Author: Kaylah Holland

The Power of Social Media

Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

What:

Social Media is a powerful force in the culture of today. Students are constantly using social media mediums like Instagram, Snapchat, and more recently TikTok. In 2015, PEW research center stated that 24% of teenagers are online ‘almost constantly’ (source). Despite social media being a large part of teenagers’ lives, some schools and educators ban social media use in the classroom for fear of opening themselves up to the dangers of being online. While caution is wise, social media can be used in the classroom to showcase numerous lessons including how to use social media positively through digital citizenship lessons or through applicable and relevant lessons using social media as a medium to teach communication, debate, even graphics design. Below are a few tips for integrating social media into your classroom. 

Communication:

Communication is crucial to utilizing social media in the classroom. Communication with administrators, parents, other teachers, and evens students is an absolute must when using social media in the classroom. If your school has strict policies regarding social media use – follow them. Another tip is to start small. Seek approval from your administrator for a short trial run of using social media with one lesson plan or unit. Clearly communicate the expectations of the lesson to your parents so everyone is on the same page. 

Setting Ground Rules:

Set ground rules for social media use. I have personally implemented social media in my classroom but it was only allowed at certain times for certain projects. You do not want students to have unlimited access to social media in your class all the time. You can, however, specify when social media can be used and outline the expectations of how it should be used. For example, I taught a digital journalism/amateur news class. We created an episode every week for other students to watch in a large gathering. My students used hashtags on social media to collect pictures and videos from other students. A few students were in charge of collecting the images and videos and those students were allowed to search through Instagram during one class each week to search the hashtag and save photos and videos that could be used in upcoming episodes. You can also use social media to showcase proper dialogue or debate. There are also many examples of showcasing how not to debate online. You can use hashtags to follow current events (like the NASA shuttle launch) or authors from books your students are reading. The options are limitless. 

Be a Role Model:

If you are still cautious about using social media in class, showcase your own profiles and social media use. Implementing your own social media makes you relevant to your students, showcases how to properly use social media, and limits the dangers of your students being online. Some schools do not allow students to follow their teachers (or vice versa) on social media but you can show your profile without connecting with students. The same rules apply here even though students aren’t using social media – overly communicate and set the ground rules. I will never forget the day I was teaching a class on video creation and my students realized another teacher at our school had a twitch account and streamed himself playing video games. He had instant credibility with the students so we worked together to teach digital safety.

When in doubt, go offline:

If you aren’t comfortable with students being on social media or showing your own social media profiles, the next great option is to go offline. You can use social media presentation templates to teach the same concepts without the fear of students being online. There are great templates for Instagram stories, Snapchat games, and even a TikTok experience. 

Clarification:

I want to clarify that I am talking about using social media to teach vital lessons to your students. I do not mean that you can and should take pictures of your students and post them on your own personal social media pages. I am a huge fan of student privacy. Please always ask permission from anyone to take their picture and post them online. 

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Social Media is a powerful force in the culture of today. Students are constantly using social media mediums like Instagram, Snapchat, and more recently TikTok. In 2015, PEW research center stated that 24% of teenagers are online ‘almost constantly’ (source). Despite social media being a large part of teenagers’ lives, some schools and educators ban social media use in the classroom for fear of opening themselves up to the dangers of being online. While caution is wise, social media can be used in the classroom to showcase numerous lessons including how to use social media positively through digital citizenship lessons or through applicable and relevant lessons using social media as a medium to teach communication, debate, even graphics design. Below are a few tips for integrating social media into your classroom. 

@hollandkaylah

Using Google Docs to Improve Student Writing

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

What:

Improving student writing is no easy task but Google Docs has numerous features that make it a bit easier. My favorite Google Doc features to improve student writing are utilizing comments, using suggested edits, and voice typing. 

Comments:

Comments are a great way to improve student writing because educators can work one on one with students using their own writing as examples. To insert a comment, simply highlight text in a Google Doc and click the plus sign in the circle that appears to the right of the highlighted text. Comments can be assigned to people by typing a plus sign and then their name in the comment box. Assigning comments is great when multiple students are collaborating on an assignment. Students can respond to the comment right in the Google Doc for educators to view and continue to respond. 

