Collaborize Classroom

One new and interesting app I found is called Collaborize Classroom. This is a free online learning tool for teachers and students in the classroom.  This app can be used on the computer or on a mobile device or iPad. Collaborize Classroom is designed to complement classroom instruction and help engage the students in discussion through online activity and assignments that encourage participation inside and outside the classroom setting.

For a teacher, Collaborize Classroom is a beneficial tool in a variety of ways. This app will help the teacher gain more student participation and reduce the time they spend creating and grading assignments. This online tool allows teachers to extend their classroom beyond the standard learning procedure and create class discussions in a private online community.

Collaborize Classroom expands the classroom to an online environment that allows students to continue to participate outside the classroom. This app also teaches the students appropriate and educational uses for technology and how that can be used in the classroom. The teacher can create a group for each class and embed documents, videos, pictures, and text for the students to view and better their knowledge on the material.

This app is fun for the students and easy for the teacher to create. In less than five minutes the teacher can launch a free site and keep it updated for use in the classroom. This tool is safe for educational purposes and is password protected to keep the learning community and students safe when online. This app also keeps the students engaged in the material, as it is interesting to use and not a typical way of learning in the classroom. The teacher can create discussion topics on the site such as polls, debates, and tests to allow the students to engage in topics and voice their opinion in a different and exciting way. This will allow a fun and interesting learning environment for the students and helps them to support each other in dynamic conversations.

Throughout the website the teacher can also include a variety of attachments to bring different resources to the classroom and keep the students updated on current and real-world issues that could be related to the lessons. By including pictures and videos in a lesson, students will stay engaged in the material and want to continue to learn and participate in the classroom. This website is designed to increase participation in the classroom and create more meaningful conversations among the students and the teacher. While this site is not the only way the students will learn, it is beneficial for helping them stay involved outside the classroom and bring that knowledge back into the classroom through discussion. A teacher can post homework requirements on the page for students to view that will benefit them in the classroom even when they are not relying on the website.

This app is also great for teachers who have a variety of subjects and need to accommodate their lesson plans for different classes and students. Collaborize Classroom allows the teacher to create different groups and post different versions of the material to best accommodate the learning styles of the students in the class. Extra credit opportunities can also be provided through this app to challenge the students and help them more in the classroom. The teacher can create online groups by class period, subject, learning abilities, special assignments, language proficiency, and test groups depending on the students in each class and how the teacher feels will benefit the students most.

The teacher is also capable of tracking the activity on the site by class or by each individual student and their participation. It will also make grading assignments easier for the teacher as well and creating assignments for the class. The teacher can create portfolios of each student’s work, which allows a more meaningful communication with the students and their parents when necessary.

Although I have focused on the many reasons this app is great and beneficial for teachers there are also ways that it is just as beneficial for the students. Students will have the ability to access the site inside and outside the classroom to keep up with classroom discussions and learn more about the class topic. By engaging in the learning process outside of the classroom, students will be more likely to participate in the classroom and understand the material to a greater degree. This app can be fun for students because it does not follow the typical learning environment they may be used to. By creating polls and online debates through the website, students will have fun engaging in the discussion and interacting with their classmates in an educational way. Students can also submit assignments through the website and receive grades online faster and easier.

Collaborize Classroom is a great tool for teachers and students to use inside and outside the classroom. By creating a fun and exciting learning environment for the students and helping the teacher save time thinking of ways to engage the class, this site is beneficial for all. Collaborize Classroom can also be accessed online or on the go through a mobile device or iPad allowing the students and teacher to be engaged wherever they are. Collaborize Classroom is a great tool for the classroom and provides a new learning process for the students to keep them engages in the material at hand.

References

Hurst, R. (2014, December 2). Collaborize Classroom Tutorial. [Video File]. Retrieved on February 28, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbKvpNI2aVA

[Untitled photograph of login page]. Retrieved on February 28, 2016, from http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/log-in-cc.com-click-log-in.png

[Untitled photograph of logo]. Retrieved on February 28, 2016, from https://teachtolearn2202.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/collaborize-classroom.jpg

[Untitled photograph of student participation]. Retrieved on February 28, 2016, from http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/wp-content/themes/collaborize/images/features_6.jpg

[Untitled photograph of website options]. Retrieved on February 28, 2016, from http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/wp-content/themes/collaborize/images/features_1.jpg