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Good TeachingWeb 2.0 Tool

Class Discussions Gone Digital

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

A colleague recently posted the following request for help in finding an interactive way for his students to respond to literature questions via class discussions. He received some fascinating responses to his question. In this blog entry, I’ll try out some of the suggestions and share my thoughts about them.

“All teaching boils down to three key processes…The processes are: finding out where learners are in their learning, finding out where they are going, and finding out how to get there,” says Dylan Wiliam (2011, The Case for Formative Assessment, page 45).

Create Opportunities for Digital Class Discussions

Here’s a copy of the original request that a teacher shared:

Hi, would you happen to have ideas? I want to create opportunities for digital interaction around a short story. We’re reading the short story, and I want students to respond to the questions. Students need to be able to read each other’s responses and leave comments. I want to keep track of how many comments they leave so I can grade them. Thanks in advance for your ideas.

This teacher, whose request I’ve revised for length and clarity, is really looking for a virtual space. In this virtual space, students should have the option to post their responses to questions and should have the ability to comment on other students’ posts and responses.

The main challenge here is keeping the virtual space a safe place for learning conversations focused on the content. For K-12, the goal is to create a walled garden where students can interact. In this way, others (e.g. parents, community, strangers) don’t intrude on fragile chats.

Caution: In some districts, providing students with a virtual space is not allowed. Even when there is teacher supervision, in a secondary setting, there may be too many posts to review. That said, as teachers, we need to encourage civil discourse in our classrooms. Students’ failures to interact in an appropriate manner are opportunities for growth. Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Solution #1: Learning Management System (LMS)

A learning management system with a built-in discussion board is one possible response. Many schools provide teachers access to an LMS for use in their classrooms. If not, there are many other solutions you can take advantage of that are no-cost. Whether you are using Instructure’s Canvas, Schoology, Blackboard, or Moodle, solutions abound. You can even use Microsoft Teams and set up a specific area for discussion. Google Classroom may offer some opportunities as well.

One response to this teacher stated the following. I laughed when I read it because I did something like this once. Since then, I’ve learned to push for a school/district approved response. The one thing that will raise eyebrows is the following:

Get a free moodlecloud site and create a chat forum! It will do exactly what you want.. You can even make it so they can’t comment until they’ve posted their own response. Source: Kerry Crawford via Facebook group

If you are in a situation where going rogue with an LMS not under district control is okay, then options abound. You can find Moodle hosting sites everywhere with a low monthly price. Some districts or schools host Moodle instances in-house. This is great because it makes account management pretty easy.

Here’s a video overview of discussion forums in Moodle:

If you want to try this suggestion out, get yourself a “Droplet” in Digital Ocean. If you want to grow and learn more about GNU/Linux distributions, there are many you could start with (e.g. Ubuntu Linux).

Solution #2: Flipgrid

“Flipgrid? That could be fun!” says Bethany Nopajaroonsri. Would you like to try a solution that’s not text-heavy? Consider giving Flipgrid.com a try. It’s a versatile tool, cross-platform, and works great on smartphones. You can set up your Flipgrid to capture students’ responses to questions. Consider this example of Flipgrid use for Student Book Talks.

There’s no reason why a teacher couldn’t set up a Flipgrid Topic for their short story. If you want to learn more, explore Mike Tholfsen’s Wakelet collection, #FlipgridPD: Getting Started.

class discussions

One of the best aspects of this solution is that Microsoft’s sponsorship has made it completely free. And Flipgrid’s developers are conscious that their product must be K-12 friendly.

Solution #3: Padlet for Class Discussions

Need a virtual bulletin board solution? Padlet might be your answer, if you don’t mind paying almost a hundred dollars. Imagine your students posting content of all sorts, such as video, text, G Suite EDU documents, and more. Everything appears in the form of a post-it on a bulletin board. Ben Fisher describes it in this way:

Padlet is like a virtual bulletin board. Students can comment on a post you’ve made or they can make their own post on the Padlet board. It allows them to post text, images, and videos.

Padlet offers many different ways to organize content, as well as protect content. Your padlet can be as public or private as you like. As a veteran Padlet user, the only question you need ask yourself is, “Are you ready to pay $99 a year?” If so, you’re ready to get going.

class discussions

Solution #4: Verso Learning

“Check out Verso. It allows you to post a video, link, text, etc. and have students respond. They can then respond to each other’s answers. They even can upvote the responses they find helpful,” says Keith Schoch. You can read about Keith’s use of Verso Learning in his blog entry “How to Teach a Novel: How to Create Interactivity, Even Remotely” where he lists ways that teachers can use Verso to:

  • Build understanding of historical context of a novel
  • Review a concept or skill covered in class
  • Generate background information for a current events debate or writing
  • Review the steps of a process
  • Integrate SEL and discuss sensitive topics such as bullying
  • Provide alternate interpretations of classic literature
  • Practice inference skills
  • Create an online crowd-sourcing site

You will want to read his blog entry for the details. Verso’s website includes references to evidence-based, high-impact strategies. They  assert they have put these together around the work of luminaries such as John Hattie, Robert Marzano, and Michael Fullan.

Watch the video appearing on this page to learn more. There’s a lot to like on the Verso website, and may well be worth a separate blog entry. There is a cost associated.

class discussions

Solution #5: Parlay Ideas

Parlay offers discussion prompts at a price. Teachers can get started with a no-cost account. You can see how it works via their website or watch video below:

As you might imagine, there are ways to use many of these digital tools to enhance class chats. You can stay old-fashioned with discussion forums (e.g. LMS-based forums) or go all in for video (e.g. Flipgrid). You can rely on Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, or even G Suite EDU Slides comments. There are many choices. Remember to keep it simple and inexpensive.

