Dotstorming web tool

Dotstorming.com

Using Dotstorming

            Dotstorming (https://dotstorming.com) is a very simple web tool that allows you to brainstorm ideas by yourself, or with others. This is done by creating a topic and inviting people to join the dotstorm. People that have joined the topic can make idea suggestions and chat about the ideas that other people see. One of the key features of the dotstorm is that participants can vote on the ideas that people suggest to come to a conclusion.

            It is a free website to use for all, but there is no need for students to join. A teacher can join, create the topic, and then invite the students to join the dotstorm. The interface is very simple to use when creating the topic, adding ideas, and chatting. Voting is also easy by clinking on a circle on the lower left corner of the idea that pops up. Students can also make comments on each individual idea within the topic to have a discussion on those ideas.

            The creator of the topic also has control over several aspects such as the number of votes each individual has. Ideas can be added at any time, or the teacher can close the “board” so that only comments and voting can take place. The youtube videos below give a good description of how to use the website and what can be done with it.

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTDbzdIC0BM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq-j1dY8Q6U

What literacy skills does Dotstorming support

            Dotstorming can be used to meet all of the literacy skills that we have identified (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008). The skills that are developed will depend on the way that this tool is used. Basic literacy could be addressed through using this tool by having students focus on the sentence structure and finding key words by having students list out these words. Intermediate literacy could be addressed by having student suggest vocabulary words or answering generic comprehension questions.

This could also be a tool that is used to address disciplinary literacy skills by setting up a problem-based activity in the dotstorming and asking students to use the texts that they have access to, or finding new texts to address the problem that is identified in the topic. The flexibility of this web tool allows it to address many skills. However, this means that a teacher who uses it must tailor the activity to address the specific skills that need to be focused on.

How you could differentiate for content, process, or product using the tool

            The flexibility of the dotstorming platform allows teachers the flexibility to differentiate many aspects of an assignment through this website. The content can be differentiated by specifically referencing what texts are to be used for the topic. On the other hand, it could be specifically stated that new texts are to be found to address the topic. This allows the teacher to gear the topic to any level of reader and any complexity of text.

            The website also allows teacher to create a topic that takes the form of many different processes. A dotstorming could be a simple engagement activity where students brainstorm out a list of key concepts of a topic, similar to a semantic map or a pre-reading plan. Students could have their comprehension guided by completing a adapted form of paired summarizing, where student post summaries of a section of readings. Students could also take part in authentic activities by have problem based activities posted on the dotstorming website.

            Another key aspect of this web tool that I think would be beneficial to students and teachers is the ability to group students. Much like what could happen in a classroom a teacher could choose to group students in many different ways, really in any way that we have discussed in the class. A group of struggling students could be grouped together and questions tailored to their needs with more teacher input to their comments. English language learners could be grouped together with other teachers and support personnel who could help with their comprehension of English.

            Lastly, the product that students result in is another positive aspect of the dotstorming website. I feel like the best use, or the use that most interests me is utilizing it as a formative assessment. Students could post ideas, comment, and vote in a quick time frame which gives the teacher a quick snapshot of their level of understanding. This could also be done anonymously, ensuring that students’ grades are not an issue. There could also be a summative or formal assessment that takes place by providing a rubric. This could include areas like suggesting two ideas, making three comments on other students’ ideas, and providing references to support your ideas.

            We have discussed the idea of representations and this could also be addressed through this medium. Students could post pictures as their ideas through a google image search, or they could draw a picture, take a picture of it and post it. I believe that videos could also be posted if that were a medium they wanted to express themselves in. Any form of the written word could be used, and it may be fun it all ideas have to rhyme or in poem form.

Classroom Examples

            The example question that I have been working on for our assignment next week is should people have access to exogenous erythropoietin? With this in mind I set up an example topic and added a few ideas to see what it looked like. Below is a sample:

I am looking at this question as a debate that takes into account the information, medical benefits, ethics, and morals of any drug use. The dotstorming platform appears to lend itself to setting up a forum where students could present their ideas, make comments, and vote on ideas. I could do this in stages to help build the knowledge base by addressing the positive disease treatment issues, then the performance enhancing issues associated with its abuse. In this way I could scaffold the texts that are used and the process so that they students have prior knowledge to be able to take part in a productive debate.

            Another area that I would like to use this is for reviewing for tests. One of the activities that I have done it the past is to have students write their own test as a review. I think this would be great to do on the dotstorming website. I would most likely start by creating a topic about essay questions for a test. Students would be asked to submit one essay question as an idea and then in the comments of the idea add in what they think the best answer is. Other students could then comment on the question and the answer. After a period of time, students could vote on the question and answer combination that they like the best. I could even limit the test questions to their top 3 responses, with only two appearing on the test.

Pros & Cons of Dotstorming

            Pros of the dotstorming website are that it is flexible and easy to use. No complex sign ups, it is free, and open space with few restrictions. However, this does result in some problems for the teacher. There is more work to ensure that assignments are created such that they address the intended issues, skills, and assessments. However, I side with enjoying the freedom and taking responsibility for ensuring that the assignment is created to accomplish its task.

            Other issues that would come up are those that come with the internet and social type tools. The website is not perfect, I ran into problems logging on from the Safari browser and was not able to load pictures for about 15 minutes once. I guess these are the issues that come with a free site and one that looks like it is run by one person. There is also the possibility of inappropriate online activities such as comments and pictures that should not be there. With the opportunity to post anonymously this would be an issue to address with the class and regularly check postings to ensure this is not happening.

            One of the problems that I have with all digital tools is lack of engagement. If all a tool does is the same thing that a face to face class does or less, why not just stick with the regular class activity? The key element is to ensure that the students are engaged in this online learning tool and growing as students as a result of it. There are too many digital tools that I have looked at that are no better (and some worse) than what we are currently doing. I feel like that is a waste of time and want to avoid it in my class. I honestly feel like this is a tool that could be used to help students develop informational skills and communicate ideas outside of the classroom.

Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching Disciplinary Literacy to Adolescents: Rethinking Content-Area Literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 40-59.