This week was busy (like most are) and full of excellent tips for efficient research!
I also recommend checking out the ELA Resources tab, to explore some great reading, writing, and vocabulary learning resources and websites you will enjoy!
Select the Technology Classroom Learning Resources tab for some specific tips for searching for copyright-free resources, documents, videos, handouts, presentations, images, etc!
Check out this video below, to learn how to find YouTube videos for Creative Commons use!
Expand your searching knowledge when looking for material, information, or particular tools when online. Check out these tips and video clips, below, to save time and learn how to search quicker and more efficiently, when using Google!
This week I explored the MANY benefits of using social media networks and sites in the classroom!
While the technology uses with student learning is very hands on and exciting, I have learned the importance of privacy and protecting what students and myself view, share, comment, tweet, blog, and post!
What I value most about providing students digital learning platforms & social media websites is...the amount of diverse INTERESTS & CHOICES!!!
Social Media Student Learning Benefits Include:
-Facilitates cross-curricula connections when learning & practicing key content skills
-Networking & global communication expands learning perspectives
-Provides several platforms to share, express, & collaborate ideas, & receive feedback when learning new content
-Real-world learning experiences to prepare for future professional opportunities
-More interactive problem-solving & critical thinking
-Hands on learning
-Maintain knowledge of current events
-Relevant & motivates knowledge-seeking
-Provides efficient learning paths for today's learners!
Here is a great video to share with students when wanting to communicate appropriate and safe social media use:
There are numerous teacher resources, lessons, and units available on websites ready for use and implementation! Why reinvent the wheel? Educators have so many options to explore online! There are always incredible resources, lessons, and units available to explore! These resources not only are relevant and engaging for students of all ages… but most of all… we can locate resources that align to our district curriculums, containing key subject area content skills!
Check out the Technology Classroom Learning Resources tab to explore 3 key teacher resources websites that should not be ignored!
I fell in love 💜 with this amazing digital tool, and have started using it so my students can practice key Math and ELA skills at any time! This tool must be explored by all educators: Flipptity.net! There are so many tools and templates, each containing a demo to get you started! Sign up and discovery the numerous possibilities! Flippity.net is a great learning resource for students to use at home, school, during stations, or for extended learning every day to reinforce their understanding and strengthen their skills!
Check out this intro video to get started!
QRstuff.com is another digital tool I love! This digital tool is an excellent time saver for teachers. ⏲Teachers can avoid the time-consuming process of the multiple steps needed to share or help students as they struggle to properly type a lengthy website link to complete the learning task or activity digitally. Instead, teachers can check out QRStuff.com's website, to easily convert long website links into their own created, copied, stored, and printable QR codes, to share among educators and students for learning use. This provides all teachers and students efficient access to excellent digital learning content, research, tasks, and assignments. Being able to convert lengthy website addresses into QR codes provides a terrific solution for classrooms unable to share and store website links via web learning network systems or student email access.
Check out QR Stuff's blog for more info and getting started!
Google Drive is today’s fast and efficient way to demonstrate, show, share, submit, and learn with others! In the past, doing so was complex, time consuming, and requiring multiple steps. For instance, sharing a project containing website content and research for classroom implementation, would sometimes require teachers a windy or bumpy path, perhaps needing to: open and locate parts the different software programs that the presentation was created, locate researched text or typed research on a USB flash drive, log on the websites used, open an email account, try to upload and attach the entire presentation—and if that doesn’t work— converting the presentation, or hoping to determine the proper printer setting that’ll enable printing and making dozens of copies of the presentation for others!
Hear, hear! To a direct and smoother path for educators (or anyone)! I learned more about utilizing Google Drive, Google Forms, and Google Applications and extensions this week, than I have in the last few years at any PD workshop or "training!" My liberated and motivated mindset has compelled me to share with fellow educators, the importance of working smarter, instead of harder!
GOOGLE FORMS provide teachers ONE PLACE to make, save, share, change, and organize it all…
professional, student, and parent documentation
data entry
monitoring and analyzing student performance data of content skill areas
PD research info. and lesson planning
interactive student learning activities per subject area
parent responses and ongoing communication
Check out the Technology Classroom Learning Resources tab on this blog, and select Getting Started with Google Forms link, to begin organizing your teaching needs more efficiently and accessibly when creating, saving, changing/adapting, and sharing a plethora of educational resources!
