iLearn Technology – Page 15 – Integrating technology in the classroom

Here is Today: a web app to put time in perspective

July 10, 2013Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment19188 views

What it is: Here is today is an interesting little web app that helps students visualize time in a new way. Students start out by seeing a square and a title that says “here is today” with the current date. When students click “okay” at the bottom, they are taken to a visual of the next step in. Students can see where the day is falling within the month, the year, the century, the millennium, the epoch, the period, the era, the eon, the earth, life, oxidation, fish, insects, reptiles, mammals, birds, humans, and the universe. Each stage of the graphic has an arrow pointing out how today (whatever day that happens to be) compares in the grander scheme of things. Pretty cool!

How to integrate Here is Today into the classroom: Here is Today is an outstanding way to help students understand where they are in place in time. They can see where they are and then compare it to the larger history of the world and universe. Obviously, this is a natural fit into a history or biology class. Here is Today would also make a great object lesson in math and be great for studying comparison and scale. It would also make for a great philosophical discussion as we realize just how minute the moment we are living in really is.

Here is Today is a great site for students to explore and inquire about independently. What questions arise as they explore the site? After students have investigated and come up with their own lines of inquiry, gather back as a classroom community and discuss those lines of inquiry and the thinking that led to them. If you happen to follow the IB Primary Years Program, this fits in great to “Where are we in place and time” inquiry.

Here is Today would also be a useful visual on an interactive whiteboard or projector-connected computer where a class can observe and explore together during discussion. The way that the site compares time is seriously smart.

Here is Today could launch an interesting creative writing assignment. Invite each student to explore the site and to choose a view. The story should be written based on the point of view and time that they chose. This could be a new way to explore setting, time and theme.

Tips: Here is Today reminds me a little bit of the Scale of Life site that I wrote about here. Using these sites together could be pretty epic. Talk about a great sense of our place in the universe!

Are you using Here is Today in your classroom? Share your experience in the comments below!

Camp Virtual by Common Sense Media

June 28, 2013Kelly Tenkely6 Comments14790 views

What it is: Summer time always seems to be a much-anticipated time for a little rest and relaxation. Over the years I’ve heard from hundreds of parents how much they enjoy the summer months with their kids…until they reach July. This is when the “I don’t know what to do” sets in and boredom can take over. Common Sense Media is here to help with those in-between moments when it is too hot to play outside and you prefer that they do something more meaningful than plop in front of the TV for a few hours. Send them to virtual camp! The virtual camp is a library of apps, games and websites that will help your kids retain all of the skills they built up over the school year and even build some new ones in anticipation of the new school year. Recommendations are broken up by age (2-17) and have been further divided by categories including: Outdoor Exploration, Scavenger Hunt, Arts and Crafts, Campfire Friends, Indoor Activities, and Talent Show. Each recommendation is rated with books. You are looking for 3 books for an engaging, exceptional learning activity!

How to integrate Camp Virtual by Common Sense Media into the classroom: Camp Virtual is a great way to keep kids learning throughout the summer. Parents will be extra appreciative of the recommendations for worth-while and safe places for their kids to play while they are at home. Each activity includes a learner rating and gives a great description of the activity as well as the learning that is tied to it.

Camp Virtual has a guide that can be downloaded and sent home with students at the end of the school year. Too late for that? Send a “hope you are having a wonderful summer” email with the guide and a link to the site.

When the weather is nice, I am a HUGE fan of kids getting out and enjoying experiential learning. However; I know that like all of us, they hit the point of no return when they are hot, tired, crabby and just need a change of activity in a cooler location. These recommendations of games and activities is a great reprieve for those moments!

Tips: I love that at the bottom of each page there are some recommendations for parents to continue the learning beyond the game or activity. Things like “Encourage kids to come up with as many different solutions as they can with each game. Ask them which solutions are most efficient.”

Are you using Camp Virtual? Share your experience in the comments below!

Student Freelance: connecting talented students with employers for freelance work

June 27, 2013Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2451 views

What it is: Student Freelance aims to connect talented American educated students (sorry, for now this is US only) with employers who want to utilize those talents. Students get an opportunity to put their talents and passions to work while earning money, gaining experience, and making connections with others in their fields of interest. Employers win because they get a cost-effective solution and the opportunity to scale up. The added benefit is the apprenticeship opportunity that exists here.

