Kitty Syster
Everyone knows it is a great idea to have teachers from the same classroom work together when creating lesson plans, but it is not always easy to find time for them to work together on this during the day. Although technology cannot replace the value of working together in person, there are many online programs that can help improve collaboration when staff cannot spend time together. A few options that you might find useful are IdeaBoardz and Padlet.
Padlet is an online program that allows groups of people to share ideas, documents, and links. It is available as a free program, or there is a pay for service if you want greater storage. The free account will allow you to store up to 30mb of documents and have 3 different “padlet boards.” To sign up for a free account access the website, www.padlet.com, and create an account. Once you have created an account, you can start making a “padlet board.” The padlet will have its own unique link that you can share with all your staff; this will allow them all to access it. Everyone can use this space to list ideas they would like to share for lesson plans or other activities. They can also save links to websites that can be used for lesson planning or files of instructions for how to complete an activity. There are many ways to use this tool to share helpful information between staff members.
IdeaBoardz is another free resource that can be used to gather thoughts and ideas about a single topic or a few topics at a time. This program allows the user to ask a question or list a topic that they would like additional input about. IdeaBoardz works like sticky notes on a bulletin board. You will create an Ideaboard with 1 or more questions or topics listed. Share the link with your staff. The staff can follow the link and then add a “sticky note” with their response for each topic or question. They can give a “thumbs up” to current posts to show they like or agree with an idea.
In the end, we know it is easiest for two staff to create lesson plans together in person, but if that is not possible then it’s time to be creative and find other resources to help make it easier. There are many different programs that are all useful in their own ways. Hopefully the two described in this article will be useful to you, and if not, just keep searching for one that fits your needs.
