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Website Project Ideas For Students – WordPress.com. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://wordpress.com/go/tutorials/stimulate-classroom-time-with-these-student-website-project-ideas/

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A project that WordPress supports whole class and independently is the creation of a school newspaper or literary magazine with student contributors("Website Project Ideas For Students – WordPress.com", 2022). This project requires collaboration between teachers and students -  a step by step process would look like:  identifying the type of publication, newspaper, magazine; partnering with teacher(s) or school support staff, brainstorming will take place at each phase; identify the roles will be needed, (recruit among peers), begin to work on the site(shell site creating the template), advertise internally within the school to get the word out.
The final output will be the successful implementation of an active website that will able to be accessed live and maintained to keep information current.

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Google Applied Digital Skills and Google Classroom simultaneously

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Google Applied Digital Skills and Google Classroom simultaneously

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A project based unit that could be applied to these tools is an assignment where students would be tasked with writing a resume and cover letter to participate in a mock interview. In this example the students would work to create the resume, the challenge in this rests in the students being able to describe personal skillsets both hard and soft skill also known as 21st-Century Skills, that they currently possess. This in-depth reflection should challenge students to take an in-depth prevue of their interpersonal skills, as well as identifying actual experience.   Steps of the project included research of the desired company and job requirements, developing and creating an Elevator Pitch, Identify and Practice Interview Questions and finally Prepare for a Successful Job Interview ("Digital Teaching Tools - Applied Digital Skills", 2022) .  Students will work independently during the research phase and collaboratively when creating the Elevator Pitch as they will practice listening to each other and offering feedback.

The Google Classroom syncs to the Applied Digital Platform so that when work is completed in the platform the teacher has the ability to ask students to post in either or both platforms to view the assignments, moreover, if students have challenges remembering which assignment working on the link to the most current will be visible in the classroom along with the due dates. The teacher can take it a step further by pre-assigning groups for collaborative study.

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Google Applied Digital Skills is one of the better options for Asynchronous Learning, in that the flexibility of the wide range of subjects that are covered.  The clear directions for exercises and the modeling replicates what students experience in the classroom.  Teachers are able to access the work and view student progress as well as receive the projects once students completed the assignments.

WordPress.com would be a strong student support platform for Synchronous Learning in that the collaborative functions afford both student and teachers the ability to  interact in a live session while student individuality to express themselves.  The platform also creates a collaborative platform to receive feedback, and due to the classroom setting, the students  using the platforms will be creating sites that are specific to the course, skills gained in the creating of the site will benefit student cross-curriculum.

Google Classroom has been selected to best serve students in both Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning environment in that teachers create classrooms and those classrooms allow for cross communication between teachers and students/teachers and parents, and students and their peers.  The multiple integration tools such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Jamboard, and a myriad of other platform such as NearPod, PearDeck that are able to incorporated into the classroom seamlessly, provided teachers with options to be able to reach all students and manage rigor.

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Project-based learning (PBL) has been around a lot longer than its recent history might lead us to believe. If you have been reading headlines, tweets, or Facebook posts, you would think PBL just emerged on the scene. In truth, the idea of “learning by doing” has been around since the time of Confucius. Critical thinking has been a focus in education for centuries. In fact, entire education systems have been built on getting students to not just memorize, but experience the learning.

John Dewey took experience-based learning even one step farther when he suggested that student interests should be considered. Dewey’s work on pragmatism (the use of hands-on, real-world experiences) in education is the foundation of today’s PBL.

Using the same tools Dewey used in the early 20th century does not help students much today. However, PBL offers a scaffold to guide students to make the most of their learning, and makes the perfect spot for the use of more modern technology tools.

The Buck Institute for Education: PBLWorks (opens in new tab) is one of the premiere resources for leaders and teachers looking for information on PBL. Everything you could need to get up and running is here, including ample useful examples of lesson plans and tips (opens in new tab). For example, “Essential Project Design Elements (opens in new tab)” outlines the seven elements that, combined, make up a truly transformative PBL experience.

Today’s technology has the power to facilitate a more in-depth exploration of these elements than ever before. Each element has its own goal and may require various technology tools. Ultimately, a resource such as PBLWorks (opens in new tab) can help students complete a meaningful project and work on advanced real-world skills at the same time.

