Recharge, Refuel, Reignite...

This time of year is usually filled with more to-do lists than opportunities for relaxation. As schools come to a close for winter break, make sure to jot down a few important reminders right before you LEAVE. Yes, LEAVE.

Give yourself permission to walk out of the building without a bag, papers, or any other items that will interfere with enjoying the time off. Let's take a cell phone for example, have you ever tried to answer texts, calls, etc. while your phone was charging? It's take longer for it to charge.

Have you ever noticed how much longer your phone stays charged when you turn off some of the app alerts? Even your phone needs a break to recharge fully.

Breaks should be a time to recharge, refuel, and reignite the flame within us. So many people lost time with loved ones and families due to busy schedules and increased demands. Time Magazine notes some interesting facts about Americans and breaks from work:

• "Four weeks vacation is the minimum in European countries. The lone United States doesn't have any federal requirement for vacation."
• "33% increase in the risk for stroke for those who work 55 or more hours in a week."
• "47 hours is the average work week for most Americans."

These numbers continue to increase. Although work is a necessity for most, consider if you're working to live or living to work. The year 2016 has been a lesson for many, time waits for no one, use your time this holiday to be with the ones you love. Take a few moments to work on a hobby or craft. Have a safe and rest filled break. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! 

Tuttle, B. (2015, September 4). 18 Numbers That Show Why American Workers Really Need a Break This Weekend. Retrieved December 13, 2016, from http://time.com/money/4008821/labor-day-statistics/

Track Progress with Digital Lesson Planning

Districts around the country are adopting 1:1 programs and tapping into the collaborative tools that Google offers for education, but is that collaboration among staff members? Teachers often reference how easy it is to have the students work collaboratively, yet rarely emphasize how joint efforts have increased among staff and administrators. Administrators can use online tools to monitor curriculum progress as well as view lesson plans. Some of those tools include:

Google Drive

Administrators can create folders for departments to add weekly lesson plans. Instead of referencing a notebook or a folder outside the door, administrators can create folders for each staff member to add content to. Folders can also be shared among department heads and team members. In addition to lesson plans and curriculum resources, this is also a great way to share important documents that everyone references often.

Chalk.com

Chalk.com has several tools including lesson plan sharing. There are fields for pacing guides and standards. Teachers can also upload support documents and activities that support the lesson. There's even a field for attendance and notes. The finished plan is just as detailed as traditional lesson plan. The app is available on iOS and Android.

Don't just get your kids collaborating, model what that looks like by connecting your staff also.

Tech Tools for Centers in the Secondary Classroom

           Teachers are tasked with accomplishing so much in so little time. Elementary teachers have mastered the art of using stations and centers to complete a number of tasks in a restricted amount of time. Station activities can range from review and reteaching to practicing a new skill. Technology further extends these options by proving a means for direct instruction to take place while the teacher is working with a struggling group. Try these resources out to assist with planning station activities:

Seesaw

Seesaw is a free app that is web based and has an app available on Chromebooks and iPads. Seesaw can be used for students to demonstrate, reflect, draw, or record themselves at an assigned station.

Recap

Recap is created by Swivl. Teachers can add specific questions for students to verbally respond to. Students record their responses and those responses are available for teacher review. It's free, easy to set up, and easy to use.

Youtube's Video Editor 

Often times teachers look for videos that are created by other teachers instead of making their own. Creating your own lecture snippet will not only force you hone in on the  most important parts of your lesson, but it allows students to have a reference outside of class. Take 5 minutes to highlight the most important points in a lesson, upload the video to YouTube, and use the editor to add titles or annotations. Take the link and share it in Google classroom or simply pull it up at a station for students to use.

EDPuzzle

Free resource that has a number of video platforms built in. Teachers can add questions, annotations, and their voice to any video that is available. This is a great ways to introduce or review a topic.

Adobe Spark

Infuse a spark of creativity into your stations and allow students to create a short video summarizing what they've learned. Teachers can extend this activity to allow students to view and reflect on each other's videos.

Each resource is free and is easily adaptable to different grade levels. When planning stations consider what task aligns to your desired outcome.

