Skip to Main Content

Technology In Practice

Tips For Teaching w/Technology

We'll Support You In Class!

Do you want help introducing a tech tool to your students?

Aidan, Kris & myself are more than happy to help introduce tech (remote, or IRL) to your class. We can also spend time, or an entire Digital Essentials class period helping your students, or supplementing an existing project in your curriculum!

If it makes sense for one of us to come in more than other (ex: Do you want Kris' database, or Sora expertise? Aidan's website building skills?) We can come into your class even if we don't regularly teach Digital Essentials in that grade. 

Just let us know as a team in advance, & we will work out the logistics.

We are also as excited as you are to help in a more significant way with interdisciplinary projects. Let's collaborate!

Manuela Aronofsky

Wakelet

About Wakelet:

Wakelet is an online content curation platform that allows you to easily save links, images, videos, social media posts, and more into organized & curated collections. Collections (called "Wakes" on Wakelet) can be customized, and viewed in different layouts (grids, lists, etc.). You can also add your own notes to each saved online source.
Wakelet can be used as a teaching tool, however the intention of this page is mainly to explain it as a personal organizing tool!

Technology Requirements:

Teachers can use Wakelet on any device, but it is probably most helpful to use it on the device you use for browsing online. There is a mobile Wakelet app available for iPads. 
Screencasts & instructions on this Libguide are all for the Macbook browser version of Wakelet.
Students can use Wakelet on any device using a browser (Safari, or Chrome), or the iPad app.

Below is a brief video overview of Wakelet:

Account Information:

Wakelet is free to sign up for and use, with no restrictions.

Creating a Wakelet Account:

To create your account:
  • Navigate to: wakelet.com
  • Click "Sign up, it's free!"

undefined

  • Click "Continue with Google," and Sign in with your Berkeley Carroll email address.

undefined

Signing Into Your Wakelet Account:

Once you sign into Wakelet from Chrome, or Safari it should keep you logged in.
However, if you get logged out you can log back in by:
  • Navigating to: wakelet.com
  • Clicking "Log In," and logging in with Google, using your Berkeley Carroll email account.undefined

Creating a Wakelet Collection:

The video below will show you how to:
  • Create a new collection
  • Add items to your collection: URLs; YouTube videos; Images/Files (you can add a lot more than this to a Wakelet collection!)
  • Edit a collection item (add a caption, or custom description like a citation)
  • Change your collection layout
You can watch this Tutorial as a video, or view it at your own pace as a scrollable list of steps (Select "View it - List" and scroll down on the dropdown menu for this option.)

1 Log into Wakelet, and Click "Create a new collection"

Step 1 image

2 Enter a Title & Description (optional) for your Collection

Step 2 image

3 Optional: Click "Add a cover image" to add an image to your Collection.

You can upload an image you have saved on your computer, or choose from the free Wakelet image library

Step 3 image

4 You can now start adding items to your collection! Click the green "Plus" icon to add a resource.

Step 4 image

5 Click "Paste URL" to paste a link to a webpage

Step 5 image

6 The URL you pasted will then appear as a collection item, with an auto-generated preview from the website

Step 6 image

7 Click "YouTube" to search YouTube videos directly from Wakelet.

You can also paste the YouTube video URL into Paste URL.

Step 7 image

8 Click "Image" or "Upload PDF" to add a file that is saved on your computer (you don't just have to add online resources).

Step 8 image

9 Click "Edit" on a collection item to add, or customize a text description

Step 9 image

10 Click "Done" to save any changes you make to your collection item.

Step 10 image

11 You can change the layout of your collection by clicking "Change Layout."

Step 11 image

12 When you are done adding items to your collection, Click "Done." 

You can always go back into your collection and Edit it, to add more items!

Step 12 image

Here's an interactive tutorial

https://www.iorad.com/player/1687956/Wakelet---How-To-Create-A-Collection

Sharing Your Wakelet Collection:

The video below will show you how to:
  • Add "Collaborators" to your collection (Collaborators can both view AND edit your collection)
  • Share your collection with an individual, or a class (this only shares the collection as a view-only list - although everything within the collection can be accessed)
You can watch this Tutorial as a video, or view it at your own pace as a scrollable list of steps (Select "View it - List" and scroll down on the dropdown menu for this option.)

1 When your collection is ready to share, Click "Invite" to add a collaborator. 

A collaborator can view AND edit your collection, so if you just want to share your collection with a class to view it, skip this!

Step 1 image

2 Click "Copy link" and paste it in an email, or any other platform to share it.

Step 2 image

3 Click Share to share your collection with a person, or class.

If you share your collection this way, people or classes can view & access the resources in the collection, but they can't edit the collection itself.

Step 3 image

4 Click Copy to paste the link on any platform (like an email)

Step 4 image

5 Or click the Classroom icon to share the Wakelet directly to Classroom.

Step 5 image

Here's an interactive tutorial

https://www.iorad.com/player/1687986/Wakelet---How-to-untitled-task-name

Below are a few more "Frequently Asked Questions" that may help you use Wakelet in your teaching practice:

1. What is the Wakelet browser extension, and how do I install it?? 
The Wakelet browser extension (for Chrome, Edge or Firefox), makes it even easier to add items to a pre-existing collection when you're browsing the Internet. For example, you don't have to open Wakelet and add something to a collection from the Wakelet page. Instead, you can save things directly from the page you're on by clicking the small Wakelet icon next to the URL.

undefined

 

To install the Wakelet browser extension, go to this link & choose which browser you would like to install it on.
One thing to note is that in Chrome, if you install the browser extension it automatically makes it your default "New Tab" option (so Wakelet opens whenever you open a new tab on your browser), which can be a little bit annoying!! To turn this off, follow these instructions.

Here are a few ways you might use Wakelet as tool for organization:

  • Save a news article, or online resource to read later (allows you to close multiple browser tabs!)
  • Create a curated list of resources on a specific class subject, or topic - remember, it can be multimedia and include videos, music & more
    • These collections can be shared with students as extensions, or supplementary research aids
Here are a few ways you might use Wakelet as a teaching tool - have students...
  • Curate their own digital resource collections on a topic. Remember, they can add their own annotations & notes to explain why they chose to save it as a helpful/reliable source
  • Save resources for a specific research topic (such as their Math Fair topic), which can then easily be put into NoodleTools to build citations

Below are examples of Wakelet in practice:

Here are more resources from the Wakelet support pages:

​Do you have a specific Wakelet question that you can't find the answer to?
Email Help Desk: helpdesk@berkeleycarroll.org with "App Request" in the Subject Line.

Do you want to see how other educators are using Wakelet? Interested in updates, or how they're approaching Remote Learning? Browse their Twitter feed!

(Wakelet also has a blog, with updates & guest users who share how they use Wakelet)