Web Apps that Support Collaborative Learning and Critical Thinking
In the education field we are familiar with buzz words and initiatives. One of the latest is the 4C’s, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Teachers across the nation are working enthusiastically to integrate the 4C’s with intentionality into their daily curriculum. Well here you go tech savvy educators. Did you know there are a plethora of web apps that will support collaborative learning and critical thinking? Clifford (2018, p.2), stated “collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually.” The list is too long for me give you all of them but here I have given you a review of six that I have explored. According to Bhatt (2007, p.1) “teachers can’t escape the growing trend of technology in the classroom,” so we need to embrace this movement and explore our resources together. We encourage our students to take risks so we must model what that looks like and “let your students know when you fail or make a mistake so that they understand that is okay.” (Bell, 2018)
Autodesk Sketchbook
I choose Autodesk Sketchbook to meet a specific need. I run a club called SeaPerch and we build underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROV). While building the ROV’s each group must create an Engineering Design Notebook. In this notebook the team members will demonstrate critical thinking. We have been searching for a student friendly app where the students could use technology to sketch their SeaPerch design.
The app is very user friendly. Once the app is downloaded you can begin drawing and playing with its features. I really like that you can do everything without creating an account. You can even save your drawings without having an account.
Cue Think
I really like the idea of Cue Think, especially since I am a math teacher and teach math to all grade level all day, every day. The introductory video did a great job of getting me hooked and excited about the Cue Think product, so I signed up for the educator account. After signing up I was a little discouraged by the tutorial because it had to be read. I feel this would have been more informative and kept my attention if it would have been done as a screencast or had a read-to option.
This app definitely supports collaborative learning and critical thinking. Students have the opportunity to demonstrate their critical thinking through audio and video explanations, of problem solving skills. Students will also use critical thinking as they analyze the work of their peers and comment on their “thinklets.” This task also incorporates the collaborative learning piece.
Animato
Animato is an app that supports critical thinking. Students can arrange videos and images to create a slide show to interpret a message through logic and creativity. This app was easy to use and create a project but I was not able to finalize, save and see the end result while at school. When I used the app at home I was successful. I really like the fact that this app is user friendly for students and teachers but the frustration of when it does not work many not be worth the hassle. You many want to try other apps that offer similar features.
Explain Everything
Explain Everything is an interactive whiteboard app. This app is very user friendly for teachers and students. The app uses skills like inserting pictures or videos and using writing tools that are similar to other programs. On this whiteboard app you are creating a canvas rather than pages. If you run out of room on your “page” you simply widen the canvas to continue creating.
This is a collaboration tool on steroids. Like other whiteboard tools a teacher or student can create a project and record information to share with others. How this whiteboard tool differs is you can also invite people to join your creation and collaborate instantaneously. You can literally share your work with anyone on any device and work one the canvas together as well as voice chat as if you were in the room. I can see using this tool to give students voice and choice in using a preferred math strategy to solve a problem. The options for this tool are limitless. I have used Educreations in the past and this app surpasses Educreations capabilities.
Voice Thread
Voice Thread is another example of a visual collaboration tool that can be used by teachers and students to support collaboration, critical thinking, communication and much more. This app is also very user friendly. Although this app has a free version there are benefits of teachers having a paid account. The price for the account is reasonable and it offers up to 50 students per teacher account. These student accounts do not have to be connect to an email and students can freely and securely share their work with one another.
In the education field we are familiar with buzz words and initiatives. One of the latest is the 4C’s, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Teachers across the nation are working enthusiastically to integrate the 4C’s with intentionality into their daily curriculum. Well here you go tech savvy educators. Did you know there are a plethora of web apps that will support collaborative learning and critical thinking? Clifford (2018, p.2), stated “collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually.” The list is too long for me give you all of them but here I have given you a review of six that I have explored. According to Bhatt (2007, p.1) “teachers can’t escape the growing trend of technology in the classroom,” so we need to embrace this movement and explore our resources together. We encourage our students to take risks so we must model what that looks like and “let your students know when you fail or make a mistake so that they understand that is okay.” (Bell, 2018)
Autodesk Sketchbook
I choose Autodesk Sketchbook to meet a specific need. I run a club called SeaPerch and we build underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROV). While building the ROV’s each group must create an Engineering Design Notebook. In this notebook the team members will demonstrate critical thinking. We have been searching for a student friendly app where the students could use technology to sketch their SeaPerch design.
The app is very user friendly. Once the app is downloaded you can begin drawing and playing with its features. I really like that you can do everything without creating an account. You can even save your drawings without having an account.
Cue Think
I really like the idea of Cue Think, especially since I am a math teacher and teach math to all grade level all day, every day. The introductory video did a great job of getting me hooked and excited about the Cue Think product, so I signed up for the educator account. After signing up I was a little discouraged by the tutorial because it had to be read. I feel this would have been more informative and kept my attention if it would have been done as a screencast or had a read-to option.
This app definitely supports collaborative learning and critical thinking. Students have the opportunity to demonstrate their critical thinking through audio and video explanations, of problem solving skills. Students will also use critical thinking as they analyze the work of their peers and comment on their “thinklets.” This task also incorporates the collaborative learning piece.
Animato
Animato is an app that supports critical thinking. Students can arrange videos and images to create a slide show to interpret a message through logic and creativity. This app was easy to use and create a project but I was not able to finalize, save and see the end result while at school. When I used the app at home I was successful. I really like the fact that this app is user friendly for students and teachers but the frustration of when it does not work many not be worth the hassle. You many want to try other apps that offer similar features.