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flipped classroom
Educational TrendsGood Teaching

How to Start Your Flipped Classroom

by Jill Hobbs, Guest Author
written by Jill Hobbs, Guest Author

Are you sold on the flipped classroom model but don’t know where to start? I’d like to help you get there. I’m very passionate about this method and can’t wait for others to join me. 

It’s been a year and a half since I started flipping, and seeing the transformation of my class and my students is exhilarating. Students are more engaged and interested and there is more active learning in class. I’d like to share my knowledge with you to hopefully help lessen the anxiety of trying something new. 

Let’s get started with a few things I believe are important to a successful transition to a flipped classroom.

Consider Access First

First, incorporating technology is the most important aspect of flipping your classroom as this is how students will access materials outside of the school. In my district, we use the learning management system (LMS) Canvas to offer a blended learning approach.

An LMS is a great tool to deliver vast amounts of information through a web-based environment. It is easy for students and offers 24-hour access to information (i.e. calendars, learning content, multimedia, assignments, etc.) anywhere they choose as long as they have internet access. Learning your districts’ LMS is crucial.

You can also register for a free account if your district doesn’t have one.  Check out the 11 Best Free, Open Source LMS Tools for Your Small Business to explore some options.

Use the Right Tools

Secondly, integrating various digital tools for your students to use is also a must. One of the biggest struggles with flipped classrooms is having students come to class ready. In my class, students need to watch a video for homework and answer at least five questions to check understanding. How do you encourage students to complete this before class?

It helps to ensure that there are engaging, fun, and interactive activities during class for students to participate in when they come to class prepared. Make sure the students know this up front and they will come to class with their work completed so they can participate in all the excitement.

Plus, for the first several weeks, you can send emails to parents informing them of their child’s progress with homework. I also encourage a weekly newsletter so parents and students are well-aware of the expectations for the week. Whether you flip or not, communicating with parents regularly is very beneficial.

Useful Digital Tools

Here are a few digital tools I find very helpful to use with my class:

  • Edpuzzle – Edpuzzle uses videos you make or find to engage students. You can embed questions throughout the video to track comprehension.
  • Flipgrid – Flipgrid is a social learning platform.  Students are asked questions and respond with a video, allowing other students to comment on their post and opening the door for discussions.
  • Nearpod – Nearpod is an easy way to engage students with interactive lessons they can do individually (self-paced) or in groups. There are a lot of lessons to choose from, or you can create your own easily.
  • Kahoot! – Kahoot! is a game-based learning tool. There are a lot of games already created by other teachers and you can also create your own. Students are highly engaged as they answer questions, creating an exciting learning environment.
  • Quizizz – Quizizz is a fun and engaging way to provide student-paced formative assessments. 
  • Padlet – Padlet is a powerful resource for student collaboration. It is a digital canvas where students can upload videos or images, write text, or upload documents.

There is a lot to learn when flipping the classroom, so don’t try to figure it all out in one night. Learn as you go and don’t be afraid to go slowly. Start out with only flipping one lesson a week and then move to two lessons a week. 

The same goes for integrating various digital tools – one at a time, and before you know it, you’ll be flipping all your lessons. 

Let Your Students Shine

The best part about flipping is when your students shine. This past year, I had a student who really excelled with the flipped learning method. He struggled in math for years, and the first semester in my class was no different. However, once he and his parents grasped the concept of the flipped learning method, his grades and understanding vastly improved. 

The use of instructional videos, external videos, practice problems, quizzes, and interactive games to play assisted him to see if he “gets it.” His success was a combination of having all the resources easily and readily available to him, as well as his willingness to work hard.

In your flipped classroom, you could see these same results. So remember to start with one lesson at a time and go slowly. Don’t rush, as it takes time to learn all the resources, but you will get it. Once you do, you won’t want to go back.

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G Suite EDU
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and Tricks

Overcome Five Challenges in G Suite EDU Classroom

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Looking for G Suite EDU goodness? Then you need look no further than this blog post. In it, we’ll explore a few ways educators are using G Suite EDU tools to resolve classroom challenges. Let’s take a moment to review some of the main challenges that educators face.

A quick list of challenges includes:

  1. Providing individualized feedback to students
  2. Encouraging collaboration with experts and peers
  3. Learning Google Classroom
  4. Viewing educational YouTube videos in the classroom
  5. Locating top Chrome apps and extensions

Ready to get started? Here we go.

G Suite EDU Challenge #1: Individual Student Feedback

In this video, Sean Thompson shares how educators can more easily provide individualize feedback to students who then review the feedback and then hold formative, reflective discussions one on one with you.

The video uses two tools you may be familiar with, along with a third you may not. The third tool is one you may be unaware of, the Autocrat extension. Autocrat features a simple description that belies great functionality:

Autocrat is an easy to use, flexible document merge tool. It makes creation of PDF or shared Documents from a spreadsheet straightforward. Autocrat is a multi-purpose document merge tool. It allows you to take data from a spreadsheet and merge it into a document via a template.  Tell Autocrat which fields to merge via <>. Then, let Autocrat mass-generate personalized documents.  You can also send the documents as email attachments.  Or, when new forms are submitted, let Autocrat automation take over. This automation means less oversight from you, making your job easier. (Source: Adapted from Autocrat G Suite Marketplace)

The other two tools include Google Forms and Sheets. You may want to watch other videos in this series.

G Suite EDU
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G Suite EDU Challenge #2: Foster Collaboration via Expert Cards

Wish you could have students self-identify as guides on the side for other learners? You might want to try this approach that Zak Kolar suggests. He writes:

I used these “expert” cards with 5th graders for a Google Sites project last year. Students who are more experienced place “expert” cards on their desks. That signals to other students they can answer questions related to a certain area. Those areas include inserting images, creating links, changing layouts, etc.

