TLED 430 Module 3 Collaborative

Assignment
Web 2.0 Tools to Support Collaborative learning

My name: Amber Krueger

Name of the tool CueThink
Where to access http://www.cuethink.com/
this tool (web
address)
Brief instructions The instructor created an account and provides students with invitation
of how to use the codes to create their own accounts. Once the students have created
tool their accounts and successfully logged in, they should accept the
invitation pop-up to work through the tutorial. This introduces the
students to the features in a step-by-step fashion. It shows them how to
access their individual dashboard, where the instructor posts
assignments called “thinklets”, and also how to access their profile,
where their completed thinklets are saved. The tutorial shows them how
to work through the problems and how to use the multitude of tools
available to them including highlighting passages, striking out passages
that are irrelevant, adding important information to a word bank, etc.
The process of solving each problem walks them through each of the
four steps and each step has even more tools they help them solve the
problem. Students can share their individual thinklets with other
students by posting them in the gallery. The gallery allows students to
view their classmates’ work and even annotate the problems. This allows
them to make comments throughout the thinklet and creates a dialogue
between the students. Along with creating and posting assignments, the
instructor can also access class and individual progress through the
“reports” tab. The “roster” tab allows instructors to add students to their
virtual classroom and issue invitation codes. The instructor can also
switch to “student mode” so that they can experience what their
students are seeing on their end.
Ideas for how the Elementary level:
tool can be used  Can be used in whole class setting to familiarize the younger
in PK-12 students with how to use the app (K-2), whole class lessons, small
guided math groups, partner work, math center rotations (2-5)
 Due to its step-by-step nature, this is an invaluable tool for any
math instructor because they can see each student’s thinking
process and can pinpoint exactly where a student is having
difficulties when solving each problem. The instructor can review
each thinklet critically in order to help remediate student issues.
 The instructor can use their reports on each thinklet to evaluate
where their students need more instruction. They can then
present those problems to the class again as a whole class and
work through it step-by-step together. This gives additional help
to those who need it and reinforces the learning of those who had
success with the problem initially.
Middle and high level:
 The use of the gallery tool to share their work with their
classmates can allow those who have a firm grasp on the content
to mentor others in their class that may be having difficulties with
the content. The tool is made for peer interactions, which can be
a great motivator to foster achievement and critical thinking as
the students seek peer approval. The students should be
encouraged to review their peers’ work and use it to receive aid
or offer aid.
TLED 430 Module 3 Collaborative
Assignment
 Instructors can gain valuable insight through the “reports” tab
and can spot trends as well as individual strengths and
weaknesses.
All levels:
 Assign problems to students that are appropriate for their
individual math level.
 Collaborate with peers on individual problems
 Use it to present entire lessons to the class. Students can also
present their work to their class.
 Students create a digital portfolio that showcases their work.
They can choose to share it with their peers.
 Multistep problems with a variety of way to solve them can be
applied to any grade level
Positives and Positives:
challenges of  Students can collaborate on problems with other students which
using the tool fosters critical thinking and enhances their learning
 The step-by-step breakdown for solving each problem is fantastic
in getting students to critically think and allows them to choose
how they would like to solve each problem. The app is equipped
with a plethora of incredibly helpful tools that help each student
succeed.
 The use of visual, audio, and kinesthetic tools allows each and
every student to achieve success in their own way. They can
record video and audio as well as draw pictures and diagrams to
convey their understanding. This can also be used as a peer
instructional tool which is great.
 The ability to make thinklets private or share them to the gallery
is great for empowering the shier students to make their voices
heard. This is done through the use of the audio or video
recording features and can help them gain the confidence to
share their work with their peers.
 The feedback provided to instructors is invaluable as they can see
exactly where in the thinking process each student needs help.
Challenges:
 The learning curve is pretty steep because it does include so
many features and tools.
 Instructors need more tools to add variety to the problems they
create, like grids, empty tables, etc.
 There needs to be a “text-to-speech” option so that it could reach
a wider audience to include ELL. Language options would also be
helpful.
 Being able to share the student’s progress with their
parents/guardians would be helpful to make it a true collaborative
experience.
 There is a cost associated with the program if it is not purchased
by the school.
 Seems somewhat limited for lower (K-2) and advanced HS maths.
Maybe expanding the content?
Peer’s name: Dawn B
Name of the tool ePals
Where to access www.epals.com
this tool (web
address)
Brief instructions The teacher creates an account and sends invitation codes to individual
TLED 430 Module 3 Collaborative
Assignment
of how to use the students. The teacher can browse the database of participating
tool classrooms around the world and filter by age group, country, language,
and subject content. The teacher will then choose a teacher from the
database and invite them to interact with their own class. Once the
teacher has accepted the invitation, the classrooms are connected and
tools are unlocked. The teachers can correspond with one another
privately and are also able to set up discussion boards, post
assignments, and add activities to the shared dashboard. The teachers
can set up group or one-on-one experiences which can be different time
lengths. The teacher is able to moderate interactions between students
and will receive a sent message before it reaches the other student so
that it may be reviewed for content and appropriateness. The teachers
are able to choose activities from a database and can modify them to fit
their specific needs, or they can create their own activities.
Ideas for how the Middle and high level:
tool can be used  Foreign language: can practice using the language with a native
in PK-12 speaker through use of chat and audio; understanding idioms,
learning correct pronunciation, etc.
 Language arts: can discuss pop culture books and other media to
gain a new perspective on something familiar
 History: share what they know about each other’s countries,
geographies; be able to see how their home country is viewed
from a different perspective
Elementary level:
 Science: can discuss local weather, environment, ecosystems;
discuss field trips they’ve been on in their native countries,
experiments they’ve conducted

Positives and Positives:

challenges of  Great tool for collaboration
using the tool  Enhances computer and communication skills
 Secure and safe
 Teacher moderated
Challenges:
 Can be hard to schedule with a class in a different time zone
 No video interaction
 Adding additional students to a class is time consuming
 Limited to 4th grade and higher by design
Peer’s name: Dawn S.
Name of the tool VoiceThread
Where to access www.voicethread.com
this tool (web
address)
Brief instructions The teacher can register a new account which will initially be the free
of how to use the limited user account. They can then go to their VT profile and upgrade to
tool a “VT educator” account and verify their school information. They can
then invite students to create accounts on VoiceThread. Teachers and
students can import slideshow presentations in multiple formats. The
class is then able to add voiceover commentary or chat to each slide as
well as draw directly on each slide. This makes the experience very
interactive and allows the students to collaborate with one another.
Ideas for how the High school level:
tool can be used  History/Government: Import a political cartoon with empty speech
TLED 430 Module 3 Collaborative
Assignment
in PK-12 bubbles; have the students complete the political cartoon by
adding dialogue, pictures, voiceovers
All levels:
 Students can import their slideshow presentations into
VoiceThread and have the students interact with it in many ways;
classmates can then add their own perspectives to the slides and
share their own ideas
Positives and Positives:
challenges of  Applications in any subject area
using the tool  Great for Middle and High school levels
 Import multiple file formats
Challenges:
 Cost associated for unlimited, full access accounts
 Not geared towards Elementary
 Free accounts and even VT Educator accounts have limited
access in terms of number of students and presentations on their
profile. They also cannot moderate comments on presentations.