Diving in the Deep End

I've never been one of those people that does a cannonball into a pool.  I'm one of those annoying people dipping a toe in the water, hanging out by the steps trying to avoid getting splashed, and slowly inching her way into the pool before diving in and doing a few laps.  Jumping into global collaboration is what I would equate to cannonballing into a pool; it seems like such a giant step.

The thought of diving into the world wide web with young learners is, quite honestly, a bit nervewracking to me.  Heading outside the walls of our safe neighborhood school and opening ourselves up to global audiences sounds amazing, idealistic even, but at the same time, it makes me edgy.  I'm not even sure what I'm nervous about.

I love the idea of connecting with others to learn about students and places.  The thought of students learning how they are similar to and different from others presents students with an authentic way to learn to respect others.  Interacting and connecting with students in this way makes this huge world we live seem more like a close-knit community.  Seemingly, this is the perfect venue for students to learn from one another, learn about one another, and learn more about themselves in the process.  How could any of this make me anxious?  As I write this, I am still searching within myself to discover what it is that still makes me a bit uneasy - global collaboration has so many benefits.

It is the initial jump into the unknown.    These are the questions that swirl around in my head.  Where will we end up if I take young students on a collaborative journey?  Will managing and moderating that journey into global collaboration be too overwhelming?  Will parents approve of their students connecting with others, potentially across the world?  Where will it fit into the curriculum?  These are some of the questions that race through my mind at the thought of taking this plunge.

For the past few months, I have been reading what others are doing, listening to podcasts, connecting with others through Twitter myself, and the water is already feeling warmer.  My toes are in the water, and I'm getting excited to dive in and swim a few laps.  I'm looking forward to connecting with another classroom in the upcoming weeks.

Padlet vs. Flipgrid

With so many web tools that promote collaboration, I chose to take a deeper dive into two tools I hear many teachers talking about and using with their students.  I admit that I have used both of these tools, but only at a surface level and not on a consistent basis. Since both tools seemed sort of similar to me, I wanted to see the benefits of each. I created and used the following rubric to evaluate each tool.

     

Padlet has been around for quite a while, as web collaboration tools go.  Padlet is a digital bulletin board where students or teachers can easily curate and organize information in the form of text, images, drawings or video.  Teachers can activate filters and moderate posts. What I really like about this tool is that there is such a variety in the products that you can post to the Padlet wall.  Since multiple students can add to the wall, this tool allows for collaboration, commenting and reflection. With many sharing options, each Padlet wall can share student content and creations beyond the walls of the classroom or school and allows co-collaborators.  Tech support is robust through Padlet and social media. Using the free version of Padlet allows students to access all of the features Padlet has to offer. Purchasing Padlet Backpack ($8.25 a month - ouch!) allows teachers additional management supports through LMS, unlimited number of walls, security and privacy features, and student portfolios.  It is a highly intuitive, powerful tool for curation and collaboration with many creative options for students to personalize their learning.

Students making a prediction for an inquiry-based project in PE.

Flipgrid is an app and website tool that allows teachers a forum for video discussions based on a variety of topics.  Students can respond in the form of short (15 second - 5 minute) video responses. Each grid can be shared with an unlimited number of participants within the class, a small group or others you want to invite into the discussion.  Students have the ability to respond to others’ videos. Teachers have options to moderate student posts and invite other teachers as co-collaborators and even has a way to connect teachers with other teachers seeking to collaborate.  Flipgrid has online tech support through their website and various social media. The platform is fun and engaging for students, but may be intimidating for camera shy students. Since partnering with Microsoft, Flipgrid is now completely free to educators.

At first glance, Flipgrid seemed much like Padlet, but the deeper I dove into my investigation showed that Padlet is a far superior collaborative web tool.  Among the safety considerations, Padlet has superior controls over collaboration and sharing with others - classmates, other schools, or even allowing parents easier access to student work.  One downfall of both of the platforms is that if parents have access, they have access to all students’ work - not just their own child’s work. I like Padlet’s ability to moderate individual posts and the entire wall’s accessibility.  Padlet allows each wall to be customizable in its look and organization which creates greater student engagement. It also allows a greater variety of products that can be posted to the wall. Flipgrid only allows videos, but Padlet allows just about anything - links, documents, drawings, images, etc.  I think that would appeal to more learning styles and allow for greater creativity and engagement. Both tools seem equally intuitive and easy for students to both use and navigate. In my opinion, Padlet allows for greater depth of collaboration. With Flipgrid, students can post videos and comment on each other’s videos.  Padlet allows students to collaborative build their wall of resources - adding notes, drafts of products, links to additional resources. They could divide the wall into sections and each adds to a section. Students can comment on each other’s work. They can share ideas and work together to create a wall that reflects the entire team.  Both tools allow sharing within a small group, with the class, across a school or district, or more globally with other schools or family members - depending on the share settings which can be changed depending on the stage of the project. To me, Padlet seemed to have easier share and control settings than Flipgrid. For many users, which product they use may come down to cost.  Flipgrid, now merged with Mircosoft, will remain free for educators. Padlet Basic allows teachers to create up to 18 Padlet walls for free. Considering all of these criteria, I would choose to use Padlet Basic over Flipgrid because of the greater range of capability, creativity, and controls it offers as a web-based collaboration tool.

Evaluating Collaborative Web Tools for Education

The world of online tools is, quite honestly, overwhelming.  There are so many tools available, and each one seems so inviting.  Just how do you choose which ones to make use of within the classroom?  Working with K-5 students, I really want to choose a few "go to" apps that my students can learn to use to engage and extend learning in meaningful ways, so consider student engagement, ease of integration and use for students.

Student engagement is crucial when choosing an online tool.  I am looking for a tool that is appealing to students.  That might be through gamification or other entertaining aspects of the app.  The app should be visually appealing and not overwhelming to look at for the age of students using it.  A tried and true collaboration tool is one that students ask to use again and again. Students should find it entertaining and stimulating.  It is one that allows students to showcase their creativity, conceptual understanding, and critical thinking.

Working with younger students, it is very important to me that the tool be easy - almost intuitive.  A collaboration tool should meet the needs of the wide range of learners within the classroom.  All levels of students should be able to engage as they work together in homogeneous or heterogeneous groups - whether they are advanced, on-level, or struggling learners.  In my role, I tend to work with small groups of students for short periods of time (usually 20-30 minutes).  The limited instructional time I have with a group shouldn't be eaten up by teaching students how to use an app.  I want that time to be used creating and collaborating with one another; therefore, the tool must be easy for students to navigate and use.  Just as importantly, any collaboration tool should allow for seamless integration of content.  The tool should empower students and provide them a voice within and beyond the classroom.  Students should be able to share their thinking and understanding, and the product should be adaptable enough to meet the various possible uses within any classroom.  Flexibility is important.  I am looking for a collaborative tool that provides options for my students.  

Of course,  online safety is always a concern.  I want a tool that respects students online safety.  Does the tool meet FERPA and COPPA standards?  Does the site promote the responsible and respectful use of technology?  Are there administrative controls that allow me to approve and moderate student posts.  Is the tool private, so students are not just posting to the world wide web, but to a more private and selective audience if I determine that is more appropriate?

Finding that just right collaborative tool is a tough task when each day new and exciting products are introduced to the world of education.  It is the one request I hear from teachers over and over again.  They want a safe, go-to product that will help them engage students in their learning, and be easy to use and integrate into any content area easily, so students and teachers are not wasting valuable instructional time learning to use a tool for this and another tool for that.