Coming this fall, school is going to look a bit different. The students will either be at home, or they will be in the classroom having to social distance. Therefore, teachers all around the world, myself included, are having to look at revamping classroom activities and routines.
One thing that will have to change is group projects/collaboration. Due to this reason, I have begun to look at different websites that students can use to collaborate with one another, whether they are in the classroom or at home learning.
Google Drive/Google Classroom
Both Google Drive and Google Classroom are great places to start when it comes to collaboration.
Using Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets, students can work on a document all at the same time while under their own accounts. The nice thing about this is the students see what others are typing in real time, so it can almost be like they are talking to one another.
There are different ways to go about assigning this so students all have the same document.
- One way is by giving each student access to the same document. You can do this by sharing the document with the students you want to have access, or you can put it in a shared Google folder that certain students have access to.
- Another way is through Google Classroom. When you create an assignment on Google Classroom, select “Students can edit file.” This makes it so the students will edit the same document.
Besides assigning the document to all students in Google Classroom, the teacher can post an Announcement in which the students can respond to your announcement and one another’s comments. Students can also post comments on the assignments and then respond to each other.
Ways I Plan on Using Google Drive/Google Classroom
- Peer Editing ~ When a student writes a paper, essay, etc., I plan on giving other students access to the document to comment any suggestions, ideas, questions, etc. that they may have. By giving them access to only comment, they will not be able to change the original student’s work, allowing the student to decide if they want to accept the suggestion or not.
- Brainstorming Ideas Together in One Spot
- One way I will do this is creating a Google Doc where I post a question and the students type their ideas on the same document.
- This can also be done through discussions/announcements/questions on Google Classroom.
- Sharing Files ~ I create a folder on Google Drive that all students are given access to, allowing them to see any item that is saved into that folder. I also create an individual folder for each student that only they have access to, which gives me the capability to see their work and provide them with individual documents.
Flip Grid
Using Flip Grid, students will be able to record themselves teaching how to do a certain skill and then leave helpful feedback on each other’s videos. An example of this would be in math. Students can explain how they solved a problem and then other students can watch that to help them understand the problem better, or they can comment on what they think of their strategy.
This will also be a great place for brainstorming where they can create a video with their ideas and then watch their classmates’ videos to gain even more ideas and respond to them.
Padlet
I have only used Padlet once, but I would like to use it more this fall. It is a great place where the teacher can create a board for a certain topic, and then students respond to the question. The students can then respond to one another’s comments as well, which will be great for collaboration!
Above is an example of a Padlet I just created. Feel free to click on the picture and post a response to see how it works!
Blogs
Another way students can collaborate with one another is through blogs. This year I would like to create a class blog where students can contribute their thoughts, findings, etc. I also would like each student to have their own student blog. This will allow them a place to record their learning as well as comment on one another’s posts.
I am looking at using Edublogs, but I am still looking around. If you have any suggestions on blogs that are user-friendly for students, please share!!