Tonight we gained valuable experience using Edcanvas and Haiku Deck. Edcanvas seems like a useful way to research and present information on a topic. I wonder if my 5th graders would be able to create their own canvas. That might be wishful thinking, but I do think they would have fun navigating around the site because they also enjoy web quests.
Haiku Deck is a visual presentation that shows slides for a limited amount of time. As I played around with this app, I couldn't help but be reminded of the powerful messages that images have. I don't think that I have emphasized imagery with my students enough. Although my students are young, I think they would be able to use this presentation tool with ease. I also like that it requires practice with appropriate timing. In 5th grade we do states reports, and I wonder if this app might be useful when presenting so students aren't reading facts off of a poster or notecard. I am already imagining possibilities for implementing this presentation format into my curriculum next year.
The most useful part of class was breaking up into smaller groups. I was in a 4th-5th grade group, and I felt that my time was useful. I can see myself using our Parts of Speech Edcanvas next year. When class time is spent towards something tangible that I can use in class, I am most happy. If we can split into groups again in the future, I'd find that valuable because I don't often get to associate