Exploration of a Tech Tool

I chose to try Padlet based on my annotation exploration, and because I have heard so many people rave about it for their classrooms. I wanted to connect Padlet with the library by referencing MSLA Standard 8. Appreciate Literature: Students will gain an increased enjoyment of literature and grow in their abilities to locate and select appropriate reading material independently.

Classroom Use

I chose to focus my Padlet on grades 9–12 and connect it further with Asian American Pacific Islander Month coming up in May. Padlet has an AI feature that creates a book list based off of criteria you put in. I added the subject of AAPI month, the grade levels, the MSLA standard, and the reading levels and it produced a reading list of books and articles that span genres and content type. I was also able to edit by adding other books to the list, adding call numbers, and rearranging them accordingly.

From this Padlet, I could (with a subscription) open it up for students to add books to the list as well or create a student recommended list. I could use this in collaboration with a classroom teacher to compile multiple books for the topic they are on and students can search through. Where I work there are two classes that need a range of books that cover depression, grief, addictions, relationships, death, etc. and I could use the Padlet to “house” the full list of books and students could browse in class for a book that connects with their topics; an extension of the catalog. Or create a Padlet with Summer Reading books that students could look through and have links to Sora, the local public library, and the Boston Public Library eCard for students to access the books when the school is closed.

What I really love is I can use it to produce an announcement slideshow which automatically adds the title, image, description, and author. I have also added book call numbers for the books we have available so students could find the books in the school library directly from the slideshow. With a paid account, I could have AI generated (and librarian approved) book slideshows, or upload pre-determined lists for each month, holiday, or event along with classroom collaborations that could be easily integrated, accessed, and displayed which would encourage students to explore “fantasy, folklore, poetry, drama, biography, short stories, science fiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction, humor, etc.” throughout the year.

Tech Exploration: Annotations

Peergrade

https://www.peergrade.io/

• Facilitates student peer-review feedback and gives the teacher insight into student performance.

• Price: Free (30 day trial) and Subscription ($5 per student with all teacher access)

Better for older students who can communicate their analysis clearly for other students. Includes an online rubric, critique samples, and a FAQ section for students to reference when giving feedback. Feedback is anonymous so students do not have to fear giving honest responses. It also gives students the ability to respond to their feedback to either explain or comment. The teacher’s portal gives access to all student activity and can also comment for fact checking or resolving any issues. Students must have their work complete and submitted into Peergrade on time in order to receive feedback and for other students to be able to give feedback.

Peergrade probably works best with school-wide support so it could be integrated into multiple classrooms and paid by the district and not through a department budget. I do not see an individual classroom teacher being able to use an already small budget for their multiple classes. I could see this as being incredibly useful for AP Seminar and AP Research courses that are electives of the library, where the class size is small (so price would be small), and peer review is critical to learning.

Padlet

https://padlet.com/

• Visual collaboration boards to collect, organize, and share thoughts along with “sandbox” whiteboards to create lessons, breakouts, and other activities.

• Price: Free (3 Padlets, 20MB uploads) and Subscription (unlimited)

Padlet offers easy ways to organize thoughts and information and share them easily with others from Elementary through High School. Padlet allows for collaboration through peer responses and the uploading of text, images, links, and videos. The addition of the “sandbox” feature allows teachers to also use Padlet for lesson plans and interactive activities with the option of using templates. Padlet is a great online tool for organizing, planning, collaborating, and sharing with students and teachers.

Due to the price of a subscription for classroom use, it is best if the school or district buys a subscription. While an individual can access Padlet for free, they are extremely limited in what they can create and explore. Classrooms and libraries could utilize Padlet in a variety of ways.

Classkick

https://classkick.com/

• An interactive, digital notebook for lessons, assessments, and more. Allows the teacher to provide real-time feedback and grading.

• Price: Free (max 20 assignments for the class) and Subscription (unlimited)

Classkick allows teachers to create interactive assessments where students can fill in the blank, choose from multiple choice, or move items around on the board. Teachers are able to watch students answer as they go, and students can discreetly ask for help through the interface and have the teacher respond in the question. This might cause issues if multiple students need help at once as you can only respond to one student at a time. The teacher can see who is finishing faster than others, and who may need more assistance. It also includes a robust library of how-tos for teachers to get the most out of Classkick’s features.

Since the teacher can adjust the content, Classkick can be modified to meet the needs of the students and the classroom for Elementary through High School. The free version gives the user limited access to the number of assessments they can create. It would be best if the district purchased a subscription as it gives the teachers the most tools and integrations compared to individual subscriptions. Classkick would be best suited to classroom use, rather than library.

Kahoot!+

https://kahoot.com/kahoot-one/

• A low-pressure interactive and adaptable assessment, practice, and recap tool through game play for all subject areas.

• Price: Free (allows 40 players with basic features) and subscription (50–400 players, various access depending on subscription level)

Kahoot!+ offers questionnaires, progress tracking, learning engagement, adaptable and templated slides, and knowledge reinforcement for all subject areas. Through game play students are encouraged in low-pressure situations to answer questions while competing with their peers for high scores. Kahoot also boasts a language app for easy language learning. With the two highest subscription levels students and teachers have access to almost, if not all, Kahoot!+ offers. The lower levels of subscription are not as useful as it restricts the number of characters and includes ads which is limiting to subject learning. Tracking individual progress is also slow.

Kahoot!+ would be best purchased for the district so all classroom teachers had access. Librarians could use it to test copyright, digital and ethical information knowledge, or to reinforce classroom learning.