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Favorite Features of Google Keep

Image result for google keep reminders — Image source

What:

Google Keep is a tool that often goes unnoticed in the suite of Google for Education products. Google Keep is available on mobile devices, web browsers, and even as a chrome extension meaning you can access it anywhere anytime and all versions sync together. There are many ways you can use Google Keep for teachers and students but I’ve highlighted my favorite five below.

Collaboration is a great tool within Google Keep. You can create notes in Keep for everything from department meetings to grocery lists and all the notes can be shared so that everyone has the most up to date information.

Grab Image Text is a neat feature in Keep. You can create a new note in Keep and add an image that contains text. Then, click the three dots and choose grab image text and abracadabra your text appears in the note for you to copy and paste wherever you choose. This works amazingly well for long pdfs that need to be converted or text from your textbook that needs to be displayed for the whole class. This is such a neat tool, however, please remember to always properly cite any and all sources used.

Reminders can be set for any note within Google Keep. You can create a reminder for a specific day and time or even a specific place (meaning gps coordinates). This has saved me many times by reminding me to run an errand after school by setting the gps coordinates for when I leave my school’s location.

Annotate over an Image is similar to the grab image text feature except that you can create a note with an image and then choose to add a drawing allowing you to annotate over the image itself.

Integration with other products is similar to all products with Google for Education’s suite. You can easily integrate your Keep notes within Docs and Slides making your life that much easier.

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):

@hollandkaylah

What do you do for fun?

I recently watched a video where three generations of people were asked the same question: “When you were a kid, what did you do for fun?” (source). The different answers between the oldest generation and the youngest were staggering and showcase how much society has become dependent on technology. For example, answers from the oldest generation were picking blueberries, sledding, growing watermelons, and going fishing. The middle-age generation answered that they played outdoor games with friends and built forts. Yet, it is the answers from the youngest generation that are the most concerning. The younger generation answered that for fun they play video games and spend time on their phones or watching tv. These answers alone are not inherently concerning, however, it is the truth of how much time is spent doing these things that is troubling. One member of the youngest generation said he watched 23 episodes of his favorite tv show in four days. Another said she would die without her phone. Members of the youngest generation admitted that they spend three, four, even five hours straight on some type of screen. In full disclosure, this video is an ad for spending more time outdoors and it is sponsored by Nature Valley. You can see the entire video by clicking here.

So the real question is, what do you do for fun? I love to spend time outdoors running, hiking, and biking. I love to read and complete puzzles. However, I also love to watch movies and spend a great deal of time on some type of screen (computer, phone, tv). The video is meant to generate a reaction of alarm. However, I do not personally believe that all children, or adults for that matter, are addicted to their screens. Although, more and more are becoming unable to step away from their screens at an alarming rate. On the other hand, I am not an advocate for saying no to all technology. I truly believe that technology can help make our lives more efficient. The solution is instead of being controlled by technology we must make technology work for us. Cal Newport outlines a way to make technology work for us in his book Digital Minimalism. He discusses ways to take control of technology from the simple (turning off notifications) to the extreme (taking a digital fast) and everything in between.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

@hollandkaylah

Owning Your Classroom

Top 20 Tech Tips for Teachers — Image source

What:

Kasey Bell from Shake Up Learning recently released 20 Tech Tips for Teachers (source). I think several of these tips can be applied as common practice in our classrooms. The following five tips are my recommendations to own your classroom – with or without technology.

Shift Your Mindset:

Positivity is a choice. We can allow frustrations to weigh us down and create a sense of negativity or we can shift our perspective and show students how to overcome setbacks with a positive mentality. Shifting our mindset is the number one best tip for a welcoming classroom environment. Learn more by clicking here.

Take Risks:

If you can maintain a positive mindset, take risks. Show students that failure is inevitable but it’s what you do when you fail that counts. Take risks and celebrate the successes but you can also model problem-solving when it fails. Learn more by clicking here.
Start with the Why:

Your “why” is the most powerful tool you have. Your “why” is the reason you show up every day year after year attempting a positive mindset despite all of the negative things taking place. That same why can be thread running behind every lesson and unit. Students will truly feel that you care for them if they know your why. Learn more by clicking here.

