Diigo: A Social Bookmarking

Diigo is a social bookmarking website that allows you to bookmark, tag, annotate and share websites.  You can also create or join groups, and create a personal learning network of people that share your same interests.
     The website is free but it also offers a premium membership that ranges from $10 (monthly) to $59 (yearly/professional) according to your needs.  Premium accounts offer unlimited bookmarks, image storage and webpage back up, among others.   There are different ways to use Diigo: Chrome extension, Diigolet to use with any browser or Diigo for mobile (android or apple).  It also offers a variety of services such as import/export your Diigo, save it on an e-mail or publish it.
     You can use Diigo with colleagues or even create a Diigo tag to share with your students about a particular unit. The best part is that you no longer need to go over your history to try to find that liked you were using to prepare your lesson plan.
<― Diigo allows you to tag your bookmarks for a fast & easy access.

Diigo has been around for 10 years and their community has thousands of groups that you can join!


Click HERE to look at my Diigo!



 

Black History Month WebQuest

       

Black History Month is almost over but I wanted to share my WebQuest!! 

The Black History Month WebQuest was created by Ms. Cruz (ME! 😆), an ESL teacher at a High School Connecticut. 
     After completing the WebQuest, students will be able to create a presentation about an important African American person and will prove why they should be honored by generating a Google Slides and designing a new dollar bill that will include the person that they are presenting.  The WebQuest was created with an English as a Second Language (ESL) class in mind; however, the level of difficulty allows it to be used in a mainstream History or English class.
The WebQuest has the standard parts:

Click on the picture to go to the WebQuest!

1. introduction
2. task
3. process
4. evaluation
5. conclusion

      It also offers a links & contact me tab.  Additionally, the WebQuest provides room for differentiation and many areas to incorporate technology.  Without any doubt, the Black History Month WebQuest encourages students to develop decision-making and higher order thinking skills.

*If you would like access to the assessments, send me an e-mail by clicking HERE.*

Animoto

      

       Animoto is a cloud-based video creation service that produces videos from photos, video clips, and music.  It is also multi-platform, which means that you can use it on its website form, on Android, I-pad, IOS, and as a plug-in.  The video creator is very user-friendly and allows you to add music to your videos from their library or from your own.  With Animoto, you will be able to convey your message in a fast and inspiring manner, allowing your audience not only to see it but also to feel it. 

        Animoto has 3 different plans to accommodate your needs.  The plans fluctuate from $8 to $34 a month; however, if you are interested but you are not sufficiently motivated, Animoto offers a 14-day free trial. 

Could it get any better? Yes! Animoto also offers teachers a free membership.  You can open an account with your school e-mail and be able to create the most gorgeous videos.

Let's talk bout ClassDojo!

ClassDojo: The Classroom Management App!  

     As teachers, sometimes we find somewhat difficult to motivate students to engage in good behaviors and make good decisions in our classroom.  Some of us, give "behavior grades" but how is an A, B, C... motivating our students to participate and make good decisions?  ClassDojo is great for teachers, students and parents. Teachers can manage the behavior skills they want to reinforce.  There are 2 sections:  the positive skills and the needs to work skills.  You can adjust these skills to your likening.  On the other hand, you can invite parents to join your class and they can see how their children are behaving. You can post activity pictures, their work and even send messages to parents. ClassDojo is also adding another feature where you can add your student's work to a portfolio.  

     This app is free for all.  Once you assign points to students, both parents and students can see the children's behavioral growth... In fact, it gives immediate feedback to students if you choose to use the mobile app with the sounds (it makes one particular sound for positive and a different sound for the needs to work).  Notice that the app doesn't use "negative skills" but it uses "needs to work" instead.  I believe this is very important since it gives the child an opportunity to make a better decision later on.  The app gives hope to the students to get a better grade and it shows them that after all, a day has 24 hours, and the next day is a brand new day to make a great decision. 

      Another great feature is that you can also add other teachers from your community/school and create a network where you share your status, pictures and feedback in general. 

Want to know more?  Ok, This is how ClassDojo works: 

1. Open a free account at www.classdojo.com or download the app on google play or itunes. 

2. Once you set up your account, Create/Add a new class.   Your class can be any grade level from pre-k to 12th grade and it even gives you the other option. 

3.  Then you have to add your students.  You can write their first name or their complete name.  When you add your student, the app gives you a cute icon that looks like a little monster.  You can also assign a different monster to your kids. I find this so cool and cute! You can also edit your list as many times as you want.  

4.  Once you create your class and you add your students, on the right side of your class screen, you can edit your students, the skills, the class name or you can even archive a class. 

** A new feature for ClassDojo is that you can also take the attendance and even mark them late.  This is great because parents can know when their children are late or if they skipped the class (for whatever reason because your know HS kids never skip classes LOL).  Another cool thing is that if you are editing from your computer, you can copy the skills from one group to the other and save time.  

