{"id":3203,"date":"2020-01-09T07:30:40","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T12:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=3203"},"modified":"2020-01-08T12:37:36","modified_gmt":"2020-01-08T17:37:36","slug":"tech-tool-of-the-month-tes-blendspace-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2020\/01\/tech-tool-of-the-month-tes-blendspace-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech Tool of the Month: TES Blendspace Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In Part 1 of this blog<\/a>, you were introduced to <\/span>TES Blendspace<\/span><\/a>. This free tool allows you to create interactive, online lessons. Yesterday we shared an overview of the tool. We also discussed the application of both the SAMR model and the TRIPLE E Frameworks as you integrate TES Blendspace into your instruction. Today\u2019s post offers detailed instructions about how to use TES Blendspace and also classroom use ideas listed by content areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Use TES Blendspace:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

When you arrive at the site, you have the option to Join Free (via web browser) or download from the App Store or Chrome Web Store. Registration is entirely FREE!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Select Register to join us a Teacher (or find your role). The Teacher registration will ask you a few quick questions, and then click to continue to register. You can log-in using an email address or using your Google account. You will be prompted to choose a username and password, and you are ready to create! <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Now that you have your account, you can create. Honestly, when TES Blendspace says this can be done in 5-minutes, they aren\u2019t exaggerating. If you aren\u2019t sure where to begin, check out their Featured Lesson area towards the bottom of the page. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Once you have chosen your topic, click the large button to <\/span>Start a New Lesson<\/span><\/i>. This will take you to the grid. Put the title of the grid on the top, and begin to explore for content and activities to add. The right-side toolbar offers many options. First, you can search through all files for the specific topic (by using the search box at the top), Shakespeare in this example. You can also scroll down and look specifically for YouTube videos, search your Google Drive, upload web links, and much more. When you are ready, you click the resource and drag-and-drop it to the grid on the square that you wish to use. You can also click within the blue box to \u201cdrop your resource\u201d if it is a file on your device. Other options at this point include to Add Text or Add Quiz. You will notice that most resources are free, but a few documents have a fee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For my first activity, I chose a ready-to-go PowerPoint lesson that I found from a search. I did the drag and drop option, and it appeared immediately. Next, I added a YouTube video that I also found during a quick search. For my final spot in row one, I created a simple quiz. I found the quiz creation to be very user-friendly. This was all done in the 5-minutes, as promised. Here is my finished row 1.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One of my favorite features of the TES Blendspace is the ability for students to be able to take notes (called Discussion) and leave comments. I could see teachers adding their own notes to the resources, students adding comments\/questions that peers could view when they did the activities, and even a place to take notes of things to remember from the materials. The comment option is great for teachers to reply to any questions that students may put in the note space. Here is the PowerPoint that I loaded. The Discussion area is always to the right of the material. The teacher or students can start the discussion. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Quiz page does not offer a discussion area. I appreciated how this could be used for instant feedback, and students could view results. This would be a great tool to use for formative assessment during the lesson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As you can see, this tool was very easy to manage and could serve multiple purposes in the blended, flipped, or traditional classroom. You can make your grid as simple or complex as you wish. Students can click to \u201cplay\u201d the entire presentation and complete the activities in the order that you inserted them onto the grid, or you may prefer students to choose specific activities based on their interests or abilities. There are so many options here!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I did want to take a moment and talk about student registration, which looks a bit different. When students log-on to register, they must put in their birthdate and class code from their teacher, OR they can use a parent\u2019s email address. Students do not need to supply their real names; a username could be a number or a combination of letters and numbers. This keeps the kids\u2019 identities private.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Classroom Use Ideas<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The classroom use ideas for TES Blendspace are only as limited as your imagination. Any subject that you are studying could be used to create a grid. You may want to create grids that students complete pieces for homework. I did want to share some of my favorite ideas for several content areas. These ideas could be done by the teacher for the students to explore. However, the students could also create their own grids on TES Blendspace. We would love to hear what ideas you may have, share them in the comment box at the bottom of this post.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Social Studies:<\/span><\/p>\n