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

Emotionally Connected Educators

In our current global situation of quarantining at home and learning virtually, the most essential skill to educating students is vulnerability. Our current situation is one that has not happened before and makes educators and students feel afraid, stressed, and anxious. Educators often feel the need to seem like they have it all together so student’s will not know they are afraid or anxious. I once heard a presenter say that educators should leave their problems in the car when arriving at school so that student’s will not see them struggle but students learn from what is modeled and if educators model apathy then students will not learn how to deal with their emotions. David Brooks recently wrote an article titled “Student Learn From People They Love” (source). He states that if teachers show vulnerability, students will be able to connect with them on a personal level and will thus learn more from them as an educator because they have connected emotionally. Brooks states that an older view of educators is that “if you wanted to be rational and think well, you had to suppress those primitive gremlins, the emotions. Teaching consisted of dispassionately downloading knowledge into students’ brains” (source). However, in our current situation, we have seen numerous stories of teachers heroically overcoming so much in order to passionately care for and educate their students. Brooks discusses various research but concludes with the realization that “what teachers really teach is themselves — their contagious passion for their subjects and students. It reminded us that children learn from people they love, and that love in this context means willing the good of another, and offering active care for the whole person” (source). An educator’s vulnerability helps students feel connected and encourages them to learn. Students can also interact with each other through the same type of vulnerability. This type of teaching and learning has been named social emotional learning. Click here to read the entire article by David Brooks. 

Next Steps

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

References:

Image source, The New York Times

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.

Common EdTech Mistakes

Common EdTech Mistakes 

Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash

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):

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).

@hollandkaylah

TIMETOAST: A Timeline Maker

timetoast timeline image items on timeline
“Record the past, map the future” – Timetoast

Why Timetoast?

Timetoast can be used by teachers to share information and used by students to showcase their research. It has two types of timeline entries: either a single point in time called an “event” or a range of time called a “timespan.” For each entry, you can add more in-depth text that is accessed with a click. You can also embed pictures and links.

Timelines are great for historical events, but students could also use them to chart processes, like the life cycle of a butterfly. Teachers could use a timeline to layout a unit of study or to provide a list of important dates for students to remember throughout the year.

How to use Timetoast?

This video from Erin Paysen is a great place to start:

Examples of Timetoast:

A History of the US Banking System
The Life of Alexander Hamilton

See more in the Timetoast Public Gallery

What does it cost?

The free version will be adequate for most educators, but if you would like an online classroom to organize student work and the ability for students to collaborate on a timeline in real time, consider their subscription offerings here.

plan options for time toast

Resources for Timetoast

Timelines: A Timeless Teaching Tool
Using Timelines in the Classroom: Helping Students Make Connections
Lesson Ideas for Using Timelines in the Classroom

Guest Blogger
Raina Burditt