Teaching Vocabulary with Technology

In today’s world of abbreviated language and text lingo, teaching vocabulary can be a daunting task. Sometimes it’s difficult to decipher if technology is helping or hindering students. Here are a few ways to use technology to assist with building vocabulary:

Create a Picture Dictionary

When a new unit starts allow students to create a Google Doc or Google Slide. On the Doc or Slide, use tables to create columns and rows. Allow students to add their vocabulary word, definition, and a picture. To extend the activity, have students reflect on how the picture relates to the meaning of the new word.

Use Wordle

Wordle is a web application that creates word clouds. Allow students to enter words that are related to a common unit or have similar meanings. This can also serve as a review activity to see how many new vocabulary words students remember for the unit being taught.

Create a Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt

Using QR codes, place the definitions of new terms around the room. Allow students to move around the room adding the correct term to each definition. The QR code can be linked to a Google Form, Google slide, or Google Doc.

These are a few easy ways to use technology to add to your vocabulary lessons.

The Reflective Teacher

The reflective teacher realizes the benefits of reviewing their methods. Reflective practice results in modified planning and formative assessment that improve lessons. Recap provides a great resource for students and teachers. It keeps an ongoing record of reflections to questions entered by the teacher.

Recap as a PD Tool

The Reflective Teacher Model, TAP, and the IB program are just a few models that require teachers to reflect on lessons and necessary modifications for improvement. As administrators conduct professional development throughout the year, allowing teachers to reflect gives administrators access to their growth. Throughout the school year, principals can document and share positive changes as well as areas of improvement that teachers make. This not only supports a growth mindset within your school community, but it displays support for teachers and their efforts.

Recap as a Reflective Tool for students

Students need opportunities to reflect on lesson as much as teachers do. Recap allows students to create a short response to questions. There are several ways to implement this in classes, especially those that are in a 1:1 computing environment. Teachers can go beyond entrance/exit slips and incorporate fun characters from Pokemon Go or other games that students identify with. In addition to creating a Recap-Go activity, teachers can allow students to move around to stations while answering questions about each one. Teachers can select the amount of time that students can record for a reflection. Watching a few quick videos sure beats carrying home notebooks that students are using for journal writing.

If you’re searching for a free and easy tool to use in your classroom, look no further.

Visit: https://letsrecap.com/

Are You Teaching with Pokemon Go?

   

     Pulling in popular trends is a great way to engage students and get them excited about the lesson of the day. If you've engaged in the game, it's difficult not to get sucked in. Although students can't roam freely around the school, teachers can capitalize on this concept. Here are a few ways to integrate Pokemon Go in your classroom:

Writing Prompts

Everyone is responsible for teaching literacy skills regardless of the content, use characters as prompt starters. Students can write about the Pokemon's super powers or describe a habitat where it might live. The lessons can be extended so that students are using additional skills such as comparison, publishing writing, or descriptive language. 

Create a Game Environment

Post characters around the classroom and use QR codes to add questions, videos, or tasks for students to complete. Get creative about where characters are placed so that students have to move around and look for them. As an added bonus, offer an incentive or a prize for students that find all of the Pokemons. 

Use Parts of the Game to Teach a Concept

In the game the Pokemons evolve, use this to introduce topics such as adaptation. Eggs are also collected during the game, teachers can use this as a hook to discuss eggs. 

Even if the teacher hasn't played the game, a Google search will display everything anyone would need to know about Pokemon Go. It's a free download, take a look and give it a try with students. 

Flip Your PD

Flipped learning is a popular classroom strategy that encourages students to take charge of their learning. The teacher plans exploratory time for students to dig deeper into topics. What if we applied this same thought pattern to professional development?

Teachers have a clear idea of what they understand, what they don’t understand, and topics they would like to know more about. As an instructional leader, what if administrators presented their staff with a general list of topics and allowed them to choose prior to planning professional development? Let’s go a step further, What if teachers could prepare questions in advance to allow more time for in depth coverage of new topics?

The majority of professional development is done in a limited period of time, such as a planning period or an after school faculty meeting. To better use that time, a flipped strategy would allow time for teachers to review the covered material and submit questions/concerns in advance. This keeps the presenter from reviewing material that participants may not need reviewed. Technology tools such as Google Classroom, Google Drive, Seesaw, LiveBinders, Recap, and so many more create opportunities for online communities where educators (administration and staff) can work collaboratively.

