Discovering Something New!

I have to admit that I went exploring this week with a purpose. I did find two sites that I think could work well together to meet an objective that I am trying to accomplish in my math class, and the third site that I was looking for is something that I wanted to be able to use across all settings in our program. Flisti may have met that requirement.

I found Flisti featured on the http://www.schrockguide.net/online-tools.html. Flisti describes itself as “a simple way to create free online polls without having to sign-up.” It is very quick to enter a question and set up a poll within seconds. Voter responses are anonymous, although you can allow more than one answer so you could ask for a name as an answer. The quickly generated poll can be shared via Facebook, twitter, Google+, embedded in your Blog or on your webpage, or by invitation using a link.

The big problem with Flisti is that there are advertisements, and ways that kids could get off track. When embedded on a page the poll is bare bones without advertising or site recommendations. However, once students vote they are brought to a page that has links to other polls and also “recommendations” of ads and articles. These recommendations are wordy and in small print, but if the right word showed up, students would be tempted to explore and could get themselves in trouble. In my setting this would not be a problem, because an adult staff member observes the student using any computer. One click off-track, and the student would be immediately shut down. I’ve only been in this position since February, but it seems that the students value any time that they get on the Internet and they know they are being watched constantly, and so we have not had to shut anybody down so far.
*If you respond to the poll below, you'll see what I mean!

Do you think that you would use Flisti in the classroom?

 Absolutely!

 Maybe.

 Never in a million years!

 or View Results

Create your own poll at Flisti.com

Feedback Form to Flisti

One of my teaching friends is in a district that has required each student to have an iPad for use at school.  In a class of 25 or more, without the constant extra adult supervision, I could see this site as a potential problem because of the lure of the ads, recommendations, and links to other polls. In that kind of setting I think that I would have to use something like PollDaddy or Surveymonkey.  I do use Surveymonkey for quizzes with my students, but it is not as instantaneous as Flisti, and I was really looking for something that I could easily and spontaneously use to obtain feedback at the end of a discussion or as an exit slip based on an immediate lesson.  I did write my concerns and suggestions on a feedback form to Flisti. I’ll let you know if I hear back.

It is not that these other two sites could not be used in any and all subject areas, but I was really looking for a writing and drawing program, and a screencast tool to use in combo.  This way my students could show how they apply POWER to solving mathematical story problems. I was thinking that if they were creating a brief “how-to” screencast, it would encourage them to think about their own thinking and problem-solving a little more deeply.  First of all, let me explain that POWER is a mnemonic device to help students remember steps for unraveling and attacking any mathematical problem.  POWER stands for Plan, Organize, Work, Evaluate, and Restate.

Because I have been using the http://www.go2web20.net/ site for a few years, I figured I should venture out and spend some time on the http://edutecher.com/. I almost wish I had never started looking.  There are thousands of sites with potential educational uses that are described and linked on this site.  I got lost on the site for several hours before getting back to my original focus.  Luckily, I found A Web Whiteboard.

A Web Whiteboard describes itself as a “touch-friendly online whiteboard app that lets you use your computer, tablet or smartphone to easily draw sketches, collaborate with others and share them with the world.” It worked on all of my browsers and did not require any installation.  This simple white board allows the user to draw, write or insert text.  After drawing, the work can be cleared, saved, or shared by inviting others to view using a link or via twitter, Facebook or reddit.  In my case I wanted a whiteboard, or a clean slate that allows students to show or draw their thinking.  My students hate writing on paper, but whenever we do whiteboard and dry erase activities, they participate and just seem more excited.  Unfortunately, when they erase their boards, their work is gone.  With A Web Whiteboard though, students can share their best whiteboard work with me using the URL link, and I will be able to share this work at their team meetings, or I can print a copy to place in their portfolios.

After finding this easy to use online whiteboard, I still had to find an easy to use screencast tool.  Screenr was suggested on http://www.schrockguide.net/online-tools.html, so I gave it a look.  Screenr describes itself as “a web-based tool that lets you create screencasts without installing any software. You just click the record button and your screen activity is recorded along with narration from your microphone. Screenr then publishes your screencast in a high-definition Flash format.”  You can share your 5-minute Screenr casts on Twitter, YouTube or by sharing the URL or using the provided embed code.  I have used Jing in the past, but some of our computers do not accept it, and it is easier to use this web-based tool, than worry about downloading.  There was one minor issue that did come up. I like to use Chrome for my browser. Screenr did not work with Chrome, but I was able to use it easily with Safari.

Using Screenr combined with A Web Whiteboard, I think that my students can meet the objective of showing how to use POWER as a strategy to solve a variety of math story problems, but I think that I could also use it to make sets of directions or models for other computer tasks like how to sign-in to certain sites, or how to upload their work samples to the class wiki.

While I was lost online exploring, I found many other useful tools that I am considering using, but

Flisti, A Web Whiteboard, and Screenr are three easy to use tools that I can put to use immediately in my classroom.