Give Students Choice and Voice:

Give students autonomy in the classroom by letting them choose how to show mastery of content. I have been amazed over the years at the creativity of students. I would never have seen the secret talents of students if I created the lesson, rubric, and assignment every time. I definitely set parameters (especially for younger students) but allowing students to take ownership of their learning is truly inspirational. Learn more by clicking here.

Share Your Voice:

Finally, share your voice. I read something one day that said no matter what your problems are as a teacher, leave them in the car when you get to school. I cannot tell how much I disagree with that statement. Students need teachers to share their unique voices, struggles, obstacles, victories, and hard times. Sharing your story can empower a student to share their own. Learn more by clicking 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):

@hollandkaylah

Supporting the Emotional Well-being of Teachers

I recently watched a TEDtalk about supporting the emotional well-being of teachers. The speaker began by discussing links and said we are all connected to each other. The issue, however, is that because of that connection teachers suffer from second-hand trauma meaning that teachers take on the trauma of their students. Teachers often have a hundred students or more a year and take on the trauma of each and every one of them – homelessness, a dying parent, an incarcerated parent, or an undocumented parent who is deported are just a few examples given in the TEDtalk by Sydney Jenson. This is all on top of education being one of the most stressful jobs because “61 percent of educators find work “always” or “often” stressful (source).

Supporting teachers is critical but it doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be quite simple. Write a thank you card for the teacher down the hall. Check on a teacher daily whom you know is going through a difficult situation or has a student going through a difficult situation. Create a weekly five-minute check-in with the teacher next door to quickly share one high and one low from the week. Say hello. A smile goes a long way when someone is struggling. Basically, be kind.

Also, remember to take care of yourself. Teachers cannot be all things to all people. Life is a seesaw. Sometimes we can lift people up and other times we are the ones needing a lift so take steps to ensure your own mental well-being. See a therapist when needed. Take a thirty-minute walk in the evenings to clear your head or take a walk break with a coworker to let off some steam.

The important thing to remember is that you are not alone. Teachers make a difference together and together is a beautiful place to be.

Next Steps

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

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

@hollandkaylah

Building Executive Functioning Skills in Students

Today’s culture requires quite a few skills including organization, time management, and planning to be successful. These executive functioning skills do not come naturally for students and need to be taught. “A critical component of any student’s educational journey is learning how to be better organized, complete tasks independently and persevere when an assignment is difficult” (source). There are numerous ways to teach executive functioning skills and I have listed a few below.

Impulse Control is difficult for students to master. A lack of impulse control forces students to act without thinking. A strategy to help build impulse control in students is to provide “a “Wait 5” strategy–counting to five before verbally responding to an input in the classroom, and a “Wait 3” in personal conversations to think before speaking in pairs or groups” (source).

Planning is also a difficult task for students to master as it involves successfully implementing time management. Students lacking planning skills will not be able to know which parts of a project are the most important. A strategy to help build planning skills is for students to create “mock projects–video games, music albums, books, businesses, apps, etc.–and then map out how they could accomplish that goal, then pair-share that map to open for feedback from partners in the classroom” (source).

Task Initiation is another difficult task for students to master because they may lack the motivation to begin a project. A strategy to improve task initiation skills is to “create daily prompts of various tasks to complete, and have students brainstorm different “starting points,” then share out” (source).

Organization helps students keep track of things mentally and physically. Students lacking this skill often misplace items and easily forget due dates. A strategy to improve organizational skills is to implement checklist, apps, or planners. Different programs work for different students so “experiment, persist, and find what works to help students organize themselves” (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):

@hollandkaylah

Building Empathy in Your Classroom

What:

Building empathy in your classroom is crucial. “Empathy is a key part of being a responsible and helpful community member at school and elsewhere. For example, young people who show empathy are less likely to bully” (source). It does not take a lot of effort to build empathy but it does take attention and commitment to consistency (source). The following five suggestions can help build empathy in your classroom and have been culminated from various sources.

