Let’s go on a Fliphunt □️♀️ with Kathi K! — Flipgrid Fliphunts are an engaging way to get your students moving and having fun as they explore your curriculum. We recently caught up with Kathi Kersznowski, an amazing tech coach, MIEExpert, and the original creator of the #Fliphunt. Check out this Q & A as she shares all the things you need to know to create and use a #Fliphunt in your learning community! Q What is a #Fliphunt? A #Fliphunt is a digital scavenger hunt that takes place on Flipgrid. Q How can I use a #Fliphunt in class? Focus on an objective or your subject matter. Q Where do you start? Start with your curricular objectives and build tasks around that. Q Do you set up a #Fliphunt as one Grid or as different Topics? You get to decide! Q What pro-tips do you have for teachers? 🎯Have fun making the task document - I like to use Checkboxes, but I’ve seen folks use point values or assign “levels” for the tasks. 🎯Although you have a digital doc linked to the topic, it may be easier for participants if they have a paper copy.
5 Simple Ways To Use Google Docs In The Classroom 5 Simple Ways To Use Google Docs In The Classroom by Susan Oxnevad first appeared on gettingsmart.com Google Docs is a user friendly suite of online collaborative tools that come with tremendous potential for use in the classroom. Last year all of the students in our school received Google Docs accounts and I was kept quite busy getting students and teachers up and running with the new tools, then discovering innovative ways to use them as effective tools for learning. Here are some of the favorites. 5 Simple Ways To Use Google Docs In The Classroom 1. Sharing and commenting provide students with opportunities to receive immediate feedback on their writing from teachers and peers in the 24/7 classroom. 2. One of the challenges of using Google Docs with a class full of students is in managing all those Google Docs. 3. 4. Provide students with immediate feedback and increase motivation by creating a simple self-grading quiz with a Google Form. 5.
How to Use Google Classroom for Standards-Based Grading Have you ever been a part of a conversation like this one that has taken place in my house more than once:14-year-old: “Mom, do we have any tissues I can bring to school?”Me: “Why, are you getting a cold?”14-year-old: “No, if I bring a box of tissues today I will get 10 points added to my test so I can get two wrong and still get a hundred.”Cue that emoji with the really big eyes, exhibiting shock and horror. Standards-based grading is not new and, at this point, we can’t deny that it is the most authentic way to determine student learning. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. This system has tons of benefits for students and teachers! It focuses assessment on progress toward the standards rather than arbitrary points unrelated to learning! If you plan to try (or are already) using Google Classroom for standards-based grading, I would love to hear your process and thoughts on how it impacts your students and classroom!
Integration Innovation | Tech Tips, Tools & Tidbits for awesome educators Students Learn More When THEY Do the Work A major barrier to innovation in the classroom is teacher exhaustion. I regularly work with teachers who like the idea of trying new teaching strategies, blended learning models, and technology tools, but they don’t have the time or energy to experiment. When I work with teachers, my goal is to get them to shift their mindsets. Instead of asking themselves, “How can I?” I want them to pause and rephrase the question, “How can students?” Below is an example of what it looks like to shift the work from the teacher to the student with the goal of placing students at the center of learning. It’s no mystery why this approach is so draining and frustrating. In a classroom where the student does the work, that same assignment could have a dramatically different outcome. I would argue that the student is going to learn exponentially more with the student-led approach.
Creative Ways to Use Video in The Classroom I’m always looking for new ways to get middle school and high school students more engaged. Hello to the world of video! We already know that students respond well to video in the classroom and curriculum. But what’s the best way to use it with older students? Here are my favorite ways to use video in instruction and assignments. 1. With TED-Ed’s huge library of videos, you can view a variety of “Literature and Language” lessons, then choose one that meets your needs. Once inside a lesson, like “How to Use Rhetoric to Get What You Want,” you’ll find a menu of options to help your students engage with the video: watch, think, dig deeper, and discuss. 2. With Passport, many teachers have the ability to create an environment that uses video in a new way. Teachers also love how it makes things more interactive. Here are some additional ways to use Passport in your classroom. Maybe you’d like students to present final projects to the class, but you don’t have the instructional time. 3. 4. 5.
Ditch those sub plans Writing sub plans can be very time-consuming. With technology, we can speed up the process and make sure our students are getting what they need when we are out of the classroom. This post is written by Denise Douglas, the Coordinator of Educational Technology at Tulare Joint Union High School District in California. You can connect with Denise on Twitter at @DougieFreshTech. Teachers never realize how much work they do, until they have to write sub plans! Once our school began going digital, I started changing the way I planned for a substitute. Last fall I saw a post on Twitter by Fawn Nguyen that perfectly summed up this idea. Here are 4 Simple Steps to make it happen. 1. If you plan on using Google Classroom or an LMS, use it with your students before they have a sub. If students will be using a digital tool (such as the examples listed below) make sure that they are familiar with the tool and know how it works. 2. This could be a quiz, a short writing prompt, or an online activity.