GOOGLE EDUCATIONAL APPS
There are several beneficial applications through Google you must check out and explore! You can easily narrow your search according to interest.
Three Preferred Reliable and Versatile Google Chrome Applications:
The Voice Typing app excited me the most! I have severe RA everywhere, so writing by hand and typing can be painful. Now, I can use voice recognition easily and anywhere with Google Chrome! When you speak clearly, it works anywhere typing is needed when using a computer. You can select your own command shortcut through your microphone computer settings to access the voice typing app. This is a great tool for students that struggle with expressing their thoughts or have difficulties in language and/or written expression.
1. To use voice typing or voice commands, your computer microphone needs to be on and working
Note: Devices and microphones vary, so check out the two links below, for specific step-by-step links to enable the microphone and adding this Chrome App
2a. If opening a document through Google Chrome browser, click Tool and Voice Typing to access the app (Microphone icon appears)
2b. If opening any document or program outside of Chrome Browser, use your shortcut command keyboard function (you previously set up and chose when enabling your computer's microphone), to access the app (Microphone appears)
3. When ready to speak, click the microphone icon, and begin speaking clearly, at a normal volume and pace
4. Click the microphone icon again when finished speaking
Fluency Tutor is a Google App that facilitates motivated students to enjoy and maintain enthusiasm for reading, writing, & comprehension. Provides students efficient help to improve their overall reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension skills. Students can have the passage read aloud, use annotation tools when reading on their own, and record their own voice reading it aloud to improve reading skills. Fluency Tutor enables teachers to collect, track, & monitor students' progress in these content areas. Having student performance data provides teachers direction toward future instructional approaches & tiered interventions needed to increase students' academic success.
1. Teachers create a free account, and class roster(s)
2. Students use class code to access Fluency Tutor on iPads, Macs, or PCs
3. Students may select or complete passages and writing tasks of their choice or assigned specifically by their teacher
4. Each passage and writing tasks require students to either answer comprehension questions or written task responses
5. When students are finished, they submit & share the completed reading passage or written task with their teacher
Sketchboard.oi is another fantastic app, that can easily
be added on your drive. This application provides an excellent way to communicate, document, take notes,
and use with students to practice key content skills through mapping, drawing,
typing notes, and using symbols and shapes to connect common themes in
classroom learning. This would be great for spatial and visual learners, as
well as students struggling with written expression or are unable to write.
1. In your drive, select the drop-down menu entitled My
Drive
2. Select more, and then connect more apps
3. Search for sketchboard, in the search engine box 4. Check out this link, Getting Started Step-by-Step to begin use and adding Sketchboard.oi app to your Google Chrome account. This enables your Sketchboard.oi account to used anywhere, with Google Chrome Browser. When the Sketchboard
app. is added it should appear as:
There are several online learning networks and systems teachers manage to engage today’s interactive and technology-based learners! Schoology is a management learning system teachers use to document record, and organize daily required learning tasks. For example, teachers can create a class or multiple groups for students, post assignments, record student scores and grades in multiple subject areas, mark dates on calendar, develop quizzes, search for content learning resources, post student discussions, submission drop boxes for posted student assignments, and provide feedback.
Edmodo is web 2.0 learning management system intended for social networking and interactive learning. Teachers can create multiple groups depending on one class’s need for tiered learning and flexible grouping, or if a teacher has multiple classes. Edmodo provides educators a platform to collaborate, exchange, and locate several meaningful resources for instructional practices, lessons, units, and assessment aligned activities to prepare and enhance student learning. Similar, to Schoology, Edmodo enables teachers to post student develop interactive linked resources to continue learning through various interactive activities, assignments, quizzes, and student data. Educators can use the calendar to save important due dates and upcoming school events, facilitate student discussions, submission drop boxes for assigned quizzes, assignments, and homework, provide private or class feedback, and store student grades from Edmodo scored and data stored to monitor student progress.
Both learning management systems approach learning through internet social networking to incorporate individual learning needs and curriculum relevance, using a variety of learning technology tools and resources to enhance student performance and spark learning interests!