Model Empathy:

“When frustrated with students, pause and take a deep breath and try to see the situation from their perspective before responding.
When a student is upset, reflect back his feelings or the rationale for his behavior before redirecting the behavior.
Be aware of students’ non-verbal cues and follow up on them. For example, if a student is slumping in her chair and appearing withdrawn or angry, say something like “I noticed that you are quieter than usual today. Is something bothering you?” rather than immediately reprimanding her.
Ask for students’ input when appropriate and feasible (for example, when establishing classroom rules or generating ideas for group projects) – and really listen. Find opportunities to incorporate their feedback and respond to their needs” (source).

Set Clear Expectations:

“Be clear that you expect students to care about one another and the entire school community. Don’t just put it in the mission statement or on a poster – talk about it, model it, praise it, and hold students to it.
Do an exercise with students to help them reflect on who is inside and outside their circle. Discuss why and how they can expand the circle of who they care about.
Establish specific guidelines for unacceptable language and behaviors. Ban slurs or hurtful language like “that’s retarded” or “he’s so gay,” even when said ironically or in jest — and step in if you hear them. Encourage students to think about why these words can be hurtful.
Enlist students in establishing rules and holding each other accountable.
Use restorative justice practices and peer mediation when conflicts arise” (source).

Lean Into Discomfort:

Conversations about our own role in history or currently in society can be difficult. “Encourage students to embrace difficult and courageous conversations to build understanding and empathy” (source).

Design a Curriculum that Promotes Active Listening:

Creating projects that allow students to practice listening actively to others and their perspectives. For example, you can utilize skills in projects that partner students together in an effort to promote the skills of active listening by “following specific prompts such as eye contact when your partner is speaking, not interrupting and making insightful comments that acknowledge a student has been applying his or her whole self to what the partner is saying” (source).

Create Global Literate Students:

Create a classroom environment that regularly looks at other cultures in order to broaden their own perspectives. Listening to someone else’s story is a powerful way to increase empathy in your classroom. You can read books by international authors, create video chat connections with students in other countries, and you can volunteer locally (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):

@hollandkaylah

Building Empathy in Yourself

What:

Empathy is a crucial skill to build in your classroom but before you can build empathy in your classroom you must first build empathy in yourself. “Empathy is a concerned response to another person’s feelings. It involves thinking, feeling, and even a physical reaction that our bodies have to other people when we relate to how they feel. To have empathy, we have to notice and understand others’ feelings, but that isn’t enough. We also need to care about and value them” (source). There are several ways we can build empathy in ourselves. I’ve listed a few of them below.

Broaden Your Circle:

Broadening your circle of friends and influence is crucial to building empathy in yourself. Try one of all of the following suggestions to broaden your circle.

“Start conversations with strangers or invite a colleague or neighbor you don’t know well to lunch. Go beyond small talk – ask them how they’re doing and what their daily life is like.
Follow people on social media with different backgrounds than you have (different race, religion or political persuasion).
Put away your phone and other screens when you’re having conversations, even with the people you see every day, so you can fully listen and notice their facial expressions and gestures” (source).

Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes:

The next step in building empathy is to physically walk in someone’s shoes by “Attend someone else’s church, mosque, synagogue or other houses of worship for a few weeks while they attend yours, or visit a village in a developing country and volunteer. Spend time in a new neighborhood, or strike up a conversation with a homeless person in your community” (source).

Volunteer:

The final suggestion is to volunteer. “Working on a project with other people reinforces everyone’s individual expertise and humanity, and minimizes the differences that can divide people” (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):

@hollandkaylah

Utilizing Mobile Learning

What:

Mobile devices are changing the rules for education. Whether you have a one to one program or rely on smartphones brought to class by students, utilizing those devices can provide an engaging atmosphere. This blog discusses five ways to utilize mobile learning in the classroom. This is by no means an exhaustive list so if you want more tips, click here for twenty-five ways to incorporate mobile learning in the classroom.

Virtual Field Trips is an excellent way to promote mobile learning because it broadens the four walls of the classroom to include the entire world (source). Click here for twenty virtual field trip ideas and activities.

Interactive Whiteboards is a great way to engage students in the lesson. With apps like Doceri, you can bring the whiteboard to every device in the classroom (source). Click here to read a review of Doceri by CommonSenseMedia.

Geogebra uses AR technology to teach math concepts (source). Click here for three tips for creating AR and VR experiences in the classroom.

