3 Tech Tools to Encourage Writing

Sustaining a regular writing practice can be tricky, so why not let technology help? These three tools help redefine writing so that students can easily create multimedia masterpieces. All three of these tools can be used for a particular project or teacher-directed lesson, or they have great possibilities for more independent writing activities.

1. Younger Grades: MyStory App by Bright Bot, Inc. (free for basic with upgrade option)

MyStory is a great tool for younger students (K-2) to create stories using visuals, text, and audio. Students can create books by freehand drawing, adding icons from the icon bank, and record their voice or sound effects on each page. An adult can choose from multiple sharing options, and if you upgrade, you can export the book to a printable PDF.

2. All Grades: Book Creator iPad App ($4.99)

Book Creator is now a "tried and true" app that has been around for quite some time. Part of its appeal is that its simple interface allows for a wide range of complexity and variation. Students can add a wide variety of content to the pages of their books, including text, photos from their Camera Roll (if using the iPad app), and audio recordings. Students can export their books in ePub files, PDFs, or videos to share online.

3. Upper Elementary & Older: Storybird (free online platform)

Storybird is a website that helps students get visual inspiration for their writing and publish to an online (students in a class can see each other's stories). For free, teachers can quickly create a class management dashboard (no email addresses needed!), assign students writing "Challenges," and see what students are writing. Students can also browse from a bank of thought-provoking illustrations and create poems, picture books, or long-form writing inspired by their chosen artwork. Within the platform, students can earn badges and crowns for their writing achievements.


Have you used any of these tools in your classroom? Have an app or tech tool that helps your students with writing? Feel free to share in the comments section below!

Universal Design for Learning: A Brief Introduction

I stumbled upon Universal Design for Learning when I was researching scholarly articles for my Master's thesis several years ago. Since then, I have seen it become a more widely used term and practice in my school. I have also seen it appear more in the EdTech podcasts I listen to, blogs that I read, and sessions that I attend at education conferences. This fills me with joy! The UDL guidelines, which I admit were a little overwhelming to wrap my head around when I first learned about them, were a useful framework to guide my thinking about how to make my curricula accessible to all of my students.

What is Universal Design for Learning and how did it come about?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a way for teachers to think about how they can optimize teaching and learning. It is based on the concept of Universal Design, a design approach that emphasizes the composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people (National Disability Authority). Researchers and clinicians at CAST (The Center for Applied Special Technology) refined the UDL guidelines to what they are today.

UDL is organized in 3 main guidelines: provide multiple means of engagement, provide multiple means of representation, and provide multiple means of action and expression. These guidelines are further broken down into 3 checkpoints that guide teachers in providing options for accessing, building, and internalizing information (see graphic organizer below or click here for a larger version).

 

How can I learn more about UDL?

If you're curious about UDL, there are many resources out there to help you learn more about the guidelines.

• Into podcasts? Check out the Assist Learning podcast from Jennifer Cronk - a teacher and LD learner. In particular, I enjoyed her interview with Dr. Katie Novak, the author of UDL Now!


• Read Dr. Katie Novak's book UDL Now!. You could even start a book study group with some other interested teachers like a few of my colleagues did last spring.


• CAST's website has A TON of free materials, including their UDL Guidelines site, a FAQ page, and a free and accessible version of Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice by Anne Meyer, David Rose, and David Gordon.

How can I start to apply UDL in practical ways in my classroom?

Education theory and research aren't very useful or practical for teachers if they're not applicable on a day-to-day basis. Here are a few resources to help you start applying the guidelines in small, meaningful ways.

• Check out CAST's Free Learning Tools Page. In particular, look at the UDL Exchange, a place where teachers can browse and build lesson plans and resources.


• ISTE's blog post "30+ tools for diverse learners" helps teachers sift through the sea of edtech tools to find the "tried and true" ones.


• This post on Understood.org suggests 5 simple ways for teachers to jump in and start applying UDL in their classes

Are you using UDL or are starting to use UDL to think about your students' learning? Feel free to share your thoughts and comment below!

Happy Halloween! 4 Resources to Help You Make it Through the Week

For teachers, Halloween is often filled with excitement and fun, but also anxiety about what to do with a whole room full of students who are definitely thinking way more about trick-or-treating than they are about anything you're teaching. Here are 4 resources that can help pass the time until the big day! They are ordered from "most academic" (in my opinion) to "least academic."

1. Halloween Articles and Texts Sets from Newsela

Newsela is a website that provides high-interest news articles to students. Teachers love Newsela because they can level articles according to students' reading needs.

2. Halloween Lessons on Nearpod 

Nearpod is a very popular multimedia presentation tool. With a paid subscription (either individual or through a school license), you can access these pre-made lessons having to do with math, history, and ELA.

3. Halloween Kahoot Trivia

Kahoot has an extensive list of Halloween-themed trivia games.

4. Halloween Mountain Games from Dimension's Edge

Halloween Hangman is an all-time classic, and now they have even more fun games to offer! This site does use Adobe Flash, so if you are using an iPad, you will need a browser like Puffin to play them.



Whatever you decide to do in those tricky days leading up to Halloween - good luck to you!

5 Tech Tools that Are Just So Random

Nothing generates creativity like randomness! Mouse pad! Tire swing! Broccoli! Delaware!