How to integrate Student Freelance into the classroom: If your students are anything like ours, they are wildly talented and passionate. They continue to amaze me with the ways that they push themselves to learn in areas of passion. I’ve had several students ask if I could connect them with someone at Google or Pixar so they can start putting their skills to work. 🙂 While I don’t always have that ability, I can now point them to Student Freelance. This offers students the ability to share their skills and passions with the world, while becoming contributing citizens now. It is also a great opportunity for your students to begin building up an authentic work-experience portfolio while they are still in school as learners.

Jobs are listed by areas of skill expertise and passion. The opportunity can be a freelance job on location, or in some cases, a freelance job that they can complete from anywhere in the US by connecting online.

I’m looking through all of the freelance offerings of students and wondering…could schools utilize these students as a sort of adjunct teacher/mentor for students at their own school? This could be a cool way to support students and make valuable connections.

Tips: Spread the word to local businesses that Student Freelance is an option! I’m not sure most business owners would know to look here. It is a great mission to support!

Are you using Student Freelance? Share your experience in the comments below!

Math Class Needs a Makeover: videos, inquiry, math stories and more

June 18, 2013Kelly Tenkely1 Comment3581 views

What it is: I’ve had the great fortune of time to go through my Google Reader favorites this week as I prepare for the shutdown (still bitter about that!). The unexpected benefit I’ve had from Google Reader’s demise? The forced opportunity to go back through and be reminded of some of the truly amazing people and resources in education. Dan Meyer is one of my all time favorite math geniuses. He reminds us that math is more than computation, it is a frame of mind and an outlook on the world. If your math program isn’t that…it is time to change! As I went back through the resources of Dan’s that I had tagged, I re-watched his TEDx Talk: Math Class Needs a Makeover. If you haven’t seen this TED Talk, or haven’t watched it in a while…now is the time. I’ve embedded the talk above for your viewing pleasure…you don’t even have to go anywhere! If you have watched it recently, be a friend and share it with someone else.

Dan also has some other really useful mathspiration. His blog, dy/dan, is a source of math prompts and discussions that will have you thinking beyond computation. 101Questions is a project that encourages students to think about math through photo prompts and inquiry. Graphing Stories is STINKING fantastic, Dan offers a printout for your students, they can then watch any video and graph the story. AWESOME describes this resource. Three Act Math is a curricula that Dan developed, click on the links within the doc to get to the resources. Again…AWESOME. Geometry curricula offers you Dan’s handouts, pdfs, powerpoint and keynote presentations. Algebra curricula offers the same.

THANK YOU Dan for sharing your passion for mathematics, your inspiration for those of us who aren’t as naturally inclined to geek out about math, and for your openness of resources.

How to integrate Dan Meyer’s awesomeness into the classroom: Dan makes it really easy for you to integrate his methods into your classroom. Everything you need from inspiration, to mathematical story sets, to curricula materials is available. If you teach math, the obvious place to start is with the type of math that you teach. Dan’s resources are mostly intended for high school students use. However, as I looked through his resources again, I think they could be appropriate for students in elementary school as well.

101Questions is a great way to have your kids enter an inquiry mindset as they approach math. These are photos that ask your students what the first thing that comes to mind is. Students can type in their answer and get a new prompt. These would be a great way to start your class using a projector or interactive whiteboard. Have your class inquire and come up with questions together. Students can also do this as an independent activity and then share their questions with other students.

Graphing Stories speaks for itself. Again, it is geared toward secondary students, but I think that given enough support, primary students would really enjoy engaging math this way too. (Sometimes we don’t give students enough credit for where an interest can take their thinking. Case in point: Anastasis 2nd and 3rd graders who know Fibonacci inside and out. Normally you wouldn’t see the concept until high school or later.)

The Three Act Math is also a favorite of mine. Use Dan’s three acts, or use his as inspiration for creating your own!

Dan’s resources hit on every level of Bloom’s Taxonomy…that alone is good reason to stop reading this and go on your own exploration!

Tips: Dan is great to follow on Twitter...a constant stream of 140 character mathspiration!

How are you using Dan Meyer’s Awesome in your classroom? Leave a comment below!

