Another Collaborative Writing Tool: Widbook.com

Widbook.com is another online writing tool that allows its users to work collaboratively on a writing piece. Being a web tool, it is once again a cloud device because anywhere students can access the internet, they can get to their project. Simply go to widbook.com, sign up for a free account, and start writing! The cool thing about widbook is that you do the writing on a canvas that looks like a book, not just a Word document. This may seem insignificant, but it could be just the thing it takes to motivate a student to write and show them, "yeah, you are writing a book." With widbook, you can add "co-authors" to work on the book as well, making it a great collaboration tool. When we go 1:1, widbook could be a cool piece to add to your curriculum to give kids an opportunity to work on a book throughout the school year and get them excited about writing. Widbook publishes the final product as an e-book which could be shared. 

Application for Education:  This could be a great option for kids looking to go above and beyond and take their learning further. Widbook is an example of a tool that we should make available for our students because it could be just the thing to spark their interest in writing and reading by giving them an opportunity to write their own book, a daunting task that can be manageable with widbook. Students could write a book about their main character and the adventures they go on throughout what they are learning in History class. A story about how government works, poems, fiction, sci-fi, etc. Perhaps you have been looking to write a book. Now you can! 

"Today's Meet" allows for online discussion (Try it below!)

I have been searching for a web tool that would allow my students and I the ability to discuss and communicate online. The days of calling on one student at a time to share their thoughts and opinions while the rest of the class sits there, happy to not have been called on are becoming less and less. Getting everyone involved in class equals getting everyone involved in learning. We want students "into it" and participating, not sitting back while the others do the participating. With "Today's Meet" everyone is involved. Today's Meet allows you to open a "chat room" for a certain amount of time and and communicate online with your students. It is a free service. Simply go to Today's meet.com, name your room, select how long you want the chat room to be open for, and then simply share the link on your website for students to access it. Once the chat room has been created and the students have clicked the link, they simply enter their name to join the room and begin discussing whatever the topic might be. One the right side, they can type (talk) and on the left side, they can read all the dialogue (listen).  
Application for Education: If you are going to use "Today's Meet," I would suggest starting out by taking your class to the computer lab so you can all do it together. This will allow you to show how it works, how to get in the room, and proper etiquette and citizenship. This is a great way to get all your students involved with any discussion. Pose a thought-provoking topic, discuss a current event, discuss a reading passage, answer questions, etc. I have done a variety of things with Today's Meet. I have had "challenges" in which I post a question and the first one to find and share the answer wins. This competition angle makes students more engaged. Now, you don't want to do stuff like that the entire class period, but a couple challenges are good. Today's Meet could also be used as a "homework helper" tool. Create a chat room and have it be available the night before a test or during the week to be available for help. Students think it is really cool that they can get help from their teacher from their house, knowing you are actually in the room too. 

Click HERE to check out a Today's Meet chat room and try it yourself!

(closes by 11:00 p.m. Tuesday) 

Coggle: Mind-Mapping tool (with example)

There are many idea maps, mind maps, concepts maps out there. One that I found recently that I really like is Coggle. This mind map allows you to create a sharp, focused mind map and also share it with others. "Sharing" it with others doesn't just mean allowing them to see it. You can "share" with others to allow them to work on the mind map as well. This is a great way to work on collaboration because students are working together but have their own computer. They can work on the same Coggle project on two different computers. Once your project is done, you can download your coggle in PDF or PNG (image). You can also generate a link to your Coggle project. One thing that Coggle doesn't do that other mind maps do is allow the user to insert pictures. Be aware of that if you plan on using Coggle with your students (which I hope you do!)
Applications for Education: Create a Coggle about any topic, unit, question. The collaboration that Coggle offers is a great way for students to work together to produce something worthwhile and meaningful. Like anything with technology tools in our school district, there are hurdles with Coggle. In order to "share" with others, they need to have a Coggle account, which is free but requires an email address for sign-up. So until our students have that, which they will eventually, you may have to use the Coggle as a project done individually or pairs at the same computer. 

Click for Example of Coggle

Common Core and Social Studies

View Interactive Common Core-Social Studies Tech Tools