Collaboration+Tools

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= =**Popplet**= ====**Popplet is a great tool to create web organizers. The Popplet website calls it "a place for your ideas." Mrs. Knoeppel and Mrs. Strathman just used Popplet with their 2nd graders. The second graders completed a webquest about deserts. Student groups were given an animal and they had to research that specific animal. They had to read about their adaptations, appearance, habitat, defenses and diet. After completing their research, students placed their information into a Popplet. Here is a link to my website where you can see the student made Popplets. I can't stress how easy these are to make. Another great thing about Popplets is that they are all web based. What that means is that students won't lose papers! They won't lose their work! Popplets can also be shared with multiple people which means they can collaborate with each other on one Popplet together, but they can be at different computers, or even households! Popplets eliminate the need for multiple students to sit at one computer! (Ahhh...quiet bliss!) If you are interested in using Popplet, please let me know and we can start using it with your class too!**====

= = =**Wikispaces**= ====**Wikispaces is a social writing platform where students can collaborate on one workspace simultaneously. A //wiki// is usually a web application which allows people to add, modify, or delete content in a collaboration with others. ** ** Mrs. Kinnan has been using Wikispaces with 6th graders for the last 3 years. Each 6th grade writes and publishes an ABC Book for the library each school year. Mrs. Kinnan starts the whole project off with a wiki. For example, if the topic for the book is The ABC's of Holy Trinity she would create a wiki that has a page for each letter of the alphabet. She then opens up the permissions to allow all students to be able to edit the pages. She allows students to have a day to brainstorm where they can add as many ideas to the wiki as possible. When they have a word that begins with a particular letter for the ABC Book, the students will go to that specific page and jot down their ideas. When a whole class is working at writing down their ideas on one website at the same time, you can imagine what a tremendous list they will have accomplished in such a short time...all the while having a quiet environment to work in. The HTS Technology Swap Meet is also a wiki. The idea behind this page is to allow teachers to visit the pages to get ideas, but also jot down ways that you used technology in the classroom. Wikispaces is a wonderful classroom tool!!! **====