Organizing Ed Tools 101: Circling Back

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 This week's reading really helped remind me to look more comprehensively at what tools I am using and why I am using these as well as asking myself what other tools can I try that might help students and teachers alike.

I really liked how Jennifer Snelling's article categorized these tools (and I am linking her other School Library Journal articles here for reference): content curation, design, increasing engagement, and supporting collaboration. 

I will also revisit/add to this blog if I identify other helpful categories as I moved forward in my exploration of tools and apps.  

Below, I have outlined new tools I haven't used yet but want to as well as tools I am using within these four categories to help me organize as well as evaluate these organizational tools. There is some overlap and some could be shifted down the road as I get my arms around the categories. 

The Circling Back part of this blog title is a "nudge" to myself to remember that it is good to take inventory and think about what other tools I can try and how to identify tools that I can try but also, as Snelling proposes, I don't need to use it just because it is popular if it is not supporting my end goal. 

Laying this out below also helps me see gaps and strengths as well as redundancies. In addition, I like that that this exercise helps me feel less overwhelmed by the multitude of options knowing that while there is a firehose of information and tools/apps out there, this is also changing and exciting time if we are willing to try new things! 


Content Curation 

Using

  • Padlet (book showcase, advisory)
  • Google tools (classroom etc.)
  • Weebly (media center policies and resources)
Trying:
  • Evernote - (compared to LiveBinder and think Evernote is more of an intuitive model for me)
  • RSS- (I have never used this but the Wired article spoke to the "why" behind trying this tool and that it is as relevant as ever).
  • Reddit - (the course notes, "I know...but your students are reading it, you should be aware" are enough to convince me!).

Design:

Using

  • Canva (love this tool! and as Snelling suggests, I do use this for content on Instagram
  • Screencastify
  • GarageBand (showcase work via podcasts)
Trying
Engagement:

Using 

  • GoodReads -(to only track my reading)

Trying

  • LibraryThing -(as social networking)
  • PearDeck - assessment 
  • Blooket -app vs tool but helpful to pull students into content 
  • Socrative - end of lesson check-in/feedback (weigh against Kahoot)
  • Flipgrid -interactive videos


Collaboration: 

Using

  • Google tools
Trying: 
  • High on my list is using Mentimeter - (see EdApp blog article on top 22 free tech tools)
  • Wakelet -(collaborate and share feature to work on collections together) or could fall under Curate category)
  • NoodleTools - to collaborate information literacy co-teaching with English Department 
  • Paymo - project management

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