Explain Everything
Explain Everything is an interactive whiteboard app. This app is very user friendly for teachers and students. The app uses skills like inserting pictures or videos and using writing tools that are similar to other programs. On this whiteboard app you are creating a canvas rather than pages. If you run out of room on your “page” you simply widen the canvas to continue creating.
This is a collaboration tool on steroids. Like other whiteboard tools a teacher or student can create a project and record information to share with others. How this whiteboard tool differs is you can also invite people to join your creation and collaborate instantaneously. You can literally share your work with anyone on any device and work one the canvas together as well as voice chat as if you were in the room. I can see using this tool to give students voice and choice in using a preferred math strategy to solve a problem. The options for this tool are limitless. I have used Educreations in the past and this app surpasses Educreations capabilities.
Voice Thread
Voice Thread is another example of a visual collaboration tool that can be used by teachers and students to support collaboration, critical thinking, communication and much more. This app is also very user friendly. Although this app has a free version there are benefits of teachers having a paid account. The price for the account is reasonable and it offers up to 50 students per teacher account. These student accounts do not have to be connect to an email and students can freely and securely share their work with one another.
GooseChase
GooseChase is fun, creative, and engaging app that elicits the use of critical thinking while collaborating with others. Students use mobile devices to participate in a scavenger hunt and work together to solve puzzles. Then students create videos, pictures or gps location to submit proof of solving problems. This would be a great app to use with BYOD.
GooseChase is fun, creative, and engaging app that elicits the use of critical thinking while collaborating with others. Students use mobile devices to participate in a scavenger hunt and work together to solve puzzles. Then students create videos, pictures or gps location to submit proof of solving problems. This would be a great app to use with BYOD.
Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD)
I teach in an elementary school and we do not use BYOD. The majority of schools that use BYOD are high school and some middle schools. The Cobb County School District does have a BYOD Educator Certification program. I am not sure if this program is mandatory in order to participate in BYOD or just highly suggest. After further research and discovery it seems as though schools in Cobb County that want to participate in BYOD must fill out a proposal and be approved to become a BYOD school.
Looking through the Cobb County BYOD information page I feel that it is organized well, user friendly and is full of valuable information. Kolb (2018, p. 1) stated "in general, all phones can text and make phone calls. Below are three ways to connect learning with any phone." I was a little disturbed by the information given in the BYOD Planning and Implementation Framework, implying that low income families would not have adequate devices but Kolb gives us resources to be able to use ALL devices. After looking thought the Cobb County BYOD page I would want the program to look as they have set up. My only question would be, can an individual teacher choose to become a BYOD classroom by becoming a BYOD Certified Educator or do they have to go through the proposal process? Other than being unclear about that procedure I see the steps as first, become a BYOD school. Next, become a BYOD Certified Educator after that set up policies and procedures using digital citizenship and responsibility conduct. Throughout all of the steps the stakeholders should be informed of the intentions.
In order to manage BYOD I would first have to know what devices my students have and their capabilities. I also would need to know how many devices I would be able to supply daily to offset those who did not have a device. It seems as though setting routines and procedures is necessary to be a successful BYOD teacher. One of the disadvantages to BYOD are distractions such as social media. To ensure students are using their devices for learning "clear classroom policies, learning expectations, and a strong culture of respect will help smooth the road as the school community implements BYOD" (Rodgers, 2018).
The first troubleshooting strategy is know what devices my students have, what their capabilities are and what my plan is for students who do not have a device. The second troubleshooting strategy is knowing/figuring out what educational software compatibilities are available. Finally, create a student troubleshooting chart for students to help them become independent users. As Rodgers (2018) mentioned, "With a thoughtful strategy and effective implementation, BYOD can provide a workable solution for schools seeking to upgrade their students access to educational technology.
References
Bell, K. (2018). My top 20 tech tips for teachers! Shake Up Learning. Retrieved from https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/top-20-tech-tips-for-teachers/
Bhatt, R. (2017). 10 simple tips for better teaching a tablets. Teachthought We Grow Teachers. Retrieved from
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/10-simple-tips-for-better-teaching-with-tablets/
Clifford, M. (2018). 20 collaborative learning tips and strategies for teachers.Teachthought We Grow Teachers.
Retrieved fromhttps://teachthought.com/pedagogy/20-collaborative-learning-tips-and-strategies/
Cobb County School District. (2019). Academic Portal. Retrieved from https://aportal.cobbk12.org/Secure/Main/MainLanding.aspx
Cobb County School District. (2019). BYOD. Retrieved from Cobb County School District: http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/instructionaltechnology/IL/BYOD/byod.aspx
Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Best student-collaboration tools. Retrieved from Common Sense Education: https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/best-student-collaboration-tools
Kolb, L. (2018, January 01). Ensure equity in your BYOD classroom. ISTE Blog. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/Toolbox/Ensure-equity-in-your-BYOD-classroom
Lynch, M. (2017). 7 must have student-collaboration apps, tools, and resources. Retrieved from The Tech Advocate: https://www.thetechedvocate.org/7-must-student-collaboration-apps-tools-resources/
Rodgers, D. (2018, March 16). BYOD in schools: A beginner's guide [Blog post]. Schoology Exchange. Retrieved from https://www.schoology.com/blog/byod-in-schools-a-beginners-guide