Welcome! Let’s get started by taking a quick look at our students. Who are they and what are they looking for in their education?
The Voice of the Active Learner – Education From a Digital Native’s Perspective (YouTube)
Maps and mapping tools can reach so many content areas and grade levels:
These mapping tools can take students places the bus can’t. Go to: DitchThatTextbook.com/mapping
Google Maps: http://maps.google.com
Google Maps Treks: https://www.google.com/maps/about/treks/#/grid
With screencasting tools online, it’s super easy for students to capture their learning and demonstrate what they know by recording video.
Screencasting is recording what’s happening on your screen. You can also record your microphone and a little webcam video, too, if you want.
Screencasts work really well with …
Students can create screencast videos, download them, and then turn them in to you!
Some screencasting tools:
Students make meaning when they create (constructivism). By letting them make something with what they’ve learned, they can make their thinking visible and put the pieces of new material together in their minds.
Caption This! — This is a fun, low-prep, high critical thinking activity with PowerPoint. Have students add an image that deals with the content you’re studying. Then …
Click here for more information on this activity!
Interactive posters. PowerPoint and OneNote can be great for bringing images, text and shapes together. Those elements combine for a great digital poster. But these digital posters are way better than a regular one made of poster board. Various elements in the poster can be clicked, delivering webpages and other online content to viewers.
Graphic organizers. Drawings gives users a blank canvas where they can add text, shapes, lines, etc. When done, they can save their work as image files or PDF files and can add those images to documents, slides and spreadsheets. It’s a perfect medium for creating graphic organizers. I’ve created 15 graphic organizers in Google Drawings that can be copied, saved, changed, tweaked or completely redone to fit your needs and your students’ needs. Open them and go to File > Download as … > PNG to save them as an image file that you can use as a background in a PowerPoint file.
Google Hangouts: hangouts.google.com
Skype: skype.com
Facetime (iPad, iPhone)
Communication and teamwork skills are always at the top of the skills employers seek in new job candidates. Let students work together in digital spaces to practice those skills.
Shared PowerPoint. Create a presentation with one slide per student. Use the Share button to create an “everyone can edit” link. Stick it in your class notebook where students can access it. Then assign an activity — some quick Internet research, a writing prompt, an image search to find an example, etc. When they’re done, show the presentation on a projector. It’s student work instantly on display.
Shared PowerPoint: If your last name starts with A-M, click here!
Shared PowerPoint: If your last name starts with N-Z, click here!
Padlet. Padlet (padlet.com) is a great place for gathering ideas, sharing them and modifying them later. It’s like a living, breathing webpage. Users can add links, YouTube videos, files and images to Padlet notes. They can move and arrange them. A link to a Padlet can be shared and Padlets can be embedded into webpages.
Padlet lets students add sticky notes have images, links and videos AND be available with practically any Internet-ready device. Plus, recently, Padlet has added the ability to add pictures, audio, video, maps, Google searches and MORE to Padlet walls!
Click here for 20 ways to use Padlet in the classroom!
If we want students to practice new skills with homework, the feedback loop is pretty long … often two days or more from assigning to returning to students. Shorten the feedback loop with some of these great tools to assess your students. Plus, they’re a lot of fun!
Kahoot!: kahoot.com
The “blind Kahoot”: Click here for more info!
Quizizz: quizizz.com (You can TEACH with Quizizz, too!)
Quizlet Live: quizlet.live
If students are going to make big changes in the world, they have to be able to articulate themselves. Plus, when they know that their thoughts and ideas are important, they’re encouraged to share more of them!
Flipgrid: Flipgrid (flipgrid.com) lets the teacher create a question or prompt. Then, students respond to it with short video clips. They can then watch each other’s videos and react to them. This is a great way to let students hear from each other AND practice their communication skills.
Our Flipgrid topic for today: Hello, new teacher …
Bronwyn Joyce’s “What If” Flipgrid: flipgrid.com/whatif
15+ ways to use Flipgrid in class
Anchor: Anchor (anchor.fm) is an audio publishing tool. It runs on the web or through a mobile app. It lets students record audio and save it as an episode, which can be published as a PODCAST on iTunes, Google Play and more! Terms of use are 13+, so if you have younger students, you could always create a class podcast.
Use free technology tools and engagement hooks from “Teach Like a PIRATE” to create exciting learning opportunities your students won’t want to miss!
Go to: DitchThatTextbook.com/techpirate to get your copy of Matt’s free ebook, “The Digital PIRATE” and to see examples of several of the activities that YOU can use in your classroom.
It’s been a great day … thanks!