Send Anywhere- share files between mobile and non-mobile devices

June 13, 2013Kelly Tenkely1 Comment4907 views

What it is: Send anywhere is a super handy app for iDevices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) or Android devices. With it, you can share photos, videos, contacts or any other file easily with other iPhone/iPad, Android, or website. There is no user account to create, simply enter the one-time key that you are given to receive the files. With Send Anywhere you select the file, photo or video, contact, etc. Next you can choose to generate a QR code that can be scanned, share a key for receiving files using text message or email, or scan for devices that are nearby. You can also choose to upload the file to a server where multiple users can then download the file for a set amount of time. The receiver of the file can either enter a one-time key code, scan the QR code on your device, make their device discoverable or go to the http://send-web.com website on a computer web browser to receive the file.

How to integrate Send Anywhere into the classroom: Send Anywhere is a great way to share files quickly with students or colleagues. This is also an easy way for students to share their work with each other or with you. Because it doesn’t require a login, it is ideal for young students who may not have an email address to send you their work. Send Anywhere is super versatile. Even if your students aren’t all using the same devices, you can share files seamlessly using one of the Send Anywhere options.

Often at Anastasis, our students bring their devices on field trips for note taking and photos. When they return to school, they are always excited to share what they collected on the field trip. Often one student gets the perfect shot that others in the class would like shared. With Send Anywhere, this transaction could happen quickly without the student with the picture spending a lot of time transferring it to the other devices. On other occasions, we ask students to leave their iPads at school and a teacher acts as moment capturer. When students get back to school to reflect, the teacher is able to quickly share the learning evidences for students to include in reflection blog posts or projects.

Did you create a file that you would like to share with students? Use Share Anywhere to distribute digital rubrics, syllabi, instructions, etc. Students can quickly enter a keycode and access anything they need. Send Anywhere could also be a great way for students to “turn in” their digital work. Again, this is a fantastic option for students that don’t have their own email address to send from.

Our students create portfolios that they share at our end of the year Storyline (essentially a celebration of all the growth that has happened over the year), we invite families to come join this celebration. So often, parents want a copy of their children’s digital work. On the display that students create, they could share the Share Anywhere key code, or QR code. This would also work for identity day presentations, science fairs, etc. Work and research can be shared through Share Anywhere.

Tips: Share Anywhere is a fabulous invention. I’ve long wished for AirDrop on the iPad to share files quickly between my own devices. This isn’t currently available but is being released in iOS7. Until then, Share Anywhere is the perfect solution. For the long-term, Share Anywhere is a great option when you have a variety of device types.

Price: Free

Device: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

Requirements: iOS 5.0 or later

8 alternatives to Google Reader

June 12, 2013June 12, 2013Kelly Tenkely9 Comments5819 views

I’ve been in mourning over Google’s decision to shut down Reader. MOURNING. Honestly, I love having a centralized location for all of my favorite blogs. It is like my own customized newspaper delivered each morning. I’ve been using Google Reader since about 2007, and in that time I’ve amassed an enormous collection of favorites. Whenever I find something I want to remember or be able to go back and read, I Tweet it out and then immediately favorite it. I can’t tell you how often I go to my Reader when I’m remembering something great that I favorited that I want to revisit or share. Daily.

Google Reader is closing the door on July 1st. I’ve been trying to pretend that this day isn’t coming. Denial won’t stop it. Today I decided to settle in and start going through my favorites to save them to my Pinterest boards. I’ve found some great alternatives for Google Reader, but I have yet to find one that transfers both current RSS feeds and favorites. I talked to Feedly on Twitter and they said that they are working on it. I haven’t seen this feature added yet. Not willing to lose all of those favorites, I’m going through the painstaking process of saving them elsewhere. On the upside: I’m being reminded of the brilliance I’m surrounded by online.

If you are looking for a replacement RSS feed reader (say for your favorite blog…*ahem*) here are some great alternatives.

1. The Old Reader is in beta, it was built to be a replacement for Google Reader. It looks a whole lot like the Google Reader you know and love. For those super geeks (own it!) you can even use the same keyboard shortcuts. This option is free but is currently browser-based only…no mobile apps yet. Alas, that is where I do the majority of my reading.

2. Feedly is a good RSS reader alternative. In addition to collecting your RSS feeds for you, it has a news suggestion algorithm that will suggest other articles that you will probably find interesting. Great unless you have a reader like I do…then it becomes an endless rabbit hole that is hard to walk away from. Feedly also has a great social aspect that makes it easy to share with friends and post to social networks. With Feedly you can choose what type of layout you prefer. You can easily transfer all of your current subscriptions from Google Reader to Feedly. Feedly comes as browser extension and mobile app.

