![Picture](/uploads/4/9/6/2/49628417/symbaloo-1.png?463)
Symbaloo
Introduction
The cost of supplying a classroom with the latest edition of textbooks and supporting materials has surpassed the usefulness of the product. The modern teacher has to be resourceful and cunning to fulfill the voracious appetites of today’s learners. Our students are from an era where things appear rapidly, in full color and with sound—a push-button world. They are a discerning group of learners who discard anything and everything they deem out of date. Teachers who use Symbaloo recognize all of that, and use it to their advantage. Students, who are given assignments on Symbaloos, work at their own pace and discover accurate pieces of up-to-date text and videos awaiting them. Furthermore, Harwood’s (2016) study determined that 74% of the students using the Symbaloo platform for learning were usually so taken by the information on the websites that they investigated the websites beyond the assignment. “This suggests the students were informally extending their studies beyond the curriculum in their own time, becoming more autonomous learners” (Harwood, 2016, p. 210).
Reading Objectives:
1. Students will be able to read and explore for enrichment works from various genre (novels, plays, poems, essays).
2. Students will be able to effectively access resources in an online library/media center.
Writing Objectives:
1. Students will be able to engage in formal writing assignments that require utilization of all stages of the writing process.
2. Students will be able to write proper citations for online sources.
Media Objectives:
1. Students will be able to use computers and all available technology to enhance their research skills.
Speaking and Listening Objectives:
1. Students will be able to listen attentively (when audible is available).
2. Students will be able to identify major concepts and ideas in speeches, discussions, audio and video presentations.
Target Participants:
Students in grade levels that require knowledge of the research process.
Students who can participate in online web searches and webquests.
Pre-requisite Knowledge and/or Skills:
Students will need basic keyboarding skills and knowledge of how to copy and paste a URL.
Basic reading skills are required to navigate the page and to attain knowledgeable sites for tiles.
They will also need the ability to access the internet and login to their Symbaloo webpage.
Materials Needed:
Students will need access to a computer and internet. Use of a Google Account.
What, How, Why
Symbaloo is a website application used by students to follow links to current information provided in a webmix created by their instructor. Students will first login to Symbaloo using the special URL that was shared with them for that webmix. They may upload it to their Symbaloo account so they can access it easily from home or an automobile. Once they have opened the assigned URL, they can begin clicking on the links in the webmix. Let’s look at that process!
Symbaloo is a website application used by students to follow links to current information provided in a webmix created by their instructor. Students will first login to Symbaloo using the special URL that was shared with them for that webmix. They may upload it to their Symbaloo account so they can access it easily from home or an automobile. Once they have opened the assigned URL, they can begin clicking on the links in the webmix. Let’s look at that process!
Assessment:
Students will submit their online Symbaloo page along with their assignments for each tile.
It will be checked according to the rubric prescribed for that assignment.
Follow Up Activity:
Students will be permitted to use their Symbaloo to write a time limited essay with citations.
Conclusion
When given a choice, students picked the colorful online Symbaloo sources over the faded, tattered, out-of-date encyclopedias in my classroom, and with good reason. The online webmix, aside from its aesthetically pleasing colors and images, is a faster and more efficient resource of information that they can access from inside and outside the classroom. On a typical day using a Symbaloo webmix with their assignment, students read more and accomplished more tasks with minimal redirection than on other days when we followed the traditional teacher-led approach. In the study, Harwood (2016) noted that over 90% of his class preferred having a collage of web links as a resource.
References
Harwood, R. (2016). Personal Learning Environments: A Solution for Self-Directed Learners.
Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 60(4), 199-215.
Students will submit their online Symbaloo page along with their assignments for each tile.
It will be checked according to the rubric prescribed for that assignment.
Follow Up Activity:
Students will be permitted to use their Symbaloo to write a time limited essay with citations.
Conclusion
When given a choice, students picked the colorful online Symbaloo sources over the faded, tattered, out-of-date encyclopedias in my classroom, and with good reason. The online webmix, aside from its aesthetically pleasing colors and images, is a faster and more efficient resource of information that they can access from inside and outside the classroom. On a typical day using a Symbaloo webmix with their assignment, students read more and accomplished more tasks with minimal redirection than on other days when we followed the traditional teacher-led approach. In the study, Harwood (2016) noted that over 90% of his class preferred having a collage of web links as a resource.
References
Harwood, R. (2016). Personal Learning Environments: A Solution for Self-Directed Learners.
Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 60(4), 199-215.