Zak points out that this approach frees him up to circulate and answer tougher questions. Adapt the approach for both technical and content-related challenges. Teaching students self-assessment can be helpful. When students learn to check or assess their own learning, this can be quite powerful. As such, you can see a gradual release of responsibility when students own their learning. They may begin with you checking for understanding, but as they gain confidence, they move on to self-checks. As they gain knowledge, they can becomes aides to others.

You can see specific ways in these links:

Why make the effort to empower students to self assess? John Hattie explains that students are accurate at self-assessment. As their own critics, they set goals and want to achieve them. To do this, students might follow a specific process that culminates in expert cards:

  1. Students set goals for themselves. Teachers provide descriptive feedback to help them know what they need.
  2. Pupils predict their performance before they begin a task or series of tasks. For a quiz or test, students compare their actual performance with their prediction. 
  3. Learners then reflect and reconcile the difference between the two. This enables students to gain insight. Are they meeting their set goals on a specific assessment? (Source: Chris Bettiol) 

Self-reported grades empower students. Zak’s expert cards appear as the visual acknowledge of student expectations well-met.

G Suite EDU Challenge #3: Learn Google Classroom

Every time I use Google Classroom, I’m amazed at the new features. As you might imagine, the wealth of new features makes keeping up difficult. Let’s explore three miscellaneous questions that have come up about this tool.

Question #1:  “If a person gets added to Classroom later in the term, does he/she receive all the assignments? Does the new person get earlier assignments and stuff?”

Response:  “Yes, that person will have all of the stuff that everyone else in the class has.” (Source: Heather Dawson)

Question #2: “I am a robotics teacher at 4 schools. I have a different Google Classroom at each school that I access with an email address for that school. I have created a quiz at one of the schools. Is there a way to move that quiz to each of the other classrooms without entering the information again?”

Response: “Make a shared drive or a shared folder that all of your email addresses have editing access. Then anything you put in that folder will be accessible to each classroom.” (Source: Laurie Anastasio)

Question #3:  “How are you using G Suite EDU to maximize efficiency? That is, when creating standards scales, data/standard tracking (teacher & student)?”

Responses: 

  • “I made a standards based “gradebook” for my 3rd grade co-teacher. Used Sheets. You could make a master copy for yourself and import the formulas. This will make an individual one for each student and share that with each student and parent. You can also use Autocrat to have the info pulled from your sheet into a google doc. Then, have it share with students and parents.”
  • “Two videos on grading with rubrics (Video #1: Create Rubrics | Video #2: Grading with Rubrics).”

Challenge #4: View YouTube Videos in the Classroom

How can my students watch YouTube videos without advertisements? That’s the substance of questions I’ve received. Another G Suite EDU user asks the following: 

“I have a set of videos a teacher has asked students to watch from YouTube. I can access them as an administrator, but for students, it says the video is unavailable. “This video is restricted. Try signing in with a Google Apps account.” Student attempted with both GAFE and personal accounts and still could not access. Any ideas?

There can be several responses that result in a positive outcome. Most rely on what your school district’s policy is on YouTube. For example, some schools may put a block on YouTube for students when accessed via wireless (a.k.a. WiFi). Teachers may have to submit those web links to allow for access.  Unfortunately, another possibility may include student honesty. Jennifer Brower states the following:

This happens to students under 13 who have signed into YouTube and give their real age. Hooray for them not lying, but it means YouTube now restricts them from a lot, even if we have approved the video. Tech hasn’t found a way to get around it as it is YouTube’s policy that under 13 isn’t supposed to have access.

Other educators may choose to use websites like Viewpure, Safeshare. Another possibility for ad blocking includes a Chrome browser extension Video Adblocker for YouTube. Want an alternative solution that is cost-free? Use Wakelet to create a video playlist. Learn more about this solution via this Wakelet on creating a YouTube Video Playlist. Learn more about Using YouTube Videos in the Classroom.

Challenge #5: Top Chrome Apps and Extensions

Want to start a fight in the teachers’ lounge? Ask “What are your top Chrome must haves for approved student apps and extensions?” and you will be sure to get it started. Here are some responses in alphabetical order from other educators. How would you rate this list? What would you include or remove?

Note: Descriptions excerpted from the Chrome Web Store.

  • Clever: Clever is a Chrome extension that enables students and teachers to log in to their applications.
  • Draftback: Draftback lets you play back the revision history of any Google Doc you can edit.
  • Fun Text: Applies fun effects to your text, such as Rainbow, Growing, Upside down, and much more. 
  • Goobric: Facilitates rubric-based assessment. Includes two different Chrome extensions and works in collaboration with the Doctopus Add-on for Google Sheets.
  • Grammarly:  From grammar and spelling to style and tone, Grammarly helps you eliminate writing errors and find the perfect words to express yourself. You’ll get suggestions from Grammarly as you write.
  • Insert Learning:  Insert instructional content on any web page. Teachers can insert questions, discussions, and insight directly into any website. When students go to that website, they can respond to those questions and discussions. They can also take their own notes.
  • Kami: Allows you to take any existing document and enhance it in your browser. Annotate scanned PDFs, as well as write, draw, type, comment, augment.
  • LastPass Free Password Manager:  LastPass saves your passwords. It then gives you secure access from every computer and mobile device. Only remember one password – your LastPass master password. Save all your usernames and passwords to LastPass. It will autologin to your sites and sync your passwords everywhere you need them.
  • LucidChart Diagrams: The easiest way to draw flowcharts, mockups, UML, mind maps and more.
  • PearDeck:  Pear Deck is an add-on for Google Slides that will allow teachers to ask students questions. Students will be prompted to answer your questions as you advance your slides. Read these TCEA blog entries featuring PearDeck.
  • Read and Write:  Offers text-to-speech to hear words, passages, or whole documents read aloud with easy-to-follow dual color highlighting, and more. Read this TCEA blog entry. 
  • Screencastify:   Capture, edit and share videos in seconds. Read TCEA blog entries featuring Screencastify.
  • WriQ:  WriQ helps teachers assess student writing, provide valuable feedback, in Google Docs.