3. News Blur is similar to Google Reader, you can share articles, save for future reading, star them or start your own daily “burblog” of news stories that you want to share with others. It comes in mobile app format. Now the bad news: free accounts are capped at 64 blogs and 10 stories at a time (this would never do for me). Premium users pay $24 a year to subscribe to as many sites as they want. The worse news: currently they aren’t allowing free users to sign up. Dang. It.

4. Pulse lets you keep up on the blogs that you subscribe to, but it primarily recommends stories it thinks you will enjoy. Pulse looks a little more like Feedly and will also let you import your Google Reader feed (mobile version only). Articles can be saved, shared, browsed, sorted by category.

5. NetVibes is a RSS reader and a social aggregation service. Basic accounts are free which will do what you need to follow your feeds. You can add widgets like weather, Twitter, and top news stories to your NetVibe dashboard. The bad news: there aren’t any mobile apps.

6. Feed Demon is not only an RSS reader, it also lets you set up keywords to be alerted about. If a keyword appears in a feed (whether you subscribe to it or not) it will apear in your feed. It also lets you subscribe to podcasts, it automatically stores them in a directory and makes it easy to save them to a mobile device.

7. Flipboard recommends feeds but also lets you subscribe to RSS feeds. The layout is beautiful and looks like a magazine. You can also add your social networks including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It brings your online life together in one place. Favorites can be saved. Flipboard is available for the iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire and Nook.

8. Feedbin makes it easy to subscribe to new feeds by domain or by feed url. You can import your current feeds using the OPML import feature. You can organize all of your feeds by Tags. Just like Google Reader, Feedbin has great keyboard shortcuts that will help you get through your news efficiently. Feedbin is not free, it currently costs $2/month. The biggest benefit (and the reason this will most likely be my choice) you can connect Feedbin to the Reeder app!! I currently use the Reeder app to read my Google Reader feeds. I absolutely LOVE Reeder, It is such a beautiful way to read, save, share, etc. all of my RSS feeds. Reeder is still working out a solution for July 1st. In the mean time, it is available for free in the iTunes app store and you can connect it to Feedbin. Reeder is working out the ability to connect it to other readers as well.

RSS feeds are a great way to bring professional development to your fingertips ever day. Don’t let the demise of Google Reader stop you from learning!

Evernote as an ePortfolio: Postach.io, Voice2Note, StudyBlue

June 11, 2013June 11, 2013Kelly Tenkely3 Comments10770 views

You know what no one tells you about starting a school? That ending a school year is WAY more work than starting a school year. Also, no one warned me that I would be licking cheap envelopes while everyone else was enjoying the freedom of summer. We have just wrapped up our second year of Anastasis Academy. I’m not sure what it is about heading into year 3, but it feels substantial and important. Odd numbers are like that I guess. This feels like the year that all of those nagging things that we wish we had time to tweak are going to happen. Like we have a great groove to work from and now anything is possible. (This could also be the optimism that comes with every summer when schedules are a little looser and there is more time to dream).

I digress… this post is about Evernote and some neat new add-on apps I’ve been playing with. At Anastasis, we use Evernote as our digital portfolio. For the most part, this works brilliantly! Students can record text, images, and audio directly into Evernote. Notes can be shared and emailed to teachers and parents alike. Evernote makes it easy to capture learning that isn’t natively digital in their eportfolio. Snap a picture or create a short audio recording directly in Evernote and the learning is captured, searchable and sharable. All of the incredible projects that our students create during inquiry can be reflected in Evernote portfolios. Another HUGE benefit to the Evernote/iPad combo: it goes with them everywhere. Recording learning on a field trip? Check. Recording learning at home? Check. Recording learning on the fly? Check. Teachers often send students a PDF instructions for an assignment or a picture to the student’s Evernote account. Parents can login to their child’s Evernote account from any computer or iDevice to see what they are working on. Not only is learning captured on the device, but it is stored in the cloud. This means that if a student iPad gets lost, damaged, etc. their work isn’t gone.

Postach.io

Postach.io is quickly becoming my new BFF. You see, we had this truly convoluted way of getting student work from Evernote portfolios to an edublog or an edu 2.0 blog. It worked smoothly about 1% of the time. BUT, we want kids to be able to “publish” their work for the larger community (Anastasis community and the wider education community). Postach.io is the answer to our frustrations!! Here is how it works: Create a pistachio account, click “create site”, authenticate your Evernote account, choose an Evernote notebook subdomain… finished! Postach.io creates blog posts and pages from student notes in Evernote. All the student needs to do is create a note in a Notebook they’ve specified when creating a site. Postach.io then converts those notes to published posts and pages. Add “published” or “page” to the tags in Evernote to publish it to the Postach.io blog. So, now our students can quickly edit their notes to be post worthy, add a little tag, and voila! they have a blog post. Currently Postach.io uses Disqus to add threaded comments. (This is a secondary account for your students to create.)