Suggested Edits:

Suggested edits is a fantastic feature that is a level up from commenting. I might use comments to remind students of something we discussed in class, provide extra resources, or leave encouraging messages. Suggested edits allows educators to change the text but Google Docs will show the changes in a new color and students can choose to accept or reject the changes. This feature is a great way of showing students what is expected. For example, if a student is struggling with writing topic sentences or using passive voice, I can use suggested edits to change their sentence to better align with the expectations of the assignment. 

Voice Typing:

Students are often overwhelmed by a blank page. Allowing students to use voice typing helps them quickly put all of the information in their head on paper giving them a starting place for the assignment. Voice typing is a fantastic feature that can be accessed by clicking on Tools then Voice Typing. 

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Improving student writing is no easy task but Google Docs has numerous features that make it a bit easier. My favorite Google Doc features to improve student writing are utilizing comments, using suggested edits, and voice typing. 

@hollandkaylah

The Magic of Google Forms

Image result for google forms
Image source 

What:

Google Forms is a comprehensive data collection tool that is free to use and easy to learn. Google Forms allows educators to create forms with a variety of uses including quick polls, sign in, out, or up sheets, lesson plans, quizzes, or create your own adventure forms (source). Google Forms can also be linked to Google Slides and Sheets and with the use of Add-ons like Autocrat can easily be used as mail merges to automatically complete tasks. Read on for a brief introduction to using Google Forms in all of these ways. 

Quick Polls:

Google Forms can be used to initiate quick polls or surveys to instantly know what your students think or understand about a subject. You can create a one question form and open the response sheet that is automatically created with each Google Form and view the data as a graph. The questions can range from simple polls to determining if students understand concepts. 

Sign In, Out, or Up:

Google Forms can easily be created to allow students to sign in to class (think bathroom pass) or parents to sign up for one on one conferences. You can also use Google Forms to sign out books or supplies in the classroom. These forms are easily created by adding questions like date, name, and using the attached response sheet to track. 

Lesson Plans:

Google Forms can be used to track Lesson Plans. You can create a form including questions with everything you want to track – objectives, activity descriptions, essential questions, etc. Completing the form for every lesson throughout the year will create a comprehensive curriculum map located in the response sheet. 

Quizzes:

Google Forms will also automatically grade responses if the quiz optioned is turned on. You can add point values to each question and decide if you want students to see their grade automatically or not. You can learn more about this by watching the video located here. 

Create Your Own Adventure:

My personal favorite way of utilizing Google Forms is by creating a choose your own adventure form. You can allow students to create their own or use this method to provide extra practice to struggling learners. For example, you can add a multiple-choice question. If students choose the correct answer they move on to the next questions (new section). However, if they choose the incorrect response they are sent to a section that provides an explanation of the first question. You can learn how to create one by clicking here.

Use with Google Slides:

Google Sheets that are connected to Google Forms can be embedded in Google Slides. This is a great way to instantly see what students know. It takes a bit of setup but is well worth the instant access to information. I have used this many times in language arts classes. I create a Google Form with questions about the reading given for homework the night before. Students complete the form as a bell-ringer activity. The responses were already synced to my Google Slide for the day so I could instantly see which areas we needed to discuss and which areas were understood by students. You can learn how to connect a Google Sheet to a Google Slide by clicking here. 

Use with Add-ons:

Educators can also include add-ons in the response sheet created for each form to create a mail merge. Any Google Sheet can use Add-ons to create a mail merge but when you connect it to a Google Form, you can automatically send notifications as soon as Forms are completed. I have personally done this using the Autocrat add-on to instantly email parents a confirmation for signing up for conferences and to send emails to parents regarding exam scores. Using Autocrat takes a bit of practice but is definitely useful. You can learn more about this by watching the video located here. 

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Google Forms is a comprehensive data collection tool that is free to use and easy to learn. Google Forms allows educators to create forms with a variety of uses including quick polls, sign in, out, or up sheets, lesson plans, quizzes, or create your own adventure forms (source). Google Forms can also be linked to Google Slides and Sheets and with the use of Add-ons like Autocrat can easily be used as mail merges to automatically complete tasks. Read on for a brief introduction to using Google Forms in all of these ways. 