Here are five websites dealing in randomness that help teachers (and students) think creatively and organize efficiently:

1. Random Emoji Generator

This simple site is filled with potential for creative applications in a variety of subjects. Think about a writing exercise in which students had to incorporate the list of emojis successively into their stories! Perhaps students could complete an art assignment in which they needed to depict of scene involving random emojis. Maybe in an improv, acting, or movement class, students physically embodied those emojis. The great thing about this too is that it was created by a teacher who had the good sense to filter out the questionable emojis, like the happy poop one. Sorry, kids.

2. Random Name Generator

Do your students need a character name for an upcoming story, movie, or script that they're creating? Look no further than this random name generator. Older students can certainly utilize the "generate life story" option, in which other facts about a character are created, like their birthday, age, location, blood type, and cause of death (these are not graphic, but try it out just to see if it will work for your students...).

3. Random Group Maker

A few years ago I would play an online game with my students that happened to randomly group them into teams. I couldn't change this feature, and initially I was nervous that I would need to give up the control I desperately clung to while I tried to pre-make teams that were balanced and conflict-free. Of course, there were inevitably conflicts and "stacked" teams, and the students often protested my motives in making the teams I did. When the computer randomly sorted the teams, I saw that many conflicts disappeared. There was no one responsible for grouping the team together, and no one felt left out. A random grouper works well for games or activities that are fairly short in nature and those that have the potential for many different groups, so if a team doesn't work out so well, it's not a big deal.

4. Random Name Picker

Like the Random Group Maker, the Random Name Picker neutralizes the often onerous teacher task of picking students to do something. There are endless ways to apply this tool, and chances are that if you're a teacher and you're reading this, you've thought of at least a few already. This name picker has a suspenseful carnival-spinner-type interface that makes it especially exciting.

5. More Random Lists

This site is dedicated to all things random. Here you can find random generators of all kinds, such as the random animal generator, the random word generator, and the random NBA team generator. This site has great potential for creative writing endeavors. It could also be used to get your students thinking about how to connect seemingly different things and building arguments. Be aware that this is a fairly ad-laden site, and you will need to sift through some of them that seem like part of the site to get to the actual content.

Have any more ideas about random generators that would be of use in an educational setting? Leave a comment below.

How Can Your Students Become Digital Citizen Superheros? Start this Week!

October 15-19, 2018 is Digital Citizenship Week!

This week is a good time for teachers to reflect upon their teaching of digital citizenship and how the topic affect them and their students. 

Check out this page and video from Common Sense Media, as well as the week's official webpage from the California Department of Education. Their Digital Citizenship Week Plan contains some useful resources and ideas.

Have some time to listen to a podcast during your morning or afternoon commute? Check out Vicki Davis's 10-Minute Teacher podcast. In this episode, she discusses 5 ways to teach Digital Citizenship, as well as her "9 Key P's":



Along with Common Sense Media's curriculum, both BrainPOP and Teaching Tolerance also have great lesson resources on the subject.

But why should we devote so much time and effort into teaching students about Digital Citizenship? Check out these eye-opening statistics from Common Sense Media:

 

Among 0- to 8-year-olds, 98% live in a household with a mobile device (2017).

The average 0- to 8-year-old spends 48 minutes of time on a mobile device. This is up from 15 minutes in 2013 and 5 minutes in 2011 (2017).

70% of teens (13-17 year-olds) report using social media many times a day (2018).

74% of teens believe that tech companies manipulate users to spend more time on social media platforms (2018).

85% of parents say that monitoring their children's media use is important for their children's safety (2016).

41% of parents say that they check their children's devices and social media accounts "always" or "most of the time" (2016).

44% of kids (age 10 to 18) feel that they can tell fake news stories from real ones. 31% of kids who shared a news story online in the last 6 months say they shared a news story that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate (2017).

Happy Teaching!

A Way for Students to Actually Understand Your Feedback

As a former English teacher, I have spent hour upon hour writing feedback on students' work and papers. There was a point there where I'd set myself up at my desk at home with a cup of tea or coffee and my favorite purple felt-tip pen. I'd end my comments with smiley faces with the hope that students would see my good intentions in my constructive criticism and be motivated to make the changes that I suggested. I hate to say it, but I would take it a little personally when students did not read my feedback, let alone make actual changes to their work according to my suggestions.

I should also mention that I work in a school for students with dyslexia, and therefore reading and writing are a challenge for most. Perhaps giving students a paragraph of handwritten feedback wasn't the best way to communicate with them in a meaningful way. But then, time just didn't allow for me to have an individual conference with every students every time a big writing assignment came around. What was I to do?

Technology is a beautiful thing. It allows teachers to be in many places at one time in meaningful ways. If I was still teaching students how to write essays today, I would definitely use more tools that allow me to give video feedback to students. Research is starting to prove that video messages are more effective that written ones because they carry more nonverbal cues, such as tone of voice and facial expressions. Check out this article from KQED's MindShift blog about the effectiveness of video feedback. You can also read the article on The Hechinger Report.

There are many simple and free tools that can help with video, or even audio, feedback. The middle school teachers at my school use a workflow iPad app called Showbie. Within the app, teachers can leave voice comments on students' work with the click of a button. Teachers can also use the screen recording feature (available in iOS 11 or higher) on their iPads to give video feedback as well. You can find it in the menu bar that pops up when you swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

On computers, teachers can also use free online tools like Screencast-O-Matic or Screencastify for the Chrome browser to create simple and shareable videos quickly.

Whatever the tool, it's important that teachers make sure that video feedback stays manageable. Develop an efficient system for sharing video files with students and make sure that you're okay with recording okay-quality videos that won't win you any Golden Globes. As the saying goes, perfect is the enemy of the good.

