September, 2020

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What Teachers Need in the Era of COVID-19

Digital Promise

Unprecedented. This is the word that has been buzzing around our nation for months as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses, services, and entities have had to rethink how to operate, even reinventing themselves. Some have had to make the gut-wrenching decision to close or end their services permanently. While schools do not have the option of closing permanently or to not offer services, they do have the task of rethinking how they operate.

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Top edtech tools for digital differentiation

Neo LMS

In my recent article regarding using Universal Design for Learning in remote classrooms , I mentioned Todd Rose’s term, “design to the edges,” which is what educators attempt to do each day as they accommodate the variety of learners in their classrooms. While there are some ways to allow this to happen organically, such as with open-ended projects, differentiation also needs to be purposeful.

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Support Online Learning with Powerful Thinking Routines

Catlin Tucker

Project Zero at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education has created a collection of Core Thinking Routines as part of their Visible Thinking Project. Teachers can view the entire collection on the Project Zero website , where each routine is described in detail (e.g., purpose, application, launch) in both English and Spanish. These routines encourage students to be intentional thinkers.

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Developing SEL Competencies Through Technology

A Principal's Reflections

The COVID-19 unleashed an array of challenges that resulted in schools being closed for in-person instruction for many months. As I write this post, many have begun the year with remote learning, while others have opted for a hybrid model where a certain amount of kids are still learning at home. There are growing concerns about students' mental well-being as well as inter- and intra-personal skills, which have only been magnified by not only the pandemic but also advances in technology as a res

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Reimagining Chickering & Gamson's Principles Post-Pandemic: Technology's Central Role in Modern Edu

This white paper examines and proposes revisions to the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" introduced by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson in 1987 for today's technology-driven world.

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Tech Tip #2–The PrintScreen Key

Ask a Tech Teacher

In these 169 tech-centric situations, you get an overview of pedagogy—the tech topics most important to your teaching—as well as practical strategies to address most classroom tech situations, how to scaffold these to learning, and where they provide the subtext to daily tech-infused education. Today’s tip: . Category: Keyboarding. Q: When I push ‘PrintScreen’ to take a screenshot, nothing happens.

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Research on Returning to School After Natural Disasters with Dr. Brianna Kurtz

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Education Renaissance: Research on Returning to School After Natural Disasters with Dr. Brianna Kurtz Dr. Brianna Kurtz, classroom teacher and researcher, studied “global practices in returning to formal schooling after interruptions in education due to natural disasters.” She studied students displaced after Hurricane Maria and what helped them resume schooling successfully.

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Starting the year: Ideas for anywhere learning

Neo LMS

As schools across the country are still deciding on how to safely return to school, I have been slowly working through some new ideas, trying to plan around what may be a year full of transitions into and out of our classrooms. Where to start? I think the most important way to start the year is getting to know our students and for them to get to know us.

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Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning: Action and Expression

Catlin Tucker

In my last blog, I focused on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principle of representation. I described how blended and online learning can help educators provide opportunities for students to perceived and engage with information presented in multiple modalities. I highlighted some of the affordances available online that can help students to manipulate digital information to make it more accessible.

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A Pedagogical Framework for Managing Face-to-Face and Remote Learners at the Same Time

A Principal's Reflections

It's has been great to be back in schools working shoulder to shoulder with teachers and administrators as I kicked off year two with the Corinth School District in Mississippi. Until this point, most of my interactions with educators have been through virtual presentations, workshops, and coaching. Now don't get me wrong as this has been incredibly fulfilling and a great learning experience for me.

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20 Great Websites to Inspire 2nd Graders

Ask a Tech Teacher

Here’s a great list of age-appropriate, safe websites that will inspire 2nd graders whether they’re in your classroom or at home: Edutainment with BBC. Games that make you think. Puzzle of student pic–create. Plant games. Plant life cycle. Computer basics. Computer puzzle. Parts of the computer. Videos on Computer Basics K-6. Google World of Wonders.

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Behind the Bell: The Underlying Impact of Tardiness in K-12 Schools

Managing a K-12 campus with constant pressure to meet performance metrics is challenging. And tardiness can significantly limit a school from reaching these goals. Learn more about why chronic lateness matters, and key strategies to address the following impacts: Data errors caused by manual processes Low attendance and graduation rates that affect a school’s reputation Classroom disruption, which leads to poor academic performance High staff attrition and “The Teacher Exodus” Unmet LCAP goals t

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Creating Your Own Tutoring and Teaching Company with Megan Padden-Shin

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Creating Your Own Tutoring and Teaching Company with Megan Padden-Shin Megan Padden-Shin has successfully built a tutoring and teaching company during the past two years. She talks about the challenges of building her business and how she’s now arrived at a place where she’s making more money than she did as a teacher in a traditional school.

