A Versatile Tool to Use in the Classroom: ThingLink

Check this Thinglink, created by using several digital tools. The words are ones recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Tagxedo was used to create the graphic. PollDaddy was used for the polling.  Thinglink was used to put together the interactive wall. Donna Baumbach, who created this interactive ThingLink quiz, has other Thinglink creations at her site: Donna Baumbach at ThingLink.




When asked how she created this Thinglink, Donna explained:

"I used Tagxedo, but Wordle would work, too. I used PollDaddy to create the polls, and to make the polls open the image, I used the URL: http://polldaddy.com/poll/xxxxxxxxx, where XXXXXXXXXX is the number of the poll from the poll's URL."

Donna read about how to embed a PollDaddy in a Thinglink in this tweet from Greg Kulowelc.

Interested in learning more about using ThingLink in the classroom, check this Thinglink that Donna Baumbach also created. Click in places to open the links in the ThingLink.







Here is a third one that Donna created that could easily be used with elementary-school children and further indicates the versatility of  Thinglink.






Given the possibilities of ThingLink's uses in the classroom, this is one digital tool looking into and adding your own imagination to create instructional materials. This is also a tool that students can use to show their research, understanding of a concept, and interest in teaching others.

Examples of Ways to Use Padlet

Here is the Padlet from the activity we did on favorite children's books. Scroll across to see the full Padlet wall with all of the contributions.

Created with Padlet

This is the Padlet the 2nd graders from Canada and Australia shared focused on facts about their countries. Scroll down to see it al the contributions.

Created with Padlet

Here is a Padlet that Richard Byrne did with a group of teachers at a professional development workshop. The Padlet was used for participants to share project samples. Note each of the contributions is inserted into the Padlet with a hyperlink to access an online resource or in some cases a video. Click on the page icon or video icon in the center of each picture to access the online source.

If you would like to view this Padlet online, at the site, use this link: Mississippi Bend AEA Sample.

In his blog, Free Technology for Teachers, Richard notes the tools that the teachers used for their original creations included: PicCollage, PicMonkey, Canva, and Thinglink. The teachers then used Padlet to insert a link to the web page resource or video they created with the other tools.





Here's a Padlet I participated in at the Building Learning Communities Conference, organized by Alan November's November Learning Company, that draws educators from around the globe. We did an exercise in which the presenter asked us about what it means to be a connected educator. You can scroll around this Padlet to see more of the contributions, and by clicking on any of the contributions, watch as a window opens to view them one at a time as slides. Once a slide pops up, using the X in the corner of the viewer returns to the Padlet to full view.

Created with Padlet

These are four varied ways to use Padlet. As you learn more about the tool, what are some of your thoughts about how this tool can be integrated into schools?

As with many online digital tools, the more we use them and see examples, the more we begin to understand their classroom applications. What tools have become your favorites to explore in the classroom?

Created with Padlet

Watch These Cute Kids React to Older Technolgy: How Far We Have Come

This video speaks for itself, so watch and enjoy. Feel free to leave a comment.

Should Schools Have Internet Filters?

"Teach Kids to Be Their Own Internet Filter," an article that appeared in Mind/Shift, highlights building trust in students by not blocking websites. The article includes a student-produced video made at the end of the year to introduce incoming students to media resources at the school. The premise behind the video is that teachers, administrators, and students need to work in unison to build an environment of trust. Here's the video, produced with iMovie.




For further information, refer to the article: "Teach Kids to Be Their Own Internet Filter."

What is your position on schools blocking sites? Should schools have filters in place? Should we trust students to act responsibly online? How can an environment of trust be fostered in schools?

100 Top Tools for Learning

This slide presentation in a few slides tells what are the top 100 tools for learning. It is worth going through the slides. Interestingly, Twitter is in the number one spot this year. Other popular tools at the top of the list include YouTube and Google Doc. Check the presentation, and leave a comment about which tools you find helpful for learning and which you want to explore in the future. If you prefer, you can view the slides in full screen. Remember to use the arrows to advance through the 14 slides.

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2013 from Jane Hart

Are You Integrating Technology or Merely Using It?

In my exploration today, I came across this table contrasting technology use and technology integration. Thought I would share it with you for your review and comments. I found it on the TeachBytes blog, and the title "What's The Difference Between Using Technology and Integrating Technology" caught my eye.
What strikes you as a theme? What do you agree with? What do you disagree with?

Excellent Model of How One Connecticut School System is Using Tech

If a picture could talk, this one will give you an idea of what is ticking in one local school system in Connecticut. To find out more, visit the website by clicking on the image below. Explore around the site and blog postings, and come back here to leave a comment about your reaction to what you found and insights you developed.

Interestingly, the most recent post is about the use of Twitter. If you check the site after new posts appear, here is a direct link to the Twitter posting. Just wondering why more of are not using Twitter. Let me know. Click on the image if you need to get directly to the post if it does not show up as the first post when you visit the Regional District 13 site.

No sooner did I post this and return to Twitter to let Michelle know I directed you to her site, another Connecticut person I follow on Twitter popped up with a link to her website, so here is another model for you to explore. Click on the link to find out more, and also notice again how the teacher is using Twitter in her post about that. Click on the image to visit Mrs. Petroski's Class site. 

http://mrspetroski.weebly.com/

So now that you have explored sites by two local educators and seen how they are using both Weebly and Twitter, what's your response to the use of these tools? How do you think the student and parent audiences are being affected by these sites.

Michelle, author of the first website I directed you, has invited you to write comments on any of her posts. She will share what you write with the students. Thanks. 

The New Digital Divide

In this recent feature article (Dec. 2012), "Bridging the New Digital Divide," from District Administration Magazine, we hear advice for school superintendents to take the lead in integrating technology into the schools. Some key points addressed include:

• Teach students with the tools they are already use
• Students in the most poverty-stricken schools need even more so to be introduced to the technology early on to level the playing field
• Teachers need more guidance in the successful use of technology tools
• Principals as well need to take on leadership roles in pushing for technology integration
• The digital divide separates the world of education from the world of business, with the world of education behind the times

One image in the article speaks to the very last bullet point:

Read the article in full. What is your response to the assertions found in the article? With which to you agree? Which do you believe need further analysis? Where do school systems with which you are familiar fall in terms of the "new digital divide"?

Help Desk

This video, Medieval Help Desk, produced in 2007 is still worth watching today. Its message remains relevant through the ages, but particularly as a parody of our adaptation to technology. Take a look, and leave your reactions. What does this video say to you? Why do you think it was produced? Why is it a good spoof?