11 Quick & Amazing Ways to Use PowToon in Your Classroom Read Time: 6 minutes I recently read a study on creativity that blew my mind: “A major factor in creativity is education: not whether you had a ‘good’ or ‘expensive’ or ‘public’ education, but whether you were encouraged to develop your creativity starting at an early age and continuing throughout your school years.” — Adobe Powtoon in Your Classroom — Creativity & Education We saw this first-hand, when Edson Tellez, a volunteer teacher in rural Mexico, wrote to us about how Powtoon changed the way his students viewed the world. The mind blowing fact is that developing creativity is the primary determining factor in the overall success of your students! 1 – Students must have a platform to be creative with (physical materials, online programs, a stage etc…) 2- Direction – Even if you teach in the most affluent school, with the most expensive technology; your students are still only as good as the direction given to them. And Powtoon wants to help you ignite this creativity! 1. 2. 3. 4. Ms.
The Infographic Syllabus Template The idea of turning a syllabus in to an infographic has been around for at least several years. This year my colleague made one for herself in a not-free, not-collaborative, tool, so even though we normally share all of our materials, there was no easy way for her to share her version with me. I did a bit of searching for templates, but I mostly found links to paid services. So, I challenged myself to create one from scratch in a Google Drawing. The preview from the link above will look a lot like the image to the right. Several people asked how long this took to make. Some tips: Word art is your friend when it comes to infographics.
5 Ways to Use a Document Camera in the Classroom | TeachHUB Document cameras are a great tool for teachers. They allow teachers to take what used to be individual assignments and turn them into class assignments, creating more discussion, interaction, and maintaining students' attention. I highly recommend purchasing of a document camera for your teachers or departments. After two years of helping teachers utilize a document camera and providing ideas for how they could use them, it became my turn when I got back into the classroom. Unfortunately the classroom setup is a little odd, but utilizing other tools, I am able to use the camera in an effective manner with my students. I am a big fan of my document camera. Below are some of the ways that I have been using the document camera in my classroom: Our guidelines to help you decide when the best time to apply for a job. To end the summer with a giggle, I've compiled and concocted 20 side-... A firm classroom management policy about cell phones can help educators address... Highlighting Tool
First Day of School? Here’s How to Get Students Thinking – Copy / Paste by Peter Pappas As a social studies high school teacher, I faced over 25 years of the first day of school. When I first began teaching, I did usual thing – working through the class list (“do you prefer Patrick, or Pat?), a dry recitation of the class rules, passing out the textbooks. Blah, blah, blah – think of the message it sent to my students. As my teaching style evolved from the lecture / work sheet model into a more engaged learning environment, I redefined how I wanted to introduce my students to my course. So I didn’t waste the opening week of school introducing the course – my students solved murder mysteries. Two different mysteries you can use: Murder Mystery 104KB pdf Bank Robbery 109KB pdf My instructions to students: “Today we are going to play another game that will help improve your discussion skills. Discussion Guide How were decisions made in your group? Follow up: Suggestions: Want more mysteries? ~ Updated from an older post from August 27, 2008 ~ Photo credit: Flickr / walknboston Related
Why these 10 less popular apps rock your Chromebook classroom. Teaching is about inspiring, creating geniuses, reaching goals and engaging students to go higher. There are so many amazing apps for Chromebooks in the universe of the internet that help you to achieve this. Almost too many. We don’t know all the apps for education, and don’t know their powers either. We’re afraid of trying something new and we’re definitely afraid that it won’t work. That’s why I’m here. 1. Wunderlist is an (education) app for teachers (and other people) around the world that helps you capture ideas, things to do and places to see. You can share files with your fellow teachers, and assign tasks. Wunderlist automatically syncs between your phone, tablet and computer. 2. Lucidchart is a web based program which allows you to create plenty different diagrams like flow charts, mind maps, wire frames and much more. Why is it so good? Lucidchart provides free educational licenses that include all premium features to schools and universities. 3. Video. 4. Love at first sight!
Flip Your Back-to-School Night Back-to-School Night is the one evening each year when I have the opportunity to connect face-to-face with my students’ parents. Unfortunately, not all parents can attend Back-to-School Night. Some of my parents work at night or they are at home with their other children. So, three years ago I began flipping my Back-to-School Night presentation in the hopes of reaching more of my parents. This is how I flip my Back-to-School Night. Quick Introduction – My Teaching Philosophy I use QuickTime, a free program on my Mac, to record a short video. I emphasize that the way students communicate is changing and that directly impacts how I approach the design of our class. Virtual Tour of Our Classroom Resources I record a screencast taking parents on a virtual tour of our class website, shared Google calendar, flipped YouTube videos, StudySync site, Google Classroom, and Schoology online discussions. Animoto Video Featuring Their Students