@hollandkaylah

How to Swim: a Guide for Implementing Student Inquiry

Image result for inquiry swimming pool
Image Source

What:

Inquiry in its most basic form is curiosity. “Allowing real curiosity—the kind that fuels philosophers, artists, scientists, historians, explorers, and innovators—is the most fundamental change we can make in our teaching practice” (source). Implementing inquiry in the classroom is not as difficult as you might think, however, implementing too much inquiry is a recipe for disaster. There is a happy medium, a balance of appropriate use of inquiry in the classroom that proves most effective without causing disaster. I have personally implemented inquiry in the classroom and have found the most useful balance in utilizing four types of inquiry including structured, controlled, guided, and free (see image above). 

Structured Inquiry:

Structured inquiry is a great place to start and is most likely already being included in your classroom. Structured is when the teacher engages the entire class together through large group questions. The teacher is the leader of the discussion and students are the participants. In the swimming example (picture above), structured is when the teacher controls the environment and students are all completing the exact same exercise. 

Controlled Inquiry:

Controlled inquiry is the next step and is very similar to structured. The teacher continues to control the environment by choosing specific content for students to utilize while implementing inquiry. For example, a teacher might choose a question for students to consider based on the unit of study at the moment and will provide resources like articles, videos, audio clips, etc for students to use. As in the swimming example, the teacher controls the environment by providing materials while the students complete the same exercise. 

Guided Inquiry:

Structured and controlled inquiry are great places to start because the teacher controls the environment and students can learn the process of inquiry. Guided inquiry allows the teacher to loosen control of the environment by allowing students to play a pivotal role. Guided still requires the teacher choosing the topic and the content as in controlled inquiry but in guided inquiry, the student chooses the product. This allows the student to have some autonomy in the project. In the swimming example, the teacher is now removed from the pool but students are continuing to complete the same exercise. 

Free Inquiry:

Free inquiry is the goal of implementing inquiry in the classroom. Free inquiry gives students autonomy over the whole process while the teacher is a guide. Students control the environment and choose the topic, resources, and product. In the swimming example, the teacher is removed from the pool and students are all doing their own exercise. Free inquiry is powerful because it builds soft skills, confidence, and collaboration while providing opportunities for problem-solving and reflection. You do not want to jump into using free inquiry at the beginning. Much like swimming, students need to gradually build their skills and complete all four categories of inquiry. 

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Inquiry in its most basic form is curiosity. “Allowing real curiosity—the kind that fuels philosophers, artists, scientists, historians, explorers, and innovators—is the most fundamental change we can make in our teaching practice” (source). Implementing inquiry in the classroom is not as difficult as you might think, however, implementing too much inquiry is a recipe for disaster. There is a happy medium, a balance of appropriate use of inquiry in the classroom that proves most effective without causing disaster. I have personally implemented inquiry in the classroom and have found the most useful balance in utilizing four types of inquiry including structured, controlled, guided, and free (see image above). 

@hollandkaylah

Learning from the Pencil

Photo by David Pennington on Unsplash

What:

Albert Einstein says “I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they learn” (source). Educators consistently complete the same repetitive cycle every year becoming comfortable with their process and fearing change. I often say it’s a rinse and repeat process because everything is exactly the same this school year as it was last school year and the year before that and the year before that, etc. Getting a solid plan for your classroom is not a bad thing, however, teaching the exact same content the exact way for five or even twenty years is not providing the best conditions for students to learn. 

Why: 

Think of the pencil. At one point in history, the pencil was emerging technology. Pencils themselves date back to 1564 but William Monroe made America’s first pencil in 1812 (source). Until this point in history, chalk was mainly used in the classroom. Educators at this point in history had to embrace this new technology and change their teaching methods in order to accept this new tool (source). Since then, emerging tools have allowed the classroom to change drastically including the introduction of ballpoint pens, whiteboards, overhead projectors, projectors, desktop computers, smartboards, laptops, and finally tablets. This is definitely not an exhaustive list but hits the high points of emerging technology in the last one hundred years. 

Dr. Micah Shippee talks about this in his book, WanderlustEDU. His call to action is that education is a journey and educators must not fear innovation or change but should openly accept change and should create an environment that is conducive to the learners they currently have in their classrooms. 

