My Favorite Tech Tools from 2016-17
I have been using technology for many years so I have seen fads come and go. What I know for sure is that certain tools excite students but they don't learn anything from using them, while others excite the students and they learn without even realizing that they are learning. Those are the tools that are keepers and that I go back to week in week out, day in day out. Those are my go to tools. These include:
Flipgrid is a video recording tool that allows students to record videos up to 3 minutes long. I have been using this tool extensively since November of this year and I have Flipgrid Fever. My ELs were relunctant at first but soon grew to love using the program. This is definitely a keeper because it provides a voice to each and every student in my class. It's amazing to see students with limited English giving their opinions on books they've read, asking questions of their classmates, providing feedback to their peers, and offering their opinions and voices like never before. Click here for information and use the promo code LUISOLIVEIRA for free access to Flipgrid Classroom through September 30. After that period the account reverts back to Flipgrid One which is free for teachers forever. Give it a try!
Flipgrid Website
I used OneNote in place of Google Classroom this year. As a Microsoft school I thought it appropriate that I model the Microsoft tools for other teachers. OneNote was a valuable discovery. I was able to create assignments and easily distribute them to all my students. I was also able to send the students resources such as rubrics, room management plans, news articles, etc. and archive them for the students to use them as needed in the content library. In addition, the collaborative space allows the students to work on one assignment as a group and each student is able to contribute to the overall success of the project. My students kept weekly dialogue journals that I was able to respond to with comments and suggestions. I used OneNote as my class management system for assignments, resources, and collaboration. The Learning Tools include Immersive Reader and Dictate. These supports increase the students' readability of the content that I put in OneNote.
Microsoft OneNote Website
Microsoft Sway provided my students with a tool to create presentations that were interactive and visually appealing using text, images, video, audio, links, and much more. The students were able to use their own style and creativity to produce presentations that enhanced their oral presentations. I look forward to the students using Sway to do their country presentations next year. I used Sway as a presentation tool this school year. I love that you can import an existing document and turn it into a Sway presentation with very little effort. I found myself doing this more and more as the year went on.
Microsoft Sway Website
Skype in the Classroom provides the students with opportunities to connect with classes from around the world. My students were able to have a Skype Virtual Field Trip with The Tucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica where they learned about the wonderful work that is being done to rescue sloths, tucans, parrots and many more injured animals. The students also learned about the Costa Rican geography and got to practice Spanish with a biologist. Other activities in Skype in the Classroom include Mystery Skype, Skype Lessons, Skype Collaborations, and guest speakers. Skype in the Classroom makes our big world seem much smaller. I look forward to more opportunities to show the world to my students next year through Skype in the Classroom.
Skype in the Classroom Website
Skype in the Classroom Website
In Quizlet my students were able to practice vocabulary sets such as classroom objects, action verbs, vocabulary associated with the Constitution of the United States, and many other topics. The students were also able to create their own sets. The program uses flash cards and games to help the students to deepen their knowledge of content vocabulary. In Quizlet Live the students are able to compete as individuals or as teams. This is a fun way for students to learn important vocabulary and content.
Kahoot was our main tool for material review. I used it with my students to review for assessments. Kahoot is a fun way for students to practice and internalize material. The students' natural, competitive nature lends itself to this platform. The students want to learn and don't realize that they are learning while competing. Kahoot fosters communication which is a key goal in any language classroom. My students who typically are shy became outgoing while participating in Kahoot activities. This was music to my ears since my number one goal for the students is to increase their oral proficiency.
Kahoot! Website
Note: Towards the end of the school year I began experimenting with Microsoft Teams. It is available in Office 365 and is an enhancement of Outlook Groups. Teams includes chat and videoconferencing capabilities within your network. The world on the street is that in the near future we will be able to also invite people into the chat groups for outside of our network. I'm also looking forward to the arrival of Story Remix. This is an overhaul of Photostory and Moviemaker.
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