Help!

It’s the age-old question in classrooms all across the country – What can I do to keep my students engaged in their learning? With students’ increased access to all things technology related, it is impossible to catch and keep their attention for very long, especially using traditional methods of teaching and learning. Twenty-first century students must be able to think critically, communicate effectively, and create tangible artifacts to show what they have learned. These expectations present a sharp contrast to the constant focus on standardized testing and the “skill-and-drill” mentality of many classrooms. So what can teachers do to engage their students’ attention while also ensuring they are preparing students for state testing?

Technology!

Children today are very different than their counterparts from only two decades ago. There has been an explosion of personal access to technology since the beginning of this century which greatly impacts students’ attention and preferred methods of learning. “55% of all online American youths, age twelve to seventeen, use online social networking sites…[and] 71% of children, age eleven to sixteen, have their own games console at home” (Sheninger, 2014, p. 2). Twenty -first century teachers are faced with a new kind of learner – a digital learner. Digital learners want immediate access to information from a variety of sources, require instant gratification and feedback, and prefer to work collaboratively in a multimedia format (Sheninger, 2014).

What does this mean for classrooms? Teachers must move away from traditional methods of teaching and learning and begin incorporating engaging learning activities through the use of technology and social media. It is safe to say that all classrooms have access to some form of technology in their schools, but they are also forgetting a key resource – the students! Nearly all students have some kind of portable device in which they can access the internet. Teachers can use this to their advantage through the implementation of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program (Tedx Talks, 2014).

Apps?

As stated, teachers and students have access to technological devices but, due to budget cuts, many school districts are not paying for expensive online learning subscriptions. This leaves teachers to either pay for these programs out of their own pocket or to simply go without. This does not need to happen! There are fantastic resources available for teachers and students that are completely FREE (or very inexpensive)! Does this sound too good to be true? See for yourself. Below are descriptions of one very cheap and four completely free online learning programs (click each logo to be directed to the respective sites):

Kahoot! is a free game-based learning website where teachers can create their own multiple-choice quizzes or choose from thousands of existing quizzes on any topic. Teachers can enhance their quizzes by embedding images, videos, and diagrams. Quizzes are presented on a big screen while students answer on their own devices. Teachers can also assign their quizzes for homework to reinforce the student’s learning. Kahoot! works for any subject, in any language, and on any device.

Prodigy is an online program which provides math content for grades 1-8 through interactive lessons and games. An initial diagnostic assessment places each students on their own educational track which allows for differentiation of instruction. Teachers have access to real-time reports of their students’ progress that they can use to help drive their small-group math instruction. Parents have the ability to pay for access to additional Prodigy math content at home to support their child’s learning. Prodigy is always 100% free for teachers.

Through Seesaw’s free interactive platform, students can add artifacts of their learning to online portfolios. Students have access to digital tools that allow them to draw, take notes, record videos, take photos, and add voice recordings to their work. Teachers can create their own assignments or search through Seesaw’s activity library to get inspiration. The artifacts of learning help teachers to gauge their students’ level of understanding of concepts while also providing students a creative and engaging way to show what they have learned.

Edmodo is a free social learning tool where teachers can interact with students by sharing resources, photos, and articles. Teachers can assign work through the program and students can upload assignments into private work folders. Teachers and students have the ability to send private messages to one another, while the teacher has the ability to monitor all messaging activity. Students can also get help from the rest of the class on collaborative assignments. Edmodo makes social media safe and free from bullying and other inappropriate behaviors.

Storybird is a storytelling website for grades K-12 where students can create their own long-form, picture, and poetry books. Students have the ability to create stories independently or collaboratively with their peers. When students are struggling with that to write, Storybird has an artwork and word library in which to seek inspiration. Teachers can assign and grade projects directly through the site and assignments can be free-writing style or through a response to a prompt. An individual teacher subscription to Storybird.com costs as little as $4.99 per month after their 7-day free trial.

Be Brave.

Change is hard and requires a great deal of courage. The integration of technology into classrooms is possible without the support of school leaders or school districts, but can make significant changes to schools if done on a large scale. It behooves teachers and school leaders alike to seek to challenge the status quo and move towards a more engaging, interactive, and creative twenty-first century learning environment. These programs can be the first steps in moving in that direction.

