Pocket

Introducing Pocket from Pocket on Vimeo.

Pocket happens to be one of my favorite tools to use as an educator. As I collect articles from Twitter or emails, I can typically determine if I want to keep them within a few seconds of skimming. Sometimes I don't have time to read it right at that moment. With Pocket, I can store them in a "cleaned up" fashion, and tag them so that I can essentially categorize them. This is really handy for the individual user and I encourage every educator to try out Pocket as the personal application is pretty straight forward. 

As you begin using it, you may also see the need for your students to have a Pocket account. Students under the age of 13 can participate in Pocket, but must have parent permission before participating. (My teachers do not have to worry as parents sign off on a COPPA compliance document at the beginning of the year with a list of our resources we wish to use. You will be notified at the beginning of each year of you have students that cannot participate.) 

I also brainstormed the idea of using a class Pocket account. What if you had a Pocket account, collected resources, and instantly those resources appeared on your class set of iPads? How cool would that be when collecting a bunch of resources for research project? 

There is a catch though. Since all students would be signed into that account, they also have the ability to delete content from your account. So a lot of discussion would have to take place as far as trustworthiness and digital citizenship  procedures go. In reality, that discussion has to take place with almost every digital tool students use. 

Here are some quick ways you can use Pocket:

The Chrome Extension: 

The iPad App: 

I had done a PD in PJ's session earlier on Pocket and said I was going to record it. However, I decided that I would hold off until I get more comfortable recording in Google Hangouts. I hope in the future to record those sessions and provide them for professional development.