Connecting Makers at Pinecrest Public School: A summary of our

findings
Pinecrest Public School has 183 students in grades 4 to 6. Students in these grades
have to meet outcomes that include collaborating in groups, creating 3-dimensional
interpretations of their learning, and leveraging technology to represent their ideas.
The program coordinators at Pinecrest Public School are seeking to enrich their
students learning through incorporation of 21st century technology in order to meet a
wide variety of learning outcomes at various grade levels. To meet our current
educational needs, our program coordinators evaluated two categories of educational
tools, and chose one tool per category.
Category

Tool

3D software

Tinkercad
123D Catch

Collaborate and share

Google Slides
Prezi

Choice of software has been determined through the use of the Learning Object Review
Instrument (LORI) in determining the most appropriate digital tool to meet the scope of
our project. LORI has nine standards that can be quantified. The LORI manual utilized
in this review can be accessed online at
http://www.transplantedgoose.net/gradstudies/educ892/LORI1.5.pdf.
STANDARD
Content Quality
Learning Goal Alignment
Feedback & Adaption
Motivation
Presentation Design
Interaction Usability
Accessibility

5 points

4 points

3 points

2 points 1 point

Reusability
Standards Compliance

Findings for the four tools is as follows:

Category
3D software

Collaborate and share

Tool
Tinkercad
points
123D Catch
points

39

Google Slides
points
Prezi
points

44

20

26

Based on the quantitative data, Tinkercad and Google Slides were chosen for the
Connecting Makers project.
Tinkercad software is user-friendly for children and has reliable support. In conjunction
with Tinkercad, Pinecrest Public School will be using the free application Google Slides
in order for students to collaborate on their projects and present their creations. The
Connecting Makers project will include training for teachers on Tinkercad and Google
Slides to ensure they can support students in how to leverage these tools effectively in
creation, collaboration and presentation.
References:
Nesbit, J., Belfer, K., & Leacock, T. (2010). Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI):
User Manual, 2004.