November, 2021

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Pixar’s 10 rules for teaching and lesson planning

Ditch That Textbook

Looking for some creative rules for teaching? These Pixar storytelling rules can help us unlock our creativity in the classroom. Pixar is one of the best at telling stories. It started with the groundbreaking Toy Story, the first entirely computer-animated feature film. What followed are some of my favorite animated films -- and my children's favorites, […].

Classroom 358
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15 ideas for digital end-of-semester final projects

Ditch That Textbook

Final projects can help students summarize and review content from the entire semester. Plus, they can create fantastic products with what they've learned!After months and months of learning, it all comes down to this. The end of the semester project. How can your students encapsulate the most important parts of the semester to demonstrate learning?

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Using edtech to personalize education for all students

Neo LMS

A version of this post was originally published in Education Today , on August 31, 2021. The global pandemic has required many teachers, students, and parents to adjust to many changes in the education system — and do so quickly. Pre-pandemic, the rollout of a digital learning program would take months; last year, schools had weeks (if not days) to implement remote learning models to ensure students continued their education despite all social distancing rules.

EdTech 495
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Coaching is Critical to the Success of a Shift to Blended learning

Catlin Tucker

The last two years have been mentally and emotionally exhausting for everyone in education. As I work with leadership teams, many are struggling to engage their teachers in professional learning this year. Schools invested money in purchasing devices and improving access to reliable internet to meet the demands of the pandemic, and leadership teams want to keep the momentum going.

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Can Brain Science Actually Help Make Your Training & Teaching Stick?

Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape

The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.

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New Digital Assistant for Education Supports Teachers in the Classroom

EdTech Magazine

Teachers in K–12 education face increasingly high rates of burnout, and many have chosen to leave the profession altogether. While there are many reasons for this, the struggle to balance new technologies and multiple teaching modalities amid an ongoing pandemic unquestionably contribute. Pandemic-inspired technology will continue to permeate classrooms.

Classroom 525
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Upgrading the KWL Chart

A Principal's Reflections

There are many strategies at the disposal of a teacher to help students learn. The anticipatory set functions as a hook at the beginning of the lesson for motivation, while closure ties everything together. Routine checks for understanding provide valuable feedback as to whether or not instruction is hitting the mark. Turn and talk allows for needed discourse.

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More Trending

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10 Ways to Use Tract for Personalized Project Based Learning in Your Classroom

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Tract can engage students and get them excited about learning. Every student needs a reason to come to school, and Tract will help you do that. Tract is a personalized Project-Based Learning (PBL) platform with rich, individualized projects for students that can be tracked and managed from a centralized teacher dashboard.

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Getting started with STEM in your classroom!

Neo LMS

There is a growing need for STEM skills in the workplace, as it has been reported that there will be 3.5 million jobs available by 2025 that require STEM skills. In researching some recent statistics about job outlook for the future, I found a report from the World Economic Forum that shared predictions for the key skills needed by 2022. The skills that were emphasized included collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.

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Is Your Classroom a Psychologically Safe Space?

Catlin Tucker

A friend recommended Adam Grant’s podcast “ Is it safe to speak up at work ?” As I listened to this episode, I was thinking about the concept of psychological safety through my educator lens. My work focuses on supporting leaders, coaches, and teachers in transitioning from traditional teaching practices to blended learning. Blended learning is the combination of active, engaged learning online and offline.

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Anyone’s Game: K–12 Esports Opportunities Abound for Girls

EdTech Magazine

In recent years, esports has become increasingly popular. Its audience increased by 38 million from 2019 to 2020, and it’s projected to reach more than 576 million by 2024. Female participation in the sport, however, hasn’t quite mirrored that pace. Sixty percent of female gamers in the U.S. and U.K. say there’s a significant lack of women participating in esports; nearly as many feel the gaming community isn’t doing enough to encourage female participation in the sport.

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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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What it Means to Be an Equitable Leader

A Principal's Reflections

So, what is the secret sauce when it comes to effective leadership? This is a tricky question to answer as there is no definitive right way to lead and no shortage of advice available that you can weed through. Just go on a trip to your local bookstore or visit Amazon, and you can quickly be immersed in a wealth of knowledge and perspective on the topic.

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How to create media-rich, interactive maps for deeper learning

Ditch That Textbook

Google MyMaps lets students create maps with custom-pinned location. The magic, though, is in what you put in those pins. If we want to use technology in the classroom, we can’t just do the same kind of learning we did before it. Technology should improve the learning. Kick the lesson up a notch. Otherwise, our technology […]. The post How to create media-rich, interactive maps for deeper learning appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

How To 359
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Books I read in October 2021

Dangerously Irrelevant

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in October 2021… Aftershocks , Marko Kloos (sci fi). Kings of Paradise , Richard Nell (fantasy). Kings of Ash , Richard Nell (fantasy). Kings of Heaven , Richard Nell (fantasy). Hope you’re reading something fun too! Related Posts. Books I read in May 2020. Books I read in June 2020. Books I read in September 2020.

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Online learning tips for neurodivergent students

Neo LMS

Online learning has become a prevalent part of the educational landscape. This has some significant benefits. It enables learning to continue when distancing is a necessity. It also provides greater access options to students living in rural areas or experiencing mobility challenges. However, for students living with neurodivergent traits, e-learning can be problematic.

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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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How to Prioritize Relationships to Retain Educators For Equity

Education Elements

Hiring is often perceived as a heavy lift; and retaining and engaging great educators is proving to be a challenge. And, while administrators are focused on how to handle the needs and matters for all students, there is a tendency to forget and even overlook the needs of the staff. But truly supporting staff - and understanding their unique needs is critical to increase engagement, retention, and to effectively model how we can best support our students.

