Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Looking for a better way to give feedback or how about generating and sharing Service Learning Projects? Check out these two applications.


 I just discovered an application that tracks student work and skills and gives student feedback. This is probably most appropriate for middle school students but since all students have Google Accounts, some elementary teachers may find it useful. Feedback can be archived to prevent repeating yourself. You can sign in with your school Google account making it easy for students to access your feedback. You can also attach links to resources to the feedback to help students see examples of what improvements to make. You don't have to keep repeating yourself.

Here is a presentation that explains Kaizena and how it works. 


Here is the link to the website:

https://kaizena.com/

Please note there is a CAIS workshop on Kaizena at the upcoming Regional Meeting March 9. It is Session #2-61.








Looking for service learning projects and a way to share those projects with a larger audience? Prezi Causes may be your answer.

Prezi is free, online presentation software. The last couple of presentations I made to you were done in Prezi. It isn't better than what you are used to using but it offers some features not available in Google Presentations and can be accessed anywhere unlike Office Powerpoint. 

One thing that sets Prezi apart from other presentation software is the company has begun a campaign to share global concerns and information about them through their software. One of the features of Prezi is that it allows a creator to share a Prezi presentation with everyone else who uses the software. 

Prezi wanted to highlight the work of nonprofits and charities. The first campaign highlighted in Prezi Causes is "The Ocean Cleanup Concept. " The presentation presents the problem and ideas for addressing the problem.

Here is a link to the first Prezi Cause:



In a recent article entitled published in eSchool News yesterday, "3 Things Great Teachers Do with Technology," the writer Tom Daccord states," 

1. They empower students through creativity.
2. They connect learners.
3. They make learning last.

Both of these applications connect learners to others:

Kaizena fosters feedback that is timely, individual, and trackable which may be the piece that has been more difficult in the past. The online platform makes it easier for the teacher  and the student to communicate. 

Prezi Causes allows learners to share ideas and information with others outside their classrooms in a creative and novel way. The process  allows the creator to share a variety of media; they can reinforce their own understanding and share the learning with a self-selecting audience of people interested in the topic or cause.