Category: Educational Technology

We Remember What We ‘Do’

Feel free to download a full-sized version of this poster for use in your school.

Related Resources

Maker Education: A Quick Introduction

Journey from a Makerspace to a Maker District

MakerED

Building the Future: Tinkering and Playful Learning

The Audacity of Making 

The Maker Movement in K-12 Education: A Guide to Emerging Research

Invent to LearnThe Maker Movement in K-12 Education: A Guide to Emerging Research

Invent to Learn

Creativity is not Canceled

“During this time of social distancing it is important to remember that creativity has not been canceled. We all can benefit from engaging into creative activities that stretch us and force us to look at our world and situation from another angle” (source). What does creativity look like in the current world of quarantines and social distancing? Kylie Peppler suggests that there are four types of creativity – “the technical, the critical, the creative, the ethical” and that the best creativity happens when we work within all four areas. (source). Peppler suggests that the wide open nature of the internet is a bit too much for students and that instead we should focus on interest-driven learning. DIY.org offers camp-like structures with small groups of people with similar interests who work together. Connected Camps is another program that also focuses on interest-driven learning. In our current situation of quarantines and social distancing being creative can be a daunting task so start small – 20 minutes a day. Lots of people are turning to music – learning an instrument or dance, baking, reading, completing puzzles, learning to paint, etc. Creativity does not have to be a huge project but it can make a huge difference in our overall mood and attitude even if it is just 20 minutes a day. What will you create today?  

References:

Image source, Photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash

All other sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

@hollandkaylah

Free Summer PD

The Global EdTech Academy is offering “free, universal access to an entire suite of live and recorded EdTech resources, Master Class sessions, and Office Hours” (source). The EdTech sessions include tons of webinars from education’s most popular voices such as Matt Miller, Ken Shelton, Holly Clark, Micheal Cohen (the Tech Rabbi), and more. The sessions are both live and recorded so that you can either join the collective group or watch on your own time. The master classes are taught by experts in products of Microsoft, and the office hours are there for you if you need immediate assistance or support. While the sessions are geared toward Microsoft products they actually focus more on ideas and strategies that will both inspire you and equip you to apply your learning no matter the platform you use. The best part of this endeavor is that all of this is absolutely free. Click here to access the Global EdTech Academy and have fun learning. 

References:

Image source, Global EdTech Academy

All other sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

@hollandkaylah

Virtual Brain Breaks

In our current virtual learning environment, educators are feeling the need to ensure students are learning by filling their day with back to back activities. Taking breaks prevents the brain from becoming overloaded and gives time for information to process (source). This idea is not new to the education world but it might be helpful in the virtual education world. The suggestions below will help create an environment that honors brain breaks in our virtual learning environment (source). 

  • Think of the age group you teach and understand what their attention span is, deliberately chunk activities and tasks appropriately for their specific attention span
  • Break up tasks by asking questions and including discussions
  • Balance on screen and off screen activities so that students can take a break from staring at computer screen and can utilize tactile functions

References:

Image source, Edutopia

All other sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

@hollandkaylah

Maintain Healthy Relationships with Students Virtually

In our virtual, yet isolated, current environment, it is important to continue maintaining healthy relationships with students. “When kids spend their daytime hours in safe, supportive schools where adults work every day to build strong relationships with every student, they are simply better, more engaged learners” (source). Yet, how do educators continue to build strong relationships when students are on the other side of a screen? The suggestions below offer strategies to maintain strong relationships with students despite the virtual connection (source).

  • Communicate frequently – it is important that students see and hear you frequently. This action can be done through video chats or by posting videos on your LMS (learning management system – Schoology, Canvas, Google Classroom, etc). Students need to know you are thinking of them often. 
  • Create a routine – In person classroom routines are important, thus, virtual learning routines are important. The routine can be accomplished through morning meetings, responding to daily prompts, daily announcements, read-alouds, etc. Any type of activity that can be completed daily in order to create an environment that is safe will help students know you are there and available. 
  • Virtual check-ins – there are numerous students that benefit from daily check-ins with teachers in the school setting. This same type of check-in can be completed online. Whether they give a visual thumbs or down or they complete a Google Form like this one, students need to be able to share how they are feeling with the teacher and you as the teacher can pinpoint who is doing well and who is not. 

