Common Sense Media has long been the go to for the K-12 Scope and Sequence for digital citizenship and so much more but often we forget about some of the other great features!
As a parent or a teacher it's important that we find quality apps to add to our devices in the classroom. Using Common Sense Media's Review page, use search options to find and read about apps, websites, book, movies, and more. I often find myself searching through the lists and being reminded of some great sites that I may have overlooked!
Choose options and see the ratings and level of learning (if choosing an educational app).
Read a brief overview and view screenshots before downloading it for yourself to check out.
So if you are looking to refresh some options on your classroom devices, spend sometime checking out this resource!
These two free, device neutral, online resources are sure to bring high engagement and active participation into any classroom. The idea is simple, students answer questions in a competitive atmosphere, there will be a winner.
For both Kahoot and Quizizz, the facilitator creates a series of questions to be answered by the participants. Each question can have a time limit before the participant must select a response. The quicker the participant chooses a response, the more points they earn providing their choice was correct.
Using Kahoot, the questions are asked to the participants one at a time. Participants view the projected screen, answer a question by selecting the corresponding color on their device, points are awarded, and a new question is provided. When finished, persons with the most points will be displayed.
Using Quizizz, the facilitator starts the activity at which time participants are given questions in a random order. The participants read the questions on their device and answer them at their own pace. Once all participants complete the activity, persons with the most points will be displayed.
Quizizz would be a great tool to use for an entire class, or as a center since it is student driven. Kahoot is teacher driven providing time for discussion between each question being asked.
I've tried using both resources with groups of at least 40, and each time they worked fine.
Both Kahoot and Quizizz allows teachers to create their own questions, which can include images. When finished with the activity, the teacher can save the data describing how students answered each question. Teachers can explore through the many public assessments created and shared by others.
In either case, these opportunities provide a nice review experience or possibly a motivating pre-assessment experience. Definitely stated, the experience will be fun, highly energetic, and competitive.
Keeping the conversation going with your students about digital citizenship and teaching digital literacy is important. The Infinite Learning Lab has created free apps for the iPad that would be a great tool to add to your curriculum.
Each app contains a comic strip story which contains click and drag style questions as they move through based on what they are learning in the comic. Because the comic strips do not read aloud, these would work best for independent readers, upper elementary through middle school.
The most power would be to incorporate these apps into a discussion on the topic. Some students may find it too easy to drag through the comic and then click and drag until they find the right answers.
Those of us that have viewed Pop Flux for the first time all think it is very similar to a Kinect type game from xBox where you aren't using any controller.
The objective of Pop Flux is very simple, pop as many falling bubbles with your hands without getting hit by bombs or other destructives that fly through the air.
To play the game, stand the iPad 2-3 feet away, facing you, as your movements captured by the camera will allow you to control this game. Unlock levels as you increase your talents.
Great for the brain break, inside recess, or just allowing us to have fun. What other types of games will be controlled by our movements?
Common Sense Media has long been the go to for the K-12 Scope and Sequence for digital citizenship and so much more but often we forget about some of the other great features!