     This is how my ClassDojo looks like:

 My students will have a +1pt for the folloring skills: 

1. Helped others -- If they helped another peer (copying or lending work to copy responses is not helping others - haha!)
2. Made a good decision (This is something that I reinforce a lot in my class.  It is also a BeGlad strategy) 
3. On task (They are doing what they are supposed to be doing)
4. Participating (They are participating -- even if I ask them to)
5. Persistence (The results might not be as good, but c'mon! they are trying)
6. Showing Respect (another important aspect of my class -- update* This will be +2 instead of +1)
7. Team Work (They are working efficiently in a team)
8. Using Technology in a Smart Way (Technology as a tool; using an app or using their phones as an aid and not to play or snapchatting) 
9. Working Hard (This is basically a mix of on task and persistence with a drop of team work and positivity).  **Update: This will be +2 instead of +1

My students will have a -1pt or -2pts on their needs to work sention on the following areas:

1. Disrespectful  (This is one of the classroom rules -- Respect should prevail at ALL times.)
2. Off task (They are fooling around or not doing what they have to do for no aparent reason)
3. Refused to participate (Sometimes they just refuse. They don't lose but they don't earn).
4. Talking out of turn/too loud (For this one, I always tell them twice)
5. Unprepared (No pencil, no notebook, perhaps no textbook or handouts)
6. Using their phone as a toy (facebook, snapchat, twitter, instagram, whatsapp.... you name it! They are just playing with their phones --- or even the Chromebooks).

Hope this review helped you to understand ClassDojo and that you will find great ways to use it.  You can also go on Pinterest to find new ideas or you can contact me and I can help you to brainstorm or give you a couple of mine.  

Have fun!

SeeSaw: The Learning Journal

  




  
     Seesaw is a free, multi-platform (You can use I-pad, phone, Chromebooks, website) application that allows students to express themselves in a closed forum.  It works as a journal and students can do a variety of things on it. It is very engaging because they can post or comment on any given topic and their classmates (and whomever the teacher allows) can give feedback. 

 "See saw empowers students of any age to independently document what they are learning at school"

 This is how it works: First, create a free account, then a class. You have two options: Students can  create accounts by entering a code or QR code (you will have to enter their names prior to their sign in) or you can have them sign in with their google accounts. If your school has google, this would be ideal option but using the code is better if they are sharing devices and if you already know your population.
 Once they create their account, you write a post and make it public for them. You can also select who do you want to see that particular post. 
     The beauty of Seesaw is that students can capture their learning in different ways: video, link, text, drawing, picture... Isn't that amazing!?
Another advantage of Seesaw is that, as a teacher, you have the power to accept or deny an entry.  Let's be honest! Kids are kids and sometimes they might want to post things that are out of topic or they want to be "funny".  With Seesaw, you can approve or disapprove a post. Not only that but you can also invite parents to be part of their children's learning process. 
      Seesaw goes along with the 21st Century Skills framework and that, by itself, is great.  Students learn and express themselves by using technology and by having fun. They showcase their way of thinking in creative ways to their parents and to their community.  With this app you can definitely reinforce values as well as language skills.  

This app happens to be my favorite so far!

Should you try Seesaw? DEFINITELY! Seesaw (in MY opinion) is fantastic for ALL levels, -- and I venture to say-- even for college level.  It is also suitable for ALL subjects... from Social Studies to ESL to Science.  Once you try this tool, you will LOVE IT ♥.

Click HERE to try Seesaw (Plus) for one month then you can continue with your free account which is simply marvelous. 

What’s Draining Your Android Battery?

Awesome article if you, like myself, struggle with your phone's battery life. 😑📱🔋🔫

Click here: What’s Draining Your Android Battery?

Duolingo: A Great App for Language Learners

Cost: Free

    Duolingo is a popular language program 100% free of cost.  This program was first launched in 2012 by Luis von Ahn, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, and Severin Hacker.  They wanted to find a way to learn languages on their smartphones without paying the inordinate amount of $270+.  According to US TODAY, in 2013, Apple chose Duolingo as the app of the year with approximately 25 million users.  Duolingo is currently available at Google Play, Apple Itunes, Windows Store and on their official website, making it accessible to anyone with a smartphone, a computer or an Ipad.  This program is not only good for any individual but it is great for any language or ESL teacher.

    Duolingo has 27 language courses for English speakers.  It also has 8 language course for Spanish speakers including English, which makes it a great app for ESL teachers.  This platform also offers an opportunity for teachers to track the student’s progress with its Duolingo for Schools dashboard, in which the students create an account that is linked to the teacher.  The teacher can see how many times the student is consistently logging in, how many lessons and vocabulary stages they passed and the student’s level of proficiency making it a great blended learning tool.  So, how does it work?

    Once the app is downloaded into the individual’s smartphone or the website is accessed, they will have to create an account and they choose the language that they wish to learn.  It is recommended to take the placement test; however, they can start from the beginning, that is Basics 1. This level is for individuals with no previous knowledge in the target or desired language.  Duolingo offers immediate reward for those who use it.  It gives them gems and they can “buy” new vocabulary sessions with it.  It also has a nice balance between listening and speaking exercises.  

    Like many programs and platforms, Duolingo has its flaws.  Since this program is by levels, individuals are not exposed to natural sounding conversations and sentences until they reached advanced levels.  You are only exposed to phrases and sentences, which means that it has no natural sounding conversations or accents.  Last but not least, Duolingo does not offer any explanation of grammatical structures as part of its platform.  This can be somewhat confusing for the language learner.  

    To summarize, Duolingo has its bad side but, to me, has a great amount of rewards.  First, it’s free and easy to use.  It provides instant feedback and it is personalized.  It also gives you the opportunity to learn a new language and practice.  Additionally, it gives teachers an opportunity to provide students with a blended learning experience and space to track and assess their student’s progress.  

Try it:  www.duolingo.com

Teacher's dashboard:  https://schools.duolingo.com/