Challenging Problem or Question

The focus of the project for the student will be a challenging problem or question. Teachers can decide to use current events, past events, or something fictional. The problem can be something student-discovered or teacher-directed. It can be local or worldwide. The real goal of is to provide a good starting point. It needs to be open-ended enough to provide room for exploration, but specific enough to guide students in their search for a solution.

Since this is the basis for the project and all the learning involved, the importance of a solid question can’t be overstated. Since the subject and student age are more than likely pre-determined, you will want to start with the topic to be covered. From there, you can use an online conversation board like Padlet (opens in new tab) or Google’s Jamboard (opens in new tab) to ask for student input. You could create a board with areas for what students already know about the chosen topic, and one for what students would like to know. If teachers are struggling to come up with driving questions, the PBLWorks Projects (opens in new tab) page can be a good place to start.

Sustained Inquiry

In PBL, inquiry can involve many different sources. The process of sustained inquiry is not one that will be completed quickly, and it will involve more than one or two research sessions. Inquiry is the idea that students should keep digging and searching until they have reached a satisfactory solution.

Book or online research may not be the only thing students do, but it may take up a large chunk of time in the inquiry process. Students need to know how to find reputable, verified sources of information. Common Sense Media (opens in new tab) has two programs that touch on Digital Literacy: Digital Passport (opens in new tab) for grades 3 to 5, and Digital Compass (opens in new tab) for grades 6 to 8. Both these programs will help students be better digital citizens while moving through the inquiry phase of their project.

Authenticity

Part of the reason PBL is such a meaningful practice in education is its connection to authentic, real-world issues. Students can be guided to a project involving problems in the school, their neighborhood, or the world. Establishing such a connection makes the learning worthwhile for them.

It is sometimes hard to imagine helping people in places you have never seen. This is where a tool like Google Earth (opens in new tab) might be helpful. Students can see the landscape of the area their project is based on, which may radically change the solutions they are able to develop. For example, the platform could be used in a project such as designing a city park so that children have more space to run and play, which would require students to find an area to place the park, determine its measurements, and then design the park accordingly.

Student Voice and Choice

Teachers know that when students have a say in their learning, they feel more engaged and become my invested. Giving students as many choices as possible in their project will keep them from seeing it as just one more thing to do. Allow students to let their creative side shine with tools such as Canva (opens in new tab) or Buncee (opens in new tab), two multimedia creation tools. If there is a chance to let the students decide, take it.

Reflection

The process of reflection is a large component of the PBL approach. Teachers should schedule time to allow students to check-in, debrief, and give feedback. Having prompts structured around the learning targets will help students better connect the project to the classroom content.

Flipgrid (opens in new tab) is a perfect fit for teachers looking to “clone” themselves. It allows teachers to record a video prompt, which students can respond to in video form as well. Then teachers can watch the reflections when they’re able to and can be prepared to respond to the students’ needs.

Book Creator (opens in new tab) is another tool worth considering. It can be a wonderful place to keep track of research, solutions that have been successful or unsuccessful, and reactions. Having all the pieces and parts of the project in one place (that can be shared with a teacher) would be helpful for student and teacher organization.

Critique and Revision

Giving and receiving feedback is an art that students must learn to be successful. PBLWorks (opens in new tab) asks students and teachers to focus on high-quality critique with helpful revision suggestions. It is suggested that students review their own learning as well. Rubrics and other structures can and should be used to guide students in their critiques.

Feedback can also come from adults from outside of the school, perhaps in areas of expertise pertinent to the project. For example, teachers could connect with local architects to give feedback on student home designs, or with a large-animal veterinarian to give feedback on a new saddle for students with disabilities. For this type of connection, teachers may not always be able to find a local professional, which is where a video conference tool can be very helpful. Zoom (opens in new tab), Skype (opens in new tab), and other video connection apps can allow for collaboration with professionals from anywhere in the world. Why not have your project on the repercussions of the Cold War critiqued by an actual Smithsonian representative? Imagine how much learning would happen then!

Public Product

The idea of having a product to display at the end of the project gives students something concrete to work toward, although there is no “right way” to showcase solutions--the sky's the limit!

Tinkercad (opens in new tab) allows students to design a 3D object, such as a bridge over a particular span of water, then print it with a 3D printer to display and test it. Presentation software like Google Slides (opens in new tab) or Microsoft PowerPoint (opens in new tab) are also popular choices, with many students appreciating the automatic cycling feature. Many schools host some kind of display night, allowing students to interact with an authentic audience of adults from their school community.

