Social Networking & Communications

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

• 3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.

• 4.1.7 Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information.

• 4.3.1 Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person.

Bookopolis 
Bookopolis is a social network and book discovery tool for young children. Think of this as similar to Shelfari or GoodReads for children. Teachers create a private class where their students earn points, write book reviews, and build personal reading communities. There are various tools for teachers to use to track reading progress. Grades: 2nd-8th

Tip: Use Bookopolis to practice opinion writing that students use to recommend titles to their classmates.

Answerables 
Answerables lets teachers create lessons and then “gamify” them using the site’s cutting-edge technology. The platform is a multiplayer game set on planet Proxima. Students choose an avatar and then customize and expand their home PODS (Personal Online Development Space) with learning activities. Students collaborate and develop social learning skills as responsible digital citizens. Teachers can monitor student progress and share resources with other educators. Grades: 1-12 

Tip: Student teams can collaboratively research and create a presentation to share their findings with others.

DIY 
DIY is an exciting space for kids to learn and share new skills online. Similar to a virtual scouting troop, kids can complete challenges and post their projects on the site to earn badges like Bike Mechanic, Darkness Engineer, and Instrument Maker. Student accounts are linked to an adult account so that parents and teachers can easily monitor their students' progress and posts. Grades: 3-12 

Tip: Ask students to complete challenges and post tutorials of the task. Creating tutorials is a great way to capture student interest and teaching others leads to deeper understanding.

BeenPod 
Create, curate, and share “beens” or collections of web pages which you can organize and comment on. Create student accounts for your classes and share beens with them. Also create and participate in beens with other educators. Collections and comments can be public or private. Grades: 4-12

Tip: Create a been to share resource sites for a research project. Have students create beens of sites they identified on a topic of interest.

IFTTT 
Put the internet to work for you with IFTTT (If This, Then That). Create recipes that connect two or more apps, websites, or products. Browse through curated recipes like Back to School, Outer Space, or Photo Enthusiast. IFTTT is a great way to jump start efficiency! Grades: 9 and Up 

Tip: Use IFTTT to create a log of every time the International Space Station passes over your classroom. Or better yet, set it to send you a notification when it's overhead!