This week has been an exciting explosion 💥 of learning about PLNs (or Personalized Learning Networks)! There are numerous PLNs to explore to see which you prefer best, in order to find and share information among others socially and professionally! GoodReads is a free PLN resource, (that I enjoy) containing several education and fun links for book lovers 😍
1. Provides user-friendly areas of social and professional development as you join nationwide (online) discussion book groups, community book club groups, and/or educational book groups to communicate and exchange:
book topics and genres
multi-learning and classroom purposes
instructional ELA ideas
educational lit. blogging
writing instruction
literature trivia quizzes
ELA lessons and units
2. Personalize your networks according to interests you indicate, such as:
building your own library
newly-released books
recommended books
book reviews
author bios and forums
scheduled local and nation-wide events
inspirational quotes student-teacher-family
giveaways
3. TIP: When setting up your account, personalize it to fit your needs by accessing the online literature catalogs develops your digital bookshelves and shared discussions among book groups (to begin joining networks)
Below, is an example of one of my recent book reviews of Sharon Creech's book, The Boy on the Porch!
4. Here is link a to get started with GoodReads, step by step
Diigo (Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff), pronounced dee'go, is another popular and excellent PLN resource containing several capabilities for users to easily store bookmarked web content and join social and professional networks.
1. Benefits You Will Enjoy 👍
research several different educator resources and collaborative networks in one place
save website content by clicking the blue d on toolbar of your computer screen to bookmark the website's content to your Diigo Library
no lost information researched from website saved because Diigo archives webpage links saved to be fully searchable
emphasize or provide descriptions to particular parts of webpage content saved using sticky notes, screens shots, highlighting, and annotations
tag to label and organize all saved websites' content efficiently for easy access
you can organize, post, and share PLN resources bookmarked and saved to your Diigo Library with other educators through your Diigo Groups
able to post comments among other educator groups you join
privacy for sharing or not sharing by selecting public or private each time you bookmark a website
share instantly when bookmarking a website by either selecting to email particular people or to your Diigo groups
You and Diigo network groups can comment, ask questions, share additional material, and provide feedback using the response tools on Diigo
2. Needing more info to understand Diigo click, About Diigo
3. Serves as a differentiated learning tool in the classroom💡💻
can be used in the classroom among all age levels
teacher creates their class roster as a shared group for all students to access
4. Sign up for a free Diigo account, here!
Click, free Teacher Account if interested in free educator uses and capabilities of Diigo
5. Watch this video clip to learn how Diigo is used for teaching and learning with students
This first week in my Connected Teacher Master's course has been eye-opening! There is so much to explore and research on the internet, as many websites use RSS format to deliver ongoing news or changes in their content. Check out this (RSS) Really Simple Syndication introduction video, to learn how many sites and online publishers syndicate their content as an internet feed to keep users and viewers informed about the latest reports, news, research, and information regarding selected topics of interest. These feed readers can curate continuous updates, changes, and the latest information from various personal and professional topics of interest. From my Connected Teacher course, I recently have started using Feedly. Above, is a brief Feedly tutorial to get you started! It is a great, user friendly, and free feed reader I enjoy using to stay up to date with a variety of web content areas. As an educator, I was so excited to begin using a new format of presenting content, using Adobe Spark, for collaborative learning with fellow teachers and students! The magic of creating such unique, beautiful, and meaningful content or projects to present innovative ideas, solutions, and research with fellow colleagues, students, family, and friends is incredible! Watch this clip and get inspired to create! The world of teacher blogs is so fascinating and full of the latest approaches to meeting today’s individual student learning needs. The ideas, collaboration, tutorials, classroom organization, freebies, technology, and ideas are unlimited, ranging from fun personalized T-Shirts to integrated curriculum themed units. I was shocked, when I realized the world of blogs had sucked me in for about three hours! I had only been reading and exploring links from two different teacher blogs: Caffeine and Lesson Plans and The Teaching Blog Addict. From both blogs, I found great plans and ideas for writing and comprehension units I would like to implement into my own practices and classroom. When exploring the enormous world of blogs, I read and viewed several different tips, strategies, and tutorials to begin creating my first blog... this one, currently known as, Connected Elementary Teachers! I appreciate feedback and patience as my knowledge and efficiency in developing this educational blog continues to grow and provide teachers updated collaborative and differentiated learning practices. During this week's process, I found 24 Steps to Creating an Awesome Teacher Blog from Teach Junkie Blog to be very helpful for beginner bloggers!
Peace and Parting Words: I remind myself, that life long learning or ongoing education sometimes requires us to venture on the path of the unknown, which is often out of our comfort zone of familiarity. I imagine this is probably how Alice felt in Wonderland or Bilbo on his unexpected journey!