Voice2Note

Voice2Note is a fantastic way for students to turn their Evernote voice notes into text. Students record their voice (just like they normally do in Evernote), Voice2Note takes that note and converts it into text. Students can even tag their notes by saying “Tag with” at the end of their note! Now students can search even their voice notes! To use Voice2Note, students need to login to the Voice2Note website to register and connect their Evernote account. Then, students just record their voice note as they normally would. The rest gets taken care of by Voice2Note. This is another app that is going to make some of our students HAPPY!! Many students have fantastic ideas but struggle with getting their ideas out in writing. Voice2Note means that they can say their ideas, have them transcribed into text directly in Evernote, and edit from there. Not only is this ideal for struggling writers, it is also helpful for emerging writers who may have a large spoken vocabulary, but their writing is limited by what they know how to spell. Voice2Note could also be really helpful as a pre-writing brainstorming activity, during the design thinking process, or during group discussions. Previously our students were copying/pasting from Dragon Dictation…not a huge problem, but those extra minutes count!

StudyBlue

A connection with a StudyBlue account means that students can turn their Evernote notes into digital flashcards they can study from. Study Blue makes it simple for students to turn their Evernote notes into study guides, digital flashcards, and quizzes. Students can even set up study reminders. When students create an account with StudyBlue, they have the option to Sync with their Evernote account. The integration will create a new notebook in Evernote called “Study Blue.” If students wish to, they can upgrade their account to StudyBlue+ which will allow them to share their study guides and flashcards, merge with other teachers and students. StudyBlue gives students more efficiency in their school lives. They can easily maximize their time by taking notes in Evernote (or recording voice notes and using Voice2Note to make them text) and seamlessly creating study materials with StudyBlue. Students can download the StudyBlue app to their device or log on via web browser.

***Please note that while we use iPads for our Evernote eportfolios, it isn’t necessary! Any device that has a web browser will work (even that dusty old desktop in the corner of your classroom) and all of the add-on’s mentioned above will work with or without an iPad.

We use lots of other apps that enhance our Evernote portfolio experience because of their integration with Evernote. Click here for a guide I made last year with some of our favorites!

Science of Everyday Life

May 16, 2013Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment10342 views

What it is:
Discovery Education and 3M have partnered to bring the science of everyday life into your classroom. This fantastic collection of resources is for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. On the site you will find videos and interactives that help kids learn about the science around them and make connections to what they are learning in school. Lessons are inquiry based and encourage exploration in life science, physical science, earth science and technology/innovation. Virtual labs are interactive flash-based labs where students can discover more about science like wind energy. At the Innovation HQ portion of the site, students can travel through time and look at innovations that they use in their every day life and “meet” 3M scientists. On the Student page, students can see a young inventors hall of fame.

How to integrate Science of Everyday Life into the classroom: The Science of Everyday Life is packed FULL of great videos, lesson ideas, virtual interactives and student activities. I really appreciate that the approach to lessons is inquiry based! The lessons include great resources and encourage students to ask questions and dig deeper. The virtual investigations and labs are also really well done.

Content is separated out by grade level, quickly find exactly what best fits your classroom needs!

The travel through time feature is really neat for students to explore. This could be done as a class using a projector-connected computer or interactive whiteboard or used as a center exploration or individual activity in a 1:1 or lab setting. Split students into smaller teams or have them explore a specific time period independently. The timeline gives some basic information, and would be a great launching point for further investigation. Students could turn this into a larger project where they connect the innovation from history with innovations today. What learning had to take place in the past, in order for the innovation that we have today? This would make a great compare/contrast activity for students.

Because Discovery Education is involved, you can anticipate high quality videos and related resources.

Tips: The resources and interactives on the Science of Everyday Life are largely Java and Flash based. If you are running these resources off an iPad, you will want to use an app like Rover (which allows you to view Flash), Photon, iSwifter, etc.

I’ve been nominated for a Bammy Award for Educational Blogger. I’d appreciate your vote to help spread the word about iLearn Technology. Vote here. Thank you for your continued support!!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Science of Everyday Life in your classroom.

