This week I decided to try out smore to chronicle my learning project progress. I’m not very brave when it comes to technology or learning new apps or websites, but my school uses smore for our newsletter so I thought I’d give it a try.
Honestly, I didn’t love this platform.
There are lots of templates to choose from that others created and shared in a number of different categories, BUT you have to work around the information they’ve used in the newsletter as well as the format they’ve created.
It was difficult for me to edit the first template that I chose which caused me to be frustrated (when I was already frustrated with my learning project!) so I ditched one template and started a new, blank newsletter.
Progress is saved automatically, which is great, but I didn’t like that there was no ‘preview’ option. I like to see what things are going to look like before I hit ‘publish’! I also wish there had been an undo button when I accidentally clicked and dragged a section that I had completed and never was able to move it back to where I thought it belonged.
With your free account, you only get to create three free newsletters before it asks you to upgrade.
The cost isn’t cheap, but if you planned to use it regularly then you could probably justify the subscription. And, with regular use, I’m sure the entire site and process becomes easier to navigate and edit.
I do think that this tool could be used in the classroom to create fun weekly or monthly newsletters to send to families. The template I ended up using was suggested as a classroom newsletter and provided space to add photos with descriptions of what was happening in the classroom. My school already uses this platform to communicate our monthly school newsletter to families, but it would also be easy enough to use as a classroom communication tool.
There are plenty of options to add links to your newsletter, some templates even had moving graphics embedded in them. You’d never move up to the top of the SAMR model using a tool like this, but with adding in different links or including videos or inviting parents and students to view documents where they could edit to provide feedback would at least move you off the shore!
As for my learning project process, please make your way to my newsletter, created with smore, to reveal the blood (literally) and tears that occurred this week.
Hi Chantelle,
I love your honestly in your post. I would like to start by saying that you flower does not look like a toddler created it! I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to things that I create so I tend to only see the flaws, but I tend to forget to look at it with a fresh pair of eyes. As someone who did not watch all the hard work (and blood) that went into your creation I see no flaws. I think you did a great job! I, myself, have also tried to tackle a task or two using materials from the dollar store. Sometimes it turns out great and other times I got what I paid for and they didn’t really work for what I was wanting to do. I think you have a great start and it sounds like you have a lot so far. I can’t wait to see where you go from here.
As for smore, I have to say I think your newsletter turned out great. Everything looks really organized. I totally understand the frustration of working with templates like that though. I find some Canva templates can be stubborn and not do what I want them to do sometimes. All in all, it sounds like you experienced some frustrations this week, but I hope that this does not discourage you!
Karley
Hi Karley,
I wish I got notifications when people replied to my posts, but alas, here I am three weeks later replying to the lovely people that took the time to read my posts in the first place!
I appreciate your kindness in regards to my first attempt at floral beading and my newsletter. I have gotten marginally better in my beading skills since that post! Unfortunately there are times where “you get what you paid for” applies to those dollar store supplies. That being said, I picked up a beautiful selection of beads from a craft store and found out that there are plenty of inconsistencies in the craft store brands, too. And, as I have also learned, those inconsistencies can be advantageous depending on what/where you’re beading.
This learning project is definitely a labour of love….. with an XL side of patience!