Trying out video feedback? Leave a comment below. Bonus: Send me some video feedback about video feedback! Whoa!

Participate in the Global Read Aloud - It's Starting Soon!

The Global Read Aloud started in 2010 when a teacher named Pernille Ripp set out to connect students with the world through reading. Since then, the program has reached more than four million students from over 80 countries.

What is it?

During a 6 week period spanning from October to November, participants pick from set list of books to read aloud to students. Using those books as a catalyst, students make as many global connections as they can. There is no set way to connect with others, but many teachers use tech tools like Facebook, Padlet (see my previous post about Padlet), Skype, Edublogs, and Twitter (see my previous post about Twitter) to facilitate communication. Of course, you get more information about making these connections once you sign up to participate on the site. Imagine Skyping with a classroom in Singapore to engage in a debate about a book's conflicts! Wouldn't it be cool to collaborate on a Padlet board with a classroom in Brazil about how you connected to a story's main character?

When does it start, how do I learn more, and what books are on this year's list?

The 2018 GRA starts very soon: October 1! If you are interested in learning more or perhaps want to participate, head over to the event's main webpage to sign up. This year's books are listed on GRA's blog - they include picture books, early readers, middle readers, and a Young Adult choice.

Why is it important for students to make global connections?

 

The term "Global Competency" gets thrown around a lot when we hear talk of "21st Century Skills." And now as technology makes our world smaller and smaller, recent news headlines only remind us that we can run into trouble if we don't consider others' perspectives, communicate well, and make compassionate decisions. A 2016 article from the Harvard Graduate School of Education titled, "How to Thrive in the 21st Century" makes the argument that informed citizens with strong intra- and interpersonal competencies will be the ones who can make the most positive global change.

More questions about the Global Read Aloud? Head over to the extensive FAQ page on the GRA site!

Mindfulness Tools to Make it Though September

Since I've been a teacher for most of my professional life, the months of September and October are known to me as "the doldrums." I pretty much go underwater for these months because I'm so swamped with back-to-school tasks.

I know I'm not alone in this struggle.

This summer I was lucky enough to take an online Mindfulness course for educators through Mindful Schools. Practicing mindfulness allowed me to learn strategies I can use to get the space I need in a hectic day to slow down and breathe. I know, I know - "mindfulness" has become a big buzzword in schools and I fully admit that have been skeptical of the hype surrounding it. As with any new education trend, I try to adopt it with open-minded skepticism, and not treat it as a "cure all" for all of my teacherly frustrations.

This article focuses solely on mindfulness resources for teachers since that's what I'm most comfortable writing about. Also, it's important to take care of yourself before you attempt to care for others... there's an airplane oxygen mask metaphor in there somewhere...

Here are 5 mindfulness resources to get you started:

1. Calm

This subscription-based app (available for iOS, Android & Kindle Fire devices) promotes guided mediation centered around a variety of topics, such as relaxing before sleep, forgiveness, gratitude, and more. It is feature-rich and simple to use. There is also a free educator subscription available - yay!

2. Headspace

Headspace is a subscription-based app (available for iOS & Android devices) that provides daily guided meditation focusing on a variety of topics - from "Basics" to more specific sessions like "Panicking," "Pain" and more. I personally really like Andy Puddicome's voice (he's the creator of Headspace) which is ultimately why I decided to sign up for the $79/year subscription. I know, I know... The app looks sleek and is easy to use.

3. Smiling Mind

This non-profit organization from Australia works to make mindfulness accessible to all. They offer a totally free and feature-rich mediation app, as well as a mindfulness curriculum for parents and educators. They focus on mindfulness in the workplace, in education, and for adults.

4. Three Good Things: A Happiness Journal

Three Good Things is a very simple digital happiness journal that you can keep on your phone (and it's free!). Every day, it prompts you to record three things that went well in your day, in 100 characters or less. This app is great way to divert some of your mindless phone browsing energy towards a daily gratitude practice.

 

 

 

 

5. 5 Minute Escapes

This free app (available for iOS & Android devices) uses music, sound effects, and guided visualizations in its short guided meditations. You can "escape" to placed like "Tropical Island" and "Desert Night Sky." The free features are limited, however, and it cost about $8 to unlock all features.




Trying out one of these mindfulness resources or absolutely love one that I haven't mentioned? Leave a comment below!

Teacher Summers: Balancing PD, Planning & Plain ol' Relaxing

One of the big perks about being a teacher is Summer Vacation, but any teacher with a few years of experience can tell you that summer becomes a time to catch up on all of those tasks you neglected to do during the school year - from personal business, to reading those teaching books you've wanted to read, to lesson and unit-planning, to attending professional development. Of course, we all need time to relax and recharge, and sometimes it's tricky to balance "free time" and "work time" when the days stretch out ahead of us without a strict bell schedule.

Here are three resources to help teachers balance work and play over the summer:

1. Angela Watson's blog post: "How to make a (realistic) plan for summer that will leave you feeling rejuvinated" 

This information is also available in audio through Watson's "Truth for Teachers" podcast. Watson outlines a way for teachers to prioritize tasks they want to accomplish over the summer (both personal and professional), set deadlines for yourself, choose a "theme" for the summer based on your priorities, and create a realistic to-do list.

2. Chris Nesi's "House of EdTech" podcast episode: "How to Grow Your #EdTech Skills During Summer"

Nesi's podcast has some useful tips for teachers wanting to learn more about educational technology this summer.

