responses are anonymous. 

Bit.ly is an online tool that allows you to create shortened links and QR codes. In the classroom, shortened links and QR codes can make materials more accessible in a variety of ways. When educators are providing material students will need to access, a shortened link can be easier to fit into instructions and texts. When educators are presenting materials students may need or want to access on their own, providing a viewable QR code allows students to easily save and access the materials on their own devices. This gadget can also be a fun and helpful tool for students to play around with when they are citing sources or linking materials in their work. This tool is useful for all students, all grades, and all subjects.  

Steps to access my Google Classroom

Step 1: Click the QR  code

Step 2: Sign in using your Google Account/Gmail

Step 3: click + , choose Join 

Step 4: Join with the Class Code (copy and paste): YOUR own Google Classroom Join CODE :2enucad

Class Dojo is an online Management System that can be accessed through the mobile app or on the online platform. It is a useful tool for all grades and content areas. It enables teachers to communicate to parents privately in order to strengthen their students’ educational experiences both in the classroom and at home. The program allows teachers to make announcements and send reminders about important things happening in the classroom. This tool also allows students to communicate with teachers through the class chat or privately. Along with communication tools, this platform provides a platform for teachers to assign work, give instructions, assign groups, and even develop a point based reward system for classes to encourage specific skills. Class Dojo allows you to host multiple classes at a time, and provides the option to co-host classes with other teachers. For example, Isabella Powell and I have created a Google Classroom that we are co-hosting together. In this classroom, we have assigned groups to our students, set important dates in the class calendar, and send reminders to students and families about important classroom events. Class Dojo allows parents, students, and teachers to communicate and work together to build a cohesive, collaborative, and supportive classroom community. 

SeeSaw is an interactive online learning experience tool that is focused on K-6 students. SeeSaw allows teachers to upload learning activities and audio files of instructions to students. It also allows parents to access their students’ work through an app. This allows students to share their finished work with their parents and allows parents to view homework and instructions that have been assigned to their students. One product we made using SeeSaw is an interactive animal diet activity. After students learn about the diets of different animals, they are asked to assign provided foods to a given animal. After they finish, their work will be automatically sent to their parents. This allows parents to be more involved and hands-on in their students’ education.  

Padlet is an online bulletin board. There are a variety of ways to use Padlet in the classroom. Padlet can be used as a discussion board, where students answer a prompt given by the teacher. Padlet can also be used to post important information and reminders, and provides an opportunity for students to post questions regarding the information. Students can post using their account, or anonymously, which alleviates the stress some may feel when asking questions. 

StoryJumper is a way for students or educators to create online story books. This platform offers book-templates and has many customizable options, such as creating original characters. At the end, there is an option to have your digital book physically printed and bound, so it can be added to your classroom. Isabella Powell and I thought a good way to use this tool was to collaborate with our class and create class rules in a democratic way, documenting each rule in a StoryJumper book. Each student will have an opportunity to create a page in the book, and customize themselves. The final book will be printed, ordered, and added to the classroom library. Another feature StoryJumper includes is viewing the book digitally when you create an account, in case you do not want to spend money and get the printed version. 

Canva is a digital infographic tool. Canva provides editable templates for everything you can imagine. Canva is a great tool for educators, as you can make posters, fliers, handouts, and more to share with students. This tool can be helpful for students of all ages to use, as it provides a creative and user-friendly way to share information, whether it be for a school assignment or just for fun. One Canva product we focused on was an event flier for a Classroom Open House. Canva allows you to easily create informative pages to share with students, send home to parents, or hang around the school. 

Piktochart is a tool that creates infographics, presentations, and reports. It has powerful features, but is very user-friendly. Piktochart provides many themes and templates to work off of, so it’s easy to make something eye-catching. This would be a great way to display classroom rules, upcoming events, and even word walls. There is a new feature that utilizes AI to create personalized posters. As a future educator, this is a great way to save time. Students can also use this tool to create timelines, cards, venn diagrams, and flowcharts. There are also options to screen record and trim videos. There are payment options, but the free version still has a lot of fun features. 

Genially is an online tool that allows you to create interactive and animated infographics. Genially provides many free templates that users can edit. This tool is similar to others, but adds a fun twist with moving animations and music. Genially can be used to make posters, invitations, fliers, informative pages, and more. Genially is a great tool for students, because it is easy to use and sparks interest in wonder. One product we focused on creating with Genially was an animated invitation to a class field trip. Products created with genially  can be shared digitally, which keeps the magic of the moving animations and music. These can also be printed as handouts to share with students, parents, and coworkers.