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12 social media-inspired Google Slides templates

Ditch That Textbook

Students use social media all the time. Let's put those skills to use! In these social media-inspired Google Slides templates, they can show what they know with their favorite apps. No matter the age -- kindergarten to high school senior -- students are pretty familiar with social media. In fact, many of them can think […]. The post 12 social media-inspired Google Slides templates appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

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9 Easy mindfulness activities for the virtual classroom

Neo LMS

There’s an elephant in the classroom. It grows bigger and bigger or smaller and smaller, depending on whether we decide to acknowledge it or not. The elephant is anxiety, and while it doesn’t affect us in the same way, because of the recent pandemic, it has skyrocketed across the world. Our students don’t make an exception. They might be even more susceptible to feelings of stress and anxiety in recent months.

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The Concurrent Classroom: Using Blended Learning Models to Teach Students In-person and Online Simultaneously

Catlin Tucker

Teachers all over the country are being asked to teach “concurrent classrooms” in which some students attend class in person and others attend virtually. The teacher in a concurrent classroom attempts to meet the needs of the students in class and online simultaneously. This is the most challenging scenario I can imagine in our current situation.

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The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

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Empathetic Remote and Hybrid Learning

A Principal's Reflections

As almost all schools across the globe are back in session in some form or another, many have decided to begin the year remotely with the hopes that COVID-19 cases will subside in the coming months. Others have started the year with some sort of hybrid model. There is no easy decision when it comes to determining which pathway is the most appropriate at this time.

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19 Great Websites to Inspire 5th Graders

Ask a Tech Teacher

Here’s a great list of age-appropriate, safe websites that will inspire 5th graders whether they’re in your classroom or at home: Animals. Wolfquest—simulation–DL. Civics games. FBI Games. Looking Glass—animated story. Snap!—runs in your browser. Tynker. Wolfram Alpha widgets. Dig hole through the earth with Google Earth. Whyville–Social Media Sim.

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A New Approach to Bring Computational Thinking to More Students

Digital Promise

How can schools address the lack of diversity in computing education and related careers? One path is to make computational thinking (CT) learning opportunities more readily available to students, especially in the early grades. While many schools may not have the resources to offer courses in computing, integrating CT with the core STEM disciplines can lower barriers and prepare students to participate in authentic, STEM-integrated learning.

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How to create Google Meet breakout rooms for differentiated learning

Ditch That Textbook

This post is written by Esther Park. Esther is a high school English as a New Language teacher in Northern Virginia. You can connect with her on Twitter @MrsParkShine or on her website: mrspark.org Using breakout rooms completely changed the way I teach remotely. But one day, one of my quiet students privately messaged me […]. The post How to create Google Meet breakout rooms for differentiated learning appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

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The Roses and Thorns of an LMS Strategy: How to Flourish with the Right LMS

Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions

The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.

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Teaching and leading for higher student engagement … even during a pandemic (aka How I spent my summer)

Dangerously Irrelevant

Some schools spent the summer engaged in magical thinking that everyone would be back in person this fall, just like before the pandemic. Others paid attention to the data and rising number of coronavirus cases and used their summers more wisely to design for better remote/hybrid learning and teaching than the mostly-low-level direct instruction, digital worksheets, and paper homework packets that we saw last spring.

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Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning: Engagement

Catlin Tucker

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that is based on a scientific understanding of how people learn. The goal of UDL is to design “barrier-free, instructionally rich learning environments and lessons that provide access to all students” (Nelson, 2). The UDL framework helps educators think about and design learning experiences that allow all students to be successful.

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High-Agency in the Remote and Hybrid Classroom

A Principal's Reflections

Educators desperately want and need support. They need practical strategies that are not just effective but also can be developed in a reasonable amount of time. To achieve this goal, we must first examine the foundational elements that lead to successful teaching and learning, whether the environment is remote or hybrid. In no particular order, these include: Maslow before Bloom's (SEL considerations) Instructional design grounded in sound pedagogy Purposeful use of technology Leveraging a lear

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JotForm Smart PDF–Great for Today’s Teaching

Ask a Tech Teacher

Forms are popular in schools for assessments, data collection, and a slew of other reasons. Some teachers look no further than Google Forms but for those who require more simplicity and sophistication, a higher degree of agility and rigor, the gold standard for forms is free JotForm (premium edition also available). It works on all platforms and offers professional-looking templates that use a drag-and-drop interface to quickly and intuitively build forms.