3. Read George Couros's recent post on his blog, "Principal of Change," and reflect!

Couros walks through four questions that will challenge teachers to think critically about their teaching practice and allow them to focus on how they want to grow in the next school year. I recommend that you do this in June, when the school year is still fresh in your mind.

Have more tips or ideas about how to balance your summer? Leave a comment!

Further Your Professional Development & Become a Google Certified Educator!

I can't wait to sign up to start my Google Certified Educator training from Kasey Bell! Bell's website and blog Shake Up Learning is excellent and has a wide variety of Edtech resources, especially having to do with all things Google.

Her post and video walk-through about how to become a Google Certified Educator caught my eye this week because sign-ups for her trainings over the summer open on May 28 and close on June 10. Trainings are online and self-paced: the perfect kind of summer PD.

The Level 1 class focuses on the basics of using Google apps, as well as how to meaningfully use them with students. Level 2 provides educators with a deeper understanding of Google apps and how to integrate them even more effectively with students. Each class is about $300, but I think it's worth the investment since becoming familiar with Google apps and technology integration is becoming more of a necessary teacher qualification in the education (at least the public education) world these days. Definitely something you want on your resume!

5 Ways to Engage Students at the End of the Year

The end of the school year is upon us! I always found the last few weeks a challenging time to keep students engaged in meaningful activities until the very end of the year. I fully believe that creative/interactive/highly-engaging learning tasks need to be a mainstay throughout every teachers' curriculum. However, I totally understand that May and June are great months for teachers to take some more steps out of their comfort zone and try out some crazy ideas. Let's face it - the same old stuff gets stale at the end of the year as weather gets nicer and the countdown until summer starts.

Here are 5 ways to captivate students with highly-engaging and meaningful learning tasks:

1. Make Movies!

Want to breathe fresh life and creative energy into students' movies? Try out iOS apps like Clips, PuppetPals, or VideoScribe Anywhere.

Also, before you start or if you need inspiration, check out an amazing database of example videos at Nextvista.org - a website by the fabulous Rushton Hurley.

Insider Tips: Set limits. Think about time limits, what student videos need to contain/convey, and what props/sets students can and can't use. If students are speaking or there is narration, make sure scripts are properly vetted before filming begins!

2. Go on Academic Scavenger Hunts Using Goosechase

Goosechase is a digital scavenger hunt platform where students need to find photographic/video evidence that they have completed certain "missions" created by the teacher. Teachers can create games for teams or individuals, set up how long a game will last, and accept or deny student submissions. I love Goosechase because it uses technology to get students up and moving around a classroom or school campus.

3. Use the Quiz Site Kahoot! for Homework

Check out this video from Common Sense Media that explains how to use the very popular education quiz game platform, Kahoot, as a homework option.

4. Try a BreakoutEDU Game

BreakoutEDU is a platform that lets teachers turn their classrooms into "academically focused escape rooms." There are physical and digital components. You can purchase BreakoutEDU boxes, locks, and other gear from their site, as well as access to their digital lessons library.

5. Explore in Virtual Reality with Google Expeditions

Google Expeditions is an iOS and Android app that lets students embark on field trips across the globe - all from the comfort of their own classrooms. Teachers can customize Virtual Reality experiences for their students and immerse students in worlds they otherwise wouldn't get to experience.

Use these tech tools to help end your school year with a bang! Have another exciting EOY suggestion? Write in the comments below!

What Do You Wonder?

Wonderopolis.org is a site dedicated to collecting and fostering curiosity about our world. The site was created by the National Center for Families Learning in 2010, and it contains short articles that attempt to answer questions that students have submitted.

A main feature of the site is its Wonder of the Day articles that answer questions such as, "How many sharks are in the ocean?" and "Why do some things burn while others melt?" The great thing about these articles is that they contain a built-in text-to-speech feature, a short video about the topic at hand, highlighted vocabulary with pop-up definitions, and a few "Try It Out" extension activities at the end of the article. I can see these daily articles being a great addition to a morning or weekly reading routine in a classroom.

Wonderopolis's Wonder Jar page gives ideas and instructions for a jar in which families or classes can collect their own wonders. The Interactive Wonder Jar on the top of the page also automatically generates questions. Students can also submit questions to the Wonder Bank, vote on questions that have been submitted by others, and explore from where people are submitting questions.

As summer nears, check out Camp Wonderopolis, a place where students (gears towards grades 2-8) can enroll in a free virtual Summer Camp. Each summer has a theme, and this year's theme is "Symphony of Wonders" in which kids can explore and learn about music. Families can also buy a Campsite Kit from the Wonderopolis store to enhance their "camp" experience.

Wonderopolis is definitely a site to check out with curious elementary-aged students!

Tips to Help Report Card Writing Drudgery

May is a conflicted month for teachers. On the one hand, school is winding down and summer is within reach, standardized tests are over, and you've really had a chance to develop relationships and rapport with students. On the other hand, there's so much to do before the school year really ends, like cramming in those Units you'd thought you'd get to by January, filling out end-of-year paperwork, and of course, writing report card comments.

Here's some quick tips to help with report cards to save your time and sanity. One great resource is Angela Watson's blog and podcast on stress-free report card writing. Watson outlines a 5-step formula for report card comments, which is basically a more nuanced take on the "compliment sandwich" form of report-card writing (positive statements at the beginning and end that sandwich a "needs improvement" statement).

