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Discover 9 ways to integrate QR codes into your classroom library, adding a layer of digital interactivity to your learning environment.
Via Yashy Tohsaku
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Scooped by
John Evans
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We’ve all used Bitmojis to express our feelings or send birthday wishes to friends. But have you thought about building a virtual Bitmoji classroom? Lots of teachers are building out their classrooms. It’s fun, and helpful too! The interactive elements allow students to click through to see assignments, documents, and websites.
"Every classroom is different—and that’s good because every student and teacher is, too. But are there any common elements that most/all classrooms should share? and more specifically, in a modern classroom?"
Via EDTECH@UTRGV
Robots are flexible learning tools that are making their mark in primary and secondary classrooms everywhere. From mechanics and electronics, to programming and even teamwork, here are seven robots loved by students and teachers alike.
Via Nik Peachey
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Scooped by
John Evans
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All those ‘90s kids who used to try sneaking their Game Boys into class and playing discreetly under their desks—to no avail, of course—may soon be feeling like they were born in the wrong decade.
The gaming devices aren’t being treated as contraband anymore, at least not in the 100 K-12 schools that have welcomed Nintendo products into their classrooms this year to help students develop collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
The classroom program, which began in fall 2018 and runs through the spring, pairs Nintendo technology with a curriculum designed by the Institute of Play to create a STEM-focused, hands-on learning experience that combines digital and physical elements.
"Makerspace is a rapidly growing trend in schools across the country, but to be honest, I’ve never implemented one myself, and I can’t quite picture the logistics of orchestrating a Makerspace. How do kids know what to do? How can you find out what they’re learning? How do you make time for that with all the other tasks crammed into the school day? And how do you keep the Makerspace from turning into a chaotic mess?
I wanted to get answers to these questions from teachers who have extensive Makerspace experience, and not just at the secondary level. So, I invited Cheryl Nelson and Wendy Goldfein of Get Caught Engineering to share how they’ve managed Makerspaces in their own classrooms and helped other elementary and middle school teachers get started, too. Thank you, Cheryl and Wendy, for sharing your experiences below!"
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Andy Yung has been teaching Pre-K in New York City for the past six years, and he works thoughtfully to incorporate technology into his instruction in a developmentally appropriate way. “When you think of tech in the classroom, everyone thinks of iPads and SMART boards,” he says. “But with younger ages, they’re often too exposed to screens, so I had to figure out how tech would look different in a Pre-K classroom.”
The verdict: a Roomba.
It turns out the disc-shaped vacuum cleaner, which uses sensors to autonomously zip around homes is also a great tool to teach students about robotics and empathy.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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That escalated quickly! My post on using Fortnite in the Classroom became my most popular article ever. I was also lucky enough to be asked to chime in on EdWeek’s article on Fortnite and video games in the classroom. Through all this, I received dozens of emails, mostly positive, with many readers asking how they can get started integrating video games into their classroom. I’ve been integrating video games into my classroom for the last six years and I’ve come up with some best practices I’m happy to share.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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"One of the most exciting parts of my day as a resource teacher and co-teacher is to spend time with students who are in the midst of thinking through a problem and figuring something out.
One of the most effective thinking and learning environments is MIT’s Scratch environment. Late last fall, I was working with students in a grade 8 class. Some of them were taking on the challenge of building a working analogue clock in Scratch. Others were figuring out multiple methods by which circles and disks could be drawn in Scratch."
In today’s technological world, there is no escaping the smartphone phenomenon. The average person uses their smartphone anywhere from 8 to 10 hours a day. Most people are even checking their phones every 15 to 20 minutes while they’re awake. The ways in which smartphones have become such an essential part of modern life is staggering, and something to be aware of when teaching in a classroom.
Smartphones can be both a great educational tool and a great distraction in the classroom. It should come as no surprise that almost every child in the US owns or has access to a smartphone. Statistics show that 56 percent of children age 8 to 12 have a smartphone. That number jumps up to 88 percent of teenagers ages 13 to 17 have or have access to a smartphone. And a whopping 91 percent of middle and high school aged students primarily access the internet via their smartphones.
This change in the way we interact with technology and integrate it into our lives has come dramatically and fast. It’s sometimes hard for teachers, many of whom grew up in an era with no mobile phones or even the internet, to adapt to this fast-paced technological generation. While smartphones can easily be the downfall of your students’ attention spans and performance, they don’t have to be. More and more educators these days are incorporating modern technology and students’ own smartphones into their classroom to engage and excite students about learning. Below you will find useful tips on how to manage cell phone use in your classroom, and use it for your teaching benefit.
Via Edumorfosis, Elke Höfler, Juergen Wagner
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Scooped by
John Evans
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"Welcome to the Coding in the Classroom: Beyond the Hour of Code course. Work your way through this course at your own pace and in whatever order you prefer. Begin with the question in the panel to right, with Get Started Here: About You."
