Activities to Teach Active Listening

WEBSITE ↬ Activities to Teach Active Listening

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

Our students "hear" an incredible amount of content - whether it's academic or social. But do they really "listen"? There is a huge difference between the two and I think a lot of us hear, rather than listen. Can we practice and improve? Of course! Travis Muir shares 2 ready-to-go activities YOU can do with your students, regardless of age or content, to practice and improve listening skills.  

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this regularly to shine a light on listening skills. The better we listen, the better we learn and work together. Collaboration is a top requested skill. Try one, or both, out with your students soon.

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Grouper

WEBSITE ↬ Grouper

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

Brace yourself - this is SUPER cute! Making groups for my classes was always a headache ... I really just wanted something that would allow me to quickly make pairs or groups or teams without much fuss. I used an app at one point, but it was kind of clunky. Anything else I've seen comes at a cost ... and I like free.

Grouper fills this need! With a free account, you can make pairs, groups, and teams of various numbers all while adding a few preferences so depending on how you want the pairs/groups/teams to be, you can have a little control. Maybe student A shouldn't work with student B. You can do that! Yay!  

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this to help make pairs/groups/teams quickly and even "in the moment" after the initial set-up. Such a time saver! Try it out today! You can even import from your Google Classroom roster!

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From the Sidelines

WEBSITE ↬ From the Sidelines

AUDIENCE ↬ parents

CONTENT ↬ all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I don't share too many resources built JUST for parents, so I'm excited about this one! Ross & Jon have this site built specifically & directly for parents to help their children succeed at school. This is truly unique resource - and one that teachers need to share with parents to support the "home" part of education. There is a video for every study hack and they are quick ... most are less than 2 minutes. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers sharing this entire site with parents as an "on-demand" resource. Many parents will appreciate the efficient & simple layout the videos and the infographics share. 

Another idea might be to share one video/infographic at a time to coincide with study skills being taught at school. 

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

Book Creator Toolkit for Schools & Districts

WEBSITE ↬ Book Creator Toolkit for Schools & Districts

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I LOVE Book Creator and I have been using it in my own classroom for numerous years. I have also shared it with several colleagues and supported their use. My favorite project has been with a 7th grade ELA class writing holiday stories and then sharing the libraries with our elementary buildings right before winter break. Always a highlight of the year! 

Over the last few years, Book Creator has added some wonderful updates and features that make it even more wonderful. This share is the perfect example of what makes Book Creator awesome. The templates built in to Book Creator are also an easy start ... your students can focus on the content, while customizing the templates to create a beautiful product.

I love that any teacher can start using Book Creator for free! It will give you the opportunity to try it out and fall in love. A few years back, I even did the professional learning with Book Creator and became a Certified Author and then was honored to join in the Ambassador program. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this book a number of different ways:

• be inspired with the number of ways Book Creator can be used
• use the Teacher Training & Support to teach yourself how to use/improve use of Book Creator 
• share with colleagues to demonstrate Book Creator's possible uses
• share with administrators should they want to request a paid account. 

So much is packed in this resource - how to use it in various contents, professional learning about Book Creator, example books, and so much more!

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

Annotate.net

WEBSITE ↬ Annotate.net

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ all content

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I've been on a mission lately. One that I've been intrigued by and one that hasn't proven to be easy and I can't say that I've got a "perfect" solution. BUT - I can say Annotate.net is a tool I came across during this search and I've been happy with what I've learned about it.

A teacher has asked my help in finding something that will allow her to write on screen while she is moving around the classroom and even possibly allowing students to do the same. She has been fairly happy with her bluetooth mouse that gives her the mobility but she's struggling a little with the annotation side of it. (That's the part that isn't exactly solved.)

Annotate.net allows anyone to do exactly this. Annotate on a web pages - and it's awesome! I've created the free teacher account and installed the extension (HIGHLY recommend it) and I've played around with it. It even "holds" the annotations when you scroll! So many benefits.

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using Annotate.net to easily allow them to digitally annotate on any web page. This is only the "tip of the iceberg" ... there is a TON of options. You can create classes in order to share your screen directly with students, you can record lessons, you can create assessments, and so much more! It is an impressive tool and I've only just begun to dig in.

Do you use Annotate.net? I'd love to know how in the comments below.

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

Infographics

WEBSITE ↬ Infographics

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & students

CONTENT ↬ all contents

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades 3 & up

This website is a goldmine! If you have a slight interest in using infographics in your classroom, be sure to bookmark this site. Kathy Schrock has done an amazing job of collecting overviews, examples, resources on how to teach AND create, tutorials, and so much more! When she titles this her "Guide to Everything" ... wow!

Our students all need to know how to read and interpret data but it's also important for them to know how to display data in a way that is meaningful. 

GitMind

WEBSITE ↬ GitMind

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ any & all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades 3 & up

From their website, GitMind is "a free mind map tool that is creative yet efficient. With its diversified themes and layout, users can quickly draw out mind maps, org charts, logic structure diagrams, tree diagrams, fishbone diagrams, and more. Also, this tool lets you share your mind maps with as many friends or colleagues as you want and collaborate with them." 

I stumbled across this, thinking it would be pretty limited in it's FREE version, but wow! It's not - it's a full featured program you can use on your computer and access all of their options, with the exception of exporting & support. Be sure to check out the Templates page - it's the best place to start working with GitMind!

