Padlet was the first tool I started to explore. I have heard about Padlet from my brother in law who teaches 2nd grade, but I never took the time to really explore it and see how helpful it would be to have in class. Padlet was also on the Bloomin' Apps blog post. According to the Bloomin' Apps article, Padlet falls under the analyzing category for Bloom's Taxonomy. Padlet would be great to collaborative discussions Teachers and/or students can begin to use Padlet by creating and posting open-ended discussions where students can respond by either using videos, images or audio. Students have choices of either creating documents or boards. The great thing about Padlet is that is very safe when it comes to student privacy, When a Padlet is created, it can only be viewed by people from your school. As a teacher, you are able to sew what students are creating and posting. Since I teach science, I can see how Padlet can be helpful when a student has a question on a given topic we are learning, and wants to hear from the rest of the class. Another great way to use Padlet could be for writing. Writing is the other subject I teach and my students could response to a quick write, where their classmates can provide feedback on conventions and revisions.
The second tool that I explored was Flipgrid. I became fascinated with Flipgrid after we had to use it for this class as part of our introductions. I like the fact that Flipgrid gives you a time limit on how long your video can be, which can work great when students are responding back to a text we may be reading for science on language arts. I plan on using Flipgrid once we are finished reviewing and taking Georgia Milestones. I see the potential with Flipgrid and helping my students come out of their shells to respond to hot topics we respond through quick writes in writing and those in science as well. Students can also use Flipgrid to shared on a current topic they just learned about. I can see it being used as a replacement for an exit ticket. One drawback I found with Flipgrid is that students under 13 must have parent consent through a contract in order to use the tool.
The following tool I explored and have become really familiar with due to past classes and programs is Popplet. I like Popplet because it really fosters collaboration among students. Even if students can not find a time to work together, all part of the Popplet have access to it and can edit or add items at any time. The cool thing about Popplet and collaboration is that it lets you see which user added what to the Popplet. I can use Popplet to have my students compare genres of writing or even in science where they can compare different ecosystems. Another idea for Popplet is that students can use it as a graphic organizer when writing a paper. Collaboration will come when students are peer editing or just giving feedback on the topic or genre they are writing on. I see this being geared more towards writing. The only risk to Popplet would be making it public on order for them to edit and/or add items. Or if possible, students can use their school email accounts, but I would have to investigate that further more.
Symbaloo is a website I became very familiar with when I first started teaching. Simbaloo allows students and teachers to save websites and group them based on categories. This tool would be great to help students when working in groups to complete a research project. The link provided by Simbaloo can also be shared with others such as parents and teachers. Which would help them see the sites students may be using on a project or just in class on a daily basis.
The final tools that I use for my students to collaborate and create are G-Suite: Google Sites and Slides. Google Sites and Google Slides immediately came to my mind for collaboration among students and even teachers. This year, each grade level at our school gained a short term training on how to use Google Sites to create a grade level page. I like the easiness Sites has to create a page from scratch. My students would have fun using this tool. I plan on using this tool more the following school year to work as a portfolio where students can share what they have learned in writing and science throughout the school year. As far as Google Slides, I use it every year to help my students create research projects related to science topics. Our entire district has google accounts for both teacher and students, so sharing documents comes fairly easy. Students can easily began to create a Google Slide and share it with their groups. This help everyone to collaborate to the project and felt part of the group.
After reading BYOD in Schools: A Beginner's Guide, I realized that I did not know as much as I though when it came to this trending topic in education. My school is very blessed to have 1:1 devices for all students, whether is a Chromebook or Ipad, each child at our school does not have to worry about lacking access to technology. Our bandwidth in network even had to be upgraded several years ago, in order because we have the most technology devices than any other school in the district. In other words, we are BLESSED! ... to have a tool that some school struggle to have access to. However, I have worked in other schools and districts where the technology was not fully there. Schools like those would truly benefit from BYOD. Accroding to the article, there are many advantages to BYOD, as well as disadvantages. I think one of the most important advantages is that students have academic access. In our tech era, many of the websites and tools that are out there have now become mobile. Those students that bring their phone to school can easily login to an app they need or program in order to complete an assignment. Another advantage is that it would be affordable for schools and students. The savings, I think would come more for the school because they wouldn't have to worry about upgrading devices or replacing such. One drawback that I see with BYOD is that not all students may have a tech device at home to bring to school. However, as the article discusses how schools can have reserved devices and I even think community partners or the very own staff and students can donate devices that are no longer being used.
I think when it comes to BYOD or any other new movement that is happening to help our students, we have to be careful to have set guidelines. I can see how some teachers may not agree with BYOD because of distractions or students using it to cheat on a test or to just use a a playing device. However, I know most schools that use BYOD have created guidelines and contracts that both, parents and students must agree to. It is also important to have meetings with parents/guardians in order to help them understand the importance BYOD has in schools that may not have the technology needed in order to help students stay up to date.
References:
Rogers, D. (n.d.). BYOD in Schools: A Beginner's Guide. Retrieved from https://www.schoology.com/blog/byod-in-schools-a-beginners-guide
Schrocks, K. (2018) Blommin' Apps. Retrieved from http://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html