Here are 4 more tips that have worked for me (some of these Watson also mentions):

1. If you're someone who works well with To Do lists, make a detailed schedule or list that itemizes every comment you need to write. It sounds like work on the outset, but it has kept me focused and on task. When I stick to it, I usually end up finishing comments early (yes, really). The key is in the detail. DO NOT just put "Write report card comments" on your list! This task is way too overwhelming and you'll probably just end up ignoring it or feeling like you'll never get to cross it off. Instead, write something more specific like, "Write Nathan's Math comment." Then, figure out how many comments you need to write each day in order to finish by the deadline and stick to your schedule.

2. Analyze your working style. If you had a choice, are you the type of person who works better if you sit down for one long stretch of time to write comments? Are you the type who works better if you only have to subject yourself to the misery of report card writing for 30 minutes a day? Do you write better in the morning before school starts? During your prep time? At home at night? Think intentionally about how long you need to write and what type of time you need to complete your comments efficiently.

3. It's okay to pull from "stock sentences" as long as there's still plenty that personalizes the comments to the performance and personality of each student. Instead of writing each comment from scratch, pull material from the comments you've already written. Report cards comments aren't priceless works of art! This page with 101 Report Card Comments from Scholastic has some great sentence starters for those times when you're really at a loss for words.

4. Take time to think about the importance of the comment in the grand scheme of things. Is it really worth spending an hour on each report card comment if you have 24 students? How many parents actually read the comments? Do you also have a follow-up parent-teacher conference in which you can expand and explain your comments in more detail? Which is better at your school and for your community/colleagues: long comments completed late or shorter comments completed early?

Happy Report Card Writing! Have any more tips? Leave a comment below.

5 Alternatives to the Google Image Search Abyss

If you're a teacher who has recently lead students in creating any sort of presentation using technology, you know that many can get lost searching for photos in the vast abyss of Google Image Search. Not only that, but safe filters might not be reliable, and students end up using copyrighted material.

I urge you - end the days of using Google Image Search with your students! It's important that students learn that although it is easy and a lot of people do it, they can't just copy whatever pictures they want off the internet and use them as if they are their own.

Here are some alternative photo sites to use with your classes, as well as for your own presentation purposes:


Photos for Class - "Search now to download properly attributed, Creative Commons photos for school"
Out of all of these sites, Photos for Class certainly has the most appropriate content for all ages.

Unsplash - "Beautiful, free photos"

Pexels - "Best free stock photos in one place"

Stocksnap - "Beautiful free stock photos"

CC Search - search feature on the Creative Commons website - good for content other than photos


Students need to also get in the habit of crediting the sources of the photos they use, even if they are licensed to use/reproduce freely.


Diversity Red Flag! While I have been using these sites, I've noticed that many searches yield photos almost exclusively of white people. I'm guessing, based on limited experience, that this is typical to the image search world in general. Perhaps a worthwhile phenomenon to point out to students, and also to have them notice while searching for photos of people for different purposes.

Padlet: So Easy to Use! So Underrated!

Padlet has been around for awhile (relative to other Ed Tech tools) and although it was all the rage in Ed Tech circles around 2013, its shine has worn off a bit. This is too bad, since Padlet has made some absolutely excellent upgrades since then. It is such an easy-to-use, feature-rich collaboration tool that teachers can start using almost immediately in their classrooms for a variety of purposes.

What it is, in a nutshell:

• I think of it as an amplified virtual bulletin board
• educators can create pages with specific prompts, and students can post responses
• responders can also "like" and/or comment on others' responses
• responders can upload files, photos, links, etc. to a Padlet board
• responders can access a certain board with a url link or an automatically-generated QR code
• access Padlet on their website or through an iOS, Android, or Kindle app
• variety of privacy settings and moderation options 
• variety of board formats: Wall, Canvas (connect groups or posts), Stream (looks more like social media), Shelf (arrange responses in Columns), or Backchannel (chat-like page)
• plenty of templates and board backgrounds  
• see all of the features here

 How educators could use Padlet:

• Exit tickets or "Do Now" prompts 
• Debriefing activities & reflections with large groups
• KWL Charts using the Shelf format
• Brainstorming mind maps (especially using the Canvas format)
• Alternatives to whole-group discussions (get every student to participate by posting something on a Padlet board)
• Questions during a lecture or guest speaker (using Backchannel format): students can ask questions when they come to mind but not interrupt a speaker
• Personal collections: collect ideas for writing, books to read, project ideas, etc. 
• Planner & Reminder: students enter projects or assignments under "To Do," "Doing" and "Done" lists using the Shelf format
• Organization tree: make hierarchies, create character maps, etc. using Canvas format
• Safe way to expose students to social-media type forums (posting & responding to posts)

... the possibilities are really endless!


Padlet just introduced (finally) paid features... it was a long time coming. You can still operate under the free version if you create 24 boards or less (you can delete old boards to stay under the limit), or there is a Pro version with unlimited boards for $8.25/month. Padlet also offers a "Padlet Backback" subscription for schools that offers extra features, such as a user management platform and more privacy and security within your school. You can try Padlet Backback for free for 30 days and then plans start at $12/month.


Using Padlet in a unique or interesting way? Has it helped any part of your teaching practice? Feel free to leave a note in the comments below.

An Amazing FREE Reading Tool: ReadWorks.org

ReadWorks.org is a FREE online database with a wide range of fiction texts and nonfiction articles for all grades. You just need to create your own account with an email and password to get started.