NBC Learn: Science behind the news

May 8, 2013Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment4036 views

What it is:
NBC Learn has some fantastic free resources for teachers and students. One of these freebies is called Science Behind the News. In partnership with the National Science Foundation, NBC explores the science, technology and engineering found in current events. Here, you will find a collection of videos that introduce students to the science found in the world around them and current events. Students can learn about everything from quantum computing, to predictive policing, to crowdsourcing and weather phenomenon. Each video is around 5 minutes long and are well produced.

How to integrate NBC Learn into the classroom: I am a HUGE fan of embedded learning. Learning that is in context just makes sense. The learning is richer because students are able to make real connections to the foundational understandings that they already have. In addition, this type of learning gives them an idea of how the learning that happens in the classroom is connected to life. With Science Behind the News, students are able to see connections to the world right now. These clips encourage students to be curious about the world around them, and to dig into the bigger “why” of how things work. I like the thinking that is encouraged here. It is really modelling curiosity beyond just passively listening to a news story.

These clips are a wonderful way to kick off a new science unit, as a resource during inquiry, or for students and classes just to explore. Students can use these clips as a starting point for further research, a “spark” for more learning. Each student could choose a different video to watch and then conduct some research to learn more. Where else is the science used? How has our thinking about a topic changed over time as we have learned more about it? What math is involved? Help your students to see that subjects don’t happen in isolation in real life. Science is connected with social studies, math, literacy, history, sports, art, economics, discovery, etc. Can they find the overlaps in learning?

Tips: NBC Learn has other outstanding resources including: science in golf, science in hockey, science in football, chemistry now, fishing the dream, sinking the titanic, science of the winter Olympics, science of the summer Olympics, writers speak to kids and science in innovation. Check them all out!

I’ve been nominated for a Bammy Award for Educational Blogger. I’d appreciate your vote to help spread the word about iLearn Technology. Vote here. Thank you for your continued support!!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using NBC Learn in your classroom.

Smithsonian Quests: Learning through discovery and collaboration

May 7, 2013Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment3701 views

What it is:
Smithsonian Quests encourage students to explore learning through discovery and collaboration. As students learn, they can earn digital badges for their quests. Students can explore their own interest through a series of online activities while incorporating knowledge and skill-building in the online quests. The quests ask students to explore a topic of interest as part of a standards-based curriculum or as a student-driven after school activity. By signing up for Smithsonian Quests, you will receive an invitation to join a grade-level based group in the Smithsonian Quest Community. Students from kindergarten through adult learners can join Smithsonian Quest and collect badges.

How to integrate Smithsonian Quests into the classroom: Smithsonian Quests is a great program that connects transdisciplinary learning with digital badges. As your class works through the site, they will start to realize how they have been learning, exploring, connecting and acting. Students can unlock a badge by completing a set of quests that go with it. Some Quests are independent and others are collaborative. Quests get reviewed by a group of “specially selected experts” before badges are awarded. Badges include: oral historian, historical biographer, cool curator, cultural storyteller, portrait reader, community historian, symbols spotter, correspondent, dirt detective, art advocate, environ-scientist, culture keeper, eco-journalist, time traveler, H2O hero, conservation campaigner, invasions investigator and tree hugger. Quests include things like listening to audio, taking pictures, recording, etc. As you can see, there are quests for every interest!

When students sign up for quests, they get invited into a group (class group when the teacher sets up the account), can add friends, see the badges they have collected, and view friends who are online. Students also get an online journal where they can reflect on learning or update their status with the kind of learning they are doing.

I like that these quests can be done collaboratively (a whole class goal to earn the digital badges by learning?) and that they are largely discovery based learning. The quests really challenge students to dig deeper in learning and often lead to additional questions. Quests can also be completed individually by students. Students can explore areas that are high-interest for them. These Smithsonian Quests would be a fantastic end of the year project where students are driving their own learning but working toward a known goal. Spend the last week of school with a time for students to share their learning with others.

As we head into summer break in the United States, consider suggesting Smithsonian Quests to parents as a great summer-time learning opportunity.

Tips: Register for free and have a look around to see all of the cool opportunities for your classroom!

I’ve been nominated for a Bammy Award for Educational Blogger. I’d appreciate your vote to help spread the word about iLearn Technology. Vote here. Thank you for your continued support!!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Smithsonian Quests in your classroom.