My Upcoming Schedule:

This week I will be in Park Rapids on Tuesday and Thursday. I will be in Nevis on Wednesday. The following week I am available Tuesday through Thursday. Please contact me to set up a meeting.

Padlet

Looking for a great collaborative teaching tool? Check out Padlet! Padlet is a virtual wall that allows people to express their thoughts on a common topic easily. It works like an online sheet of paper where people can put any content (images, videos, documents, text) anywhere on the page, together with anyone, from any device. It is a terrific tool for brainstorming ideas, gathering research and resources on a topic, and much more!

Learn how to use Padlet: http://www.coolcatteacher.com/how-to-use-padlet-fantastic-tool-teaching/

Brainpop

Park Rapids teachers have access to Brainpop and Brainpop Jr. If you haven’t used Brainpop lately, you are missing out! This tool has extended far beyond science videos, and provides videos – with quizzes – in nearly every curricular area. There are also free games in every subject area. If you are using Brainpop you may share this username and password with students. However, you may not post it on a website. Thanks!

Scannable Math Apps

QR codes are a fantastic tool for use in the classroom, and Monica shares some great ideas for creating interactive word walls, connecting to tutorials, sharing student work, exploring 3-dimensional shapes, and updating old textbooks. This great article by Dr Monica Burns is just one of the superb resources located on her website. Check out this one: http://classtechtips.com/2016/07/04/qr-codes-and-augmented-reality-in-math/

Screen-free Week

On May 1-7, children, families—whole schools and communities—will rediscover the joys of life beyond the screen. Plan to unplug from digital entertainment and spend all that free time playing, daydreaming, creating, exploring and connecting with family and friends! One great way to unplug is reading books! Screen Free Week is also Children’s Book Week!

The folks at http://screenfree.org have provided some activities to share with your students and try as a class. In addition, you can register your class, publicize the event, and locate some information to share with families. One great resource is 7 Parent-Tested Tips to Unplug and Play which can be downloaded and shared with parents. I encourage you to use it!

Poetry in our Schools

More National Poetry Month Apps and Websites: http://classtechtips.com/2017/04/06/national-poetry-month-apps-websites/ Did I mention I LOVE poetry? Let’s do something together!!

Coding

Thinking about computer coding but aren’t sure where to start? Here are some excellent coding tools for teaching all grade levels and subject areas: http://classtechtips.com/?s=coding As we enter this busy spring season, where engaging students in schoolwork can be challenging. Perhaps there is a time to try coding in your classroom? I’d love to come help you get started!

Monica Burns: TechTools

Sign up today for Monica’s great tech tools. Several of the tips I’ve shared with you come directly out of Monica’s website. She has a terrific blog! Plus, Monica will send you your own copy of many of her resources just for signing up for her blog. Take a look at her website today at: http://classtechtips.com/

Lesson Planning in the 21^st Century

I’ve been looking for a good online lesson planning/scheduling app for years, and perhaps I’ve finally found it! Chalk.com is a great tool for writing, organizing and storing your lesson plans. It allows you to create your schedule, input all your teaching materials, and have easy access to them any time. Planning for subs, accessing lesson plans from any location, and setting up co-teachers is a breeze.

Find it at: http://chalk.com.  Have a question? Check out their online live help line:

• Monday – Friday, 8AM to 6PM EST
• Sunday, 4:30 – 9:30 PM EST

iCloud on iPad

If you’ve updated your iPad or iPhone to the most current version, you may have noticed that your iCloud seems to be missing! Yikes! In their attempt to make accessing iCloud even easier, Apple has moved the iCloud settings to the very top of the list (in Settings), as indicated by your name and the words: Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store. Click on your name and all your iCloud settings are displayed here.

Pear Deck

Free integrated tool for formative assessment. Pear Deck works like any slide presentation program you’ve used in the past. In fact, you can import your PowerPoints, Google Slides, and PDFs to turn them into powerful interactive Pear Decks right from your Google Drive. Once imported you insert questions throughout the presentation to engage and assess students during your lesson. Find it at https://www.peardeck.com/.

Let’s recap

This is an awesome new tool from Swivl. Recap provides teachers with new, creative ways to gather evidence of student thinking using video. It helps create new learning connections between students, parents, and teachers, and foster more transformative dialogue by everyone. Recap is great for any age! This is definitely one you’ll want to take a look at today! Let me know if I can help you utilize it in your classroom.

View the introductory video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycTKhS63qFs