Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Check All the Boxes: Think, Learn, and Have Fun!

 Teachers hope every lesson they do with their students checks these three boxes:

1.) The students think!

2.) The students learn!

3.) The students have fun!

It's hard to check all those boxes, but what if I told you there was an activity already created for you that DOES check all those boxes AND is aligned to learning standards AND is appropriate for your grade level AND is tied to your curriculum AND has all the answers for you? Too good to be true? Nope.

It's called BreakoutEDU.

Wait. How can we safely do a BreakoutEDU activity right now? We can't have kids running around the classroom looking at clues and have all those kids crowded around a box with so many hands touching locks.

Enter the digital Breakout!

Digital Breakouts are all done online so kids can work independently! Sure they can collaborate with kids in their vicinity, but there's no need to have them moving around the room! All the clues they need to figure out the puzzles are right there on their screen, and there are even follow up questions yo can use after the kids do a digital Breakout to help them process their learning from the experience!

Want to try a digital Breakout? Let me help! Let me know the grade level and topic and I can curate some ideas for you! This is a subscription service, that's why you need my help :-)

I can't wait to help you get a digital Breakout going in your classroom!



Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Remote Learning in Grades 6 and Up: What Does it Look LIke?

  Nicole Zumpano from the Learning Technology Center and a number of tech coaches in Illinois assembled a great document called, "Return to Learn Playbook." One of the things I would like to share (in summary form) is what remote learning looks like at different grade levels. This week, I'll be looking at grades 6 and up.

When it comes to engaging these unique learners, here are some things to consider:

  • Students are old enough to have synchronous online lessons
  • If a student is absent, consider recording the lesson for the student to view later (please discuss this with your building principal)
  • Can "flip" instruction -- create videos for students to watch to present information asynchronously, using synchronous lesson time for practice/discussion/review of material
  • Provide online Q & A time and discussions
  • Utilize breakout rooms for small group work or re-teaching
  • Communication via email -- remind students to check their email regularly
  • Remind students to review teacher comments on assignments
  • Provide clear expectations for accountability -- attendance, tardies, discussions, assignments, assessments
  • Involve parents as necessary
  • Use chat as a backchannel, encourage students to assist each other
  • Use daily checkins
  • Structure lessons to include choice/differentiation with hyperdocs

Wondering what tools to use? Here are some ideas that you might already be familiar with!

  • Google Classroom
  • YouTube
  • EdPuzzle
  • Padlet
  • Flipgrid
  • Kahoot
  • PearDeck
  • Nearpod
  • Poll Everywhere
  • Hyperdocs
  • Quizizz
  • Google Forms
  • Socrative
  • Gimkit
  • Gmail
  • Remind