07 February 2012

Day Five: Symbaloo

Symbaloo


What is it? Symbaloo is a tool to organize and share your online library. It allows you to create a personalized dashboard right on your desktop.


Why I like it: 
1.  I can create a webmix of Internet sites that I frequent, and then just click on the desired tile to go directly to the destination - it is fast and accurate.  No mis-typed URLs; no long list of bookmarks to sift through.

2.  I can search the Symbaloo gallery and 'borrow' already-created webmixes that amass sites on a given topic that I may need.  There are many webmixes for teachers by teachers. That is the beauty of the sharing aspect of Symbaloo.  Here is a webmix I found on global warming:
http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/3700-Global-Warming?searched=true

3. It has broad applicability - this is a web 2.0 tool that is useful to anyone for personal or professional needs. 

4.  It is not computer-dependent. It is in the cloud and accessible from anywhere.

5.  Our students will find this useful in high school as well as in college (to organize their sites for research) and also in their future careers.

How you can use Symbaloo with your students:
1.  You can set up a "digital library" for them for a given assigment.  You can include tiles with the web sources you know to be credible and informative to the subject.  You can even add a tile that links to the Destiny book catalog if you want them to include books in their research.

2.  They can set up their own digital libraries so that as they find good sources for their research, they can add a tile that links to the source.  This includes articles they find on the web, and also on the academic subscription databases.  This is a tool they can take with them when they leave us.


Getting Started:
First take a look at this short video:

How to Create, Edit and Search for a Tile

Creating Your Account:
1.  Go to Symbaloo.com

2. Click on the link near the top right to Create free account.

3.  Fill in the requested information, agree to Symbaloo's terms and conditions and then check Create my account

Now you are ready to begin!  Log in to your account.  Look at the tabs at the top of the Home Page.  You may now choose from the following:

1.  Utilize an existing webmix - Click on one of the tabs; and then select tiles of interest from the existing webmix (e.g. the Webmix Collection tab has a tile called iPhone apps.  You may want to see if there are any apps with an educational focus that you can utilize).

2.  Search the gallery by topic - Click on the link to Gallery at the top right of the page above the tabs.  You can search the public webmixes using the search box.

3.  Create your own webmix:  Click on the link for Add a new webmix. Name it as you choose.  Click Add.  Now there are three options:
     a.  Click on any tile.  A dropdown will appear.  You may select Quick Start and add tiles for the most frequently used web sites.
     b.  Click on any tile.  Type your desired site in the search box (e.g. Britannica).  You will be offered a set of tiles from which to choose.
     c.  Create your own tile.  You can do this by clicking on the link at the top right for Creating your own tile.  Or you may click on an empty tile.  A dropdown will appear.  You may select click here to create your own tile.  Follow the step by step instructions that come up.

Voila! 
Enjoy! Here are some links to information that may be of help.

FAQ
Symbaloo User's Guide
Edutecher's Symbaloo Tech Tools

25 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this, Ceil. I have been meaning to try Symbaloo, so thanks for breaking it down for us! I can see myself using this for research projects where an abundance of incorrect content is out there on unreliable sites.

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    1. Exactly. That's one of the best ways to use it, I feel. Thank you.

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  2. This is a great resource! My students constantly want to go to Google or Wikepidia despite all of the resources they have available here at Bayshore. This is a great way to organize reliable websites in one place. I am looking forward to trying this out!

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  3. This is a wonderful alternative to bookmarks!!!

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  4. Sounds like a great way to share effective websites!

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  5. WOW! I'm really looking forward to using this one! What a nice, easy way to set up a virtual "reserved library shelf" for my students whenever they begin a research assignment! I'm going to set up my account right after I post this!

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  6. I just set up a few links and it seems really easy to use. I like the fact that students can set up their own "libraries" of source material. I can also see using this to tie in with lessons about how to evaluate the reliability / credibility of web resources.

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  7. Hmmm... you can tell I like this resource! Here is a link to a page where I put symbaloo to use today: http://www.middletownk12.org/north/Academics/Technology_Dept/Architecture_and_Spatial_Design_home_pg.htm

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  8. Great way to organize for the students. This will help when researching papers. The students can have all their research sites at their fingertips.

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  9. I just created my account! In the past I have created and shared a word document with my students that contains all of the links they need to complete a research assignment or webquest. Symbaloo is a great alternative. My students are currently conducting research so this is a great tool to get them started and guide them to look in the right places for information. I will definitely be using symbaloo and encourage my students to create tiles for their resources for easy access while conducting research.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Great idea. Students have loved adding to their "Favorites" bar or folders. They are so frustrated when they go to another computer and their favorite websites are not available. They are sure to embrace this!

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    1. I was thinking the same thing and actually not for the kids (even though I agree) but for me!! I already created my account and I can't wait to organize my website folder!

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  11. Thank you sharing such a great resource. I usually store all of my links on my website, but that setup sometimes lacks organization.

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  12. Very usable...easy to use...here is what I created for research on Paulsen/Iditarod.
    http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/iditarodgarypaulsen

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  13. I love that it is cloud based-students often bookmark things at school, not realizing that it is machine specific-then can not find their bookmarks when they go to another computer. Being able to access them from home is huge.

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  14. I'm defintely going to use this for my Latin students' next research project. If they are given free range on the internet to look up information, they often find unreliable sources that look legitimate at first glance. The Libguides pages that Lauren Stout makes for class projects are useful for stopping this. Symbaloo seems like it would be an easy way for me to make a small library of sites for a smaller-scale project. I'm guessing you can also make a webquest type assignment with it? Has anyone done that?

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    1. I think that is a marvelous idea. I did a webquest earlier this year with Juniors and used a different approach. Next time I'll use Symbaloo for it.

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  15. This reminds me of an electronic bookcart! Students rarely avail themselves of the excellent resources accessible through the media center. I like Symbaloo as a way to broaden the scope of the search my students will use when researching.

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  16. You could make a class list of websites for the students to use. Very cool.

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  17. Here is a great symbaloo created for the Common Core Standards: http://edu.symbaloo.com/mix/commoncore

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  18. My classes work on many research projects throughout the year. Using Symbaloo will enable them to retrieve information from varied and reliable sources.

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  19. I can't wait to create one for my 6th and 7th grade math students. This will not only help my students but their parents as well. I look forward to posting this on my website for all to see and use :)Thank you so much for introducing this site to me!!

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  20. It's visually appealing and accessible from any computer with web access. My favorites are no longer limited to the computer I use at home or work. I love it.

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