Empowering Student Learning using Kami

Kami is great for digitalizing your workflow and ramping up online collaboration and feedback possibilities. As a teacher you can assign an activity (in pdf format), students can open the document with Kami and then complete it by annotating directly on the document (highlight, mark-up, add textboxes etc…). Groups of students can collaborate on the same document via face-to-face or via text, audio or video comments, or you may want them to work independently to assess their learning. After they are finished they can hand it back in via your LMS (Google Classroom, Schoology or Canvas). Teachers can then grade via Kami, adding comments (written, audio and/or video) and hand back their feedback for student to improve their learning and build on what they already know. It’s a perfect collaborative digital workflow.

Depending on where you are with your technology integration here are some possible ways to use Kami in your classroom: (Organized via the SAMR Model levels)

Substitution: Share a pdf with questions about what animals need in their habitat with each student. One question will include the students drawing an animal in their habitat and labeling their needs for survival. Students complete it using Kami annotation tools and the teacher opens it up in their Google Drive and grades it there.

Augmentation: Using the same assignment, the teacher assigns it through Google Classroom, giving each student their own copy. Students open it with Kami, completes all the questions and then hands it in. Some students may opt to use ‘Voice Typing’ to add text. The teacher opens and grades the assignment in Kami, adding feedback via audio and text comments. The teacher hands back the assignment for students to use the feedback to revise their thinking.

Modification: Use the same assignment above with Google Classroom and Kami, but instead of students completing it independently Kami tools are used to increase collaboration and peer feedback. After the student completes their drawing of an animal in their environment they also add another part explaining what would happen if one of the components of their habitat was to be removed. They then collaborate with another student who will peer-review their work and add text, audio and/or video comments sharing what they like about their work and any questions they have. Students go back and forth with their comments prior to final revisions where students hand it in via Google Classroom. The teacher then grades it and adds their feedback comments via Kami as mentioned above.

Redefinition: Same assignment as above but instead of writing what would happen if one of the components of their habitat was removed the student uses the ‘screen capture’ tool and captures their thinking in a video, drawing/annotating as they explain. Their peer listens to their thinking (via screen capture video) and responses back to them using a video comment. Student takes this feedback and revises their work, recapturing their thought process before handing it in. Teacher grades and gives feedback via Kami audio and/or video comments. The teacher also reviews the process through collaboration history. Ramping it up a notch would be collaborating with another student in a different classroom (either in the same district or another) to get more video feedback prior to handing it in. If you focus on specific habitats you can find students that live close to or in those habitats to give authentic feedback. Students could also ask them for information about the habitat that they live nearby. 

You can also Empower Student Learning by creating Digital Collaborative Science Journals using Kami.

The Next Gen Science Standards and New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) encourages students to investigate through first observing a phenomenon, asking questions, creating models, analyzing data and designing their own investigations. Through this process students become scientists and teachers become facilitators in their learning. Having a digital collaborative journal will allow students to work together throughout this process as well as record their thinking as they progress through their investigations. Science partners can collaborate during class adding to their journals. They can record their findings through annotating, adding images, or recording their thinking via video and audio comments. Partners can then share their journals with other partners to have their work peer-reviewed by other scientists. Since each group is investigating different variables this allows students to be exposed to other claims, evidence, and reasoning. Having the journals available in a collaborative space will allow students to learn from each other, building a collaborative investigative laboratory!

As you can see from these examples Kami has some great collaborative tools built right in! When you first start using Kami have students investigate the platform and the various tools. Some ideas would be:

  • Give them an opportunity to explain their thinking as they solve math problems using the screen capturing tool.
  • Have students leave audio and/or video comments during peer editing. 
  • Ask students to share their favorite annotation tool and how they used it to show their learning. (using the screen capture tool or demonstrating to the class)

I referred to how Kami can transform student work (from simple substitution up through the SAMR levels).

The best thing by far is that using Kami can help teachers see the potential of shifting from a traditional worksheet workflow to becoming facilitators of a digital collaborative workflow in their classroom.

In terms of the ISTE Standards for Educators using Kami in this way allows teachers to become a Facilitator (Standard 6), specifically addressing the following indicators:

  • 6a Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings. (Especially having the students create a Digital Collaborative Science Journals using Kami. Students use the features to create a collaborative, investigative journal where they receive feedback from their peers and teachers.)
  • 6b Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces or in the field. (Using Kami with Google Classroom, Schoology or Canvas allows a smooth flow of learning in a virtual environment where feedback and collaboration are seamless.)

As you can see Kami allows teachers and students to take charge of their learning in a collaborative environment. Check out the free version and other pricing options here. Teachers can also get a free 30-day trial to check out all the features. Personally, I think Kami is a ‘must-have’ when going 1:1.

Have other ways you use Kami? Add your ideas in the comments below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top
Skip to toolbar