Adobe Spark is an excellent graphics design app and website that allows students to showcase their talents. You can use Adobe Spark to create numerous projects. For example, students can create an about me poem and use Adobe Spark to create an accompanying video (source). Click here for more resources for using Adobe Spark in the classroom.

Stop-Motion is easy to create by simply taking pictures and using Google Slides to create the movement. For an easy project, have students take pictures of their project throughout the process and use Google Slides to put them together in a stop-motion video (source). Click here to learn how to use Google Slides to create stop-motion animation.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

@hollandkaylah

Benefits of AR in Education

What:

AR (augmented reality) put simply is “an interactive experience where technology is used to place a computer-generated image into the real world. By pointing a device’s camera at a given surface, the world around you can be transformed with augmented video, sound and graphics to entertain, engage or — for what we’re really interested in — educate the user” (source). AR is a great asset to the classroom because it allows students to be digital explorers in most subjects. For example, enhanced history classes allowing students to walk among ancient civilizations to see first hand how they lived or showing 3D models of organs and cells making biology lessons truly inspiring and applicable (source). This blog will discuss three benefits of using AR in the classroom and will offer six apps to implement AR in the classroom.

Why:

Using AR in the classroom allows students to be immersed in a fully virtual world that makes learning come alive and truly stokes the need for imagination and curiosity. The first benefit of implementing AR is that it makes students more motivated to learn. Students are more motivated using AR because it creates an element of surprise keeping students interested in the lesson. The second benefit of implementing AR in the classroom is that it creates a more interactive environment. Students are not just sitting and listening but are utilizing technology to become immersed in the subject producing deep learning. The third benefit of implementing AR in the classroom is that it promotes faster learning. When students are more motivated and are immersed in an interactive experience, students learn the content faster because they are engaged (source).

How to:

Implementing AR in the classroom is as easy as using one of the following six apps recommended by NEO blog. Click here to read descriptions of the apps or click on the title of the app to be taken to the Google Play Store to download.

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):

@hollandkaylah

Common EdTech Mistakes

What:

Educational technology is often seen as a failsafe in education causing districts to chase after the latest trend. However, implementing educational technology can be time consuming and difficult and when implemented poorly can become more of a barrier than an improvement. I have worked with numerous teachers in large group, small group, and one on one sessions to help implement educational technology well into the classroom. Below is a list of five common mistakes teachers make when implementing educational technology into the classroom (source).

TEACHER’S COMFORT:

One of the largest problems in implementing technology in education is that the teacher chooses technology they are comfortable with. Teachers are afraid to take a risk on a technology tool because they are afraid of failing in front of their students. Teachers should be willing and open to learning from students and to create an environment conducive to learning from failure.

TEACHER IS IN CHARGE:

Another problem with implementing technology in education is that the teacher determines how, when, and where students use technology. Teachers are in charge of the classroom but can allow students to take charge of their own learning by allowing them a say in the how, when, where, and even why of the use of technology in the classroom. Autonomy allows students to take ownership of their learning and thus engages them in the lesson.

TEACHER TAKES ON TOO MUCH:

One of the most common issues with implementing educational technology is that the teacher tries to take on too much at once. It is perfectly fine to choose one tool and learn it well by implementing it in class several times before moving on to another tool.

TECHNOLOGY IS DISTRACTING AND NOT NECESSARY:

Stemming from the problem that teachers take on too much in trying to implement educational technology is the problem that some technology is distracting and not necessary. Not all technology tools should be implemented in every classroom. The teacher should decide what is best for the lesson and for their students. Just because the technology tool is trending does not mean it has to be used. The goal of implementing educational technology is to enhance the lesson, create efficiency, give students autonomy, and to connect students to the outside world. If the technology tool does not fit one of those criteria then think twice before implementing it in the classroom.

TECHNOLOGY IS THE END GOAL:

Along the same idea, another huge mistake is that educational technology is being implemented as the end and not the means. Teachers are implementing technology to meet a standard set by the district or to be a 21st century school. Technology should help the teacher to be the most effective as possible, help students access information from knowledgeable people all over the world, or should teach skills like problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking. If the goal of implementing technology is to implement technology, we have missed the point altogether.

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):

@hollandkaylah