Patricia Emerson

I learned about Parley when Jennifer Gonzalez of Cult of Pedagogy” asked her Twitter followers what online tool they would recommend to conduct written discussions. I then proceeded to the website to investigate further. She had used Slack, but her students (she teaches through Teachable) complained that it was difficult to “get,” so she was looking for alternatives. I am temporarily retired, but when I return to the classroom and particularly if I were in a GAFE environment, I would definitely try Parlay. It is easy to set up and participate. It has Google Classroom integration and assessment features. Should a user want unlimited classrooms— the free version only allows one—a year’s license is $149. There are helpful, informational guides offered during the process as well as a library of prompts. I was considering something about censorship for Banned Books week. While there was no ready-made prompt, the steps for composing my own conversation were transparent. I would recommend anyone giving Parlay a try. (Note: Gonzalez eventually went with Padlet because of its increased features. I like to clarity of Parlay although Padlet is a similar tool.

Lumen5 does something I have not seen any other tool do. For me, it allows a class syllabus to be converted into another, perhaps more vibrant format. The addition of images and the chunk-size information presentation helps audiences to process and engage more readily.

I will be honest, I am exploring this site now as it is new to me. I am heartened by what I see and hear, and the availability of student participation. I hope others will investigate this, ( free for individual teachers to try with up to 60 students, but its true value lies in the ability to obtain it for an entire school for a nominal rate, then track and maintain over time), and share their opinions.

Lovely as a personal connection tool to invest reading with its power to speak and transform, a simple idea but brilliant!

I haven’t used this yet, but I can’t wait. It is a new tool I discovered through a course i am taking about digital tools. This looks like an engaging one.

This is cool, and the videos on youtube show how easy it can be to leave feedback for students as well.