Adventures in Digital Technologies: Reflecting with Flippity

Flippity is a great little tool that turns a Google spreadsheet into, well, a LOT of options for reflection and review. I love being able to use a tool that is both easy and free, and Flippity checks both of those boxes! The first thing I tried was a hangman game using the names of the technologies I’ve been looking at.  Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/2U0sonR I also created a word search game.  I LOVE word searches, and have used them to review vocabulary when tutoring ESL students, and I think they are great tools.  One caveat: Flippity’s word searches are...

Adventures in Digital Technologies: Kahoot!, Quizizz, and Wizer.me

Everyone loves assessment. Right? Right? Well, if it can be loved, it can at least be made more interesting than scantron tests and pop quizzes! For instance, Kahoot!  Much better than a scantron test. It’s really easy to use (and they give lots of tips and hints as to how to format things along the way).  This would definitely be a fun way to gamify formative assessment and have students compete for points. I also checked out Quizizz to be able to compare it to Kahoot.  I can see how Quizizz could be a lot of fun for K-12 students...

Adventures in Digital Technologies: Google Sites and Flipgrid

Google Sites. Seriously, where has this been all my life? It’s a nice, free option for students or teachers to create really lovely websites, and it has the bonus of being collaborative (you can share a link for people to edit). I created a small site about studying/online learning.  I was easily able to insert a form, links, and a video.  This would be a great option if you were teaching a distance ed class and wanted your learners to collaborate on a website project.  I really appreciate both the formative assessment potential of adding google forms and how easy...

Adventures in Digital Technologies: Padlet and Answer Garden

One of these technologies impressed me so much that I scribbled its name down on a post-it note and slapped it on my wall, creating basically an analog version of my new favorite program. That program? Padlet. This would make a great addition to just about any classroom.  It’s so interactive, fun, and to me really feels like a great case of technology really supporting the learning.  It has SO many possibilities for collaboration! The first Padlet I created by using their map feature. I plotted out a few US National Parks and found myself in love. Anyone could easily...

Adventures in Digital Technologies: Sutori, Timeline JS, IMG Flip, and Canva

This adventure involved some new technologies and one “old friend.” First up: Sutori.  It was a nice program (I did really like how my test presentation looked in the “present” mode!), but I wasn’t thrilled that videos auto-played in the presentation.  I don’t understand how anyone can think this is a good idea. FULL DISCLOSURE: this is probably super helpful in some specific instance that someone will tell me about, but I find it to be one of the more irritating things on the Internet. That said, I can see how this would be a nice way for students to...

Adventures in Digital Technologies: Exploring with Google Earth

Google Earth. I know. It’s been around since 2005. Sure, I’ve played around with it before, but never with with the mindset of an educator. What an AMAZING resource this is for educators! Google Earth’s Voyager is a resource goldmine.  Quizzes, articles, and games, including one of my childhood favorites, a spin on Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? This game is a brilliant use of Google Earth technology as it includes geography, history, culture, and even science in one fun experience that kids (and this adult!) can really appreciate. I also played with the projects feature.  I was...

Adventures in Digital Technologies: Edpuzzle and Nearpod

I love to learn by really diving into something. Sometimes things just click, and I pick up a new technology quickly. Sometimes it takes a second, but after doing some digging (everything has at least 15 how-to videos on YouTube these days, right? I mean, that’s how I fixed my dishwasher!) I can get things running smoothly and find practical applications for just about anything. With that in mind, I decided to dive into a few new-to-me technologies: Edpuzzle, Nearpod, and QR Codes. Edpuzzle is a platform that allows the user to create, edit, and design video lessons, with the...

It’s me!

Hi, reader! I’m Jess. I do fun things. Board games? Love them. Being outside? As long as I’m in the shade. Making tea and having long conversations with friends? Absolutely. Another fun thing I like is learning. If I seem a little sluggish before my first cup of coffee, it’s probably because I stayed up too late binging biography channels on YouTube. I once took a Serbian course just so that I could learn a new alphabet. I’m currently learning how to design, develop, and deliver engaging learning experiences. To that end, it should come as no surprise that I...