Collaboration

[] or Sign up or locate other educators who wish to partner up for educational purposes. Students from different parts of the country or the world can become Skype "penpals." Different cultures or regions can be studied, as well as historically significant places. A read-aloud book between the two classes can be discussed. Comparisons between the views of a historical event, such as, the Revolutionary War. A classroom in Great Britain may learn about the Revolutionary War from a very different viewpoint. [] This blog helps connect authors and students with Skype visits. Many authors offer 15 min. visits for free. Students could study a particular topic or book and create discussion questions to discuss with the author. If it was a read aloud book, students could create questions for the author (with the teacher's help) as they are reading. Once the book has been completed, a compilation of the most significant questions could be made. Another quick talk from an author would be to find out about the process they go through to write a book, even how/where they get their ideas. [] This is a collaborative tool to use for designing and diagramming. Many icons are available, as well as drawing tools to create pictures. You also have the option to download your own pictures into the diagram you are creating. Collaborators can both be working on the diagram at the same time, and with the free account, you are able to create and store 25 different diagram sheets. Its use in the classroom could be collaborative mind-mapping, even as a class. Use of this tool with a Smartboard would be a neat mindmapping tool for students. Students could use it to create a diagram or flowchart to demonstrate knowledge or understanding of a particular topic. Using it to create and fill in a graphic organizer, students could then add icons or pictures. It could be used as a cause and effect chart, a story map, or sequencing flowchart.