Looking for more ideas? John Sowash has a nice list online. And here’s my list. Remember, avoid Chrome extension overload for yourself and students by introducing a new extension when needed and not before.

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boom cards
ChromebooksGood TeachingiOS Tips and Tricks

Using Boom Cards in the Primary Classroom

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Helping primary students take charge of their own learning can be difficult. But now there are Boom Cards. Boom Cards are self-checking digital task cards that provide immediate feedback to young students. Teachers have access to the data through Boom’s reports feature, giving them a powerful tool to use to make decisions about instruction.

Top Tips for Using Boom Cards in Your Early Childhood Classroom

So what’s the best way to use digital task cards in your kindergarten (or younger) class? Here are some strategies for incorporating digital learning with our young learners.

boom cardsAudio Alert

Listen to Boom Learning‘s (@BoomLearning) Della Larsen (@larsenclass) and Melissa Bucher (@iheart4th) (shown right) share at the 2019 TCEA Elementary Technology Conference on how to make instructional decisions based off data. They discuss Boom Cards and share stories from their classrooms.

Strategy #1: Morning Work

In my classroom, my students trickle in and I need some quality activities for them to complete while they wait for everyone to arrive and get settled. I put out a few Chromebooks and iPads in a work center. My kids can easily sign in and complete a deck independently before we start our day.

Strategy #2: An Extension of Reading Groups

One of the most challenging tasks for me when I started teaching was trying to figure out what the rest of my class should be doing while I was meeting with reading groups. My go-to answer? Boom Cards. Whether I am reviewing beginning sounds, reading and blending cvc words, or identifying letters, I can extend the lesson easily with Boom Cards. As soon as my kids are done with me, they head to the tech table and get a little extended practice. I can go back and see their work and check for understanding with the reports feature. It’s easy to determine if I need to move students to a different group, reteach a concept, or provide targeted intervention.

Haven’t seen Boom Cards? Check out this video to see them in action.

Strategy #3: Learning Centers

I give my kids 60 minutes of centers every day. I want them at the art center, the block area, and dramatic play. However, I also have a word work and math center. I don’t have to worry if my kids are actually completing the task I set for them. Boom keeps them accountable. I can feel confident because I can check the reports to see exactly what mistakes they might be making.

boom cards

Strategy #4: Whole Group Instruction

Do you have an interactive white board? Boom Cards work great for whole group instruction. I can have great discussions about math or numbers and begin to really understand student thinking as we work through a problem together. No white board? No problem. Just project the Boom Cards on the board and let the discussion begin.

Strategy #5: Homework

With Boom Cards, you can stop copying homework packets and actually sit down and eat your lunch during your lunch break. Parents can access Boom Cards from home. All they need is their child’s login information and some type of screen. Your kids can actually access decks on their parents’ phones. No more lost papers, or missing folders. I can then check their reports to keep them accountable for completing the work.

The applications for using Boom Cards in your classroom are limited only by your imagination. The Starter membership plan is free and includes one section with five students and five self-made decks. The Basic plan includes three sections with up to 50 students and five self-made decks for just $15/year. There are two other membership levels, Power and Ultimate, with the most expensive only costing $35/year. Give Boom Cards a try and see how they can work in your classroom.

This is a guest blog by Della Larsen. Della is a primary teacher with over 30 years of classroom experience. She is passionate about reaching every child regardless of their skills. She has spent boom cardsmuch of her time supporting teachers just starting on their digital journey. You can follow Della on Twitter @Larsenclass or feel free to reach out to Della with any questions at DellaLarsensclass@gmail.com.

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virtual field trips
Educational TrendsGood Teaching

Taking the Learning Outside the Classroom

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

When I went to school (a thousand years ago), I can remember the field trips that we got to go on several times a year each year. Growing up in a wealthy district outside a big city, I was fortunate enough to go with my classmates to the symphony, the zoo, multiple museums, cultural celebrations, parades, and many more wondrous events. All of these helped to further a love of learning that has lasted me my whole life.

Today, however, school districts usually do not have the funding to provide more than one field trip per year to their students. And many can’t afford to offer any at all. Students thus miss out on critical new experiences that can expose to them the possibilities of a better life, can help them see the joy of learning, and can ensure that school is powerful both in and outside the building boundaries. Luckily, there are ways to compensate for this lack.

Virtual Field Trips

Enter technology and virtual field trips. Admittedly, seeing the Mona Lisa on the screen is not the same experience as being in front of it at a museum. But it is still an amazing occurrence that can broaden a student’s perspective. (And let’s be honest, very few of us will actually be able to physically visit the Mona Lisa!). Virtual field trips can show us the world, can make us think, can help us to both question and understand others. And because there is little to no cost and no travel time required, our students can experience many more of them than they could in the old-fashioned way.

In addition, virtual field trips allow us to visit places that are impossible without the technology. Want to meet George Washington, walk across a glacier, follow a monarch butterfly migration, or see stops along the Silk Road? All easy to do with technology.