The only caution I'd throw out there is in regards to age of students as they work on them. They state they are GDPR compliant. Be sure to check with your tech team before accessing with students. A work-around is to hold the account as a teacher.

There are an incredible amount of mind map templates to begin with, but don't be afraid to customize! I also checked out their "Web Version Guide" on their Support dropdown and found a series of how to's. Awesome!

Math Whiteboard

WEBSITE ↬ Math Whiteboard

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & students

CONTENT ↬ obvious math focus, but could be utilized in ALL content areas if desired

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

Math Whiteboard is the 1st collaborative whiteboard designed specifically for mathematics teaching and learning. It's FREE for teachers and students!!! No accounts needed!

Just take a peek at their homepage and you will see these 6 big reasons to try it out - today!

• collaborate
• graphing calculator
• write or type math
• computer algebra system
• import PDF files
• runs in your browser

Eric Curts, an Ohio based tech integration specialist even shared a 1 hour webinar he did with Donald Carney, one of the creators of this tool. You can see it and the resources shared here: https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2021/04/webinar-math-whiteboard.html

If you don't teach math - I still think you should try this out ... a free, web-based, collaborative tool - sounds like a winner in so many ways in every classroom!

EduProtocols

WEBSITE ↬ EduProtocols

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ any & all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

As a teacher, have you ever asked yourself "Who is doing all of the work?" 

Or have you felt like you are working so hard at teaching but your students are not really learning?

Or have you wished your students were more engaged with their learning? 

Then I would like to introduce you to EduProtocols! Use with any content and every grade level. EduProtocols are ready-to-go activities that put your students in the drivers seat of their learning.

So many different templates ... and memorable names to go along with them:

• Iron Chef
• Cyber Sandwich
• Bookakucha
• Sketch and Tell
• 8 p*arts

Once you start using EduProtocols, you won't look back!

And did I mention .... it's all FREE!!!

I also highly recommend you connect with Jon Corippo (@jcorippo) & Marlena Hebern (@mhebern).

If you like this resource, be sure to check out the other resources like it tagged below.

#PodPeeks Innovator's Mindset - George Couros & Dr. Jody Carrington

YOUTUBE link ↬ Connecting with Kids & Teachers in Challenging Times - A Convo with Dr. Jody Carrington

PODCAST (ListenWise) link ↬ link to listen - (I listen via the podcast app on my phone)

AUDIENCE ↬ educators & administrators

CONTENT ↬ SEL, mental health, future of eduction, solid philosophy

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades 

I make no secret of the fact that I LOVE listening to podcasts. I listened to this one on my morning walk. I will admit, at first I wasn't super excited, but I thoroughly love listening to George Couros. Then as he & Dr. Jody Carrington got to talking, I became captivated. Dr. Carrington is a child psychologist and loves working with the "toughest" of our kids. (She's someone I think I'd love to have on speed-dial!)

Both George & Jody said so many wonderful things - PLEASE take the time to listen to this podcast or watch the YouTube video. If I could shout from the rooftops to listen to this, I would. Ours kids deserve it.

I won't spoil the episode for you, but there were a couple of things they said that really made an impact on me.

1 - Jody said she has this quote nearby - "Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to the fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behaviors." ~ Brene Brown

*** Spend a minute unpacking that quote ... I've spent nearly ALL day contemplating it!

2 - All behavior has meaning. 

*** Yes! Yes, it does!

3 - George said, "School is about ensuring that every kid has the opportunity to be successful in a way that is meaningful to them." (He also noted that we often define what success is for others.)

*** Yes! Let's contemplate the purpose of school.

I now have 2 more books to go on my "Books" Wakelet ... "Kids These Days" & the soon to be released, "Teachers These Days". 

Goodness. Looks like I have a busy summer ahead! 

Making Google Classroom more Interactive

WEBSITE ↬ Making Classroom more Interactive
AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ any/all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

An interactive classroom is relatively easy when we are all together. When we aren't, it's a completely different story. If you are a Google Classroom user, you can use this guide to help inspire interactivity with your students ... and at the same time, work on positive use of a digital space. 

In this Google Slides, I share 3 different ways you can use Google Classroom to boost interaction between you and your students. Your students can even interact with each other! (Don't forget how important YOUR role is teaching them positive behaviors.)

I created this for teachers who are new-er to using Classroom as an interactive tool. Once you start ... you might find it to be something you won't ever quit using!

Kasey Bell's Dynamic Learning with Google

WEBSITE ↬ It's NOT About Google (Part 1)
AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ any/all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I listen to podcasts frequently. One of my favorites is the Google Teacher Tribe, hosted by Matt Miller & Kasey Bell. Each of them have their own individual podcasts - which are also great! I'm going to focus on something Kasey Shared out recently that I believe many teachers can truly benefit from. She shared out the first in a four part series on Dynamic Learning. I love how she stresses it is NOT about Google, but rather the LEARNING. She even states, "This blog post and podcast episode is NOT about Google or G Suite, but how to use these tools to support dynamic LEARNING in the classroom."

I encourage you to check it out! The blog post is great & gives you a link to the FREE download "Dynamic Learning with Google Toolkit" which is a great resource.

Do you prefer listening? You can also listen to this in a podcast format. It is episode 44 (released Jan 7, 2020) on her show "Shake Up Learning". [There is also a link to it on the blog.]