Evaluation of Resources for Implementation Plan

Introduction

In my previous post, I shared my implementation plan for engaging my students in inquiry using digital and multimodal literacies.  This post will explain some of the resources that I chose to use for my implementation plan.  I teach at a first-year one-to-one school, meaning, all of our students have devices, whether they be a tablet or a laptop.  We are also a school that utilizes Google Suite for Education.  This allows each student access to an email account and the different tools and features that Google has to offer.  For my implementation plan, I chose to stick with these Google tools and features for ease of use and to hopefully prepare for the chance of teaching remotely during the pandemic.  I will be sharing the following resources:  Google Jamboard, Kiddle, and Google Slides.  I hope to use these resources in my plan to help my students to guide their questioning, understanding of resources, evaluating resources, synthesizing the information they find, and transforming their knowledge onto a sharable platform.  

Evaluation of Resources

Name of Resource

Google Jamboard

Type of Resource

Google Application

Description

Google Jamboard is an interactive whiteboard application that can be shared with anyone and used collaboratively by sharing a link or posting to a Google Classroom.  This application allows for the creation for text boxes, inserting images, drawing, writing, shapes, sticky notes, erasing, and even a laser function that allows for temporary writing and drawing that disappears after a short period of time.  

Relevancy to Implementation Plan

For my implementation plan, this tool allows for my students to create graphic organizers for their questions and information and share ideas in a digital space.  This application allows for my students to have choice of what tools they want to use and how to use them in order to share what they wonder and learn about.  Allowing my students to have ownership and autonomy in their learning can allow for motivation and engagement. 

Ability to Customize

Students are able to choose colors for writing, drawing and sticky notes.  Students can also choose to make additional “slides” if they need more space to organize and share thoughts.  The application also allows students to insert images from Google Image Search, Google Drive, or from the files on the device.  

Ease of Usability for Students

For my students, they have had experience with Google Jamboard since we utilize Google Suite for Education.  The tools are organized on the left-hand side of the whiteboard and are easily visible.  The limited functions can serve as a benefit for students, since too many tools can be overwhelming and distracting.  Students can add and switch through “slides” at the top of the page by clicking the arrows at the top.  

Potential for sharing

Sharing a Google Jamboard is easily done by sharing a link to the board.  Editing functions can be limited to those the link is shared with to protect the owner of the board.  

Potential for engaging students in and fostering the 5Cs and inquiry practices

This application allows for supporting creativity and communication by allowing students to manipulate the functions and tools to create ways to organize and share information.  It also allows for students to collaborate with one another by sharing the link to the board and being able to work synchronously or asynchronously on a board.  As for critical thinking and collaboration, these could be supported by more teacher-guided instruction using Google Jamboard.  For example, teachers could choose to use the sticky note function to help students develop questions about topics and themes that are encountered in class, or to choose images that reflect themes and ideas that are read in a traditional or digital text. 

Drawbacks to integration in classroom practices

Because of the ease of collaboration and simultaneous use of the application, students who are working on a board could potentially change or delete items that are not theirs.  It is important to teach digital citizenship and using this tool with respect to peers in order for it to meet its full potential.  

Name of Resource

Kiddle

Type of Resource 

Website:  Kiddle.co 

Description  

Kiddle is a kid-safe search engine powered by Google Safe-search.  Search results are organized by safety and readability for students, with the first 1-3 results being specific to kids and chosen by Kiddle editors, the next 4-7 results are still chosen by editors but not necessarily written for kids, and the last results are more famous sites that are written for adults with relevant content.  

Relevancy to Implementation Plan  

For my students’ inquiries, I need to utilize a search engine that is appropriate for elementary use, and that would not prompt “flagged” results or sites.  Kiddle will allow my students to type in their keywords into the search bar and find results that match, and that are organized for readability and appropriateness.  By placing the more readable sources first, my reading intervention students may feel more comfortable in finding and reading information online.  This confidence and comfort could help my students’ self-efficacy and engagement in the digital inquiry process. 

