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

Studyblue

A new app that has been presented to teachers and students in the classroom is known as Studyblue. Studyblue is a free, online tool to help students prepare for upcoming tests and study even when they are not home. This app is great for teachers and students who utilize flash cards to remember important information but dislike carry a stack of them wherever they go. Studyblue allows you to create flashcards online for every subject and assess them when you have free time to study. This app is available on the computer, on an iPad, and even on a cellphone, to ensure students can study whenever and wherever they need to.

Studyblue is an online tool for teachers and students to help make studying easier. When I was in high school I was also on multiple sports teams, meaning I was studying on a bus half the time. Reading words from a book and attempting to take notes on important information was always difficult and half the time I could not read my own handwriting. Studyblue will make it easier for students who are always on the road to make flash cards of important information and refer back to them to study for a test. 

This online study tool will allow the students to quiz themselves, set reminders, and even track their progress as they go. Teachers also have the ability to monitor what the students are studying and refer other students to a specific page to share flashcards another student created. This is beneficial to the students who need help taking notes in class, as they can log into the account and view other flashcards that were already made by their classmates study the same material. 

This app also allows the teacher to email the students directly and upload other documents for the students to view for the class. The teacher also has the ability to create flashcards for the students in each class. The students must create an account and join the class page, similar to other sites used in the classroom, for them to access the material the teacher posts. This will allow the students to study the same information and to ensure what they are studying is on the test, as the teacher has posted the material to study. 

Flash cards will be presented to the students in a similar way paper cards would. Students can “flip” the cards to study the material and check if they got the term correct. If they know the answer, the student can click the green thumbs up button and move to the next card. If the student answers the term incorrectly, they click the red thumbs down button, which will alert them to return to that term later. When the student has gone through all the flash cards, a window will show up to tell them the percentage they got correct and the progress they have made on the terms.

Studyblue will also utilize the information provided from the flashcards to generate quizzes and review sheets to help the students prepare for the test. The quizzes will be created with three options: multiple choice, true or false, and type the answer. The student can also choose how many questions will be on the quiz and what type of questions, if not all three. Quizzes will receive a grade allowing students to track their progress and review the material they are having difficulty with. The students are also capable of regenerating the quiz to continue practicing the material as these do not affect their classroom grade, only help them review for the test that matters in the classroom.

Studyblue is also a way for students to learn faster and relieve the dreaded test day stress. By creating flashcards, students are able to review the material more often and understand what the teacher expects from them come test day. This will also make their learning process easier allowing the students to have less stress and anxiety about the information they will or will not see on the test. By allowing the teacher or the students to create flashcards and notes using this online study tool, students are expected to receive better grades on their tests. However, it is understandable that every student studies and learns in a different way. With that knowledge, students are not required to use this study tool if they prefer to study in a way that benefits them and allows them to get better grades on tests without it.

References

Teaching and Learning Centre (2011, June 06). Study blue tutorial. [Video file].Retrieved February 15, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyEoqHk8UQg

[Untitled photograph of studyblue icon]. Retrieved on February 15, 2016, from http://www.appusermagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/StudyBlue.jpg

[Untitled photograph of tutorial]. Retrieved on February 15, 2016, from http://assets.wyzant.com/784studyblue-iOS.jpg

[Untitled photograph of quiz options]. Retrieved on February 15, 2016, from https://assistly-production.s3.amazonaws.com/studyblue/portal_attachments/320441/Screen_Shot_2014-07-28_at_12.03.24_PM_original.png?