Flipped Professional Development Ideas

Staff share

Allow staff to share content on one specific topic. For example: have teachers share how they implement videos into their content area. After the strategies are shared, have teachers rate the ones they are familiar with. Next, plan professional development with what teachers know in mind while encouraging new ideas. By simply sharing, a presenter or instructional coach didn’t waste time on strategies that teachers were already using.

Curate Resources

A shared folder, YouTube Channel, or professional development Google Classroom are a few easy ways to organize resources for teachers. If the topic for professional development is classroom management utilize the good resources already available on that topic. A YouTube channel could be created and shared with teachers providing a visual representation of what good/bad classroom management looks like.

Reflect to Plan

Provide opportunities for teachers to process and build on information already given. Teachers should be provided reflective time to evaluate how their using new strategies and what other support (if any) is needed to plan for future professional development.

The more autonomy teachers have in their learning, the more receptive they are to trying new methods in the classroom. To learn more about flipped learning visit: www.flippedlearning.org

Are you Screencasting?

Today was the first time I tried Screencastify, in minutes I had a fully functional video as a follow up to some questions from a professional development session. The video is short and teachers can follow along to perform the task of converting some files on their Google Drive to Google Apps. The extension is free and is added to the chrome browser where videos can be created directly from chrome. There’s no need for java or any other plug ins for it to work.

The videos are added to Google Drive and can be uploaded to a YouTube channel as well. The same sharing permissions that are available with other shared documents are available in Screencastify. The created videos can be public or private. There is seamless integration with Google Classroom. Once a video is created, it can be shared in classroom simply by clicking on the icon.

To get started, simply visit the chrome web store and search for the Screencastify extension. Click on the extension icon and select record desktop. Next, capture the desired content and click the extension again to stop recording. Some features require an upgrade, but full capabilities are only $24 annually.

Some practical application of this in the classroom include step by step instructions of class content, lesson previews for flipped and blended strategies, and parental references for assistance at home. Here’s a link to my screencast on displaying a Google Form as a QR Code to keep the benefits of Google Form’s data while creating an engaging activity for students.

Check out my Screencast!

Personalized Technology PD for Today’s Teacher

Classroom teachers are equipped with a wealth of content knowledge and strategies from several disciplines. The wealth of conferences, webinars, and workshops are innumerable. Instructional leaders are faced with the challenge of providing meaningful professional development that yields tangible results. One of Knowles’ 5 Assumptions of Adult Learners is the “Adult Learner Experience that states, ‘ as a person matures he/she accumulates a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning’.” As teachers gain more experience, they gain more supply for learning. This foundation is a combination of mistakes, college education, and solved problems. The most important factor to consider when educating adults is making the topics relevant.

Strategies for Personalizing Technology PD for Adults

Consider the Experience Level

A teacher with 5 years of experience is vastly different from someone with 20 years of experience. Content knowledge is similar, but strategies will differ greatly. The level of experience will affect how new strategies are delivered and implemented. Although novice teachers adapt to technology quickly, there is a need for the veteran experience. It is important to relate traditional tasks to new technology. For example:  journals have been assigned to students for years, but technology has created several different opportunities that build on this traditional task.

Emphasize Ease of Use

It’s important to inform teachers of the benefits of the topic being taught. How will what’s being taught make life easier? Does it simplify traditional tasks? Has the implementation process been streamlined? With tasks ranging from attendance to duty, it’s important to consider the learning curve and ease of implementation.

Identify Points of Proficiency

Outline the skills teachers should learn during professional development. Having a list of objectives helps teachers gauge relevance and identify training goals/objectives they may want to learn more about. This also gives participants a sense of proficiency once the training/workshop is completed. Badging is also an option so that teachers can show off the new skills they’ve learned.

Provide Hands-on Options

Instead of offering blanket topics, provide teachers with a comprehensive list of topics to choose from. The list should range in skill level while providing diverse offerings to peak interest. Students appreciate choices and teachers do too. In addition to providing different skill levels, offer hands on activities so that participants can practice the skills being taught.

Professional development is best received when planned and implemented for success.

