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Introducing Frolyc, an amazing teaching tool for teachers of Kindergarten all the way up to Grade 12. Frolyc is a web-based platform for teachers to create, curate, share and publish educational activities. Frolyc's main selling point is the ability to use differentiated learning in all its lessons. Frolyc goes hand-in-hand with the app Activity Spot.

Teacher Interface – Frolyc.com

It is through the Frolyc website where teachers can both create and curate their lessons and activities. Here, they can effectively gather, share and manage all their lessons for all their classes. Create a class code for each grade/group. Share the code to students, and they will be well on their way to an awesome way of learning. Keen teachers can even become “sellers” of their created content and earn some money.

Once logged in, this is the screen you see. The user-interface is easy to use, and only takes a few minutes to peruse around to see what can be done.

Student Interface – Activity Spot app for iPad

Activity Spot is the companion app for iPad that students will use on their devices (free, iTunes link). All students will use the app Activity Spot on their iPads to access the lessons that their teachers have developed. What's great is that students can share iPads; Multiple accounts can be accessed on each iPad. Students will only see activities that were specifically assigned to them.

Upon opening the app, students can simply select their names on this screen:

Once students complete activities, teachers have full access to what has been accomplished. Here is an example of a kindergarten math activity, done on iPad:

Teachers can use a PC/Mac, but better yet, go on an iPad browser to access the Frolyc website. A few taps will take you to view Student Performance on the same activity (spot the mistake!):

Differentiated Learning

In education today, a lot has been said about differentiated learning. I believe this to be an extremely vital part of assessment nowadays. No two students are created equal, so why assess them exactly the same? Our goals as teachers is to respond to the various learning styles of all our students. In getting to know our students, it is our duty to provide them the best delivery of our material, and evaluate them (when possible) differently. Frolyc will allow differentiated learning to take place. It will take extra work, as a teacher, to modify an activity, but the feature is there for you. Assign different activities to different students based on how they can best succeed.

Ideas for Lessons:

Due to the literally unlimited nature of possibilities for Frolyc, the activities that are available will only grow exponentially, thanks to educators like yourselves who share their wealth of knowledge into creating activities for like-minded students.

Here are some ideas that I came up with:

1. After a class field trip, set up an activity that checks understanding on certain facts
2. Novel study – Ask simple and more complex questions about the novel you are studying
3. Vocabulary review – Do multiple choice questions on thematic vocabulary, and go even further by asking them to incorporate those words in sentences
4. Quiz/Test preparation – Review ANY learned material by asking “pre-test” style questions before the real tests.
5. Open-ended activities – Leave them to use their imaginations. Ask them to complete tasks such as drawing their ideal bedrooms, or what they think is the best environment for their learning style.
6. Have your students author (a premium feature) activities and evaluate their understanding through them. Let the rest of the class complete the good ones. I know the keen students will be inspired to create special and unique activities. Peer evaluation can be established and assessed as well.

Take a look at this short video describing Frolyc:

Conclusion

Frolyc is yet another example of how the iPad can be fully integrated into our classrooms. Students will remain motivated and keen to complete the activities that you assign them. If you already use iPads in your classroom, getting Frolyc and Activity Spot into your rotation of apps/services is a no-brainer. The ability to use differentiated learning in activities is fantastic, and is an excellent feature that teachers can take advantage of, and that parents will appreciate.

Educators with lots of knowledge also have the potential to become earners on Frolyc, selling their activities to other users. There are lots of brilliant teachers out there. Become a publisher through Frolyc, and others will be able to take advantage of your activities!

Activity Spot is currently iPad-only. However, the future plans for Frolyc include student web version. This would (obviously) be ideal for classes who don't have the advantage of the use of iPads.

As with any new “service” or app, it will take some effort, as a teacher, to delve into and commit to using Frolyc. Take some time to discover some of the activities that are already available. Then spend a few minutes developing your own activity. It will get easier each time you do it, and before you know it, creating quality material will be second-nature. There is a large selection of how-to videos on their YouTube channel, and support is quick to reply if you ever need assistance.

From the developer:

Frolyc is offered as a free service with a premium upgrade. Premium teacher users have unlimited access to activities on Frolyc, making it a service like Netflix. Students in classrooms of premium teacher users can create activities from within Activity Spot for peer sharing, learning & feedback.

For more info on exactly how Frolyc works, along with FAQ, click here.

Have you checked out Frolyc yet? Let us know in the comments! If not, give it a try!