Productivity tools are a great way to support the diverse learning needs of our students because of the wide variety of tools available. If you have a need, there is probably a productivity tool for you! Solomon and Schrum (2014) suggest that productivity tools have been “termed the Get Things Done (GTD) tools” (p. 94). Solomon and Schrum (2014) also convey the heavy presence Google and Google Apps have in the productivity tools market. I am an avid Google user, and I certainly see the benefit of their productivity tools for my own teacher-use, as well as student-use. My colleague and I have recently used Google Slides to create an Interactive Slides presentation for a self-paced lesson. Google Slides allowed the two of us to create this collaboratively without having to literally be together. Also, its ability to be interactive lends to a self-paced lesson. This is huge for supporting the variety of needs with which my students challenge me. The way I just described using Google Slides fits into a lower level of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Remember/Understand) because students are simply finding information. However, teachers can allow students to use Google Slides to show mastery of a concept in a variety of ways. Students can use Slides as a delivery tool for their product (Bloom’s level “Apply”).
Another productivity tool that lends itself to a self-paced lesson is EdPuzzle. EdPuzzle is Google App that allows teachers to customize videos. Teachers search already-made videos (EdPuzzle provides videos from YouTube and other popular video sites) to edit by trimming and/or adding questions. The video will pause automatically to allow the student to answer the questions. The teacher-edited video can be accessed by a direct link or can be embedded. EdPuzzle allows teachers to start students off in the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Remember/Understand). Developing these lower levels helps to strengthen the foundation of our students’ learning. Plus, any tool that will allow for a self-paced lesson is welcome in my classes! Carrington, A. (2016). Designingoutcomes.com. Retrieved 25 September 2015, from http://designingoutcomes.com/moodle/padwheel/padwheelposter.pdf Solomon, G. (2014). Web 2.0 How-To for Educators. (2nd ed.).
2 Comments
9/27/2016 06:13:09 pm
I have never heard of EdPuzzle, but it sounds like a great tool! I really enjoy showing videos and video clips in my class because students find it so engaging. This would be a great tool, because questions and stopping points are built in. How do you incorporate videos in your classroom? How do you ensure students are using higher order thinking skills with a video? Also, do you show entire videos during your classes or just clips?
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Lauren Puckett
9/28/2016 06:26:45 pm
Hey Sarah!
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