Activities with Creative Tools (Using Jamboard) and Why I like and dislike some edtech tools

 Activities with the creativity tools 

As an activity using google slides I can split a passage by paragraphs and paste them on slides. We would focus on the main idea and supporting details. Students will work collaboratively, split into groups of 3. They will be in charge of underlining and color coding the details and the main idea per paragraph.  Modification will be the main goal but at the end they will have to use the jamboard and create an illustrated version of the text. Adding illustrations, arrows and their creativity. They will be in charge of  creating material that can be used by them and other students as anchor charts and guiding tools.  They will essentially teach the lesson themselves at the end by incorporating  a video in the jamboard using the camera tool and briefly describing why that is the main idea and details to other students. Theoretically speaking students learn better when they learn from their peers. This lesson will  give them that opportunity and in the bloom's taxonomy this lesson aims to land at the creating level.

Another activity that can be created using a jamboard is an online flipbook. First I will introduce the text and we will be in charge of finding the sequence of events. Students will be able to split the story into scenes and collaboratively create a paragraph using, first, then, next and last to retell the story. 

The students will validate their choices of events collaboratively and then as a modification activity they will create a flipbook depicting those events with pictures or gifs using jamboard and the google image tool to find “gifs” and retell the story by little motion pictures and an explanation.  Jamboard affordance allows students to make as many pages as they need. Now if they want to redefine this with a video using YouTube and its editor to make a presentation using various types of media that would be excellent and have greater impact.

The problem is that due to the age of my students they're not allowed to use that app until reaching an older age due to privacy concerns. An alternative way will be to create a comic book using google slides. There are very creative ways of doing it and plenty of tutorials that explain how.

In the tpack model this lesson will include all of the TPACK. The teachers knowledge of the content and pedagogical tools to teach the lesson, and the technology that will be used. This will be transferred to students when they reach the redefinition level and use google slides to create another way of showing their understanding of the sequence of events.

Creativity tools are of mighty importance because they are tools that are useful because of their capabilities not by their definition.  The student is the one that controls the content and has control over it.  This gives them the opportunity to do the hand on approach and they can manipulate it and have ownership of their work and create unique pieces. 

Why or why not I like tools...

I really don’t like tools that are constrained to only one place.  Using the iframe tool helps me move and apply them somewhere else as a component of something bigger.  These types of tools offer the instability needed in technology. The user of creativity tools changes its course everyday it is using it.  In comparison to the solid structure of a tutorial video that only provides information and limitations to the user, creativity tools offer a canvas to create new material all the time. To create models and methods to use it and to take it to other levels.  

Drill and practice tools such as education galaxy which is a staar prep page it just entices the student by giving them a game they could play but the step to acquiring it is the same.  Things get boring really quick if you are not good at test taking. There is also no space for collaboration like in the creativity tools I have talked about.  I don’t mind having my students use that tool at their own time and if they enjoy it.  Those who are good at testing will find it interesting but that is a limited number of students.  My goal is for a differentiated approach on their learning and teaching if I’m limited by the program there is no use for me as a teacher. Students can do that on their own.  

Now, there is a typing club app that teaches systematically how to type. Their approach is one that builds on step by step and is very helpful for me. I use that tool to help my students answer faster to online questions and to feel capable when sitting in front of  a keyboard. In that instance it is okay with me to drill kids if it is something that will serve an ulterior motive such as being able to type faster and effectively.  

Stay tuned for more!... This is always a work in progress!!!