Take Your Interactive Notebook Digital

Interactive notebooks have become a popular strategy to help students organize class notes and handouts while exploring ideas. Creativity can be embedded easily by allowing students to express themselves in one margin of the page. What if this old school idea was given a new school twist? Many school districts across the United States are going 1:1 or to some form of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), instead of lugging around a notebook and a chromebook (or iPad/laptop) try using digital tools to enhance this strategy. Here are a few ways to take your interactive notebook digital:

Create a Google Site

Allow students to build a site that they continue to add content to throughout the school year. Students can add videos, pictures, and text for reflection on material. Instead of standing in the copier line (and then right before your turn it jams), share class handouts electronically.

Use Seesaw’s Learning Journal

Seesaw is a free app on the android and iOS platforms. Each student creates their own online portfolio, the class shows up as a feed. Teachers can also click to view one student’s work at a time.

LiveBinder

LiveBinder is in the Chrome Web Store. It creates an online binder. Each topic has it’s own tab and links to the binder can be shared. Binders can be assigned while others can be private or public for viewing. Check out a sample one here: http://www.livebinders.com/media/get/MTMxNTAzMjc=

Instead of lugging all those notebooks around or flipping through pages, now just scroll for easy spot checks and grading. 

Learn more about interactive notebooks here:  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/interactive-notebooks-no-special-hardware-christina-lovdal-gil

No Devices, No Problem

Computer labs fill up, carts get signed out, and sometimes technology simply isn’t available; however teachers can still reap the benefits of quick formative assessment with Plickers. Simply sign up for free at www.plickers.com. Using the website, click on classes. A roster can be imported or student names can be typed in manually to the newly created class. A number is automatically assigned to each student, this number matches the Plicker card. Once the class entries are completed, click on library. New folders can be added prior to adding questions for organization purposes. Simply “add question” to create an assessment.

Once everything is setup on the site, download the app to a tablet (android or iOS) or cell phone (android or iOS) and print out the Plicker card. As you launch the assessment, simply use the camera on your tablet/phone to scan each students card. Each card is unique and each student simply turns their card to the answer of their choice. Without student devices, teachers can still reap the benefits of quick analysis of formative assessment that technology provides.  

Try Plickers today!

Keep 'em Coming

Google remains on the cutting edge and the company is always making forward progress. I just love how Google listens to feedback from users.

Google Forms recently updated to include a built in quiz option. Google Classroom has a few changes as well. On August 17, 2016 new options were available. Teachers can now add and filter by topic. Teachers and students can now preview files such as PDF’s or videos without leaving the classroom.

Although I love all of these new features, my favorite is Guardian Summaries. Teachers now have another way to communicate and keep parents up to date. Simply enable “Guardian Email Summaries” for your classes; click on “Invite Guardian” beside the name of a student and enter the email address provided. Parents will receive a summary of completed assignments as well as the due dates for other assignments for each class the student is enrolled in.

This is a great way to keep parents informed and involved in the education process; and start the school year off on a positive note with parents.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back!

I’m sure your week thus far has been filled with the sounds of laughter and school buses. It’s back to school time, welcome back!

Typically the first Friday of the first full week results in a dull Friday night coupled with sleep and Netflix. Many teachers are already tired and it’s just the first week. As you get back into your routine, establish norms and procedures, why not create some for yourself?

In a profession like this one, it’s important to avoid burn out. One of the best ways to do that is to establish boundaries between school and work. Start small, but consider one day each week that an hour earlier or later will suit your schedule. Use this extra time to complete tasks and plan. By adding this hour, time is created to complete tasks instead of taking them home.

In addition to leaving work at work, make time for the things you enjoy. I consider myself to be a “Master Crafter”, so I make time for those things. They help to alleviate stress and avoid boredom. There’s an abundance of videos on YouTube about any craft or hobby out there. I recently taught myself to knit and make candy apples from YouTube.

Lastly, make exercise a priority. Exercise is a stress reliever and natural immune booster. You can’t do your best, when you’re not feeling your best. Regular exercise also improves sleep.

As the year progresses, remember to be kind to your students and to yourself.

Got Visuals?

Got Visuals?