Some Places to Find Virtual Field Trips

There are lots of trips available these days. Here are just a few, most of which are free:

Ensuring the Trip Is Successful

Before embarking on a virtual class trip, here are some important points to keep in mind:

  • Align the trip to the content being studied. Although there are times when a just-for-fun field trip can be great (like visiting with Santa Claus at Christmas with TCEA or touring the Spy Museum), most of them should be tied to the curriculum to provide enrichment and depth to student learning. Share the learning objectives with the students so that they are clear on the trip’s objectives.
  • Engage them with pre-trip activities. Just as we ourselves might do some research before going on a trip overseas, plan activities that get the students thinking about who and what they will be meeting on their virtual experience. Have them jigsaw the answers to some questions that the students pose about the trip.
  • Use a map to show students where they have been and where they will be going. Challenge them (and yourself) to see how many different states or countries they can visit this year.
  • Schedule them frequently as they fit the content. One field trip a year doesn’t really broaden a student’s perspective. Instead, take time to set up a calendar with a virtual trip every month or six weeks at a minimum.
  • Test your connection. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting excited about a trip and then having a technology glitch. Make sure your equipment is working before the trip.
  • Include discussion and reflection after the trip. To cement the learning from their voyage, make sure you have students discuss what they experienced with each other. Give them specific but open-ended questions to discuss in small groups and then ask them to write a short reflection on what they learned. (Possible questions include: What have you learned today? What surprised you about today’s trip? How are you and the people in the trip the same? How are you different? What other questions do you have after the trip?) Perhaps have them keep a field trip journal that might include a map of each place they visit along with how it impacted them.

There are no excuses any more for not opening the world up to your students regardless of the subject or the grade you teach. Maybe if more of us took part in virtual field trips around our amazing Earth, we would find it easier to see something of ourselves in other people and find value in both our commonalities and our differences.

 

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Good Teaching

Even More Classroom Icebreakers for Back to School

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

Last year, I wrote a blog about classroom icebreakers that could help students and teachers break the ice the first day or the first week of school. Find even more icebreaker activities below to try with your students in order to start the year off right.

Two Truths and a Lie Flipgrid

If you haven’t caught the Flipgrid Fever (#FlipgridFever), you should! Flipgrid is a video discussion board service that will allow your students to respond to a question you ask. Teachers can create a grid for free just by signing up for an account. It’s a great way to capture your student’s voices and ideas.

A fantastic icebreaker would be to create a Two Truths and a Lie Flipgrid. Give students the URL to your Flipgrid or they can scan the QR code to access it. Your students would then click on the green plus sign and record themselves telling two truths and one lie about themselves. You could even pair students up and have them record each other. After all the students have finished, you can pull the Flipgrid up on the screen and the class can take turns guessing which statement is a lie. It’s a great way for the class to get to know one another. Want to try it? Test it out on this sample Flipgrid I created.

icebreakers

Create Your Own Emoji

Emojis are so popular these days that students are using them all the time. So why not have your students create their own Emoji and then write a paragraph about themselves as an icebreaker activity? Try it out for yourself by following the steps below:

Step 1:

Step 2:icebreakers

  • Read the directions on Slide #1 and pick a slide that doesn’t already have an emoji created on it.
  • Create your emoji by dragging and dropping the images on the side of the slide or by inserting new images.

Step 3:

  • Write a paragraph about yourself and/or why you created your emoji the way you did.

Once again, after all your students have created their emoji, you could display them on the projector and let the students talk about their emoji. Get your own copy of the About Me Emoji template here: “About Me Emoji Google Slide” Template – Google Slide link.

Green Screen LEGO Puppets

Another idea for an icebreaker is to have students use green screen technology while recording a video introduction of themselves.

First, have your students design a LEGO mini figure of themselves. You can give your students this template to use as a starting point.

Next, purchase a green tablecloth at the Dollar store, which you will then tape up on the wall. Then download a green screen app, such as the Doink app. It only costs $2.99 and is very easy to use. For a free option, you can try Touchcast (iPad) or Free Photo Green Screen Tool (iOS). Use your iPad to take a picture that you will use as a background for the green screen. You could take pictures of the front of the school, the playground, or a spot in your classroom. Upload the picture to the app.

Then attach the LEGO puppet to either a green ruler or a green straw (usually available at Starbucks) and place it in front of the green tablecloth. Use the app to record a short video introduction with groups of students. See the example video below:

icebreakers

Animated Fidget Spinner

Fidget spinners are especially popular with our students today. Therefore, why not try using them as an instructional tool in the classroom?

For the icebreaker below, I used animations in Microsoft PowerPoint to allow the spinner to spin and land on different parts of the color wheel. For this particular icebreaker, you can pull the spinner up on the screen and group students into teams in order for them to discuss the topic the spinner lands on. This is great way to connect with students while allowing them to get to know one another.

Get your own copy of the Fidget Spinner Icebreaker template here: “Fidget Spinner Icebreaker” Template – Microsoft PowerPoint Template.

Try one of these icebreakers during the first week of school and give your students and you a chance to get to know one another. Leave a comment below with some of the icebreakers that have worked well for your students.

 

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Birds of a Feather
Educational TrendsGood Teaching

Birds of a Feather Create Innovative Classrooms Together

by Susan Meyer
written by Susan Meyer

Learning new ideas and technologies from ed tech experts is what many elementary educators look forward to most at the Tots and Technology summer conference. But not all of the experts stand at the front of the room presenting. And not all of the learning takes place in organized, hands-on sessions. One of the most exciting parts of the conference is seeing our attendees interact with each other. They share stories from their own classrooms, libraries, and schools. They can hear what strategies and tools are engaging students in districts both across the state and around the country.

Many of these resource-rich conversations take place over breakfast or just waiting for a session to start. However, at the Birds of a Feather sessions, attendees’ enjoyed having these valuable discussions facilitated for them. Teachers and administrators gathered together with their “flock” of peers who taught at the same grade level or performed the same role. Each flock, from PreK and early elementary learners up to fifth grade, administrators, and electives teachers, met to discuss the challenges and successes they’d faced in the previous year.

