Popper? People? Poople? No... Popplet.
You might be asking yourself if I've lost it? No, quite the opposite in fact. Today was a fantastic day! Today, I felt like I was a 21st century teacher. I felt empowered and excited as I watched the students accessing online tools to enhance their learning. I must admit that I've been feeling a little stilted in that area, not because I didn't have great ideas, but because the technology was limited. But we are finally up and running.
Today the students were introduced to Popplet. This is a fantastic site that allows students to design colorful graphic organizers. Above is the start of a Popple that students did as a class as a test run. This site offers students the chance to create linking thoughts. They can add photos, make drawings, and even comment on each others' Popples. They can color code their thinking as well.
The image above shows a Popple based on the character Palmer from the novel Wringer by Jerry Spinelli. Students started with the character in the center. They then chose adjectives that described Palmer. Those descriptions are in the blue. Then their job was to prove it. We've been working tirelessly on using the clues in our reading to support our thinking. So around each of the adjectives are situations from the book that support the characteristic!
Needless to say, the students had a blast! They quickly learned how to manipulate the popples, change color, add text, draw, and arrange their thinking in an orderly fashion. All the while, they were learning and being asked to do some deeper learning. They didn't complain once. In fact, a number of students commented how much fun they were having.
We will head back to the work tomorrow to finish up our Popples. Ask your child to see theirs. Go to www.popplet.com and log in to their account. Just use your child's school email address and they should know their password.
What a great way to use Popplet! I can't wait to see what else the students are able to create using this tool.
ReplyDeleteThis is really a cool way to work on character development during read aloud. It seems like this would also be a wonderful tool to use to write an essay.
ReplyDeleteFantastic use of Popplet. We have just shared it with pur blog readers at http://bit.ly/SRaIWX: showcasing the best examples of English lesson plans using Popplet. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis tool seemed to fit in seamlessly with the work you were doing with your students in reading. Plus it did not involve photocopying, cutting or pasting as a traditional learning activity like this might have. I bet that the students were very enthusiastic about doing their work and sharing with each other. I can see how I would use it in my classroom as well. I just downloaded the app!
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