Collaboration Tools

One part of Common Core is student collaboration. Students are required to work together in groups and discuss what they are learning and how they are discovering their answers. My quest is integrating technology in an innovative way to take the common out of common core helps me find great digital learning tools. Listed below are a list of tools that I have tried and used in my class. Some not yet, but I think they would work out (if they work at school).

1. Write.fm ~ this tool requires no registration or sign-up. Give students URL and begin collaborating.

2. Wallwisher ~ is a fun bulletin board site where students collaborate, discuss, and more. Students can add a URL, take a photo with a webcam, or upload a file. Great examples on site.

3. Sync.in ~ is a collaboration tool that allows your text to be synchronized as you type, so that everyone viewing this page sees the same text. Students can be invited using the "Share this Note". Everything that anyone types is continuously being saved and everyone has different coloring for whatever they type. You can even come back later and use the Time Slider view to see how it progressed.

4. KidBlog ~ is a blog tool where students can publish posts and participate in discussions in a secure class blogging community. The teacher has total control over the student’s post and comments.

5. Twiducate ~ is an educational social network…simply put, Twitter for your classroom!

6. Today’s Meet ~ allows you to create your own chat room, another tool similar to Twitter. Create a URL to share for students to use to join the room.

7. Gaggle ~ is a safe teacher-controlled email account site for students.

8. Twiddla ~ allow users to draw, write, and upload documents. Participants can participate via text or audio.

 

 

Book Type

Got GAPS? eBook $10.00 USD F.A.T., It Does A Student Good eBook $8.00 USD Got GAPS? Game Edition $8.00 USD November Special-Pick 2 $11.30 USD 3 Book Special $20.00 USD

Glogster as a Presentation Tool





A few months ago, I discovered Glogster. A way to create a digital posterboard. I immediately begin thinking of ways for my students to create a digital posterboard to engage them in learning. I spent some time playing with Glogster and fell in love.

This digital learning tool can be used for so much...explaining a topic, expressing your thoughts, and more. This week we will complete our Unit 2. Students will finalize their unit of study with a project using data from the staff of our school...age, number of years teaching, minutes it takes to get to work, etc. Students will use their calculator to create histograms and box plot using their data. Picture taking software will allow students to capture a picture of their histogram for their presentation. Each student will create a Glogster to discuss the shape, center, spread, five-number summary, standard deviation, and show their histogram and box plot.

Students will use Kid Blog to write their overall summary of the unit, what they learned, need help with, liked or disliked. Their Glogster will be posted to their blog post.

 

So stay tuned for more examples!

Students can create glogs for...
1. All About Me Assignments
2. Explaining a Topic
3. Vocabulary Review
4. Historian Projects
5. Sharing Ideas

My favorite tools on Glogster is the ability to grab a picture or video. Grabbing allows you to take a picture or record a video for your Glogster. Try it out with me!

Unit 2 Patterns in Data Project

Objective: Students will create graphic representations to display data, compute summary statistics, and describe the shape, center, and spread of the data, find the variance, and standard deviation.

Part 1: Students will use Staff Survey data collected using Goggle Docs.

Part 2: Constructing your graphs.

1. Use your calculator to create a histogram and box plot.
2. Take a picture of your calculator sketch of the histogram and box plot.

 Part 3: Calculations.
   
     1. Compute the measure of center, measure of range, five number summary, variance, and

          standard deviation.                                                      

 

Part 4: Analyze your data. (Kid Blog)

Write a summary of your graphs that includes the 5-number summary statistics, the measure of center (the mean, median, mode, and range), the shape, and the measure of spread. What can you use this information for? 

Part 5: Create a glog on Glogster. Include the picture of the histogram and box plot, include the measure of center, 5 number summary, range, and distribution. Post your Glogster's URL onto your Kid Blog post.

Rubric

Points	Requirements	Comments
4 - A	Poster has a box plot of the data labeling the 5-number summary statistics. Posters has a histogram with intervals labeled (intervals are your choice) and frequencies shown. A section of the poster shows the mean, median, mode, and range of the data. Calculations must be shown or explanation of calc steps taken to find answers shown. A section of the poster must contain a verbal description of the shape, center and spread of data.
3 – B	Only 3 out of the 4 criteria are shown. Calculations are not shown. Plots are not appropriately labeled.
2 – C	Only 2 out of the 4 are shown or 3 of the criteria are shown and calculations are not shown or plots are not labeled.
1 – D	1 out of the 4 criteria are shown
0 – F	No work is done

 

Sample Student on Summary Statistics

 

 

 

 

 

Interactive Vocabulary with Go Animate

 



I believe mathematics is a language. If students want to be successful in this language, learning and understanding vocabulary is important. I think students who have a strong understanding in their vocabulary are more successful in math.

Today in class, we used Go Animate to create animated videos to learn vocabulary for Unit 2. Each student was provided with a vocabulary word for the unit and was instructed to creatively create a video that defines and explain their word.

They really enjoyed the creativity process of creating a mini movie to share. The project took one class period (45 - 60 minutes). Students wanted to make sure they had the best video for viewing. After creating their video, students used Kid Blog to post their video.

This semester students are using Kid Blog as a digital video to record their educational experience in Common Core math. I have found it to be an excellent digital learning tool to integrate writing in my course and as a digital journey to record student experiences.

During class tomorrow, students will visit all of their classmates blog to record the definition of the words for the unit. Students will be required to comment to at least 2 other classmates' blog.

For a copy of the Video Animation Project with Rubric visit my store.

Example of student work:
Alex on Histograms
Labrica on Standard Deviation

Visit my Guest Blog on Go Animate!