Challenges and Successes

Many of the teachers in all grades shared some of the same challenges. One teacher from a PreK classroom explained that at her school, they received iPads to use with their students halfway through the year, but no instructions for how to use them with the kids. Another teacher echoed that they wished they had started their technology initiatives earlier in the year.

However, there was talk of many successes from the year, too. Some teachers had started maker spaces and tech labs for their students. Others were proud of new apps they had introduced in their classroom to maximize student engagement or make assessment a breeze.

New (School) Year Resolutions

One advantage of a summer conference is that it really allows for reflection on the previous year and preparation for the upcoming one. Here are just a few of the plans educators had for their next year:

  • Sydney Musslewhite (@smussie) said that next she wants to begin the year with Google Classroom, try new apps like EdPuzzle and NearPod, and actually put them to use in the social studies classroom.
  • Arianna Zampierin (@arizampierin) said she wants to use a variety of QR codes at different stations in order to reach all kids at different instructional levels.
  • Delainie Hanson (@delainie_hanson) said she will try to match TEKS with technology for greater efficiency.
  • AmyLittle (AmyLittle1234) wants to increase mentoring and coaching and involve parents by training them on how to use technology to engage digitally.

Sharing Great Ideas

What makes Birds of a Feather such a great resource is that the participants meet in small groups and really get to engage with exact grade-level peers experiencing the same challenges and successes with their students. They may face challenges figuring out how to adapt a technology to work with their content requirements. Or they might face similar lack of buy-in for new resources. By working together, they also shared some great ideas for apps and how they can be used for specific skill building. Here are just a few apps that were shared:

  • Jennifer Almaguer (@Jenn_Almaguer) suggested using the VersoApp so that students can have a discussion while keeping their identities anonymous. The teacher can still see which student makes each comment.
  • Angel Herring (@AngelinHouston) shared that Epic Books is free for teachers. It allows access to a digital library of 25,000 books and videos.
  • Several teachers suggested Chatterpix as a great way to get students engaged and excited about learning new content on any subject. With Chatterpix, you can make anything talk, including pets, friends, objects, doodles, and more!

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Educators at Tots feel a sense of belonging in talking with their peers fighting the good fight to get more technology in schools. As one teacher said “It’s great to come to Tots because everyone here just gets it.” While they might face reluctance from their schools about the need for technology expansions and district buy-in, for these two days, at least, they can be surrounded by like-minded ed tech fanatics ready to take on the world and transform learning.

If you want to join the networking, learning, and laughs at Tots and Technology, there’s still time to register for our second conference in July. It will be held in Arlington, Texas and will also feature the Birds of a Feather session. Read more about it and learn how to register here.

 

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Content AreasEducational Trends

Everyone Needs a Little GEO in Their Classroom

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

This is a guest blog post by Barbaree Duke, GEO-SIG Media Officer. 

We challenge you to find a subject that doesn’t have a location or geography moment. Geography and place-based technology touches every corner of our curriculum. Think about how place and location play a part in what you teach.

The power of place can spawn discussions in English, science, social studies, math or even music classes. Thanks to the broad development of free Internet-based tools, all you need is a browser to get started and “geo” your lessons.

What are some examples of GEO-based technology in the content areas?

Setting and location are integral parts of ELA, as well as natural tie-ins with history topics. Online mapping tools, written lessons, and ready-made maps are available for a variety of historic concepts that align with literary analysis such as the Dust Bowl‘s look at social and climate conditions setting the stage of Grapes of Wrath.  Seeing the boundaries and migration patterns set in the Civil War activity adds understanding to works from The Red Badge of Courage to An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge to Walt Whitman’s wartime poetry or even the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Adventure down the Mississippi River and explore the culture that inspired Mark Twain with maps. Works like The Watsons Go to Birmingham are great opportunities to create interdisciplinary experiences that engage younger students and span all subjects with mapping technology.

geo

Discover where your breakfast came from with a map!

History and English aren’t the only subjects with easy geography connections. Science and math are replete with mappable moments.

Tom Baker and Roger Palmer have been sharing their ideas for some time now in a regular GEO-SIG column in TechEdge. In the August 2016 issue, “Complexity Bugs Me: Environmental Science and Biology” gives an example of an activity that examines mosquitoes and the spread of tropical disease. The idea here is to use just 15 minutes of class time to give students an analytical experience with powerful data.

Where did GEO-SIG come from?

GEO-SIG was formed several years ago to help educators embrace technologies that leverage spatial-based information. Some examples include GPS, geocaching, spatial photography, geoRSS feeds, GIS, virtual globes, and remote sensing.

If you don’t what some or any of these are, don’t worry. That’s why this Special Interest Group was created. Members network, share ideas, promote professional inservice opportunities, and support development in spatial-based curricula. We speak all map languages. If you like maps and globes, you should be a member! Consider joining our merry band of geo-enthusiasts to receive regular updates on the latest curriculum and resources available.

How can I see it and learn more?

Plug into the power of online mapping in our global technologies playground at the TCEA 2017 Convention & Exposition . Bring yourself and a friend for two hours of high voltage inspiration to engage your students. Talk with experienced educators, see demonstrations at multiple stations, get free resources, collect tokens and win fantastic prizes, bring your own device and get setup to implement online mapping and geospatial technologies in your classroom when you get home.

Our come-and-go free playground is sponsored by your GEO-SIG friends. Sign up at convention registration and join us on Thursday, February 9, 2017 from 1:30-3:30 pm at Hilton Room 412. Don’t miss the map-tastic fun!

Also, be sure to catch some of our GEO-SIGers presenting during the conference.

Give your students a global perspective. Make a world of difference.  Put a little mapping in your classroom.