Can you imagine if educators refused to accept the pencil? The same is true for classrooms today. Educators should not fear change but should welcome new tools into their classrooms. I do not mean educators should accept every single technology tool that is a trend for the moment. I mean that educators should be open to and accept new methods of teaching and new technology tools that have been researched and proven to work successfully. For more information on this concept, check out Dr. Shippee’s book WadnerlustEDU: an educator’s guide to innovation, change, and adventure. 

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Albert Einstein says “I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they learn” (source). Educators consistently complete the same repetitive cycle every year becoming comfortable with their process and fearing change. I often say it’s a rinse and repeat process because everything is exactly the same this school year as it was last school year and the year before that and the year before that, etc. Getting a solid plan for your classroom is not a bad thing, however, teaching the exact same content the exact way for five or even twenty years is not providing the best conditions for students to learn. 

@hollandkaylah

Provide study help with Socratic

Image source 

What:

Socratic is a new app powered by Google to help students “get unstuck” and “learn better” (source).  Socratic is an app that supports most subject areas using visual explanations of complex topics. Socratic is powered by Google AI so it offers the most up to date information. 

How to:

Socratic is an app for iOS and Google devices. It allows high school and college age students to receive immediate guidance when studying. Students can “take a photo of a question or use their voice to ask a question” and Socratic (now powered by Google AI) will present the most relevant resources (source). The algorithm used by Google AI not only provides guidance on the topic but also looks for underlying concepts to explain the concept thoroughly. There is also a section with study guides available for over 1,000 high school and higher education topics created by teachers (source). It’s basically like having a teacher right by your side.

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Socratic is a new app created by Google to help students “get unstuck” and “learn better” (source).  Socratic is an app that supports most subject areas using visual explanations of complex topics. Socratic is powered by Google AI so it offers the most up to date information. 

@hollandkaylah

Delivering Powerful Professional Development

Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

What:

Professional development, conferences, meetings, workshops, etc often get a bad rap for being boring and in-effective. I truly believe that professional development given correctly can drastically change a teacher’s career. I know that I have personally been positively effected by dynamic professional development workshops where passionate teachers shared their ideas, tips, and tricks to being a more effective educator. Matt Miller from Ditch That Textbook put together 27 tips to delivering powerful professional development. I have provided a few of these tips below but the entire list can be seen by clicking here. 

  1. Customize professional development to their unique needs. 
    • Teachers are all different. Providing professional development to meet their unique needs will certainly help. Try to understand their pain points and speak directly to their struggles. 
  2. “They might forget what you said, but they won’t forget how you made them feel”.
    • Teachers should leave professional development opportunities feeling inspired or like they are a rockstar and can take on the world. The world needs more kindness and less judging so provide moments within your professional development opportunities to show teachers they are appreciated, capable, and knowledgeable. 
  3. Give them hands-on practice as much as possible. 
    • Teachers are just like students. They need to apply what they are learning right away. This is often difficult in a 60-minute session but try to go deep (sharing one tool including application) rather than wide (sharing 5 tools with no application). 
  4. Share all sides of a tech tool. 
    • Speaking of going deep, sharing all sides of a tech tool includes the student view, the positives, and the negatives of a tech tool. Teachers need to view all sides before they can make a knowledgeable decision about whether a tool is right for their classroom environment. 
  5. Be your own unique self. 
    • I love professional development sessions where the instructor is unique and fun and showcasing their talents. I have often thought about how fun it must be to be students in their classroom. Everyone has their own unique qualities. Be unashamedly you when delivering professional development sessions because you are amazing! 

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Professional development, conferences, meetings, workshops, etc often get a bad rap for being boring and in-effective. I truly believe that professional development given correctly can drastically change a teacher’s career. I know that I have personally been positively effected by dynamic professional development workshops where passionate teachers shared their ideas, tips, and tricks to being a more effective educator. Matt Miller from Ditch That Textbook put together 27 tips to delivering powerful professional development. I have provided a few of these tips above but the entire list can be seen by clicking here. 

@hollandkaylah

Be Internet Awesome: Teaching Digital Safety in Today’s Tech-savvy World

Image result for be internet awesome
Image source

What:

Be Internet Awesome is an online resource for teaching digital safety to young students. Be Internet Awesome is an action-packed game sure to engage students right from the beginning all while teaching excellent digital safety tips. 

