https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq Please find descriptions for multiple platforms which can be used in varying disciplines at the middle school and high school level. en-us 2020-08-04 19:07:16 UTC 2025-10-11 16:48:02 UTC hello@padlet.com thopkins22 https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669387486

Kami: Assessing essays, as you can imagine, can be incredibly time consuming. However, Kami is an assessment tool which easily links to Google Classroom. It can be used for any discipline, but its uses in essay assessments are where it really shines. Teachers can upload an assignment directly through Google Classroom to do via Kami. When students finish and submit, via Google Classroom, the teacher access their work via Kami to give feedback. There, teachers can record audio files and upload them to specific sections of work for students to listen to. They can, as with docs or other files, provide written feedback as well. However, it is in its audio feature where Kami really stands out. Check it out here. 

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LitTrips via Google: To help students develop a deeper and more personal connection to a text, they can actually walk in the same shoes online, as if they were the character. This is possible with Google Earth and is known as a Lit Trip. Teachers add pins on Google maps and can write their own descriptions, including new vocabulary terms of questions. They set this journey which students must follow, answering questions or collecting information on the way. Here is an example.

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News ELA: NewsELA offers English (and other disciplinary teachers) graded resources, including articles, journals, and essays, on varying topics. One instance I have used it was for instruction on Freud's theory on the ego when reading Lord of the Flies. NewsELA offers vocabulary builder tools, such as hyperlinks and extra definitions, and graded language on top of this, to help teach students of all levels difficult topics.

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Google Expedition: Google Expedition utilizes Street View, or a selection of 360 panoramic images, as a sort of museum wherein students can click on certain points to learn more. Teachers can also use multiple scenes or slides. For instance, teachers can provide instruction on the pyramids from 360 images of inside the tombs, where students walk through and click on certain objects to learn more. The same can be done with the solar system. Click here to learn how to do it. 

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Escape Rooms: This fun activity can be used for multiple disciplines. At the end of a unit, test students understanding of the content by creating an escape room wherein they have to review certain topics and then answer a series of questions which provide the answer to locks in order to escape. Use Google Forms to create said locks and Thinglink to create the escape room itself. Thinglink looks similar to Google Expedition but you can do so much more than simply write text. You can embed outside media such as YouTube or Jigsaw Builder posts. Here is my own example.

]]> 2020-08-04 19:18:46 UTC https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669396491 thopkins22 https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669400464 Khan Academy: Khan Academy, founded by Salman Khan, is a website built on the philosophy of competency, self-paced learning. Students watch instructional videos on particular topics, say algebra, and then are given a set of questions to answer. Only when they are competent enough to answer all questions do they proceed to the next stage. Here is one of their science videos.]]> 2020-08-04 19:23:09 UTC https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669400464 thopkins22 https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669404244

Google Science Journal: This is a fairly new interactive feature from Google. Students can access a plethora of pre-created experiments and lessons which teach the scientific method through a myriad of empirical experiments. Students can use tablets or their phones to physically test sound, light, pressure, or movement, and then they can record the results. Check it out here. 

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Mathspace.co: Mathspace is a smart platform which can be used to provide instruction and assess students, similar to Khan Academy. However, Mathspace is a little different as it tailors content based on student responses based in real time. It provides instruction and gives immediate feedback. See more here. 

]]> 2020-08-04 19:33:40 UTC https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669409901 thopkins22 https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669412001 If you are interested in having students start a blog, whether it is to have discussions before or after content, or to share what they have learnt in an online, digital portfolio, there are a few platforms which can be handy. Blogger and Edublogs are traditional types of blogs where students can create posts or respond to others. However, if you're looking for something a little more interactive, try Flipgrid, which can be used as an online vlog for students in a class, where they can create or respond to one another's posts. ]]> 2020-08-04 19:36:02 UTC https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669412001 thopkins22 https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669417250 Geogebra: Geogebra is an online collection of resources for maths and science classes from primary school level up to university. They offer instructional videos, handouts/worksheets, tasks and assignments, and even some lesson plans, some of which created by the developers themselves, but most from third party uploaders. Essentially, it is a shared teaching community for maths and science teachers to come together. ]]> 2020-08-04 19:41:48 UTC https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669417250 thopkins22 https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669421795 GIMP: Excuse the name. GIMP is a free art program that is just as good as most paid art programs. Although, to reiterate, it is completely free (maybe because of its poorly chosen name). There are multiple brushes, tools, and features which allow students to create a myriad of different styles and design various creations. Here is a tutorial. ]]> 2020-08-04 19:47:00 UTC https://padlet.com/thopkins22/sr1bvqlf7ps61nbq/wish/669421795