I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love ReadWorks and its simplicity for classroom teachers. It integrates with Google Classroom and questions are graded for you! Here is a great collection of articles that relate to Black History Month.
Did you know there was a Confederate commander who wanted to arm slaves?
Do your students know that Muhammad Ali was more than just a boxer?
These are short, high-interest articles. Use one in class today!
I want an organized desk (and life), but sometimes the reality is that there is too much going on.
How do you keep up with all of THE THINGS and not lose your mind? -- Or at least partially not lose your mind?
If you use Google there are two little organization ideas that I like to use.
Quickly color code and move folders to the top with some easy Google Drive organization tips and use Google Keep (the Pinterest-like Google Drive App).
Check out these lickety-split, easy-peasy videos that explain them both!
Pocket Points is a new(ish) app that just this week opened up to high schools. What does it do? It allows teachers to set up classes and offer rewards to students for NOT using their cell phones during class.
That's right! It monitors whether they have unlocked or moved their phone. Teachers can set up a class, add rewards, and get going in less than 5 minutes. Rewards could be anything from extra credit, to eating in class, or sitting in that comfy seat in the corner. Tailor the rewards to suit your needs.
As a side bonus, you and students can actually earn free rewards to restaurants and other vendors as well. Like Chick-Fil-A? Earn a free sandwich. You know we all love free stuff!
Not a teacher but still want to use it? You can!!! And guess what parents?...It tracks whether or not your child is using his or her phone while driving. Here at The Valley we are testing it out this week.
Pick it up in the App Store on your phone and get started. (Teachers set up classes on your computer first.)
More to come soon...Whoa! Look at all those rewards I just picked up!!!
Every concept that a learner has is abstract in the beginning. The more a learner interacts with the material the more concrete it becomes and reflection is important in that process. Unfortunately, reflection is often missing in classrooms.
To increase reflection and slow down the learning process, one idea is to have students create reflective resumes. (Thank you Karly Moura for the idea.) To create these resumes, I have used both Canva and Google Docs. It really just depends on what you and your students are comfortable using.
Students can complete different sections of the resume based on any criteria that you come up with. If it's the end of the semester or year, a student could reflect upon the entire learning experience, or this could also be used at the end of a unit.
For my templates, I used very basic information, but feel free to adapt these to your needs. Here are two examples using Canva.com.
I also created a google docs template if you use Google in your school. You can make a copy of it here. See my video below for more help, and happy reflecting!!!
Digital breakouts seem to be getting more and more popular. It's very clear that students are more engaged when they are working to beat the clock and each other. Often times though, the reality is that they take TOO MUCH TIME to create!
Time is something that no teacher EVER has...
Does this look familiar????
Well, guess what?!? Problem solved...In October the Flippity Add-On for Google Sheets came out with a new Scavenger Hunt Feature. It is SO SO easy and fun to use! Check HERE for my Easy Peasy Tutorial or see below for a quick video tutorial. You are definitely going to want to try this! It's a TIME SAVER & your students will LOVE IT!!!
Are you tired of being tied to your desk because you need to project something that you have to write or type? Use Ziteboard.com. It’s an Interactive & Collaborative Whiteboard that you can use on a computer or tablet. Put it on your tablet but also have a live copy projected on your SmartBoard or Classroom TV.
How do you do this?
Create a board.
Open the same board on your projector or TV.
Anything you write or add to the board from your tablet is also displayed in front of your class!!! AND you can be walking around while doing it. You are no longer tied to your desk computer!! BONUS: You can add students as collaborators. You can also save boards to use later. Check out my infographic for more specifics. EXTRA BONUS??? - It's FREE!!!
As a tech coach, I sometimes feel like teachers feel that technology use is just "one more thing" on their plates. It's important to allow time to celebrate the appropriate use of technology and to highlight the good things going on in your school. Teachers who are seeing good technology use every day will be more willing to implement it in their own classes.
Another tech coach, the fabulous Sharon Owens (@swowens) told me about her idea for TechMas and here's my version of it. Teachers who want to highlight good and appropriate tech can Tweet out a pic and small description using the hashtag #TechMas. They must include me (@ACluttsSVHS) and our school @SV_Vikings in their Tweet so I know they are participating. They are then entered to win prizes! If a teacher wants to participate but doesn't use Twitter, they can send me the pics and description and I'll do it for them.
We will be doing this through Dec. 20th. Check out my Padlet of entries so far and you can see why we are a PREMIER highschool in our state.