I used ReadWorks last year in my middle school Language Arts remediation classes for fluency practice and high school entrance exam test preparation. I particularly enjoyed how many short, interesting, and challenging nonfiction passages they had to offer (you can search for articles by grade level, lexile scores, topic, or text type). Comprehension questions and focused vocabulary information accompany most passages. Articles are available as pdfs so you can easily print or digitally distribute them.

ReadWorks has added an online platform for teachers to assign certain articles to a whole class or individual students. Teachers can then see each student's progress on comprehension questions or text annotations. The platform contains accessibility features such as text enlargement and full audio (some human voice, other synthesized), as well as annotation and highlighting tools.

Other notable features:

• Article-A-Day for K-8 - a framework and resources that help teachers create a 10-minute reading routine that practices comprehension skills, vocabulary, and fluency.
• Paired Texts - ReadWorks has grouped passages that are similar in reading level and topic
• Plenty of articles about holidays or events (Memorial Day, World Health Day, etc.)
• Teacher Whiteboard/Projector view for easy article viewing in class
• Co-teaching accounts on the online class management platform 
• Check out this page to see all of the features ReadWorks offers 

Sample of articles in the Article-A-Day sets

Good luck with ReadWorks! I can't believe that they're not charging any membership fees for these kinds of features. Hopefully it will stay this way! In the meantime, enjoy.

CUE Conference 2018 - Recap

An Adobe Spark Post I created during the conference during The Tech Rabbi's talk

I recently attended my 2nd CUE (Computer-Using Educators) Conference in Palm Springs! Here's a quick recap of the interesting ideas I took away from those three days:

Breakout EDU

I've been hearing buzz about this platform for a long time now and wanted to see what the hype was all about.

• It's a puzzle box with physical and digital elements for students (or teachers during a PD) to try to crack. 
• You need to buy the kit (each one is about $150) and a digital platform license, and then you have access to lots of pre-made Breakout EDUs or you can make your own. 
• Great for spicing up boring units or lessons and having students collaborate, problem-solve, and be creative!

Michael Cohen's talk "Igniting the Spark: Empowering Students Through Media Creation"

• The World Economic Forum just chose creativity as one of the top 3 skills people will need to thrive in the workforce in 2020. Are we fostering creativity as much as we need to be in our current education systems? 
• Cohen also referenced multimedia learning theory, most popularly attributed to Dr. Richard Mayer. One of the big points in this theory is that people learn better when they are only processing spoken language rather than than spoken and written language at the same time. Text-heavy PowerPoint/Google Slides presentations are not brain-friendly!
• Cohn urged us to seek out the possibilities of visual representations instead of text.
• Easy tools for students (and teachers) to use are the Adobe Spark Suite of Apps.  

An Adobe Spark Post I made during Cohen's Talk

Rushton Hurley's talk on "Much Better Staff and Team Meetings"

• Hurley's basic driving question was, "How do we establish cool meetings?" since so many faculty/staff meetings in the education world are boring, dry, pointless, and even loathed.
• Staff meetings need to be places where teachers can share the great things they are doing in their classrooms and get inspiration to do more cool things that empower students.
• General announcements need to be saved for an email (Typical question that follows:"What if my staff members don't read their emails?" Hurley's response: "What makes you think staff members are listening at meetings?").
• Hurley has a great website with tons of video resources (like inspirational videos) to share with an discuss with fellow educators!

Rushton Hurley's talk on "Four Video Projects that are Academically Meaningful"

• Having an authentic audience changes things for students. Students want it to be good if they know they're sharing their video with peers. They want it to be good enough if they're just making it for the teacher.
• The Creative Commons search page is a great resource for tons of media that's free to use (as long as you still cite that media).
• Project 1: 90 Seconds or Less - creatively explain one thing you might encounter in school (or do a "How Not To..." video).
• Project 2: Service Project - tell about people who make their communities better
• Project 3: EL Project - use focused vocabulary (colors, days of the week, etc.) and make one video with subtitles and one without, then submit to the NextVista EL Project
• Project 4: Submit to the Global Student Voice Film Festival

 Erin Klein's talk on "Creating a Brain-Friendly & Beautiful Classroom"

• We can bring the fun back into our classrooms by redesigning them and rethinking the "Cemetery Effect" (desks are arranged exactly like headstones...depressing...)
• "Traditional" learning spaces reinforce "traditional" teaching and learning. If the goal of a technology initiative is to put technology in the learning environment, you'll only get technology in an old learning environment: 21st century technology in a 20th century classroom!
• We need to create spaces that allow students to create authentic products - not just crank out worksheets - mindset that you're on task when you're doing what you love.

Overall,  it was another great year at CUE! Here are some other "buzzwords" around the conference:

• AR (Augmented Reality)
• VR (Virtual Reality)
• Blended and Flipped Learning
• Makerspaces and tinkering labs
• Universal Design for Learning
• Digital Citizenship
• The 4 C's: Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication
• Authentic audiences & authentic products
• Global connections
• Design Thinking/Design Engineering
• Coding and programmable robots!

The SAMR Model and Why You Should Care

I know that parents and teachers worry about how much screen time students experience in a day, and the long-term effects of technology on young people. It's hard to deny that "kids these days" are spending quite a bit of time immersed in their phones, tablets, computers, and video games.

