Interactives

Learning Objective: Learn how to find and incorporate online interactive learning activities to address a variety of learning styles.

Interactive websites are designed to enhance online learning opportunities and engage students in authentic learning processes. They incorporate a wide variety of content, including online video, quiz features, games, and interactive assignments. Some are skill based, but many of these will take a student through a whole lesson (and sometimes a whole unit). These resources can support best practices, engage your learners, and enhance your lessons.

Anderson Cartoon

Steps

1. Open the graphic organizer you created in the Principles and Instruction activity. As you discover useful resources to add to your lesson, add them to your graphic organizer and lesson plan.

2. There are many different types of Interactives to enhance your lessons. Add the following categories to your graphic organizer: Content interactives and, Evaluation and Assessment interactives.

3. Content interactives will depend on what you teach; however many interactives address multiple content activities. Visit each of the following resources, and set a timer at 5-10 minutes so you aren't overwhelmed or buried under too many. The task is to quickly locate several resources for your lesson that will address different strategies and types of learners. You should create a weblink to the specific resource and add a brief description.

Student interactives in ReadWriteThink
- be sure to filter by the grade level, and interactive type.
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives - for Math fun (unfortunately many of these used Flash before it became no longer supported.
PhET for science and math interactive activities
Wonderopolis where content is aligned to CCSS, STEM, and Bloom's
Smithsonian's History Explorer and Interactives

4. Evaluation and Assessment interactives are a great time saver as well as a valuable tool in education. From the chart provided below explore one or two and create one assessment to go with your lesson. Add a hyperlink to the assessment (quiz, survey, poll, or rubric) you create to your graphic organizer.

Resource Name	Type of Resource	Suggestions for Use
Answer Garden	Online Polling	Answer Garden is formative assessment or KWL. Ask a question and students respond with a short answer. The answers show up on the screen and answers that are being used more than once begin to grow in size on the screen. Answer Garden Video.
Flipgrid	Discussion, screencast, audio, video	Flipgrid continues to be one of the most popular digital tools of the last decade and for good reason. This platform allows educators and their students the opportunity to participate in asynchronous face-to-face discussions. The elements of video really enhance online discussion and can greatly increase engagement. Included in this resource is the ability to screencast, a library of discussion topics with stimuli, robust teacher controls, and very frequent updates. Check out some of the Updates and here is a Getting started for educators page.
Flippity	Flashcards, quiz show, name picker, mix and match, breakout...	This is a Free Tool with more than assessment activities. Download their template to your Google Drive and customize the content to make it your own and use File-Share To Web and publish your Flippity creation. This works easily with Google Classroom, Email, with a link, and more. Start from their main screen and select your activity.
Google Forms	Survey tool	Google Forms will produce a Google sheet with all responses. (First question should always be What is your name?) It can be a self graded quiz if used with Flubaroo add-in. Multiple response types allowed. Watch this video to learn how to use Google Forms.
Kahoot	Online Quiz	Kahoot.it is game-like and somewhat competitive. Student who has correct answer first gets name displayed; plays music and uses sound effects. It has limited response types. It now includes a Team Mode. Kahoot step by step guide. Kahoot Quesstion Bank Creator
Plickers	Online Quiz	No technology required from students! Download a set of Plicker cards for multiple choice polling. Use your cell phone to capture student responses by scanning the room. Six easy steps for Getting Started with Plickers .
Poll Everywhere	Polling & Survey	Only one question at a time is allowed; students can use cell phones to text responses; instant (anonymous) results show up in graph form. Quickstart tutorials.
Testmoz	Online Quiz	This is a free resource and does not require you or students to register. Once you create a quiz you will receive a URL to your Quiz which you can post or email to your students. Features include: no ads, four question types, and detailed reports which can be exported to and spreadsheet (csv). You can use a password code so only your students can take the quiz. Students will see their score and correct or incorrect answers. Registration (optional) requires a small fee if you decide to have more features. To learn more, view the testmoz demo.
Rubistar	Rubric Maker	It can be used to evaluate student projects, writing, or effort; also good for cooperative learning evaluation. Rubistar tutorial in 4 minutes.
Socrative	Online Quiz	Use Socrative for formative assessment. You can see graphs instantly showing overall class response; can also get a spreadsheet of individual results to download. Multiple response types allowed. Socrative YouTube Tutorial Channel.

5. Now use the Triple E Rubric to help evaluate when to use a technology tool and add the ones you feel will be most effective for your lesson plan and students in the section labeled Technology Tools.

Continue on to Addressing Learning Barriers

Standards

Addressing the ISTE Standards For Educators

Learner
1a. Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness.
1c. Stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences.

Leader
2b. Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students.
2c. Model for colleagues the identification, exploration,
evaluation, curation and adoption of
new digital resources and tools for learning.

Citizen
3a. Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.
3b. Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.
3c. Mentor students in safe, legal and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property.

Designer
5a. Use technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.
5b. Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.

Facilitator
6a. Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.
6b. Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces or in the field.
6c. Create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking to innovate and solve problems.
6d. Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.

Analyst
7a. Provide alternative ways for students to demonstrate competency and reflect on their learning using technology.