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John Evans
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Today’s students are hard wired with innate abilities to network using technology. By far, their current ‘technology of choice’ is the mobile phone. According to Cell Phone City Advocacy, “on average, an American receives his/her first cell phone at the age of 12.1 years old, just as he/she is starting middle school. In addition, 73% of teens, roughly 14.3 million, own a smartphone.” A recent study by Young Canadians in a Wired World, reveals that not only do 25% of Grade 4 students have their own mobile phone, but also, more than one-third of teens and pre-teens even sleep with …
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John Evans
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You might watch Netflix, HBO Go, or Hulu Plus for personal use on your iPad, but while these may not always be appropriate for students, there are many free iPad apps for streaming video that will work great in your classroom. The days of running to the VCR to record a clip from a television program are long gone. If you want to hook students with a film clip, to connect your classwork to reality television, or to inspire children’s interest in a topic through educational programming, there are many apps that can be used to stream content on your iPad.
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This post is loaded with some simple ways to integrate AI in the classroom. It's easier than you think, and it doesn't require expensive equipment or software. AI or Artifical Intelligence is ready for its closeup! Are you and your students ready to become "AI experimenters."
Via Yashy Tohsaku
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Scooped by
John Evans
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As educators, we hold a captive audience with our students. Our fear becomes our students’ fear, and our calm becomes their calm. Of course this is a burden that we have to carry. When most of us signed up to be teachers or administrators, we didn’t think that we would have to lead our students through events like 9/11, natural disasters, school shootings, and pandemics. But we do, and the reality is that this a burden we have to carry. We hold captive audiences whether we like it or not.
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John Evans
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We love pool noodles! They’re bright, colorful, and make great manipulatives for reading, math, and beyond. Plus, this time of year, they’re so inexpensive to buy (you can even get them in bulk and shipped for free). Here are some of our favorite pool noodle uses for the classroom.
"The smart speaker sits in a corner of the classroom, awaiting its next command. It’s also listening to – and possibly recording — every word you and your students say in the classroom. The voice assistant device that has dominated the residential industry is now making its way into classrooms."
Via EDTECH@UTRGV
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Scooped by
John Evans
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I am currently working in a Section 23 Kindergarten & Primary classroom in the Toronto District School Board, supporting students who have one or more exceptionalities. In partnership with a multidisciplinary team, we develop an intensive program for our classes, which typically have up to seven students. I have found that one of the best ways to truly engage my students is by providing them with multiple rich, hands-on, STEAM experiences to develop their computational thinking and to help close achievement gaps. Our end-goal is to prepare the children for a smooth transition back into an inclusive classroom setting.
Here are five educational apps — endorsed by an expert — that teachers love. Plus, what teachers can look for when choosing apps for the classroom.
Via Jim Lerman
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Scooped by
John Evans
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Comic books and graphic novels belong in every teacher's toolkit, says cartoonist and educator Gene Luen Yang. Set against the backdrop of his own witty, colorful drawings, Yang explores the history of comics in American education -- and reveals some unexpected insights about their potential for helping kids learn.
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John Evans
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One of the best ways to effectively incorporate coding into your daily routine is to ensure students feel that it is an authentic and meaningful learning experience. In this task, we suggest having students code the Olympic rings. The Olympic Games provide us with many opportunities to discuss the science/psychology/love of sport, culture, geography, goal setting, marketing…. there really is no end to the cross-curricular connections that can be made. For this particular task, we provide you with guided materials (see below) to get students started and also some challenges to raise the ceiling for those who are ready.
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John Evans
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How should teachers — both K-12 and college — deal with the use of computers and phones by students in class? On the one hand, those sleek little supercomputers promise to connect us to all human knowledge. On the other hand, they are also scientifically designed by some of the world’s top geniuses to feel as compelling as oxygen. So where does that leave teachers? Should you ban these devices in the classroom? Let students go whole hog? Or is there a happy medium? This seemingly simple topic ends up being what one professor and pedagogy expert calls “a Rorschach test for so much that’s going on in education.”
Digital devices put the world at our students' fingertips, whether with their own cell phones or with school-provided computers and tablets. But along with opportunities for powerful learning come the risks -- and realities -- of distraction. So what are the best ways to manage digital distraction in the classroom?
Via Nik Peachey
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Scooped by
John Evans
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We’ve all heard it before: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” That famous idiom (or is it a cliche?) first appeared in a 1911 newspaper and has been widely used since. In today’s society, however, the phrase has taken on a whole new meaning. Using images instead of text to convey ideas—known as “picting”—is becoming the norm among today’s digital-first students.
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Scooped by
John Evans
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This article features 5 easy and effective formative assessment strategies to use with your students. Quick, fun, and best of all, highly effective!
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