However, I believe that not all screen time is created equal. Think about what you do as an adult - your time spent in front of a screen typing doing a research project for grad school or creating a movie about your latest family trip is much different that the time you spend binge-watching Netflix. The trick about screen time is to reduce time student spend being information consumers and increase the time that they can use technology to create informative, creative, and inspiring products. But how do teacher begin to do that in their classrooms?

Dr. Ruben Puentedura created the SAMR model to help teachers conceptualize how to use technology with students to its greatest potential and as Dr. Puentedura says in his video, "evolve their practice." 

Image credit: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Instructional_design/SAMR_Model/What_is_the_SAMR_Model%3F

I also love this very short YouTube video by John Spencer that explains the SAMR model while giving example of each stage:

Side note: John Spencer is amazing and has some excellent videos for teachers on his YouTube channel!

Of course, no teacher can always exist in the "Redefinition" mode, and it's all about fitting the task and desired learning goals to the tech tool. It's all about using all of the possible capabilities of technology in the classroom to enhance and deepen students' learning. Remember that 1:1 devices, such as iPads, have cameras, video cameras, speakers, audio recording devices, assistive technology capabilities, and access to the world (and possibly the universe) through internet connectivity. It's important for teachers to have their students use those tools wisely and purposefully.

Start small! Think about a lesson or activity that's now in the Substitution mode. Is there any way that it would better serve your students if you redesigned it so that it feel into Augmentation, or even Modification?

Want More? Here are some more resources:

Hear more about applying the SAMR Model from the source, Dr. Ruben Puentedura, on Common Sense Media's site.

Curious about Redefinition and want some concrete ideas? Here's a link to a post on Matt Miller's Ditch That Textbook blog that outlines 10 ways to reach the Redefinition level with an assignment.

Here's a BloomBoard by Valerie Ferguson with examples of how to apply the SAMR model to all grade levels and subjects.

Why I'm a Twitter Convert

I used to be very cynical about Twitter. I didn't want to even indulge in the Twitting. I had heard enough about the brash decrees of a certain world leader on Twitter and I wanted nothing of it. I stuck up my nose at it, even when I started discovering that so many amazing educators and education technology gurus were connecting with others through Twitter.

But as I went to more education conferences, listened to more education podcasts, and read more education blogs, my beef with Twitter began to break down. Twitter was a virtual educator hang-out filled with resources and excitement and I started to feel left out.

About a year ago I joined Twitter, but I resolved that it would stay a professional social network. I had plenty of other social media outlets in my personal life, and I certainly didn't need more to occupy my time. So far, I've stuck to that promise and I really do enjoy the network I have made with other educators and education organizations on Twitter.

Granted, I'm not a die-hard Twitterer, or whatever you call them. I don't post that much, I don't have that many followers, and I don't follow that many people, all things considered. However, I do know that glancing at Twitter in the morning before I go to work or in an odd moment while I'm waiting for something actually brightens my day: I get to see educators like me sharing things that they're passionate about, asking questions that I have, and sharing resources that I need.

Here are a few educators and organizations I follow:

KQED's MindShift @MindShiftKQED
We Are Teachers @WeAreTeachers
Common Sense Media @CommonSense
edutopia @edutopia
Jennifer Gonzales @cultofpedagogy
George Couros @gcouros
Regie Routman @regieroutman
Angela Watson @Angela_Watson
Jennifer Cronk @jenniferacronk - she is LD herself and very into assistive technology!
Rabbi Michael Cohen @TheTechRabbi
The Dalai Lama @DalaiLama (yes, even the Dalai Lama tweets these days)

Pretty much every presenter you will see at an education conference these days is active on Twitter, as well as many schools, classrooms, and even individual classes. I've yet to get into participating in many Twitter chats but I'm convinced that you can find them for pretty much anything you want to talk about in the world of education these days. Kasey Bell (@ShakeUpLearning) put together an excellent Twitter chat and hashtag database to get you organized and discovering what's out there.

If you want to follow me, my handle is @erikalewisedu. Happy tweeting!

The Iditarod is Coming!

The annual Iditarod dog sled race gets started on Saturday, March 3! This 975-mile race is always an epic one, and there are plenty of ways to help students explore the race and what dog sledding is all about.

Check out the Iditarod's Education site for a ton of teacher resources and ways to incorporate the Iditarod into your lessons. Students can follow mushers (racers), track their mushers throughout the race using the site's GPS tracker, explore the race course and calculate distances between checkpoints.

You can also visit the main Iditarod site for daily standings once the race starts, video interviews with mushers, and much more. If you're sick of the balmy California winter and want to get away for a few weeks, you can also apply to be the Teacher on the Trail for an upcoming race. Happy Mushing!

Preparing Our Teaching for the Robot Takeover

As I was reviewing my past week, I remembered an audio clip I had heard from "The 10-Minute Teacher Podcast by Vicki Davis." Vicki referenced the book Humility is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age by Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig. This book discusses the importance of fostering critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and innovation in an age where "smart machines" will start to take over millions of jobs.

Full disclosure: I have not read this book yet, but I am intrigued. Articles about the rise of the robot workforce are becoming more mainstream and less "sci-fi" as we see the progress of technologies like robot-driven cars and home assistants like the Amazon Echo or Google Home. Check out this article in Fast Company about particular jobs that robots will replace in a few years, or a very similar article in The Guardian.

Will we all be out of work? Not necessarily. These articles and the book also assert that since robots aren't very good at stuff like creativity, critical thinking, innovation and collaboration, there will be plenty of work available for people who excel in these areas. Of course, this means that the human workforce of the future will need to develop these skills. Trouble is, skills like creativity are often overlooked in traditional school settings.