According to the Visual Teaching Alliance, 65% of the population are visual learners yet 80% of instruction is delivered orally. How this new generation relies on videos became more powerful to me after a conversation with a beloved 5 year old. About a week ago, I was cleaning up at my grandmother’s house and the 5 year old asked me about a patterned pillow on the couch. I told him that I made it. Immediately he asked, “How?”. I replied that I used a sewing machine to sew it, he politely asked if I could teach him. Right after he asked if I could teach him to sew, he said, “Let me see a video.” At the ripe old age of 5, he knows there’s probably a video available that will show him how to do this task.

As teachers, it’s important to use what appeals to students. This is definitely the YouTube generation, so start there. Within YouTube teachers can annotate videos. Start by adding videos to your YouTube channel. Next visit the YouTube channel manager. Then click the down arrow next to the video you would like to edit and click the annotation button (should be on the right). Lastly remember to click apply changes. A great way to utilize this and get feedback is to add the video to a Google Form along with comprehension questions. New features in Google Forms allow teachers to build in a self grading quiz.

Often times teachers struggle with students losing notes (especially if you teach adolescents), YouTube is a great way to provide an at home resource. Using your YouTube channel to create a few minutes of video summarizing what happened in class provides at home assistance and a reference for parents. This is helpful for students and parents.

EdPuzzle allows teachers to take a video and record their own voice explaining the videos. In addition to editing the videos, questions can also be added. These great features are free.

If you tried Zaption and loved it, EdPuzzle is a great alternative to that. The Zaption platform will shut down on September 30, 2016 make sure to save your resources.

 

Here are just a few ways to integrate video into lessons. The opportunities extend far beyond this to include students making instructional videos or using videos for reflection to show what they've learned.

Before You Kiss Summer Goodbye...

Before You Kiss Summer Goodbye

As summer 2016 comes to a close, this is the ideal time to reflect on last year and set goals. In the next few weeks superintendents, instructional directors, and principals will inform you of their vision for 2016-2017. What about the visions you have for yourself? Here are just a few ideas as you prepare to return to your classroom:

Toot Your Own Horn

Encourage yourself! Look at your credentials. Give yourself credit for everything you’ve done up to this point. You are the content expert and you have knowledge to offer to your students. You are creative and bubbling over with great ideas. Too often we don’t give ourselves credit for our accomplishments.

Just A Few Things

Try  just ONE new thing. Yes just one. Choose one thing that you want to try. If you are in a Google district, try just one new tool. Perhaps you haven’t tried using a Google Form, try it, perfect it, and then move on to something else. There will be several ideas presented during professional development sessions at the beginning of the year, choose one to implement.

Positive Infusions ONLY

Everyone encounters “Energy Vampires”. Every workplace has them lurking around, they are easily recognized by their complaints. Spend less time with these people, they suck the life out of everyone they encounter.

Avoid starting the year with what you’ve heard about a student or cringing when you realize the older sibling was a challenge. Don’t begin imagining situations with parents that have been difficult in the past...before you even encounter them. Start off with a new ice breaker and make those connections that set the tone for the year. Resist the temptation to change the date on those lesson plans, consider new ways to teach those standards students typically struggle with.

Lastly, enjoy your last few days off, rest and spend time with those you love. Do something for yourself. Give yourself permission to have a good time. The first day of school is closer than it appears.

Google Forms for the Classroom

Have You Tried the NEW Google Forms?

It’s the middle of summer and the thoughts of your fall classes are just beginning to creep into your mind. Adding Google Forms to your back to school routine is definitely the way to start the year off organized.

Here are some practical ways to easily collect some information:

Open House & Orientation

During Open House and/or orientation, set up a form to collect parent information. The report can be used as documentation of parent visits and creates a current database for teachers. By adding a line for email addresses, teachers can easily set up a group to send out information throughout the school year.

Interest Inventories

There’s no better way to start the school year than to build relationships with students. Google Forms easily collect student information. Some great information to collect includes: birthdays, information about preferences for notes and learning, reactions to anger or being sad, and general stressors. For example, after sending home a student inventory one year I learned that one of my students liked being able to explain their side of the story. In other words, regardless of right or wrong, this student liked closure. That year resulted in significantly less discipline problems.

