I used this activity to create a list of resources for a training I am conducing on Hapara. Our teachers will be new to this tool and I thought a collection of resources would be a nice takeaway following their training. The Board contains mostly links with one uploaded image. Compared to other online “clipping” tools, EduClipper is easy to use and probably the best choice for student use. I have used Blendspace with my students in the past and find Listly similar, but doesn’t offer much more function. Educlipper was easy to setup and offers pre-created boards and clips to “steal” from. Having an iOS app makes it even better for many 1:1 districts.
The only issue I have had with EduClipper is it can be a little buggy and slow. I remember switching services when the app was first released because I couldn’t even get a small group of students to get it working. Since then, the web version and app have been updated. I did encounter similar issues when creating my board, but kept pace in order to complete the assignment. For classroom use, this might of been enough to switch to a more dependable tool. Also, I am completing this assignment within a Starbucks and the Internet could be the main cause.
Main takeaways from the tool:
- Easy to use and love that is tied to my Google account (perfect for GAFE schools)
- Web and app friendly
- Quick class creation and join code options
- Teacher options include: groups, upload roster, upload/share files easily, privacy controls, and assignment creation
- Upload files from any source, including Google Drive
- Ideal portfolio tool (free, free, and more free)
- Collaborative boards
- Reuse previously uploaded material quickly
Possible Uses:
- Personal or student web-portfolio
- Assignment resource
- Assignment directions and expectations
- Presentation resource
- Training resource
Thanks for the thoughtful post. The beauty of these boards is they can then be embedded in a website that you may have as a coach and teachers can go back and revisit when needed.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which...as a coach do you keep a separate website or blog for your teachers?
DeleteAnything that embeds is my best friend. Linking to an external adds another lay that most teachers would like to avoid. The tool is great, just a little buggy. I really think feel EduClipper and Blendspace are similar tools, but I would lean towards Blendspace if I had to select a favorite.
DeleteIn the past we had created a Edtech Blog for our staff. We added tutorials, updates, and FAQs as needed. It was a great resource, but very underused. I feel teachers want direct answers for their questions and rather go directly to me or my team instead of looking up the answer. I understand their reasoning, but I would personally prefer a one-stop-shop. This year we will be creating an EdTech page that links to our Twitter accounts, has tech information,and tutorials on tools we have used with teachers. Hopefully we get more use from the site, but I am still a little skeptical.
DeleteDo you have a blog/site for your staff?
I blog (http://zumpanotechlab.blogspot) but it's not directly created for the staff but more for PLN purposes. When teachers are interested in individual tools (such as Thinglink or Google Slides, etc.) I will sit down with them one-on-one for a general overview and account set up but then I go back and create user guides so if other questions come up they can try that first. I also have a resource wiki (http://www.nicolezumpano.wikispaces.com) that I use as a dumping ground for resources I find. Even so....my private gmail account still has a few thousand emails in the inbox! I'm grappling right now with whether or not I want to create a website that houses all of my guides, links to my social media accounts, wiki, digital portfolio, coaching resources, etc. or if I just want to create a page linking all of that from my blog. It's maddening!
Delete