Smore Pages

Recently I wrote a post about a new service called Tackk which provides users the ability to easily create web content on a single page.  Smore Pages is another option for doing creating a single webpage or web-flyer.  Smore Pages are easily available for viewing on Tablets and mobile phones, as well as Facebook.  Another bonus features is the analytics that it provides so that teachers and students can track the number of visitors, where they are coming from and what they did while visiting your page. 

Smore Pages is currently in Beta, and free to use.  Users will either need to log-in with Facebook or they can create an account using the general information of name, email, and password.  Smore Pages provides several options for embedding content and easily allows users to edit using drag and drop.  Each page has various styles and themes that can be utilized when creating a web-flyer.  For more information and to see it in action, see the video below.


These types of services appear to be the next thing in web-publishing and would definitely provides students with another alternative for producing content on the web.

Tuesday Teaching Strategy - Commit and Toss

Commit and Toss

Commit and Toss is a peer evaluation and writing strategy where students first respond in writing to a question or prompt.  Second, the students will wad up that paper and toss it across the room.  Each student then collects a nearby paper wad to read aloud in a GUIDED CLASSROOM DISCUSSION.  This might be a good time to rearrange your desks to better suit this activity.

The discussion led by the teacher, promotes an environment in which all students participate in evaluating and revising the student responses to the question(s).  Because Commit and Toss involves the entire class, it lends itself to brief writing exercises or sharing how to solve problems.

Implementation:

-         Use the activity when learning to write thesis statements.

-         Use the activity in Science classes to discuss hypotheses.

-         Use the activity to have students share understanding of a problem, article, video, or story.

-         Have students write the steps to solve a problem and then check for mastery through discussion.

-         Check understanding before reviewing test material.