Provide Immediate Feedback

Google Forms now has a built in quiz feature, no add-ons needed.  Simply click on the gear for settings and it will be automatically changed to a quiz. There is an option for grades automatically to be sent to respondents via email. With each quiz, reports are automatically generated that allow teachers to analyze students answers. Quick and easy formative assessment with a grade. It doesn’t get any easier than this.

Technology isn’t a substitute for the magic teachers bring to the classroom, but it definitely saves time when compared to traditional practices.

Move 'em Forward with Formative

With the establishment of Student Learning Objectives (SLO's in the state of South Carolina), personalized learning is moving to the forefront. Technology is an awesome tool that presents countless options to assist with data collection on students.

According to San Diego State University professors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, "checking for understanding is the link between teaching and learning...". To support student learning these two well established professors believe that checks for understanding should take place every 5 to 10 minutes.

This is a great place to pause because that sounds terribly overwhelming. However, technology put the critical information you need at your finger tips. Here's a great tool: www.goformative.com

Formative is an easy to use website that works with android devices as well as iPads. Teachers can create assessments with multiple choice questions, open ended responses, and there's even space for students to show their work with math problems.The teacher dashboard allows teachers to create folders and separate assessments by topic or simply create a folder for each class. The process to enroll your students is seamless. Simply create your class and have students join with the code. Assessments can also be assigned without the create of a class through a shared link. Class setup is required in order for students to see results, guests will not see their feedback.

The "live results" option on the dashboard displays student results. Correct answers can be entered or teachers can simply use this informally to check for understanding. New features that increase functionality with Google Classroom and a few other changes are on the way. It's free so it won't cost you anything to go Formative.

Go Digital

Personalized learning is a hot topic in the world of education reform. Students come in every year with different attitudes, backgrounds, and abilities. The days of teaching utilizing one strategy at a time are a thing of the past. 

As more districts take on 1:1 initiatives and students are have more access to technology, I dare you to use it! 

Go digital with a digital portfolio. Here are 2 tools that are free to use:

The first is Google sites. Sites is one of the Google Apps visit: sites.google.com. If Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is utilized, there will be unlimited storage space available when compared to a personal gmail account. Sites can be created by the students with very limited knowledge of website building or HTML. Once students have built their site, with one click the site can be shared via a link. This is also a great way to share student work with students. With one activity, the game was changed, while increasing engagement and allowing students some range to express what they learned. 

The second tool is Seesaw. Seesaw is an app that keeps all data together by class. Teachers can simply create a class, use a class code for students to join, and students can upload media. Students can record themselves explaining the lesson, take pictures, or create a blog post. Seesaw also has new features with seesaw plus. The new features include a new formative assessment tool.

 Use the QR code below to check it out. 

Intentional Interventions

As teachers we all consider what we want students to learn over the course of a unit, a lesson, a week; but how often do we consider what we want them to learn today? How do you know what they learned at the end of a class period?

When the word intervention is considered on its own, it means to come between. During teaching, in the midst of learning, teachers must intervene and interrupt the process when students just aren’t getting it. Although technology isn’t a substitute for good teaching, it sure is a great aide to a good teacher.

Seesaw is a cool app that allows students to document learning. It also has a free blogging platform for each class. Seesaw is free and students as young as kindergarten can use independently.

Tell you more, sure! As the teacher, any artifact can be uploaded and students can reflect verbally, yes a recording, to explain what they learned. This is helpful for ESL/ESOL, special needs, and those students that are a little shy. Often students can show or tell better than written expression, but the blogging platform is a great way to improve and reinforce writing skills.

The feature that’s most useful is the parental involvement. Parents can join and view their student’s journal. The teacher and the parent now have a running journal of student’s progress throughout the school year.

web.seesaw.me/

Check Your Pace

     There are many popular training models such as train the trainer, coaching, or early adopters. Each of these takes their own approach to professional development. According to Pearson Prentice Hall, one of the world’s leading book publishers, 65% of the population are visual learners, 30% are auditory, and 5% tactile. Most people are some combination of all three. As coaches, teacher leaders, and others that facilitate learning prepare; a visual should always be in place for trainings. In addition to visuals and more traditional preparation, pacing of sessions is rarely planned.

