Web 2.

0 Tools to Support Collaborative Learning

Kerry Behrmann
Name of the tool Mural
Where to access this https://www.mural.co
tool (web address)
Brief instructions of Mural is a web 2.0 tool that allows users to collaborate on tasks online. Mural requires a
how to use the tool $12-$20 subscription (depending on the subscription level) for the teacher to create pages
(they offer a 30-day free trial). Students however, can access and edit within the website,
without creating an account (which is not always the case with other websites and apps).
Mural basically acts as a virtual whiteboard, and allows for students to add text,
information, thoughts, icons, or images, to this “whiteboard,” collectively. There are many
templates readily available on Mural to help guide the online discussion/task, or the teacher
or group of students can start with a blank page and create their own. Mural can be shared
to others via a sharable link, which is convenient and easy for students of all ages to access
and edit.
Ideas for how the tool Mural’s recommended age group is K-12, which means it is suitable for all grade levels.
can be used in PK-12 - For K-12 grade levels this tool can be utilized for class participation assignments,
class discussions, or group collaborative tasks and projects.
- For K-12 grade levels, this tool could be used as ice-breakers as well and allow for
students to vote on certain questions prompted by the teacher.
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Some more specific assignment ideas and examples:
- Elementary: The teacher could use Mural to host an online discussion on the
book they are reading together in class. The teacher could create separate Murals
for small groups or do one full class discussion. The teacher can then create a
template and guide for students to follow, by creating topics and sections for
students to add information to (such as “how do you think this story will end?”
“how would you describe a certain character’s personality?”, etc.) Students will
then be able to share their input with each other as well as the teacher!
- Middle and Highschool: Mural provides a great tool for small group projects.
Middle and High school students participate in more in-depth and complex group
projects. Ultimately, each step for discussion and planning can be done through
Mural. Mural allows you to communicate to each other and mark certain
statements by color to weed through and pin-point the key points they want to use
for their finished project. Mural allows for each of the group members to view
their classmates thoughts and ideas and feed off of each other, which benefits their
success and learning greatly.
Positives and Positives:
challenges of using -The students aren’t required to create an account to access and edit the page through the
the tool sharable link.
-Mural allows for easy communication. Students can add comments to other student’s
statements/work and have discussions in the chat box (outside of the actual work page).
- Mural is a multi-use collaborative tool that is overall easy to navigate and add
information.
-Mural will show the teacher who has accessed and edited the Mural page, which is very
helpful in letting the teacher know who has participated and who has added what.
Challenges:
-It will be more challenging for the younger elementary aged students to access and use this
tool (will require help from parents, at first. Mural also has some beginner level ice-breaker
templates for the teacher to utilize to help ease their students into using this site!
-Mural isn’t a free tool and requires a $12-$20 subscription for the teacher/account holder
(Students are free).

Imani Barnes
Name of the tool Padlet

Where to access this www.Padlet.com

tool (web address)
Brief instructions of Padlet is a web 2.0 tool that allows for students and teachers to share and edit pages
how to use the tool together. Padlet is free to both teachers and students and is recommended for upper
Elementary-12. Padlet allows for students to collaborate together, comment on each-others
work, share their artwork, and participate in fun and creative activities virtually. Pages can
be shared through a sharable link or a QR code.

Ideas for how the tool Elementary:

can be used in PK-12 - Padlet can be used by the teacher to host an online scavenger hunt. There are lots
of free templates and fun creative activity ideas for teachers to use to engage their
class.
Middle-High School:
- Students can showcase their own artwork on a page shared by the class.
- Students can share their assignments to each other to receive feedback by peer
review.
- Students can collaborate easily by editing the same page and working together
virtually.
Positives and Positives:
challenges of using - Allows for easy collaboration between students for group projects.
the tool - Its free
- Pages can be shared through a link or QR code without needing to create an
account.
- Students can give each other feedback.
Challenges:
- Similar to social media in that it can be public to everyone.
- It’s not recommended for younger Elementary students.

Kiara Bell
Name of the tool Voice Thread
Where to access this www.Voicethread.com
tool (web address)
Brief instructions of Voice Thread is a web 2.0 tool that allows students to communicate with the teacher and
how to use the tool other students via text, voice, and video. It’s similar to Power point slides and is a great tool
for creating presentations. Voice Thread is free and can be invited to the assignment/page
via sharable link. Voice Thread is recommended for ages K-12. Teachers can create
assignments that require students to answer by submitting a voice recording or can have
students create a presentation to be shared with the class.
Ideas for how the tool Elementary:
can be used in PK-12 - You can have students in the Elementary level practice their reading by recording
themselves reading slides posted by the teacher. This would be helpful in going
over long vs. short vowel sounds, and having the students repeat and submit voice
recordings to help them learn and remember. This would especially be helpful in
these unique virtual-learning circumstances.
Middle-High School:
- Using the “answer-back” feature and function of Voice Thread this tool would be
especially helpful for foreign language classes, especially virtual. This would give
students the opportunity to have “conversations” back and forth with the voice
recording feature in the foreign language they are learning. This also allows
students to submit voice recordings to the teachers question or prompt in the
foreign language as well.

Positives and Positives:

challenges of using - Since voice thread allows for you to present slides and record your voice, this
the tool could be a great tool for submitting projects online or presenting your project to
the class without having to speak in front of the class. This would allow for all
students to also add voice recordings to different slides throughout the project and
share their workload.
- this is especially beneficial for foreign language students who can’t meet face-to-
face
- this is a great tool for foreign language classes.

Challenges:
- Privacy is a huge challenge with this tool since there is no way to make it
completely private.
- The page can start to appear “overloaded” and confusing to pin-point your own
recording once multiple voices have been added to a particular slide.