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“ Underground Resource Gives Every Student A Voice For Successful Classroom Discussions… For FREE! ”
I’m about to show you how it works. So anyone, even YOU, can have successful class discussions 5 minutes from now.
I don’t know you. And you don’t know me… Yet.
But one thing you and I both know.
Somehow you found this webpage because you want a solution…
- A solution to unprepared students.
- A solution to unproductive group work.
- A solution to domineering students.
- A solution to limited supplies and resources.
- A solution to student apathy and fatigue.
- A solution to whatever is holding you back from having the best classroom possible.
And better yet, this solution needs to be EASY.
You’re in luck if any of the above is YOU.
Because you somehow just landed on the one, single page online that has the answer to all of those problems.
I would know.
My job is to help teachers every single day find solutions for their classrooms. I even have several family members and friends who work in the education field.
And they all tell me the same thing.
There is something missing inside the traditional bricks and mortar classroom – they need to find a way to keep their students excited, even after they leave the classroom. And they definitely need a way to overcome the obstacles I just mentioned.
What if I told you this was possible?
My teacher friend, Catlin Tucker, is able to do this through online discussions.
Catlin is a 9th and 10th grade honors English teacher out in California. She is a firm believer in the power of discussions. Catlin knows that students learn best when they are able to articulate their ideas, ask questions, clarify comments, build on other people’s ideas and make connections with other students’ subject areas.
She also knows that one of the largest benefits of being a collective class or group is that there is more potential to generate knowledge than on an individual basis.
But I don’t need to convince you of the power of discussion –
Every teacher, no matter what subject you teach, is aware of the critical nature that discussions bring to learning.
That’s why Catlin took active steps to achieve discussions in her classroom…
Yet there were these constant barriers to successful discussions that kept popping up.
You know what I’m talking about.
You ask a question and then you’re met with a bunch of blank stares.
Worse yet, no one will even meet your eyes. Everyone is suddenly interested in everything around them and refuse to look at you.
Or you’ll have the same exact students that always answer your questions.
It’s always the same obstacles:
- discussion dominators
- shy students
- anxiety associated with speaking
- no time to think or process
- students relying on the teacher for the “right” answer…
Take your pick.
Hey, let’s be honest here.
It’s possible for every single teacher to have successful discussions with their students. You just need to find a way to reach them, or better yet, you need to “get on their level.”
Online is our students’ medium – they’re already active on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, [Insert any other popular social networking site].
The Internet is where they find all of their resources, how they spend their free time, and certainly, this is where they communicate the most.
But hey, this isn’t exactly “ground-breaking” news.
Catlin saw a unique opportunity to take her curriculum beyond the boundaries of her physical classroom. If having conversations online is so natural to her students, why not let them engage with their peers through online class discussions too?
I know what you’re thinking.
Sure, integrating technology into the curriculum may have solved some challenges that occur in the physical classroom, but they also open a whole new can of worms.
Catlin knew certain precautions must be taken before her students could begin collaborating online. Luckily, she found an amazing free resource to help her prepare her students for a blended classroom.
- Cyberbullying?
- Internet Safety?
- Digital footsteps?
- Proper “netiquette”?
- Building a sense of community?
These are some of the “online concerns” everyone, not just teachers, should prepare for when using the Internet.
Catlin didn’t have any of these problems.
That’s because Catlin discovered Collaborize Classroom – a free online learning platform that allows teachers to extend their classroom discussions to a structured and private online community.
With all of the free Collaborize Classroom resources, Catlin had everything she needed to get started.
She wanted to make sure that her students knew what was expected of them, so she went over a few “ground rules” before jumping into the online environment. Collaborize Classroom’s Online Student Conduct Code PDF was a perfect way for Catlin to lay down the foundation.
She also knew that it was essential to establish a safe space where her students would feel their voices are respected, supported and heard. Collaborize Classroom’s Do’s and Don’ts for Student Forums PDF helped her establish clear guidelines for her students’ online interactions.
Did I mention that these are just two of the many free resources that Collaborize Classroom offers?
With help like this available, developing an online classroom environment doesn’t have to be a challenge.
In fact, adopting successful blended-learning techniques is now easier than ever!
At the beginning of the year, every teacher knows that there is never enough time to do the icebreakers you love. You want to build a community and foster the relationships in your class, but you only have enough time to do maybe two or three fun activities before jumping into your curriculum.
That’s the beauty of online discussions. You don’t have to worry about using up class time.
Catlin gets her students comfortable using online discussions by starting each semester with Collaborize Classroom’s 8 Online Icebreaker activities. She said that her students had so much fun practicing and getting to know one another that they even asked for more in the 2nd semester!
