Ever heard of Glogster? Yeah, me either... until I went to a district PD. This was way back in the fall, but I knew I wanted to try some things out that I had earned on how to integrate technology into the classroom and into the units I was already planning on teaching.
Glogster is basically an online poster board. Students can choose from various backgrounds, graphics, images, everything. Or they can choose a pre-made template. They can add text boxes and change the font, color, size, etc. I used Glogster for our States of Matter unit. I put my students in groups of three and four. Our tech coach created accounts for each of our groups and gave them a little intro. Then the kids went to town! I did create a checklist for them so they would include the necessities for showing me what they learned about the states of matter; it included things like: create a background, create a tile, include 3-6 graphics, included three text boxes, etc.
And voila!
The projects took a little longer than anticipated, but isn't that how it always happens?! These are two of the five projects my students created. I was really impressed. You can click the play buttons to hear the students talking. I also got a lot of great feedback from parents saying they were impressed as well.
Here are a few other pieces of technology that I've been trying out this year. These are free!
Wallwisher/Padlet
Popplet
Here are a few other pieces of technology that I've been trying out this year. These are free!
Wallwisher/Padlet
Popplet