What does this mean for teachers? How do we promote skills like creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation in our own classroom when these skills are so difficult to teach or we feel as though we don't have time for them? I think every teacher knows that these skills are important, yet most teacher also acknowledge that it's easier to teach a lesson on multiplication facts than it is about multi-step word problems.

I have three ideas about how we can start to shift our mindsets about fostering creativity and problem-solving in our classrooms:

1. Recognize that there is well-established technology out there that will read text, solve equations, and do simple calculations, for free. Yes, of course it is important to teach students to read and do calculations. We also have to recognize how much of our time we are spending teaching skills that students won't use much in their later lives, just because those skills are what have been taught in schools in the past. Some teachers might argue, "but doing long division by hand promotes problem-solving skills." Okay. But are there other pursuits besides a long division problem that will promote those skills and then some?


2. Stop thinking about pursuits that promote creativity as educational "dessert." A weird phenomenon happens at my school in the spring. Some teachers ask for my assistance with technology during the last three weeks of the school year when they were quiet during the fall and winter. I've realized that they want to try more "fun" projects, like making movies or recording podcasts when the academic pressure of the school year is off their shoulders. This year, several teachers have asked if their students can come into our Makerspace "as a reward class" for whatever behavioral or academic objective they had reached. I am glad that teachers are becoming interested in getting their classes involved in these areas. I also want teachers to see more and more that creative endeavors can be a mainstay in any curricula, not just cute projects to do with students to mollify summer fever or give as rewards.


3. Be critical of the "Grecian Urn" way of teaching by example. I am totally the teacher who loves to make the perfect example of a product/project and cross my fingers that the students will produce something close to it. It had taken me a long time to shift my mindset away from this way of teaching towards guiding students to use their own abilities to create products that are truly theirs. I also realized that I got a better idea of what my students did and did not understand when they weren't just copying me. Of course, I have to think critically about what I need to model and show examples of and what I leave up to students' own interpretations. This is tough, but it's worth it. 

What do you think about these ideas? Are there more you would add? Leave a comment below.

Virtual Scavenger Hunts with GooseChase

Putting together a paper-and-pencil scavenger hunt as a class activity can be time-consuming and overwhelming, which is why I didn't do it at all with my classes until I found GooseChase.

GooseChase is an online platform that allows anyone (education-related or not) to set up a scavenger hunt that participants complete by using the camera and video tools on their mobile devices. Students can participate individually or be part of a team. When you create a game, you determine the type of "missions" that students need to complete, assign a point value to each mission, and set the length of time that the game will last.

Below is a screenshot of my teacher dashboard as I set up a game for a math class. All of the missions below are photo missions, but you can also set up missions that require students to take videos, type in text, or use the GPS feature on their devices to go to a particular location.

Teachers can sign up for free to start, but you can upgrade for more capabilities. The paid accounts are useful if you want to use GooseChase with your school for PD or a larger class/grade since the free account only allows 5 teams to join one game.

Pricing options for educators.

GooseChase is great for a fun Friday activity, field trips, professional development, team-building, etc. We used it as a way for students to stay engaged and active during an 8th grade graduation trip to Washington, D.C. After we returned from the trip, we could upload the photos and videos the students took during the game into a slideshow for the parents. It's a great way for students to take advantage of their mobile devices and learn while being active. Once you get the hang of how it works, you'll definitely want to add it to your "teacher toolbox" of student engagement strategies.

Example of a completed mission in a game

Free & Simple Math Tools from the Math Learning Center

Math manipulatives are great, but sometimes they can be a teacher's worst nightmare: they're loud, they get lost, the students use them as projectiles, you can never remember what cabinet you stored them in from year to year, etc., etc.

Welcome to the 21st Century: the era of the virtual manipulative! They're mess-free! They're money-free! They're easy to use and totally amazing.

Some of the best free virtual math manipulatives are all in one place: The Math Learning Center's Free Math Apps page. Whether it's Geoboards, money pieces, or pattern tiles you're looking for, all of these math apps feature a simple layout. Each app comes in three versions: a web app (open right in your web browser!), and iOS app, and an Android app.

Each app includes annotation features that could be helpful for students with dysgraphia or written expression difficulties. They could also be great tools for teachers to quickly generate visuals to incorporate into other presentations. The possibilities are endless!

The Geoboard web app

The Fractions web app

Hemingway Editor - How Have I Not Seen this Before?!

Maybe I'm the last English teacher in the Western Hemisphere to discover the Hemingway Editor, but in case I'm not - here's a short plug for it.  

The Hemingway Editor is a free and simple online grammar editor. First, copy and paste your writing into the main text field. The editor will highlight certain sentences or words that are awkward or hard to read. It will also assign your text a grade level based on its complexity and length. From there, you can edit text directly on the website and copy it back into wherever it originated. Keep in mind that the site will not save your text or create any record of it if you exit out of it.   

Part of this tool's blessing is also its curse: the Hemingway Editor is simple, yet limited in its abilities. It catches adverb use, use of passive voice, awkward phrases, and run-on sentences. It does not catch punctuation errors, incomplete sentences, and other grammatical errors. It also does not teach about why it has highlighted certain parts of text, nor does it offer suggestions about how to improve particular parts of writing. That being said, I have found that this site is a quick tool to help me analyze my own writing. 

Using the Hemingway Editor yourself or with your students? Let me know!

Screenshot of the home page