Collaborative Tools

I think the use of collaborative tools in ANY way is a positive for my students. I currently teach fifth grade and they are very tech-savvy. They enjoy any chance to get online to search, learn, share and just explore. The use of collaborative tools would be an opportunity to extend our learning and experience in the classroom. I see huge potential. I took a look at the various sites: coursesites.com, edmodo.com and collaborizeclassroom. I see pros to all but preferred edmodo the most. I think it appeals to me, as an elementary school teacher. There are accounts with group codes required and that keeps it social media but in a safe way. I also like the feature of giving parents access with their own accounts so they can shadow their child's work and keep posted on what we are doing in class. I also love the feature of students uploading their work and utilizing a drop box where I can access it. All three sites make it easy to upload content to share with others, and enabling participants/students to comment, create and share their own work. Also, evaluating work and giving grades or course information is readily accessible with all three. They are visually appealing and offer a wide range of options to engage the audience and promote dialogue and connection. I found coursesites to be more adult in setup and arrangement. I think it would be great for a high school or college course. I found collaborize to be useful as a teacher working with their students and as a colleague wanting to engage professionally with other teachers. The bank of lesson plans and curriculum ideas would be quite an asset. Finally, I liked the grade level/discipline groups that edmodo offers - they suggest activities and online links to support the learning in the classroom.