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Building the Foundation for a Modern K-12 Classroom

K-12 looks different these days. But one thing remains the same: you need a reliable learning platform that serves as the foundation for teaching and learning––for all students, in a variety of learning experiences. Discover how the Instructure Learning Platform supports today's K-12 classroom through: A central, consistent, connected hub of the digital learning environment.

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12 Things Equity Focused Teachers Can Say To Students In The New School Year

Education Elements

As school returns, we know this year presents unique challenges and changes to both educators and students. With such change, it may be especially difficult to communicate with students. While your intentions may be good, sometimes the impact of what we say can have unintended consequences. Consider some of these alternatives to have the impact you wish to have to start the year on a strong note.

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How to use Jamboard in the classroom: 20+ tips and ideas

Ditch That Textbook

Jamboard is a collaborative online whiteboard. It gives students lots of creative work space. How do you use Google Jamboard in the classroom? Check out these ideas! Whiteboards and chalkboards have been a fixture in classrooms for ages. They're great for gathering ideas and making thinking visible. But there are drawbacks.Having to write "DON'T ERASE!

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Dear Linda

Dangerously Irrelevant

Dear Linda, Fifteen years ago you let a pigtailed 2nd grader walk down the hall and take 5th grade math. We came to you as the principal of our elementary school in Minnesota and said, “She’s ready for something more.” You smiled at us, looked at the data, and said, “We’ll find a way to make it work.” And then you and your teachers did exactly that.

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New Micro-credentials for Back-to-School Professional Learning

Digital Promise

As part of our robust micro-credential ecosystem, we proudly partner with organizations to provide opportunities for on-demand, personalized professional learning. Our research-backed micro-credentials are digital certifications that verify an individual’s competence in a specific skill or set of skills, regardless of where and how they learned them.

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Transform Your Classroom with Apple

Speaker: Aaron Webb, Jamf

Apple empowers educators and students by design. Whether using Macs, iPads, or Apple TV, Apple devices encourage creativity and can simplify teaching with apps to make the classroom more flexible, collaborative and personalized for each student. To unleash the full potential of the technology and create the best learning environment, you need to understand the tools and resources available, and develop an education-focused, comprehensive plan, from equipment purchase to deployment, management an

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Formative Assessment During #RemoteLearning

The Web20Classroom

In an ongoing effort to support Educators during the COVID-19 Pandemic Shaelynn Farnsworth and I continue to look for ways to use research-based instruction during remote, hybrid or face-to-face instruction. This week we look at Formative Assessment, how it works and why it can be a powerful tool no matter what your teaching and learning looks like.

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Tech Tip #9–Quickly Hide Your Screen

Ask a Tech Teacher

In these 169 tech-centric situations, you get an overview of pedagogy—the tech topics most important to your teaching—as well as practical strategies to address most classroom tech situations, how to scaffold these to learning, and where they provide the subtext to daily tech-infused education. Today’s tip: . Category: Keyboarding. Q: I’m updating grades at school.

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What We Know For Sure: Three Practices Every Innovative Leader Can Try

Education Elements

"We all get caught up in the business of doing, and sometimes lose our place in the flow” (O Magazine, August 2011). Recently, we were spinning in circles trying to figure out a new process for an internal role we stepped into when Jason shared a way we might reframe our conversation. Shifting from trying to brainstorm as many solutions as possible or uncovering the perfect idea, we instead focused on the simple, yet powerful question: “What do we know for sure?”.

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The HyperDocs Toolbox: 20 engaging example activities

Ditch That Textbook

HyperDocs provides an engaging, student-centered framework for classroom lessons. Looking for ideas to fill those HyperDocs up? Check out these example activities.When it’s student-paced, no one gets left in the dust and no one gets bored waiting for the class to move on.If you haven’t tried HyperDocs yet, they’re a fantastic blend of both.HyperDocs are […].

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Enhancing HyFlex Education through the PowerTeaching Framework

This whitepaper explores integrating the PowerTeaching pedagogical approach within a HyFlex (Hybrid Flexible) educational model, focusing on employing cooperative learning strategies and efficient classroom management techniques.