Pixabay.com is a handy resource for gathering images to help illustrate concepts. It’s also another opportunity for students to practice good digital citizenship skills as they must search for appropriate images using appropriate search terms. I’ve used Pixabay with 2nd graders to help them build their All About Me Popplet. With this activity, students learned how to manage two web pages, search for and download an image, and then navigate to their downloads folder to find the image. This video tutorial explains the process. If you like this video, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel (link shown in video).
One of my favorite online resources for students is Popplet. Popplet enables users to create visual organizers to clarify and communicate their ideas. It also helps students see how information is related as they sort, rank, and connect their ideas. When students first log in, they’re prompted to title their popplet and select a background color to make it so. The next step is to create a popple (a rectangular balloon), which is created by double-clicking on the background. The popple can be resized vertically and horizontally and can be shown in eight different colors. The popple can contain text, an uploaded image, a sketch created within the popple, a hyperlink, or embedded video. Text size and alignment can be customized. This resource also helps students practice their digital citizenship skills, giving them an opportunity to upload only copyright free images and appropriate text that is on topic, accurate, and free of personal information. The best feature of Popplet is the ability to invite others to collaborate. Popplet continues to rely on Flash to run its website but will soon transition to HTML. A free membership allows users to create 10 popplets. Teachers can purchase student memberships from the group link for $2/student. I created the graphic organizer shown below to illustrate an All About Me popplet for 2nd graders.
Shown below are some of the skills developed through Popplet with teacher instruction.
Navigation: -Use online subscription resources -Navigate to a web address Responsible Use: -Use equipment for positive and productive functions -Recognize and respect ownership rights (copyright)
Online Safety and Security: -Do not share personal information online -Do not use inappropriate or disrespectful language online (proper netiquette) -Do not share network login information
Intellectual Property: -Explore the appropriate use of copyrighted material through permission, crediting sources, payment -Discuss plagiarism and its ramifications
Problem-Solving Tools: -Use graphic organizers to solve problems
I created this at Popplet.com. Students can use the site to brainstorm their ideas, sorting their subjects into clusters and webbing them into more specific details. Kids can also add images to illustrate their subjects and color code parts of their web.