Project-based learning is such a wide umbrella, and there are many ways to have a positive impact on student learning through hands-on experiences. What the Buck Institute for Education: PBLWorks (opens in new tab) has done is given teachers a starting point, a guide to getting started with PBL (opens in new tab). From there, who knows what shape PBL will take in each individual classroom? That is one of the joys for teachers: seeing how the process encourages curiosity and morphs as students take ownership of their own learning.

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Essential Technology For Project-Based Learning

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Here are digital classroom tools to help support project-based learning

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Digital Teaching Tools - Applied Digital Skills. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com/en/teach?gclid=CjwKCAjwkYGVBhArEiwA4sZLuGsvUT3ChXCpSmqMwI7zUfEk3q-KoE4dog-DHKXuLlrmI1691Q2g4RoCUJ0QAvD_BwE

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Seesaw | Elevate Learning in Elementary. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://web.seesaw.me/?gclid=CjwKCAjw7vuUBhBUEiwAEdu2pD6dfHDLA725iD7eRoY-3uXF_BAFR0wDmSuiUmX6MEcAhOWG7YSA3xoCiJ0QAvD_BwE

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Diigo - Better reading and research with annotation, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving, bookmarking & more. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://www.diigo.com/

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Microsoft OneNote. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://www.onenote.com/?public=1

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Pathbrite Portfolios. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://pathbrite.com/

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Pathbrite is the easiest way for people to showcase their abilities and achievements via beautiful and compelling Portfolios. Show your body of work. Show what you know with Pathbrite.

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An eportfolio platform in Mindtap for students to create electronic portfolio, where potential employers are able to view any work uploaded.  Students will need to access via the Mindtap account, can be edited and managed beyond high school("Pathbrite Portfolios", 2022).

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Pathbrite is the easiest way for people to showcase their abilities and achievements via beautiful and compelling Portfolios. Show your body of work. Show what you know with Pathbrite.

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WordPress.com: Fast, Secure Managed WordPress Hosting. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://wordpress.com/

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ClassDojo. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://www.classdojo.com/

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Classroom | Google for Education. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://classroom.google.com/

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ISTE. (2022). Retrieved 9 June 2022, from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students

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The ISTE Standards provide the competencies for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age, providing a comprehensive roadmap for the effective use of technology in schools worldwide. Grounded in learning science research and based on practitioner experience, the ISTE Standards ensure that using technology for learning can create high-impact, sustainable, scalable and equitable learning experiences for all learners.

For over 20 years the standards have been used, researched and updated to continuously reflect the latest research-based best practices that define success in using technology to learn, teach, lead and coach. The standards have been adopted in all 50 U.S. states and many countries throughout the world. Aligned to UNESCO's Sustainable Development Goals, the standards are available in eight languages.

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The ISTE Standards are a framework for students, educators, administrators, coaches and computer science educators to rethink education and create innovative learning environments. The standards are helping re-engineer schools and classrooms worldwide for digital age learning.

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Poll Everywhere is an online service, teachers can sign up for free account supporting up to 40 students per class.  Creation and organization of  activities, to be accessed directly from the site or intergrate with PowerPoint or Google Slides(2022).  Identification of where data is stored is made seamless with  the implementation of the labels features; files can be imported into the platform which is useful especially if teachers have preset questions prepared for the Unit. Accessing the activities is managed through the main components of the navigation bar, activity slide and the configuration menu.  Students responses can be submitted in real-time, while teachers can share or present the presentation or activity.

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Host interactive online meetings | Poll Everywhere

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An annotation and social bookmarking tool, where students can search topics to gather materials for projects.  Account access/plan type required for users.  Teachers will need to set up their teacher account by collect relevant sources , annotate websites by titles, notes, keywords, access virtual sticky notes, and organize in diigo outliners("Diigo - Better reading and research with annotation, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving, bookmarking & more.", 2022). Chrome extension available.

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Diigo - Better reading and research with annotation, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving, bookmarking & more.

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Diigo is a powerful research tool and a knowledge-sharing community

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A platform that enables students to create a visual image of their train of thought to be displayed either as a comic or novel, poster and more(Clever Prototypes, 2022).  This allows for creativity and problem solving where students are able to use the platform to highlight the most important points.