     After introducing a new idea, it’s important to practice and then practice some more. Typically professional development time is squeezed in to a time slot that is often limited. Pacing is extremely important to best utilize the time that’s available for training.

     Once a new idea is introduced, it is important to build in work time. Sometimes once trainers get started, they keep going forgetting that participants may not be logged in or at the correct screen and/or website before continuing. In today’s “insta-world” that we live in, it’s difficult to pause and wait. Wait time is also crucial for our students. Students have trained educators, when they don’t answer right away the answer is usually provided for them. These same pauses are necessary when working with adults.

     One of the phases of the ADDIE training model is Implementation. During this phase, learners are given new tools and practice time. Formative assessments are built in to monitor along the way. This also can be integrated into professional development by attaching an activity to each learning objective to reinforce practice and wait time.

As you’re planning your next training consider T2P – Time 2 Practice so that participants get the most out of workshop. Slow down and pace yourself.

Play Your Way to Data

 

The best thing about this time of the school year is down time. It’s down time that you don’t get to just stop and reflect any other time during the school year. Most districts implement some sort of curriculum planning for teachers to get together and plan. During this planning, summative assessments are typically district mandates, but teachers choose how and when they use formative assessments. Consider adding some game fun for those reviews and checks. One of my previous posts features Quizizz, but here’s another tool.

Quizalize allows teachers to search from a bank of quizzes/topics or create their own questions. Teachers can even add their own memes that kids see when they get answers right or wrong. With this site students compete individually and it separates participants into teams automatically. After students play, the site automatically gives a breakdown of which students may need assistance and an analysis of question responses. Instantly, teachers can see which questions or topics may need to be retaught.

I saved the best part for last, it’s free. Give it try as you’re planning activities for next year.

Could you @Recap That?

It's really tricky to understand exactly what our students gained from a lesson, especially when working with elementary age students. Most people are able to tell or show sometimes better than actually taking an assessment. In the 1:1 teaching environment where every student has a device with a camera there are so many opportunities to utilize those cameras.

Let's check out Recap! https://app.letsrecap.com/

Recap is free. In addition to being free, it's very easy to use. Teachers can set up classes and students can use the class pin to join their teacher's class. With one click, teachers can create assignments and add questions for students. This app allows the teacher to guide instruction and insert reflective questions of their choice. Students respond to the questions with a video. That's it! 

In addition to being a great tool for elementary students, Recap can also be used with ESL (English as a Second Language) students and those that may have special needs. While you're reflecting on new ideas over the summer, think about what you would like your students Recap. 

Don't be shy, Recap that! 

Barriers & Beignets

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the GAFE Summit in New Orleans with my tech team, the gifted and talented coordinator, and two principals. It was definitely an awesome opportunity.

When we arrived at the airport, we had to wait on our rental vehicle. It was being cleaned and wasn’t ready. It was still dirty when we received it with some gum-like substance on the back of the front passenger seat. After speaking to the attendant prior to exiting, I was instructed to pull over so the car could be taken back to be cleaned. The barrier that typically raises up and down was being repaired. I looked over and asked the attendant again, “pull over?” She replied, “yes.”

I bumped the lower portion of the barrier. Yes, a fender bender before even leaving the garage. After getting the situation squared away with the manager, I thought about how mistakes are a part of the learning process.

Are we teaching kids that sometimes doing it wrong can be a means to getting it right? The accident was a simple miscommunication that if used effectively by the company could result in a powerful customer service learning experience. If the company is truly progressive, this could even lead to development of a policy on how to handle issues with rentals prior to leaving the lot.

As teachers, we should be helping students to develop solutions. Some of them will go on to develop solutions for problems that don’t currently exist. In order for this to happen, mistakes play a very important role. What’s your response when a student gets it wrong? Do you encourage them to ask questions so they can see why their error was made? How often do you consider allowing them to re-take quizzes or tests? What about resubmitting a project?

Mistakes also allow for collaboration opportunities that extend learning. How much more powerful would reteaching be if we allowed students to take ownership of their learning? With strategic grouping, you’re a teaching ninja that just made re-teaching meaningful.

Maybe being wrong isn’t so bad after all.