When sticky notes came in, it made organization a lot easier. Notes could be written and stuck on desks, books, calendars  reminding people of all the things that had to be done. These would include telephone messages taken by admin staff etc.

Now online tools  offer  a similar service. Two that we have used in our classrooms have been stixy  and wallwisher. Both offer similar outcomes with a few different features.

Why use in the classroom? Students enjoy using these online tools. They are quick and easy to complete and even the least motivated and skilled will always add something. The teacher can collect opinions, thoughts, ideas etc within 30 mins and it can be visible to all or kept private. Here is an example of a wall put together by my year 7 ICT class in Australia and the year 7 class from Manila in the Phillipines discussing bikes where we live as brainstorming for a potential collaborative project. Another  one by the year 7s on “What makes a good teacher!”

 

 Wallwisher

Features

• online notice board that will add images, music, text, video
• nifty feature for viewing videos – although the videos are added within the note, the option to play expands the window for effective viewing.
• user friendly
• easy drog and drag
• can edit at a later stage
• easy to embed code in an online space eg wikis, blogs and presents well. Even large walls can be viewed by using the scroll bars given.
• teacher can set up an account, provide students with link and they can add to wall without requiring a user name and password.

Limitations

• Comes with limited number of themes but cannot change colour of individual notes
• Limited range of backgrounds
• No options for text formatting
• Restricted choice of compulsory images for banner
• Publicize the link and others can add sticky notes
• Limited to 160 characters per note

Stixy

Features

• ability to change colours of the notes – personal customiztion
• choice of  text formatting and other great formatting features
• able to add links easily
• option to sign up for a calendar
• photos, notes, todos and documents (max size 50mb) can all be added as separate stixy notes
• not limited to a restricted number of characters
• ability to tag

Limitations

• cannot embed in another online space eg blogs, wikis etc
• cannot add video
• Requires registration by all users

Possible Classroom uses include:-

• gain opinions quickly for simple questions eg What food should the canteen offer?
• get quick feedback on a question eg What do you hope to achieve this term/semester
• collaborate with other classes globally or locally to compare habits, cultures, opinions, ideas etc
• brainstorming
• reminders

You could start the school year by getting students to list their goals etc. Have you used either tool and if so, how have you used it? (Please add as a comment below)