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Free Storyboarding Software — Online Storyboard Creator

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Storyboard That: Easy online storyboard creation! Perfect for filmmakers, teachers, and students. Create storyboards and comics with Storyboard That today!

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Pathbrite is a platform that is useful for all grade ranges, K-12and higher education.  Teachers are able to create and manage work for students while the platform stores data to be retrieved as needed.  Students can upload work like resumes, photos, video, transcripts or documents from multiple platforms, Facebook, Vimeo, Google Drive, LinkedIn, etc just to name a few("Pathbrite Portfolios", 2022).

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Pathbrite supports students publishing or presenting content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences("ISTE", 2022).  Students are able to upload significant data to their personal portfolio.

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Poll Everywhere supports project-based learning for students in that data can be collected by posing questions to be responded to by the audience, especially when creating an opinion based project.  Differentiation is provided through the various ways that students can respond, website, text message or customization with keywords.  Teachers can also activate the countdown timer to allow for the additional time that students may need, this feature is hidden unless enabled(2022).  This platform affords everyone to have a voice and teachers can opt to protect the users respond by allowing users to respond anonymously, the downside is that once this feature is in place, no data is collected to identify the user.

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StoryboardThat supports project-based learning for students to identify real-world problems and develop a solution for it, the use of StoryboardThat offers student the ability to create using images, and allows for differentiation through the Teacher dashboard, to identify activities that are closely related to the unit of study, where students can take an assessment after completing each section, by providing students access to templates to choose with a variety of backgrounds, customization features from which character appearances can be changed to mimic the student fostering individuality and creativity(Clever Prototypes, 2022).

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Another great platform supporting Digital Citizenship as students are actively engaging in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.

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Great tool for remote learning, does require a school account, compatible device, encompasses the MS Office suite of products:  Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and more. OneNote is a digital notebook where teachers can create sub-notebooks:  Student notebooks(private between teacher and student), content library(teachers can create links to materials and collaborative space(shared whole class with access for both teachers and students to organize and collaborate)("Microsoft OneNote", 2022).

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Yes, internet access is required to install and activate Microsoft 365 and get all the latest releases of apps and services.

Note that if you are an existing subscriber, you do not need to reinstall or purchase another subscription.

You do not need to be connected to the Internet to use the Office apps, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, because the apps are fully installed on your computer.

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Microsoft Office is part of Microsoft 365

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Yes, internet access is required to install and activate Microsoft 365 and get all the latest releases of apps and services. Note that if you are an existing subscriber, you do not need to reinstall or purchase another subscription.

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Google Applied Digital Skills platform is free video-based online lessons, teachers simply link Google Classroom select assignments to be completed.  The site hosts over 150 lessons with varying subject areas including Digital Responsibility("Digital Teaching Tools - Applied Digital Skills", 2022).

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Free of charge, flexible and ready-to-use

Adapt our video-based lessons for remote or in-classroom teaching, free of charge

Project-based curriculum

Students leave with a useful project, like a presentation, a resume or a research plan

Skills for school, work and life

Teach the 4 C's: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking

Connect with Google Classroom

Connect Applied Digital Skills with Google Classroom to import your roster and more

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Digital Teaching Tools - Applied Digital Skills

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Adapt our video-based lessons for remote or in-classroom teaching, free of charge Students leave with a useful project, like a presentation, a resume or a research plan Teach the 4 C's: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking Connect Applied Digital Skills with Google Classroom to import your roster and more

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A free platform where teachers set up and create classroom accounts.  Students can log in using QR Code, text or google email sign in depending on the grade level("Seesaw | Elevate Learning in Elementary", 2022).  Manage how students are view peers work, while maintaining control to preview student post prior to sharing publicly.

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School & District -Subscriptions | Seesaw

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Seesaw Shapes the Elementary Classroom

Teachers, students, families, and school leaders work together to elevate learning. Teachers sign up free.

The Best Interactive Learning Platform for PreK-5

Students Fully Express Their Learning

Multimodal tools open a clear window into students’ minds. Drawing, video, voice recording, and more grow as students grow – from pre-kindergarten through elementary grades and beyond.

Family Engagement Soars

Intuitive communication tools build home-to-school connections. Built-in translation in 100+ languages empowers all families to participate in student growth.

Research-Based Curriculum Supports Your Vision

Seesaw Lessons strengthen what you’re already doing. Aligned to your core curricula and standards, Seesaw Lessons are ready to assign in Seesaw.

