Collaborative Tool: Scoop.it

Scoop.it is an online community that allows users to create a topic board and add websites that go along with the topic. When you scoop (or add) a website to your topic board, it shows a picture of the document along with a brief summary.  It reminds me a lot of Pinterest. Scoop.it is a free tool, but you can only have two topic boards. If you want more, you have to pay for it. Scoop.it will download an icon called "Bookmarklet" to the toolbar that allows you to easily add the web document to your board with the click of a button. It also has a suggested search option that will pull up articles that may pertain to your topic. It has an app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. With the free version, you can connect your Scoop.it account to two other social networking accounts such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Scoop.it allows you to follow other boards that interest you. All you have to do is click on the follow button, and the posts from that board will show up on your dashboard page when you log in. So, that means that users can also follow your boards if they find them useful. 

Watch the video below for a brief tutorial on using Scoop.it. 

I am a very visual person, so I like how Scoop.it shows the picture of the article on the topic board. I also like how you can move your content around in to a different order on your topic board. It is very user-friendly, and you do not have to have a link or account to view the board. 

Scoop.it is a great collaborative tool that students can use in the classroom. For research projects, teachers could create a Scoop.it with websites that students should use to find information. Or, students could create their own Scoop.it board to help them keep track of useful websites for their research. 

For more ideas about using Scoop.it in the classroom visit: http://www.teachthought.com/technology/why-scoopit-is-becoming-an-indispensable-learning-tool/

In addition, Scoop.it can be used as a personal learning network for educators. Educators can bookmark certain articles, ideas, or information that can be used in the classroom. Educators can follow other topic boards and bookmark anything they find useful. 

I created two boards: Diverse Learners and Personal Learning Networks. The links are posted below. Please check them out! 

http://www.scoop.it/t/diverse-learners

http://www.scoop.it/t/professional-learning-networks-by-ashley-rapp

Social Networking for Educators

Social networks are a great way to find valuable resources for your classroom, your teaching, and yourself. Below are several social networks that can be used as personal learning networks (PLNs) for educators.

Image courtesy of http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/simple-comprehensive-guide-on-use-of.html

 

Facebook - I joined Facebook in 2006, and I have only used it for personal reasons. I do not really use Facebook a lot either. I never thought of it as a PLN until I really looked into the possibilities it holds for professional development. I am currently working on finding and following educational resources, educators, and products.

Pinterest - Let me just start by saying my husband hates when I am on Pinterest because I will sit for hours just looking through pins! I love it, and I spend a lot of time pinning ideas for home décor, babies, clothing, and recipes. I also spend a lot of time pinning educational resources. I got all of my bulletin board ideas from Pinterest last year, and I used it to find resources for The Outsiders and The Giver. I also use it get ideas for behavior management, classroom discipline, and the needs of my students. I have yet to create my own pins for ideas that I find online, but I know that I need to start doing it because I am not playing my part in this PLN. Click here for a board for gifted and talented students. Click here for a board for ESL activities.

 

edWeb - edWeb is an online learning community for educators. This is might first week using edWeb. Once you have joined, you can join a variety of communities that are all centered around education. I joined several communities around technology:  Tech Tools for the Classroom: Easy Ideas to Engage Students; Technology in Schools: What, Why and How; and Blended Learning: Extending Classes Online. There are a variety of communities about the needs of our diverse student population. For example, you can join Autism and Visual Learning, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or Gifted and Talented Education.  The communities offer a variety of resources such as blogs, wikis, discussion boards, handouts, and webinars. You can also create your own community to share with others. This is a great way to communicate with educators from all over the world.

 

Nings - Nings are very similar to edWeb in my eyes because it is the same concept. You can sign up for a variety of different Nings. A Ning is a community that is centered around an educational topic. On the page, you can find a variety of different resources for that topic such as discussion boards, webinars, blogs, and videos. Some Nings worth checking out are  Classroom 2.0 and EFL Classroom 2.0 (for ELL students).

My First Twitter Chat

I was a little apprehensive about participating in a Twitter Chat. I was nervous because I wasn't sure if I would be helpful or not. So, for a couple of days I just viewed (or shall I say stalked) a couple of Twitter Chats but did not participate. Wow! I was overwhelmed after viewing the #edtechchat. So many different people. So many different posts. I couldn't keep up, and my activity page was changing like crazy! Now, don't get me wrong, there were so many great ideas being shared, but I was just didn't know where to start. 

So, I decided I would view the #elachat on Tuesday evening. Well, to my surprise, it was a smaller chat, and I felt like I could share helpful information and ideas. The topic was poetry in honor of April, which is National Poetry month. People were sharing their favorite poems, and we even compiled a Google Doc of the list. We shared ideas about how to get students excited for poetry, and we shared our favorite activities. Time flew by and before I knew it, the chat was over. Click here to visit the archive for #elachat. 

One activity that I was unaware of was something called "blackout poetry". To complete the activity, students must first create their poem after reading the information. Then, students blackout the page of a book, magazine, or article only leaving a few lines to create a poem. My students would love this activity! Below you will find an example poem, and here is a link providing more information about the activity: http://classroom.synonym.com/blackout-poems-5344.html

 

Another great activity that I learned about is something called "Book Spine Poetry". This is where students arrange books in order to create a poem from the various titles. Each title is a line in the poem, so arrange the books in any order that makes sense. Below you will find a example. 

Image from http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/tag/book-spine-poetry/

All in all, I loved participating in the #elachat. I plan to participate as often as I can. I learned so many new great ideas while also sharing things I do in my own classroom. If you are free on the first and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m., check out #elachat!