 

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Classroom
Google Tips and TricksMicrosoft Tips and Tricks

Classroom Smackdown: Google vs. Microsoft (Updated)

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

While learning management systems (LMS) of yesteryear (e.g. Moodle, Blackboard, Sakai) remain powerhouses of centralized control for educators, most of the teachers I speak to are no longer interested. It’s as if they are saying, “Ok, why does virtual class management have to be so difficult? I want simple solutions that help me get my work done rather than force me to learn arcane workflows.” As a result, we’ve seen educators eschew solutions like Edmodo, ever on the hunt for the easiest, most powerful tool.

Consider new classroom tools as the latest iteration of learning management systems. For example,  Moodle and Blackboard provided one iteration, Edmodo and Schoology another, and now Google Classroom and Microsoft Classroom are the latest iteration. Let’s explore this most recent iteration.

Update: Since this blog entry was first submitted for publication, both MS Classroom, OneNote Class Notebook and Google Classroom have released powerful new updates that may not be reflected in the feature list below. For example, OneNote Class Notebook now has a “take it on the go” feature. Click links above for more info about each. This blog entry has also been updated to clarify information relevant to MS Classroom and School Data Sync. Most recent updates appear in maroon.

Watch these MS Classroom Video Overviews exploring various features.

What Is Classroom?

The goal of any virtual classroom system, or LMS 3.0, involves providing a suite of online tools that empower students and staff to connect, create, collaborate, and facilitate organization. Microsoft Classroom, like Google Classroom, offers integrated word processing, spreadsheet, slideshow presentation, and cloud storage.

It goes one step further with OneNote Class Notebook, facilitating digital ink/notation of student assignments, the grading of assignments and full integration with MS Classroom Assignments. MS Classroom, by itself, is a powerful classroom collaboration tool. But add OneNote Class Notebook, and you’ve made it simple for educators to distribute assignments, draw/use digital ink to create and annotate content. Then, you can add audio comments and feedback to student work along with digital ink feedback.

Features and Benefits

Both Google and Microsoft have a wealth of features. Let’s take a peek, adapting this support document to facilitate a feature comparison. I’ve also added components (e.g. MS Snip/video links to the MS Classroom side or links to Google’s support page) to the “Yes” response if they include items readers new to MS Classroom may be unaware of.

 

Feature List

Microsoft Classroom

Classroom

Google Classroom

Classroom
Save Teachers Time
Add students easily. Yes, and you can add students through a quick search as well as through School Data Sync*. Students can join a class with a code, giving you more time to teach..
Manage multiple classes—Reuse existing announcements, assignments, or questions from another class. Share posts across multiple classes, and archive classes for future reference. Yes, you can post assignments to multiple classroomssimultaneously.

 

You can Activate or Deactivate classes.

 Reuse existing announcements, assignments, or questions from another class. Share posts across multiple classes, andarchive classesfor future reference.
Teach together—Co-teach a course with other instructors. Yes, you can easily add co-teachers. Co-teach a course with up to 20 other instructors.
One-click worksheets—From a worksheet template, create an individual document for each student with one click. Yes, with OneNote Class Notebook integration, you can create individual documents, as well as provide templates for students to use in a content library. From a worksheet template, create an individual documentfor each student with one click.
Rich assignment materials—Add materials to your assignments, like YouTube videos, Forms, PDFs, and other items from your cloud storage. Yes, a wide variety of media (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, MS Sway, Slideshare) can be embeddedby pasting in the link. Documents can be included in Conversations component of MS Classroom as well as embedded in OneNote Class Notebook. Add materials to your assignments, such as YouTube videos, a Google Forms survey, PDFs, and other items from Google Drive. Teachers and students can draw on, write notes, and highlight documents and PDFs in the Classroom mobile app.
Customize assignments—Add optional due dates, create customized grade values, and track which assignments are graded. Yes, each assignment can have due dates and times, as well as custom grade values. You can also quicklyassign grades via a connected OneNote Class Notebook, grades auto-synching to MS Classroom. Add optional due dates, createcustomized grade values, and track which assignments are graded.
Prepare in advance—Draft posts and assignments, or schedule them to automatically post to the class stream at the scheduled date and time. Yes, you can schedule assignmentsin the future. Draft postsand assignments, orschedulethem to automatically post to the class stream at the scheduled date and time.
Quick exit tickets and polling—Post a question to students, then view results within Classroom. Yes, as well as take advantage of Microsoft Forms or Excel Online Surveys. Post a question to students, then view results within Classroom.
Customize your class theme—Change the default color or theme image for your class. Yes, custom banners, icons and titlesare available. Yes. Change the default color or theme image for your class.
Keep resources in one place—Create a class resource location for documents, such as your syllabus or classroom rules. Yes, use OneDrive for centralized location for online documentscreated, and/or OneNote Class Notebook with built-in search, passworded access to sections, and more. Yes. Create a class resource pagefor documents, such as your syllabus or classroom rules.
Keep students organized—Classroom creates a Calendar for each class, adding assignment due dates to the calendar. Students can view upcoming work in multiple places. Yes, create assignment due dates and see those appear in calendar immediately. Students can view upcoming assignments, as well as review completed ones. Students also have a “Mark Done” option they can select and that turns the work in.
MS Classroom also features a private “chat” between teacher and student for feedback regarding a particular assignment.		 Yes. Google Classroom creates a Google Calendar for each classand updates the calendar with work and due dates. Students can view upcoming work in the class stream, on their work page, or in the class calendar.
Keep teachers organized—Review student work, including assignments, questions, grades, and previous comments. View work by one or all classes, and sort by what needs reviewing. Yes, one place to review assignments, student comments/questions, as well as the option to view items in OneNote Class Notebook. Yes. Review student work, including assignments, questions, grades, and previous comments. View work by one or all classes and sort by what needs reviewing.
Grade quickly and easily—Sort students by first or last name, see who has turned in work, draft grades to share with students later, add private comments when returning work. Yes. Yes. Sort students by first or last name, see who’s turned in work, draft grades to share with students later, and add private comments. Plus, add annotations and visual feedback to student work in the Classroom mobile app.
Transfer grades—Export final grades to spreadsheet format or to a CSV file for upload elsewhere. Yes, you can export grades through a CSV file. Yes. Export final grades to Google Sheets or to a CSV filefor upload elsewhere.
Integrate with other favorite teaching tools—Sync your existing Classroom classes with partner applications. Yes, OneNote Class Notebook allows for integration with multiple LMSs, including Edmodo, Google Classroom, Moodle, MS Classroom, Schoology and many more. Also, Office 365 Suite of online and installed programs (e.g. Word,Powerpoint, OneNote, Excel). Yes. Sync your existing Google Classroom classes with partnerapplications.
Communicate and Collaborate
Access anytime, anywhere—Access Classroom on the web or via the  Android and iOS Classroom mobile apps. Yes, iOS  and  Android apps are available. Also features OneDrive cloud storage and OneNote apps for all platforms (e.g. iOS, Android, Windows, Mac). Yes.
Real-time feedback—View, comment, and edit student work in real time. Yes. Yes.
Create class discussions—In the class stream, post announcements, engage students in question-driven discussions, or move important topics to the top. Yes, you can use MS Classroom Conversations feature. Yes.
Manage class discussions—Control who can post to the class stream and mute individual students from posting or commenting. Yes. Yes.
Share content—Share links, videos, and images from websites to Classroom. Yes. Yes.
Push content to students’ screens—Push web pages instantly to a class. Students can also share their screen with their teacher. Yes*.

