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What the Tech?
Ways to share web resources with your students
We all use web resources in our classrooms for a variety of instructional purposes, including sharing docs, videos, research sites, and links to supplemental materials for various subject areas. Many of us used Symbaloo last year and this is still a great option but the choices of how we share resources is expanding constantly. There is no "best way" to get these resources out to students so this week, we will take a look at some of the newer options together so you can decide which works best for you and your students.
Google Classroom
Many of you are using Google Classroom as a centralized location to communicate and collaborate with you students and with one another. This is also a great place to share resources. There are a few ways to do this.
- You can share docs, videos, links, etc... right on the main stream of your class.
- You can use the GC extension to push out a website to any of your classes at any time.
- You can use the "About" tab to collect resources that students can use all year round.
Google Bookmarks via Google Classroom
Google bookmarks can make putting resources in the "About" tab in Google Classroom even easier. Once you get the Google Bookmark Manager from the Chrome Web Store, you can share whole folders of resources with just one link that you can place inside Google Classroom. They work beautifully together!
For teachers, this is a great place to keep all of your school-based resources also and it works in conjunction with your bookmarks bar.
Google Shortener and Crafty Text
Google Shortener and Crafty Text are both extensions you can get from the Chrome Web Store and can help students get to resources without having to type extra long web addresses. Use Google Shortener to shrink the web address to less characters and then paste it into crafty text to enlarge it on your screen. This is great for a quick share in classrooms that might not currently be using Google Classroom.
Google Tone
I love Google Tone. It is an extension that uses sound to communicate between devices. If I find a website I want to share with you quickly, I just go to the website, click the extension, and my computer will communicate with yours to share the site. This works great with small groups of students doing research or for small groups of teachers in a PLC group. We haven't really tested it in a whole class setting yet but it definitely has potential!
Other options: Yes! There are even more!
Still looking for more options? Take a look at these and see if they might interest you:
- Wibki
- Symbaloo
- Glinks in Google Drive
What's your favorite?