Reflecting Pools

Of all the 2.0 tools that we explored, I’ll work the hardest to put Quizlet, Gliffy, and Mnemograph to work the quickest this year.

I hate to admit it: I’m probably the last teacher in the known world to put Quizlet to work. Last year, I knew about the site, but thought of it in terms of more work for me to do preparing review materials for my students. I don’t know why it never hit me that my dear ones could be the ones to collaborate and create awesome learning tools. In order to “reward” those who participate, I might have in-class sign up for terms or perhaps student “numeric signatures” right on the online terms so that I can acknowledge those that participate. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s used Quizlet. All together, we’re smarter than any one of us!

I love to take complex issues, concepts, relationships, or cause-effect events and make graphic organizers to bring the ideas and relationships to light. How boring is it to write lists which explain how the 13 colonies successfully separated from the mightiest military power of the time, or how a bill becomes a law, or how unregulated credit spending promoted the Crash of 1929! Add a little collaboration, creativity, and choice, and academic drudgery might become more enticing. I encourage and often require my students to create their own concept maps because the process forces them to think logically, yet allows a more creative, big-picture frame of reference. I thing Gliffy would be a great way to deliver this activity. It’s much like Inspiration, but it’s free–for 5 projects. If I see that the product is favored by my kids, I’ll look into an educational account.

Finally, a time line can help to unravel a complex and fast moving period of time, but a plain time line is little more than names and dates in sequential order. Enter: Mnemograph! With the ability to make an interactive time line, complete with pictures and explanatory text that can appear and disappear, I think my 7th graders could have a transformational experience collaborating to explore a period such as the Civil Rights Movement.

Oh, me! So many tools, so little time!

Filed under: Learning K12 2.0 and tagged 2.0 tools, Gliffy, Mnemograph, Quizlet