For this week’s reflection, I will use a benefits & drawbacks list for each new tool I attempt to use. This will better help me analyze and process my potential use of each site. First up is for Note-Taking & Research using Google Keep:
| Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|
| Synchronizes with my other Google applications (docs, sheets, mail, etc.) | It is similar to using my Google Calendar tasks, which better organizes days and times for reminders. |
| Colour-coded labels help for better organization | The interface is simple but also not very advanced. |
| Great for collaboration with other members of a group | Quality note-taking with purpose leads to better knowledge retention |
| Ability to search to find notes quickly | It is less flexible than just handwriting notes. |
Upon my initial use of Google Keep, I like the simplicity but I cannot practically see myself using it for any purpose apart from group project brainstorming. However, even then I would prefer to do that on Google Docs due to the wider functionality. Next up, Pinterest:
| Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|
| The magnitude of search results – so many people use Pinterest! | Copyright issues – not clear if the ideas being posted are siting their sources properly |
| Easy to save and reuse project links | Quality of content is often poor |
| Great for arts & crafts idea generation | Links to pins can take you to websites where the content is hidden via email sign-ups & payments |
I have used Pinterest in the past and would use it in the future, but only for idea generation. I think there are a lot of good ideas flowing around Pinterest, but I find the website frustrating to navigate to actually get what I want out of it. Last up, Padlet:
| Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|
| Allows for creativity and versatility in the classroom | Privacy concerns for students sharing personal information |
| Collaboration is fundamental and teachers can work together with students efficiently | Requires students to have access to devices in school/at home |
| Multimodal through imagines, videos, links, and documents | Takes a while to set-up and teach students how to use it |
I’d like to know if anybody has used Padlet either as an EA or a teacher before. I love the idea of using boards and allowing kids to be as creative as they want, but does it actually work in the classroom?
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