Shamblespad.

Shamblespad is an excellent resource you can use to gather whole class ideas and check for knowledge and understanding. ShamblesPAD is a tool that enables collaboration on documents in REALLY real-time.

You may be in class discussing information with high or low student interaction toward a topic, to control the flow of responses or to bleed a response from a learning group, introduce a shamblespad.

Simply create a customized URL that relates to the topic and click on "New Pad".

Once the page opens, you will be met with the below message which is a default "Heads Up" about the capabilities of Shamblespad. You will notice in the picture below the pads are compatible on mobile devices, however you can not embed pictures. You can Embed other URL's to link to other sites.

I delete most of this message strait away and embed guidelines of how to use the pad, remember, everything that is written on the pad is viewable. I normally wait 5 minutes to tell the learners this so they can figure out they can write stuff and everyone can see it! Obviously this encourages "Tom Foolery" at which time I then inform them that everything that is written on the page is savable and the responsibility of the student who wrote it. This is a nice opportunity to remind students about their role in Digital Citizenship...

Below is a simplistic example of how I start a class on a pad, clear direction and most importantly, make sure they place their name after the comment they post to encourage ownership over their work as well as linking them to any inappropriate comments.

 This example was done very quickly in a busy class, I was in a situation where I was getting bombarded with information and rather than take notes on the board, which I was already doing, I opened the class up to this resource. It is up to you how stringent you are with grammar, today I simply wanted responses and made the class aware I was only interested in information RELATED to the question posed. Here is a link to the result after 5 minutes.

In the past I have used a shamblespad per class, essentially setting it up like a lesson plan with clear guidelines and instructions, the students then work independently/collaboratively toward the tasks set. I have had great success using this strategy with classes who struggle to engage, as they can see the work their peers are achieving, encouraging participation.

If you would like to see more examples or discuss implementing a shamblespad into your learning environment, I look forward to hearing from you.

Shaun