Web app Symbaloo: edu.symbaloo.com
Symbaloo app: Google Play (Android) and iTunes (iPhone/iPod only)
Quick overview: Symbaloo is a cloud based tool that allows you to organize a collection of website links into a neatly organized page of color coded tiles. Each tile represents a link to a different website. The best part is that you can create Symbaloo “webmixes” and share them with your students! This tool is a must see tool for any teacher who likes to share lists of categorized websites for their students. Symbaloo also works on Mac, PC, and mobile devices as seen in this YouTube video.
How can this be used in the classroom? Once you get the hang of it, it only takes a few minutes for you to prepare a webmix for a section of a course you are teaching. Teaching a math course and have a whole bunch of sites related to fractions? Make a webmix! Here are some examples of a Symbaloo webmixe for reading resources,algebra, physics, and more.
Flipping the Classroom? You can also use Symbaloo to assemble a webmix of on-line videos. If you’re flipping any part of your classroom, this could be a great tool to assemble related videos you’ve curated from one topic. More than one topic you’d like to flip? No problem! With a free account, you are still able to make multiple webmixes from one account.
Symbaloo bookmarks: Last but not least, if you’re not exactly into sharing websites with your students, you can also use Symbaloo to sync your own bookmarks between computers, iPad, or smartphone. This is actually intended to be the primary use of Symbaloo, but as an educator I’m much more excited about the webmixes!
Want to know how to use Symbaloo? I found a a great Symbaloo webmix that contains a bunch of tutorials on how to get started. The orange and green tiles on this particular webmix will help you get started. Note: There is no iPad/iPhone app available in Canada, but you can view and use Symbaloo webmixes in Safari. Correction 3/27/13: There is no iPad app available, but an iPhone version is available. As so, you can install the Symbaloo app on an iPad as long as you install the iPhone/iPod app. In order to do so, switch your apps tab over to iPhone apps (instead of iPad apps) when searching for Symbaloo in the app store from an iPad! (Thanks to Natalie McCarthy, Assistant Centre Director at ACCESS Riverside for telling me about this great resource!)