That’s what we all want, right? A way to get our kids motivated, excited to participate in discussions, and of course, a way to do so without adding on to our workload.
But here’s the thing.
It’s not everything you were doing before PLUS this…
If you have transitioned what you were doing before into this, plus you’re receiving a better outcome AND it’s saving you time…
Well that sounds like a win-win situation to me if I’ve ever heard of one.
It’s entirely up to you…
You’re free to do whatever you want.
Honestly, if you LIKE creating a whole handout, copying papers, stapling each one together, then having to pass them out, collect them from every student the next day, not to mention –you still need to grade and enter each score…
Well, then this isn’t for you.
This is REALLY for teachers who want to…
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Create a safe place for class discussions. |
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Take advantage of the best content and resources available on the Internet. |
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Differentiate curriculum and support kids at the bottom while also stimulating those kids at the top. |
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Give every student an opportunity to participate. |
If you want any of the above, then Collaborize Classroom is for YOU.
The night Catlin launched her first question, some of her quieter students (the students who NEVER say ANYTHING) were the first to post their responses. And they were quality responses.
You have students like this in your classroom.
The shy kids who want a voice and would like to be engaged, even though they don’t share their ideas or ask questions in class.
Blended classrooms give you the chance to shift from just having students listen to the teacher – now, they can become active participants in the class.
Catlin wanted to have successful class discussions. She had accomplished what she set out to do.
Never before had she seen students engage with what they were reading in the way that they are engaging now, prior to using online discussion.
Sometimes she even brings the same online discussions back into class the next day.
She told me that it was great because they were talking to each other, referencing each other’s ideas, everyone was super engaged. For the first time in her teaching career, she had to stop a conversation.
Imagine that – actually having to STOP your students from discussing a topic you proposed?
She had blocked out 10 min for a follow-up debate, and didn’t expect it to go even that long. But instead, 20-25 min later, they were out of time. There were still 8 hands in the air and she had to tell them it was time to move on.
For Catlin, as an instructor, it was absolute validation.
In a time where she is so limited, resource-wise, she’s more innovative and creative than she has ever been as a teacher because she has this great way to extend her classroom in a really dynamic, collaborative way.
You deserve that.
Don’t you?
If you’re really honest with yourself, ask yourself these questions.
How effective are those handouts you send home with your students?
Do they really have the potential to inspire a whole evening worth of conversations?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the answer is probably “no.”
But that’s OK.
You have the chance to change all of that.
You can start right now by joining Collaborize Classroom for FREE.
You heard me right…
You can have access to the learning platform and all of Collaborize Classroom’s free teacher resources, including the same PDFs that Catlin used to help prepare her students… for FREE.
So, what’s the catch?
Simple. There isn’t one. This is a complete and easy way for anyone to develop a blended classroom.
Collaborize Classroom is 100% completely FREE!
If you’re worried about managing the students who don’t have access to the Internet or a computer at home stand in the way of you improving your classroom…
Well…
…then you’re not ready… Period.
But if you’re smart…
Then you’ll realize that you need to encourage these students to seek out resources that are available to them.
If kids don’t have a computer at home, that’s all the MORE reason you should encourage them to find a space where they can engage with technology.
If these kids don’t get the chance to explore how to use a computer, how to engage online, then as their teacher, you are really doing them a disservice.
If you can realize that simple fact, then this IS for you.
You just have to get started.
I’ll explain everything. I’ll even show you how it works. In less than 5 minutes from now, you or anyone else can get started.
Find the sign up box located under the video or at the bottom of the page.
- Enter your first name, last name and email then click “Create my FREE site!”
- Fill out the simple information on the next few screens and you’re done.
So it’s really easy to get started.
When you sign up…
You get the full access account for your online Collaborize Classroom.
AND more than 20 digital eBook resources like the Online Student Conduct Code and the Do’s and Don’ts for Student Forums.
With Collaborize Classroom and the digital resources you’ll easily create a blended classroom for successful engaging discussions.
So go sign up now.
And I’ll see you on the inside.
I love the peer feedback because it’s very helpful. Discussing different perspectives gave me a better understanding of not only my opinions and ideas, but also my classmates.
- Hailey, High School Student
In-class participation has increased across the board. I’m not getting the blank stares I used to. My students are excited to voice their opinions.
- Nico Saldana, High School History Teacher
It’s a great resource because everyone is very supportive. We respect each other’s views so even shy people can make their points in our welcoming community.
- Sarah, High School Student
This technology has revolutionized my teaching. I have a higher homework completion rate than ever before, and my paper grading load has decreased drastically.
- Allison Frenzel, High School English Teacher
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