Do you remember our “chats” (I use that term very loosely considering it was a one-sided blog post!) about the social learning theory? If not, brush up here or here. Ok, now that you’re an expert, let’s continue down that educational path. We discussed the importance of collaboration within your classroom, but there are many ways to achieve that. In this blog post, I’m going to feature three tech tools to facilitate social learning. The tools are impressive, but try also to focus on the functionality of the tool. This will allow you to plan a comprehensive lesson that provides students with learning opportunities to engage in collaborative practice.
- Flipgrid: https://info.flipgrid.com/
Flipgrid is a video discussion tool with capabilities for sharing student responses through video. In big bold letters their website actually says “Social learning for everyone”. This tool is also marketed as being “super simple” and “super powerful”. The possibilities are endless, with the premise being to spark discussion and collaborative learning. This is definitely a tool worth checking out if you are looking to promote student voice, engagement, dialogue, and collaboration.
- Quizlet Live: https://quizlet.com/features/live
You may be familiar with Quizlet, created by the same company. The difference on this one is that sutdents are assigned to teams… collaboration, yes! This tool facilitates cooperative learning activities in a gamified manner. Work together, enhance communication, reinforce vocabulary, and achieve mastery.
- Padlet: https://padlet.com/
Contribution is the key to Padlet. Give each and every student a voice in the classroom. Foster collaboration and higher order thinking as students post and comment on a topic. The teacher makes an eye-catching board and invites students. Students make the text come alive, and share their creations. It’s easy… and a powerful tech tool.
So, what do you think? Step outside the box and try a new tech tool—and let us know how it goes!
I love all of these ideas for collaboration. With the rush of teaching high school social studies curriculum it can be hard to pause and have students use their voice and apply themselves to the lesson. I think these three could be really useful during class and also a place to go to after the lesson to reinforce the idea of the lesson. For many of special needs kids, going back and reteaching the content is crucial. It makes it all the more meaningful when it is something they did with their classmates.
Thanks for the comment and input, Sean. I agree… any time you can get students to reflect on learning it deepens their understanding.