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Why You Should Upgrade Your School Esports Teams

EdTech Magazine

The competitive video gaming industry has taken off in recent years, and more high schools are tapping that enthusiasm to engage students in esports. This team sport is quashing the image of the lone video gamer. Instead, like a traditional athletic team, students work together to form strategies for particular games, such as the popular Fortnite, and practice to improve their skills.

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Curiosity: The Ultimate Learning Trigger

A Principal's Reflections

When I reflect on my childhood there were numerous profound experiences that impacted my trajectory. I still vividly remember spending my summers in Ocean City, NJ where one set of my grandparents resided. To this day there is just something magical about the beach. My grandfather Robert Lewis had many hobbies that intrigued me and my brothers. One of them was making jewelry.

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10 low-prep, high-return activities for class TOMORROW

Ditch That Textbook

There’s no shame in low-prep! Here are 10 solid teaching ideas for tomorrow that will free up some time in your life.Low-prep doesn’t have to mean less learning. Technology allows us to be more efficient and effective in the classroom in many ways. When we focus on sound teaching and learning, we can do high-quality […]. The post 10 low-prep, high-return activities for class TOMORROW appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

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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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The Science of Reading: How to Understand and Apply the Basics

Waterford

Teaching students to read is so much more than sitting them down in front of a book. It takes an intentional mix of explicit classroom lessons, individualized support, and family engagement to help children develop strong reading skills. But, how do we know what strategies will work best? Have you ever stopped to think about what brain science says about how children learn to read—and how that might make your teaching even more effective?

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8 Digital tools for engaging classroom presentations

Neo LMS

Whether online or face-to-face, teachers are always looking for ways to create engaging learning experiences. Integrating presentations in teaching is an accessible way to bring technology to the classroom and make the best digital tools available. A slideshow lesson conveys information effectively and supports learning since most of it is done visually.

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The Importance of Involving Stakeholders Throughout the Strategic Planning Process

Education Elements

To see students and community members in action - that is the stuff we, as educators, dream about. Most recently in a suburban school district outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. My teammates, Megan Campion and Briana Cash , and I got to host community gatherings over the course of two-days with two in-person and two virtual sessions. These experiences confirmed the belief that districts should bring groups of people together to discuss and define the next strategic plan whether it’s a combination of v

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Protect Your Network Against Bad Password Habits

EdTech Magazine

Cybersecurity solutions have long tried to account for human error. Districts may invest time and money into training staff and students on best practices for keeping their networks secure, including everything from recognizing phishing attempts to password hygiene. But new data shows that these efforts may be ignored. Research conducted by security company My1Login found that more than half of employees admit to not using a strong password, despite 97 percent understanding what a good password

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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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Experience Can Be the Best Teacher

A Principal's Reflections

The earliest known version of the proverb that serves as the title for this post is attributed to Julius Caesar. You might have noticed that I tweaked it a little bit by replacing “is” with “can” to prove a point in a little bit. While knowledge is undoubtedly essential, the act of using it effectively to implement shared and individual goals is what truly matters.

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Easy classroom podcasting with Flipgrid and Wakelet

Ditch That Textbook

Podcasting in the classroom can be a fun way to get your kids to share their voice in any content area. With the integration of the Flipgrid shorts camera into Wakelet along, with the ability to record using mic only mode ,recording and sharing a podcast is easier than ever. Looking for podcasting ideas for […]. The post Easy classroom podcasting with Flipgrid and Wakelet appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

Classroom 328
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20 Creative Writing Activities for Elementary Students

Waterford

Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month? While your young learners are probably not ready to write an entire book, this month is a great time to practice creative writing skills with your students. Not only can creative writing be helpful for teaching vocabulary and sentence structure, but it can also encourage students to use imaginative thinkin g —and even find a genuine love of writing!

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Answering the Why? How? What? of lesson planning

Neo LMS

At the beginning of the pandemic, if you are a little bit like me, you may have felt there’s no point in teaching in such an unpredictable context. Finding purpose when school moved completely online was an ongoing process of defining the what, how and why of teaching. For me, it always started with the why : Why should school continue if we are so unsure about our future?

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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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Developing Yourself as an Instructional Coach

Education Elements

I became an instructional coach because I wanted to share my expertise with my colleagues, so that more of our students were reaching higher, and achieving greater. I spent six years in the classroom, perfecting my craft as an early elementary educator. So, I thought my experience plus my graduate degree was all I needed to be an effective coach. Oh, how little I knew.

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Level Up Your Team with Tech That Supports K–12 Esports Content Creators

EdTech Magazine

At St. Lucie Public Schools in Florida, students engage in competitive video gaming, known as esports. But behind the team of players, there’s another team of content creators — student journalists, graphic designers, broadcasters and others. “The entrepreneurial spirit that they’re learning through the club activities is priceless.

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School Leaders Take Note: Teacher Care is a Lot More Than Self-Care

Edsurge

If you get burned in a fire, you first treat the wound, but you also try to put the fire out. In education, we treat the wound and then usher our teachers back into the fire. Excuse the pun but they are more than burned out, they are scorched. Chelsea Prax, a program director at the American Federation of Teachers, sums it up succinctly. “You can’t deep-breathe your way out of a pandemic; you cannot stretch your way out of terrible class sizes; you cannot ‘individual behavior’ your way out of st

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Lessons of Youth Activism, Climate Change, and Climate Justice

The Jose Vilson

“Yeah, so first of all, I just want to give a little context. So Shell and Siccar Point Energy are trying to push a new oil field on the UK Parliament, the Cambo oil field, which is gonna be off the coast of Scotland, which obviously is my home. I just wanna start off by saying you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself …” With that, climate youth activist Lauren MacDonald named the tension in the room and laid it bare for the watching world.

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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