References:

Image source, Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

All other sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

@hollandkaylah

Finish the Year Strong

The focus of education has shifted dramatically in the last few months due to the closure of face to face instruction. This unprecedented time has been deemed trauma-informed teaching. In order to prevail through the situation, many educators have turned to virtual education and video chats. The issue with video chatting is that there are limited ways to engage students through a screen. Below are several recommendations for amping up video chats in order to help educators finish the school year strong (source). 

  • Invite a guest speaker – think book authors or experts in your field. You never know if someone will say yes until you ask. 
  • Take your class on a virtual field trip – there are numerous options for virtual field trips right now so utilize your host screen and take your students on a journey. Click here to view a list of current virtual tours. 
  • Connect your students to another class – create an environment of global curiosity and connect your class with another class in another state or country. Students in both classes can work on projects together while both teachers co-teach. Twitter is a great place to find educators with similar passions to yours. 
  • Create a design thinking project that engages students both on screen and off screen. Future Design School created a Facebook group that includes at home design thinking resources.  

References:

Image source, Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

All other sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

@hollandkaylah

Google’s Teach from Home Supports Virtual Learning

Google for Education has announced the creation of a program to help support parents and educators teaching from home. The current global pandemic has caused schools around the world to close for in person instruction and almost instantly create lessons to be delivered virtually. Google’s Teach from Home program includes training materials for educators, schools, and parents including collaborating with educators, students, and families virtually, keeping students engaged, providing accessibility in lessons, managing virtual classrooms and much more. Teach from Home also provides weekly webinars, peer communities, and regular office hours to offer instant support for educators and families. Click here to access Google’s Teach from Home program. 

References:

Image source, Google’s Teach from Home

All other sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above. 

@hollandkaylah

Ideas for Making and Tinkering at Home

This week we’re investigating maker education, tinkering, and coding in our educational technology courses. Translating all the hands-on experiences from our face-to-face class meetings into the online learning environment has been a fun challenge. Thankfully, we actually began preparing this module for the online environment in Summer 2019, so it has been a work in progress. A special thanks to colleague and EdTech Team member, Melissa Marshall, for helping develop the module.

I thought I’d share some of the resources that I put together. Perhaps these will give families ideas to spice up their days of quarantine. Please share your ideas and recommended resources in the comments, so that our preservice and in-service teachers can learn from you, too.

Slideshow of Examples

Browse through this slideshow to view examples that might spark inspiration for your next maker or tinkering project.

Possible Materials

Feel free to bookmark, save, or print the following document.

Glogster: Multimedia Posters w/ 3D

“Express ideas with ease by combining images, graphics, audio, video and text on one digital canvas.” – Glogster

What is a Glog?

Why Glogster?

Students and teachers can use Glogster to present information in an engaging, multi-dimensional way. It’s a digital poster where visuals, audio, and video can all be integrated into one display. A glog is also a free-form canvas where the user can select and zoom into content at their own self-guided pace. 

Upgrading to the paid version gets you more media choices and a closed classroom environment where teachers can post assignments and monitor student work. Click here for more information on pricing.

How to use Glogster?

Here is a getting started tutorial from Jen Johnson:

Example of a Glog

Click the link to interact with this Glog:
https://edu.glogster.com/glog/alexander-graham-bell-inventor-of-the-telephone/30g1qord5ia?=glogpedia-source

Click the link to interact with this Glog:
https://edu.glogster.com/glog/biome/374r115g6qe?=glogpedia-source

Click Here for more examples

Resources for Glogster

40+ Ways to Innovative Teaching Using Glogster EDU
Resources for Teaching with Glogster
Glogster for Visual Literacy

Guest Blogger
Raina Burditt