How are you using ThingLink in your classroom or library? Share in the comments below.
I've blogged about Thinglink before, it is a great digital tool for students to present and show what they know. However, I had yet to try out Thinglink EDU. It is a paid subscription, but only $35 a year for up to 1,000 students. Since we are a Google Apps for Education District, the best part for me is that students can use their google logins to create accounts (even students under 13!). Then, you give the students a class code, and they can easily share their ThingLink creations within your class channel. If your district does not have Google accounts, there are other ways for students to get accounts based on your needs. They have a great website with tutorials and help, plus they are excellent at providing help if you email them! I've emailed twice and had a response in less than 12 hours both times! Currently, my students are creating a ThingLink to show what they know and have learned about U.S. symbols. Examples to come later!
How are you using ThingLink in your classroom or library? Share in the comments below.
0 Comments
Wow, love is in the air this February day! I'm head over heels in love with Google Classroom. . . can you see my dreamy eyes and blushing cheeks? I've been trying out a few of my library classes with Google Classroom. I've quickly realized, I need to get all my 2nd-5th grade students on it. I'll be working on that in the upcoming weeks. As a specialist, it helps to manage more than one class, plus eliminates all the Google Drive folders/sharing mess I get with 25 classes. It is super easy to navigate and use. Students can simply log in through their Google Apps account and enroll in my class. I can also be a student in classes that teachers set up. That helps me keep up on what they are doing too! Once you are in a class. ..it has a Facebook newsfeed feel to it. You can post announcement and assignments. The students seem to understand and feel comfortable with it right away. The best part is that all the work students "turn in" on Google Classroom comes from their Google Drive and is organized into folders on my Google Drive. I don't have to worry about them dragging things into shared folders or anything. Plus, it gives me a count down of how many students have turned the assignment in! You can post all the links, materials, and information that students will need to complete assignments. Plus, I'm LOVING the option where I make an assignment and attach it in Google Classroom, then a copy of that assignment is created for each student (sortof like copying a worksheet). This has helped me format and clarify the information I want back from students. Here's a quick example: I just created a document with a table to support a lesson I was doing about the relationship between Listen to Reading websites and Word Work, to support Daily 5 in this classroom. Students then collected words as they were listening, and used some online tools to find definitions. I think this is an amazing organizational tool, classroom blog, and collaborative workspace. I see myself transitioning over from Kidblog to Google Classroom, using this space as a place to post assignments/tutorials/lessons when I have a sub, and a tracking tool to hold students more accountable in my classes. I hope to support teachers as they try it out and starting using it as a fluid tool in their classrooms as well. In the spirit of full disclosure, I do want to point out that every love has its' little quirks. There are a few things I would change/add (in case anyone from Google is reading, ha!), but I bet updates are coming:
Again, I am completely in love with this tool and I can't wait to learn how others are using it in elementary. Plus, I'm eager to try out some new projects. How are you using Google Classroom in your library/class? Please share in the comments below! |
AuthorMisti Werle is the newly hired Library Media Systems Innovator in Bismarck, North Dakota. Archives
June 2015
Categories
All
|