*Note: You can push or “distribute” content instantly using OneNote Class Notebook (which is “baked into” MS Classroom). These pages are instantly available via OneNote Online for students.

 Yes.
Easy Admin Support
Affordable and secure—Like other services, Classroom contains no ads and never uses your content or student data for advertising purposes. Yes. Yes.
One sign-in—Teachers and students can sign in to Classroom with a single sign-on. Yes. Yes.
Professional development —Get your teachers using Classroom quickly with free online training. Yes. Professional learning online is available and a click away in OneNote Class Notebook. Yes.
Personal data protection—Classroom is covered. Yes. Yes.

*More on MS School Data Sync: “School Data Sync imports school roster data from the school SIS (like PowerSchool) and synchronizes it with Azure Active Directory and Office 365 so that Classroom (or any other application) can use the roster data to create online classrooms, have context about the student, and even enable single sign-on.

Schools can also use Microsoft School Data Sync to automatically create classes and add students based on the school’s student information system (SIS) roster.” Watch this short video about School Data Sync!

And, this chart doesn’t even mention online surveys and/or forms, both of which are available through Google Forms and Microsoft Forms (read this post by TCEA Board Member, John Bimmerle, on Microsoft Forms). That will be the subject of a future blog entry.

Conclusion

These two third-generation LMS players are quite evenly matched, offering school districts who are looking for an alternative to Google Classroom that relies on robust, familiar MS Office tools a rich alternative. However, OneNote Class Notebook, OneNote Learning Tools, Collaboration Space, and the ability to quickly disseminate handouts and resources to students via the Content Library give Microsoft Classroom the edge. What’s more, OneNote serves as a great ePortfolio solution that can integrate with a variety of learning management systems, including Google Classroom. Depending on your needs, there is no reason why your district or school couldn’t mix and match the various tools (e.g. Google Classroom + OneNote Class Notebook, MS Classroom with YouTube) to get the desired results.

Are you a Texas educator using Office 365 in your District? Join the free, open to members and nom-members TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Facebook group!

 

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Google
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and Tricks

Updates to Google Classroom, Forms, and More

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

As another school year gets ready to begin, Google has announced changes and updates to a variety of its offerings. Most of these are welcome and will make learning a little bit easier this year.

Google Hangouts on Air

The first announcement came yesterday when they let us know that, effective September 12, they will be discontinuing Hangouts on Air and are instead encouraging people to move to YouTube Live or their new Duo app (available free for Android and iOS). While this may not be something to thrill your heart, it will help to combine two products into one and make it easier to schedule and host video conferences/discussions.

Google Classroom

For Classroom, Google now includes summaries of student work that can be automatically shared with parents by teachers. The summaries (or classroom announcements) can be sent daily or weekly, depending on what you prefer. This will make that home/school connection even stronger. There are also a few updates to the Classroom mobile app. Now it will allow you to annotate documents, turning them into whiteboard-like screens. You can use the annotations to mark papers, grade assignments, highlight mistakes or excellent work, and demonstrate concepts. In addition, the teacher can now add topics to posts and allow students to filter their own streams for topics of interest to them.

More Google Goodness for the Classroom

Google has also released Cast for Education, a free Chrome app that lets educators share their screens wirelessly to a projector. This is another great way to make the teacher more mobile and get him/her away from the front of the room while teaching. It’s very easy to use. Just install the app, give your device a name, and invite your students to cast. A GAfE account is required.

For Forms, Google has now added the ability to include images in questions or in multiple-choice answers. This is especially great for math, social studies, and science educators who want to have students focus on complex concepts that resonate better in graphics than in text.

If you’re using the Google virtual reality program Expeditions, you’ll be delighted to discover more virtual field trips have been added. Using smartphones paired with inexpensive cardboard viewers, Expeditions brings the world to your students with more than 200 trips now available.

Google continues its strong support for teaching and learning. And we definitely appreciate that!

 

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