Why: 

Teaching digital safety is a must in today’s all-consuming tech world. Be Internet Awesome provides an easy to use curriculum and engaging package for students to not only learn about digital safety but have fun in the process. Click here to watch a video for more information. Be Internet Awesome includes five lessons teaching the following concepts:

  • SMART: share with care
    • Thoughtfully consider what you share and with whom
    • Understand the consequences that come along with sharing
    • Keep extra sensitive information to yourself
  • ALERT: don’t fall for fake
    • Know how to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake
    • Understand phishing and how to report if
    • Spot the signs of a potential scam
  • STRONG: secure your secrets
    • Take responsibility for protecting important information
    • Craft a unique and memorable password
    • Create a strong password by combining characters, numbers, and symbols
  • KIND: it’s cool to be kind
    • Use the amplifying power of the internet to spread positivity
    • Block mean-spirited or inappropriate behavior
    • Speak up against bullying and report it every time
  • BRAVE: when in doubt, talk it out
    • Speak up when you notice inappropriate behavior
    • Stand up when you see something you are not comfortable with
    • Report when you witness people being treated poorly online
    • (source)

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Be Internet Awesome is an online resource for teaching digital safety to young students. Be Internet Awesome is an action-packed game sure to engage students right from the beginning all while teaching excellent digital safety tips. 

@hollandkaylah

Teach Practical Life Skills using Google’s Applied Digital Skills Program

Image result for google's applied digital skills
Image source

What:

Google’s Applied Digital Skills program is an online platform with project-based engaging lessons to teach middle school and high students, as well as adult learners, practical skills for work and life (source). These lessons include practical life skills of writing a business plan, creating and balancing a budget, managing a project, as well as digital training for everyday tasks using Google’s GSuite for Education products, among many others. 

Why: 

Implementing Google’s Applied Digital Skills program into your classroom is an easy and effective way to teach students practical life skills that are often overlooked in today’s tech-savvy world. The engaging project-based lessons for the digital training suite include instruction on data analysis, research and communication, as well as coding and literacy (source). 

How to:

Using Google’s Applied Digital Skills is easy. Simply create an account using your Google account and create a class. Once your class is created, you can assign content and monitor student progress. You do not have to create any lesson plan or content because Google has already done that. Simply “signup, teach and encourage, evaluate students, and foster collaboration” (source).  

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Google’s Applied Digital Skills program is an online platform with project-based engaging lessons to teach middle school and high students, as well as adult learners, practical skills for work and life (source). These lessons include practical life skills of writing a business plan, creating and balancing a budget, managing a project, as well as digital training for everyday tasks using Google’s GSuite for Education, among many others. 

@hollandkaylah

Student Engagement with Flipgrid

Image result for flipgrid
Image source

What:

Flipgrid is a digital recording tool that allows students to create videos in a safe environment created and managed by the teacher. Flipgrid’s mission is to “empower every voice” through an easy to use tool available on any device (source). Flipgrid is free for educators and allows the creation of public or private grids that include as many topics as the educator needs. Students respond to the topics by recording videos and educators can easily assess the responses within Flipgrid’s management platform. 

Why: 

Flipgrid truly does empower every voice because it allows every single student a chance to voice their response. Flipgrid can be used in all subjects from “preK to Phd learners” (source). A few ways to use Flipgrid are reading responses, debates, rebooting your standard biography report, reflections, and so much more (source). I have personally used Flipgrid to allow students to brainstorm the design process and to globally connect classrooms from Charlotte, NC to Grand Goave, Haiti. Students in Haiti record videos in English and students in America respond in French. All students get to see other cultures and practice conversational language at the same time. 

How to:

Flipgrid is very easy to setup. You can go to flippgrid.com and click educator sign up. Once you have created an account, you can setup grids (classes) and create topics (assignments). You can check out Flipgrid’s resources page for inspiring ways to use Flipgrid and their help center for troubleshooting issues. 

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information. 

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Flipgrid is a digital recording tool that allows students to create videos in a safe environment created and managed by the teacher. Flipgrid’s mission is to “empower every voice” through an easy to use tool available on any device. Flipgrid is free for educators and allows the creation of public or private grids that include as many topics as the educator needs. Students respond to the topics by recording videos and educators can easily assess the responses within Flipgrid’s management platform. 

@hollandkaylah