Progress Monitoring Drives Outcomes

Capture the entire learning process as it unfolds. At-a-glance usage and mastery data make it easy to target instruction. See all learning related to an activity, standard, or student in one place.

Professional Learning Builds Confidence

Seesaw takes the lift off of schools and districts. From onboarding onward, new teachers get started and returning teachers get excited to accomplish even more.

Propel Learning and Connection to New Heights

Seesaw Protects Your Privacy

It’s fundamental to our mission and business. Learn more about our longstanding privacy promises in our Privacy Center.

Let's Work Together to Elevate Learning

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Seesaw is the best interactive learning platform for PreK-5. Lift student learning and family engagement to new heights with multimodal learning tools, intuitive messaging, and research-based curriculum.

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OneNote is a tool that organizes both teachers and  students notes into one seamless platform.  The flexibility of the platform allows students to move around the notes  to where the information is best needed.  Each notebook has sections which can be labeled, pages allow students to post notes as they conduct research("Microsoft OneNote", 2022).  Collaboration of the OneNote share with partners if working in a group -  or leave private if not needed to be shard. No need to worry about losing information simply use the keyword search to find all instances of the term to allow students to access that notebook. Students needing differentiation in instructing can take advantage of the dictation tool or inserting an audio recording in lieu of writing which works best for students struggling with either comprehensive or physical limitations.   Creativity is fostered when students take advantage of the extension of the Web Clipper, which allows webpages to be saved to the notebook in the section where that information is most needed.

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This platform encourages parental viewing of work once student work is released by the teacher.  Teachers can post homework for  students, upload lessons,  Differential is notable in how students chose in completing, responding to and submitting work, draw an image, take a photo from camera roll, upload from the web, add links, record a response narrate, and submission is available for both individual and group work("Seesaw | Elevate Learning in Elementary", 2022).

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Applied Digital Skills supports project-based learning for students, as the platform's goal offers extensions where students are able to create an assignment to demonstrate their mastery by having to create a budget upon completing work in Google Sheets("Digital Teaching Tools - Applied Digital Skills", 2022).  Differentiation is found in the extensions that are at the end of the video and modeled activity, students may access the video and watch the steps at their own pace, some lessons promote collaboration, when assigned the teacher can allow the students to choose groups or teacher assign, via the Google Classroom or post in chat depending on the class delivery method.  When students create the project the extensions, student retain creative ownership of their work.

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One Note  helps student to plan and manage the design process, as the setup of the platform is totally up to the students discretion("ISTE", 2022).  The feature to share or keep private helps in managing the design process that allows students to considers design constraints and calculated risks.

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Seesaw promotes students use of technology, both as a user to submit work as well as a recipient of feedback from peers, and teachers("ISTE", 2022).  The variety of options to post to student journal ranging from video, photo, drawing, or linking content improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

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The Applied Digital Skills platform includes rigorous lessons where students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems, computer programming students would be challenged following the steps to create an editing tool with programming("ISTE", 2022).  The step by step demonstrates the problem solving technique when working with problems.

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Diigo supports project-based learning for students, in that once the digital annotations have been set up by teachers, students have a sense of what direction to take, but the flexibility to access resources from peers is also present.  Differentiation can be in the delivery method of the annotations, altered assignment as well as active communication via the platform.  Students may be required to post a certain number of posts for each level of the PBL embarked upon("Diigo - Better reading and research with annotation, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving, bookmarking & more.", 2022).  Diigo encourages student engagement and participation through the posts teachers upload that require a response.  As students have individualized accounts, the images that are selected will be specific to the topic of discussion., and could inspire personal uniqueness and creativity in students.

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Diigo encourages students to curate information from digital resources when teachers create virtual post it notes, it provides students with a resource that is at the students discretion to implement in their studies("ISTE", 2022).

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Looking to get students collaborating about topics posed in class, expound upon a idea, fostering creativity and individuality; WordPress offers students the platform to create content, insert images, allow for feedback from visitors once published through drag and drop option.  While not free to host, the domain name, templates are free("WordPress.com: Fast, Secure Managed WordPress Hosting", 2022).

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What is WordPress? At its core, WordPress is the simplest, most popular way to create your own website or blog. In fact, WordPress powers over 40.0% of all the websites on the Internet. Yes - more than one in four websites that you visit are likely powered by WordPress.