Ability to Customize  

There are limited functions on this website to customize as a student.  Students can choose to search the web, facts, images, Kimages, news, or videos.  Parents and educators can customize the website by blocking certain keywords to limit the functionality.  

Ease of Usability for Students  

Kiddle offers results and resources ordered by readability, relevance, and appropriateness as evaluated by the website’s editors.  Most of the search results are paired with large thumbnails for students to scan the appropriateness and relevance of their search.  The site also utilizes a large Arial font that could be easier to read for students.  The homepage of the website is simply designed with a search bar in the middle and the search options below.  Students can easily type their keywords into the search bar and click enter to find their results. 

Potential for Sharing  

Sharing information with Kiddle would require the students using functions such as copying links to resources that they have found and sharing them to a platform that allows for communicating with others, such as email or a blog.  

Potential for engaging students in and fostering the 5Cs and inquiry practices  

Kiddle could allow for the support of comprehension by the organization of the search results to show the more readable sources to be first.  Elementary students engaging in digital inquiry may benefit from sources that are designed for their comprehension in mind so they can understand the information from them.  Kiddle could also allow for critical thinking, because students will still need to use their skills of scanning thumbnails and evaluating sources to think about the relevance and usefulness of the information they find. 

Drawbacks to integration in classroom practices  

Since Kiddle is a limited and protected search engine, the usefulness of the sources need to be evaluated carefully in order for students to find the most applicable information to suit their inquiries.  Students should also be taught how to use keywords effectively in search engines, so they can find information easily and appropriately. 

Name of Resource 

Google Slides

Type of Resource

Google Application

Description

Google Slides is a Google application which primarily is used as a presentation tool.  Google Slides allows users to use a wide variety of functions such as text, images, graphs, tables, graphics, and animations to create slides or slide shows.   

Relevancy to Implementation Plan

In my implementation plan, I want my students to utilize Google Slides to organize, synthesize, and transform the information they find from their inquiries to creatively communicate their knowledge with peers.  By allowing my students the ability to use the functions of Google Slides to express what they have learned through their inquiry, I hope to see a variety of multimodal texts.  This autonomy could help my students to have ownership of their inquiry and using multimodal texts can help them to be motivated engage in the process.

Ability to Customize

  This application has many functions and tools that allow students to customize.  Texts, images, graphs, tables, graphics, animations, and the ability to embed videos and links are all available for students to use in Google Slides.  

Ease of Usability for Students

  There are many tools and functions for use in Google Slides, and this can be overwhelming for students with limited digital literacy knowledge, or knowledge of this specific application.  Students will benefit from teacher-guidance when using this application in order to gain self-regulation strategies and limit frustration when trying to create the product that they want. 

Potential for sharing

Sharing is available through either sharing a link to edit or view the Google slide.  Students can also choose to present their slide(s) to an audience by sharing their slide show through a presentation tool like a SmartBoard, TV, or Screen Sharing. 

Potential for engaging students in and fostering the 5Cs and inquiry practices

Google Slides supports creativity through the multiple tools and functions for students to use multimodal texts in their presentations or slides.  It also allows for communication since students can use their slides to share with others what they have learned.  Collaboration with Google Slides is available by sharing the link with others and allowing users to edit the slide show in order to work on a slide show together.  Much like Google Jamboard, with the help of the teacher critical thinking and comprehension can be supported.  Examples of these would include building graphic organizers in slides to sequence stories in traditional or digital text and creating a Venn diagram to compare and contrast information on topics encountered in the classroom. 

Drawbacks to integration in classroom practices

Google Slides offers a wide variety of functions and tools.  This tool needs to be practiced in the classroom with the gradual release of responsibility.  Teachers should model tools and functions, then allow students to have guided practice before allowing complete independence with the application.  Without teaching the navigation or functionality, students can become overwhelmed and frustrated when trying to create their slide show.