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A web tool to collate research work and plan lessons: Wakelet

July 30

The weekly podcast on social media briefly discusses Wakelet as a site that allows you to put together digital information and add value to the content you curated. Given the vast amount of information on the internet that would be lost if not stored properly,  this would be a useful tool to essentially relocate your online resources by topics or tasks and work in ways as needed to complete the task.  I explored this tool and this is what I found.

https://wakelet.com/collections

Wakelet is a content curation platform where you can create engaging collections that can be shared and collaborated with your class, team, or community. 

You can sign in as educators or students. The sign-in is free.

For teachers, Wakelet can be used to arrange learning materials and present them in engaging and interactive ways to improve and enhance the learning experience, while supporting independent learning and digital citizenship. Lesson planning on Wakelet turns a boring process into an entertaining and creative one. By embedding resources into the lesson plans, everything is laid out and ready to be delivered. You can also add notes to provide transition and summary of the contents and thought-provoking questions for students.

For students, Wakelet provides the convenience of gathering and rearranging research material as well as technical support of building digital portfolios that include school projects, professional development and interest-based activities. Another feature of Wakelet is the ability to add your own notes to items so you can tell a story or make an argument with the contents. The application will even provide link to the source of your notes so you do not have to cite resources.

School communities: It is also an effective tool for creating and showcasing newsletters, press coverage, research papers, faculty appointments latest news that can be shared or collaborated with colleagues and members of the community. In addition, this web tool offers on and off campus resources such as advice on exams, stress management and employability. One interesting way families and graduates can use Wakelet to share memories of graduation ceremonies is by publishing and sharing everything from keynote speeches, photos to saved social media conversations from the day. 11 ways teachers, students and schools are using Wakelet

I have signed up as a student in order to explore ways to use this web tool. I have found that you can search resources within the website by typing the prompt in the search box. The search return includes blogs and YouTube video as well as reliable government sites. As users, you need to be aware that the resources you access from Wakelet may not be vetted and you should verify the credibility of the sources. I have found that it is quite easy to create a collection, add items, give your collection a name and artistic design. You can choose a design Wakelet offers, upload an image, design with Canva, or generate an image with AI image generator. 

My research topic for the PD assignment is Cyberbullying and Supporting System. I used the AI image generator to create an image that I may use for my collection.


Image created by AI image generator, a feature of Wakelet.

There are many subject areas students can explore for resources related to curricular learning. There are also resources on Technology and General Ed that include Class Technology Tools and Reading Ideas. The Wakelet Team has Free Templates for Research Collection, Weekly Planner, Lesson Plan, Reading List, Newsletter, To Do List, and Choice Board. The Wakelet Team also offers courses to aid students in learning the basics of the platform and resources that boost professional development.

As a result of my exploration, I have gained a broad understanding of the basic use as a student. Based on my initial experience, I have decided to use Wakelet to aid my research in the PD project. I'm sure I will learn more about the tool as I continue to explore and utilize it.

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