On a slightly more technical level, WordPress is an open-source content management system licensed under GPLv2, which means that anyone can use or modify the WordPress software for free. A content management system is basically a tool that makes it easy to manage important aspects of your website - like content - without needing to know anything about programming.

The end result is that WordPress makes building a website accessible to anyone - even people who aren't developers.

What Kinds Of Websites Can WordPress Make?

Many years ago, WordPress was primarily a tool to create a blog, rather than more traditional websites. That hasn't been true for a long time, though. Nowadays, thanks to changes to the core code, as well as WordPress' massive ecosystem of plugins and themes, you can create any type of website with WordPress.

For example, not only does WordPress power a huge number of business sites and blogs, it's also the most popular way to create an eCommerce store as well! With WordPress, you can create:

Here's how to install a WordPress theme.

What's The Difference Between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?

We've covered the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com in a lot more detail, but here's the short version:

WordPress.org, often called self-hosted WordPress, is the free, open-source WordPress software that you can install on your own web host to create a website that's 100% your own.

WordPress.com is a for-profit, paid service that is powered by the WordPress.org software. It's simple to use, but you lose much of the flexibility of the self-hosted WordPress.

Most of the time, when people say "WordPress", they mean the self-hosted WordPress available at WordPress.org. If you want to truly own your website, self-hosted WordPress.org is almost always the best option.

All you need to do to get started with self-hosted WordPress is purchase web hosting and a domain name.

Who Made WordPress And How Long Has It Been Around?

WordPress was created as a standalone project all the way back in 2003, originating as an offshoot of a previous project called b2/cafelog.

WordPress is open-source software, so nowadays it's made by a huge community of contributors. But if we were to trace WordPress' origins back to its roots, its original creation was a collaboration between Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little.

Since then, Matt Mullenweg has largely become the face of WordPress. And he's also the founder of Automattic, which is the company behind the for-profit WordPress.com service.

The history of WordPress between its founding as a blog platform back in 2003 and today is a long one...

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But suffice it to say, WordPress has pushed forward and, thanks to its contributors and huge community, developed into the most popular solution to create any type of website.

Who Uses WordPress?

WordPress is used by individuals, big businesses, and everyone in between! On an immediate note, we use WordPress! So the very site that you're looking at right now is powered by WordPress. Lots of other well-known entities use WordPress as well. Here are some of our favorite examples:

Whitehouse.gov

The official Whitehouse.gov website is powered by WordPress:

Microsoft

Microsoft uses WordPress to power its official blog. It also uses WordPress to power blogs for specific products like Windows and Skype:

The Rolling Stones

Even famous bands love WordPress! The Rolling Stones' website is powered entirely by WordPress:

Why Should You Use WordPress?

Ok, so over 40.0% of all the websites on the Internet are using WordPress, including well-known entities like the White House and Microsoft.

But what about you? Why should you use WordPress?

Well, no matter what type of website you want to create, there are plenty of reasons to use WordPress. Here are some of the biggest:

WordPress Is Free And Open Source

One of the biggest benefits of WordPress is that it's free, open-source software. While you will need to pay a little bit for hosting, you will never have to pay just to use the WordPress software, which isn't the case with alternatives like Squarespace.

Beyond that, you can also find lots of open-source plugins and themes to change how your website looks and functions. Speaking of....

WordPress Is Extensible

Even if you aren't a developer, you can easily modify your website thanks to WordPress' huge ecosystem of themes and plugins:

Themes - these primarily change how your website looks.

Plugins - these primarily change how your website functions. Plugins can be something small, like a contact form, or huge, like creating an eCommerce store.

Currently, there are over 50,000 free WordPress plugins and 5,000 free WordPress themes, as well as tons of premium options. That to say - you have plenty of choices! Here is a hand-picked list of the best WordPress plugins.

WordPress Is Easy To Install

Think you need to be a tech genius to create your own website? Think again! If you can click a few buttons, you can install WordPress on your site.

Nowadays, most web hosts either:

Offer to preinstall WordPress for you so that your site is ready to go right away.

Give you dedicated tools that make the install process very beginner-friendly.

WordPress Is Flexible

We've touched on this already, but WordPress is great because it lets you create pretty much any type of website. Better yet, your website can also evolve with you.

