Creating spaces for students to connect and learn

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 Creating spaces for students to connect and learn

 by HIVEXR Influencer: Rachelle Dene Poth

With so much technology available to us today, finding the right platform or tool to use in our classrooms can present some challenges. How do we know which tools will benefit our students the most? What purpose will each specific tool serve for our students and our own professional growth? How can we leverage technology to help us to provide more for our students?  There are always a lot of concerns when it comes to technology, thinking about access for students, any potential cost involved, making sure we know the privacy and security settings and also how any data that might be collected will be used. We must consider all of this when thinking about bringing digital tools into our schools. 

So what are some options to have students communicate and share learning beyond the traditional classroom space and time? Here are three options to get started with that can promote student choice, foster the development of digital citizenship skills, extend learning to meet students’ interests and needs.  Starting with one of these options, we can learn from our students and empower them to be the creators, rather than simply the consumers in our classrooms. Students can take the initiative and decide which format best fits their needs and interests and use it as a starting point to build skills in more personalized ways. 

For educators, these options provide a way to hear from each student and be able to provide the authentic, specific, and timely feedback that is critical for student growth. Each of these can be used to facilitate global collaboration between classrooms which will promote cultural awareness and create a more authentic and meaningful learning experience for students. 

  1. Wakelet has become quite the versatile tool in the past few months. It started as a content curation tool and a space where I would curate a variety of resources to a powerful tool for education.  Recent integrations with tools like Buncee and Flipgrid, Wakelet can be used for having students collaborate on a project, engage in a discussion, share resources, record a short video and store it all within the Wakelet collection. Students can use it as a digital journal or create a mix of responses to evidence learning. (Wakelet is free.)

  2. Parlay is a discussion platform where teachers can create their own questions/topics for discussion or select from the library of discussion topics available. Using Parlay, students have a code to join in the discussion and can join in a live Roundtable discussion or continue it asynchronously. For the prompt, students have materials to review and can then submit their responses, provide peer feedback, and participate in a Socratic style discussion. Teachers have access to data and can provide feedback to students in a timely and more personalized manner. (Parlay offers some free prompts and also a paid subscription)

  3. YO Teach! Is a backchannel communication tool and one that became an alternative for many educators who were using Today’s Meet. Using Yo Teach!, teachers create a chat room and can post questions, moderate discussions, delete responses, and have control over who is communicating within the chat room. Some of the additional interactive features such as the option to submit a drawing, create a poll, use the voting feature, promote collaboration between students, and are helpful for fostering the development of social-emotional learning skills. (Yo Teach! is free)




Rachelle Dene Poth

Rdene915@gmail.com

724-433-6676

Rachelle Dene Poth is a Foreign Language and STEAM Teacher at Riverview Junior/Senior High in Oakmont, PA. She is also an Attorney, EdTech Consultant, and Author. Rachelle serves as the past-president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. Rachelle is the author of four books, ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU” (EduMatch) and “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” Rachelle Dene’s latest book is with ISTE “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World." Rachelle is a blogger for Getting  Smart, Defined Learning, District Administration, NEO LMS, and the  STEM Informer with Newsweek. 

 

Follow Rachelle on Twitter @Rdene915 and on Instagram @Rdene915

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