Summer vacation in some places is coming to an end, and educators, parents, and students are looking forward to a fresh academic year: new classes, new friends, new subjects. They will also be researching which apps and technology to put in their classrooms, homes and digital backpacks.
Deciding on which new digital technologies to use or purchase can be daunting because of the vast number of educational apps on the market. However, if you’re looking for a seasoned, tried-and-tested, all-rounder app for all subjects, then keep it simple. Popplet is one of the most versatile and useful tools available to educators and learners and it continues proving itself as the go-to app for any subject:
- Literacy – reading and writing skills
- Numeracy – simple and complex activities
- Science – Chemistry, Physics, Biology…
- The Environment – pollution, environmental change
- Technology, Computing, Robotics and Automation
- History – timelines, historical events and profiles
Literacy
Popplet is powerful in the hands of kindergarteners and early-learners. Their young minds are just beginning to open to the language puzzle as they start making those vital connections between what they see, hear, and say. Activities like Word Families from Kirsten Wideen are a good example of what they can do with Popplet:
Popplet is also good for helping more advanced readers develop critical skills and gain a deeper understanding of texts and characters, as in Erin Flanagan’s excellent Reading Strategies article:
Popplet is equally useful when it comes to writing, allowing authors to plan their work, and even use visual prompts for inspiration. Take a look at Tech Know Parent, Jo Blanin’s Storybuilding activity:
For more examples of how Popplet is helping learners in the literacy class check out some of the other articles on Poppletrocks:
Learning to Read: Popplet in the Reading Classroom
Everyone’s A Writer Now: Popplet in the Writing Class
Numeracy
When it comes to Math class, Popplet is an excellent addition to activities involving very young learners as in the much-used Ways to Make 10 activity, like this example from Kindergarten Teacher, Kara Bunch:
Popplet can also be used to teach and learn more complex mathematical topics such as Polynomials (above) and Geometry:
For more Popplet math examples see 10 Ways To Use Popplet In The Math Class.
Science
The precise number of applications that Popplet has in the field of science has yet to be determined, but we believe the number might be infinite. Popplets have been observed in Physics, Biology, Chemistry and many other areas of scientific investigation. Pore over if you will, this magnificent Chemical Bonding popplet from Fatima Guandique:
Sample more astonishingly good Science popplets in Popplet: The APPliance of Science
The Environment
People of the planet Earth have grown in awareness over the last few decades in realizing that the place where we live, work, and play is an important place. So, the teaching and study of Environmental topics has grown in scope. Take these fine Plastic Pollution Facts popplets for example:
Hawthorn have been busy using @poppletny to research plastic pollution facts #hawthornuhps pic.twitter.com/GHvWC255OK
— Upton Heath Primary (@UptonHeathCE) July 12, 2018
For further insight into Popplet and the environment see Popplets About Environmental Issues
Technology, Computing, Automation and Robotics
The world is changing fast and educators often find themselves at the technological rock face, teaching about and working with cutting-edge technologies every day. Digital competency is already a necessity and the future is no longer quite as certain as it might once have been. But in this brave new world we’re constructing it’s Safety First!:
#Y1 and #Y2 used @poppletny this afternoon in #Computing to write rules for staying safe online. pic.twitter.com/FUDzA3K1tI
— Parkfield Primary (@Parkfield) March 17, 2017
Want to see more like this? See Popplets About Technology, Computing, Automation and Robotics
History
Popplet has a great many uses for teachers and learners of History. It’s perfect for making timelines and mapping historical events:
Or for creating profiles of influential historical figures:
For more ideas to use in the History classroom check out 11 Ideas For Using Popplet In The History Classroom.
If your particular area of interest hasn’t been featured in this post, don’t worry. Try searching the blog using the search box in the top right-hand corner of the page.
In the highly unlikely event that you don’t find what you are looking for in Poppletrocks, take a look in Public Popplets – if haven’t done so already, you will have to sign up for a free Popplet account to do this, but it’s free and well worth it. Not only do you get access to Public Popplets, Popplet’s amazing open resource, where hundreds of Popplet users generously share their work daily, you also get ten Popplet boards for free.
If by some miracle you still can’t find a popplet about a particular subject, try following and sharing with the Popplet community on Twitter or on Facebook. Or create your own! We look forward to hearing from you.