Want to add a forum to your existing WordPress site? No problem - just install the bbPress plugin! Want to add a social network? No worries! Just use the BuddyPress plugin.

You're never locked into a specific set of functions - you can always adapt and evolve.
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So What Is WordPress? It's The Best Way To Build A Website

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What Is WordPress? Explained for Beginners

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What is WordPress? At its core, WordPress is the simplest, most popular way to create your own website or blog. In fact, WordPress powers over 33% of all the websites on the Internet. Yes - more than one in four websites that you visit are likely powered by WordPress.

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WordPress.com supports project-based learning for students, because students are able to explore and make meaning connections through the annotations created by the teacher in advance("WordPress.com: Fast, Secure Managed WordPress Hosting", 2022).  Students are able to engage and collaborate with peers, conduct brainstorming sessions from guided questions provided, allows for differentiation in that the final product is dependent upon student discretion as to the delivery and student's creativity.

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Wordpress.com supports the ISTE plant of Global Collaborator as the students can use Wordpress.com to create websites which once publishes is on the world wide web .  This function allows students to receive feedback through digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning("ISTE", 2022).

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StoryboardThat embodies the Creative Communication plank when students demonstrate the abiilty to create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creation, such as a comic strip("ISTE", 2022).

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Class Dojo supports project-based learning for students in that teachers rely on classroom management to support a great learning environment.  Student grouping can be customized, which can help with differentiation through identifying specific skills which teacher wants to focus on, through the points system("ClassDojo", 2022). The options to change the look of the Avatar to be unique to either the holidays, birthdays or special event.  Parents are encouraged to accept the invite link for access to the platform.  To support students working on a PBL, teachers can set the skills to reflect each phase of the PBL system, and provide feedback to students.

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ClassDojo is an online behavior management system to promote positive behavior.  Class Dojo is a collaborative platform providing teachers a safe space to communicate student progress and classroom news to parents.  Students are provided a platform to display their work, create videos or digital portfolios("ClassDojo",2022).

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ClassDojo helps teachers, parents, and students build amazing classroom communities.

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Class Dojo supports the ISTE plank of Digital Citizen, due largely in part to the behavioral management system that has students actively being mindful to engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices("ISTE", 2022).

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An online platform where teachers are able to seamlessly merge multiple productivity services offered by Google into one centralized location.  Users are able to create unique classes, assign and grade work, import videos from alternative portals such as YouTube, create surveys, assessments, Presentations, utilize the chat features to communicate("Classroom | Google for Education", 2022).

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Google Classroom supports project-based learning for students, through uploading documents from the Google Platform such as Docs, Forms, Slides, etc.("Classroom | Google for Education", 2022). Teachers can pose questions to get students thinking, to form personal opinions, when they respond, the feedback can be posted to a  spreadsheet add-on  called Autocrat, that the teacher can set up in advance.  This document will be a resource for students to review.  Another option can be to post an Announcement with the ability to had a discussion take place, or feedback through posting independently, or privately to the teacher.    Differentiation is possible in the Google Classroom platform through modified assignments, preset check-ins privately inquiring of the student if assistance is needed, other ways to differentiate  using the Google classroom platform are the administrating of formative assessments, increase student engagement through extensions , participation,  inspire personal uniqueness and creativity in students through the embedded tools where students are able to create new and original works as the project gains momentum.

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The Google Classroom Platform forges a path through the immersion apps and add-ons, which sees students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes("ISTE", 2022).

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Microsoft OneNote  Google Applied Digital Skills and SeeSaw are beneficial for use with the Asynchronous Learning Environment.

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Microsoft OneNote  Google Applied Digital Skills and SeeSaw are beneficial for use with the Asynchronous Learning Environment.

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WordPress, Diigo, and Poll Everywhere are best for Synchronous Learning Environment

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WordPress, Diigo, and Poll Everywhere are best for Synchronous Learning Environment

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Google Classroom, Class Dojo & Storyboard That are useful in both Synchronous & Asynchronous Learning Environment

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Google Classroom, Class Dojo & Storyboard That are useful in both Synchronous & Asynchronous Learning Environment

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Tools for Project-Based Learning | Common Sense Education

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Top PBL tools for helping students plan and carry out complex work. Explore this Tools for Project-Based Learning Top Picks list of 24 tools curated by Common Sense Education editors to find relevant and engaging edtech solutions for your classroom.