References:

Edmodo. (2019). Edmodo. Retrieved from https://new.edmodo.com/?go2url=/home

Kahoot! (2019). Kahoot! Learning Games: Make Learning Awesome! Retrieved from https://kahoot.com

Prodigy. (2019). Prodigy Math Game – Learn Math for Free. Forever. Retrieved from https://www.prodigygame.com

Seesaw. (2019). Seesaw. Retrieved from https://web.seesaw.me

Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Storybird. (n.d.). Storybird – Artful Storytelling. Retrieved from https://www.storybird.com

Tedx Talks (2014, November 3). Schools that work for kids. [Video File]. Retrieved from Schools that work for kids | Eric Sheninger | TEDxBurnsvilleED

It’s the middle of summer, and yet I’m already thinking about getting back in the classroom and ways to make my teaching practice better – maybe with technology? How about YouTube?, but its so hot, I’m also thinking about hitting the water park to cool off.  So, today I’m going to use a summer theme to explore 5 tips and ideas for safely using YouTube in the classroom and home learning environments!

But first, the big question: To tube or not to tube?

Tubes are not just for riding down gently flowing streams, taking in some beautiful natural scenery as you sip a cold beverage or taking a breather as you glide lazily along the local waterpark’s lazy river. But maybe you’re not close enough to either the natural or man made version of this lovely river, and besides we’re in a school classroom or doing homework anyway, right? Yes, we are, so no real tubes, and forgive the bad pun, but we can YouTube along the internet and have many elements of the relaxing and fun experiences and many others with our students through this rich media platform. But, is it safe? Will parents be outraged? Will our children be exposed to unwelcome content? Well, just like you’d take some precautions on. A real tube ride, you can do the same with YouTube and safely bring this awesome tech tool into your classrooms and homes to create richer learning experiences.

Here are some ways to make educational “tubing” safe, effective, and fun:

1. Get there fast!

Don’t waste time and get frustrated stuck in traffic getting there. You’d use your GPS to get to the river or water park fast and easy. Nobody likes sitting in traffic to get somewhere, and similarly, students and parents will be befuddled trying to type in the long string of letter and symbols to access that awesome learning video you’d like them to watch at home, and then report back on during class. So, make it easy – create a QR code for super easy access that parents or kids can scan and have instant access.  Check out this great link from Data Driven Labs for easy instructions on how to create a QR code.   That automatically opens a YouTube video, if you con’t already know how: How to create a YouTube QR code

2. Bring towels and snacks.

You’re going to need to dry off and the kids are going to be hungry, so be prepared and have a framework defined before the kids jump online. Don’t let the kids just randomly surf away, even through that network of select channels you’ve created to weed out the proverbial poop. Make sure you follow up on what students and your kids have been watching. Create interactive experiences, let them teach you what they’ve learned on their video adventures. (Reissman, H., 2017)

3. Remember to apply sunscreen….

…..but make sure it’s the easy clear spray that dries super quick. It’s hot out there, and we shouldn’t go out without protection, but nobody wants to sit through a goopy white mess that doesn’t dry. So make sure students are prepared for the content they’re seeing, in another words choose age-appropriate material for them to view. Establishing and communicating clear rules for use and guidance on appropriate subjects and channels to use is like that smooth fast-drying spray, nobody really minds and it keeps everyone safe.

4. Watch out for poop in the pool.

Gross, right? Totally, but it happens at every water park, they even have codes to alert staff that they need to pick up a deposit. Well, there’s poop on YouTube too, but you can watch out for it and steer clear, here’s how: Create a set of trusted channels (Burns, M., 2016), such as Khan Academy, Smithsonian, Museum of Natural History, PBS,TedEd(ClassTechTips.com, 2016) etc. that students can search within – no more poop!

5. Splash a little!

Why? Because its fun! Build in some time for kids to explore their own interests, so they know they will have some freedom after their work is done. This removes a lot of the temptation for kids to get distracted while working online. (Reissman, H., 2017)

References

Burns, Monica (May 3. 2016) Harnessing the Power of YouTube in the Classroom edutopia.com Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/harnessing-power-youtube-in-classroom-monica-burns.  Edwards, Chris (May 24, 2018) How to make a QR code automatically open a video DataDrivenLabs.com Retrieved from https://datadrivenlabs.io/blog/qr-code-open-video-mobile/.                                                   Johnson, A. M., Jacovina, M. E., Russell, D. E., & Soto, C. M. (2016). Challenges and solutions when using technologies in the classroom. In S. A. Crossley & D. S. McNamara (Eds.) Adaptive educational technologies for literacy instruction (pp. 13-29) Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED577147.pdf
ClassTechTips.com (April 18, 2016) 10 Favorite Educational YouTube Channels Retrieved from https://classtechtips.com/2016/04/18/youtube-channels-for-educators/
Reissman , Hailey (September 17, 2017) 7 smart ways to use technology in classrooms Tedx Retrieved from https://ideas.ted.com/7-smart-ways-to-use-technology-in-classrooms/

Technology has become integral in some form to education in the classroom. Streamlining classroom assignments, collaboration among students and between teachers, and ease of grading are benefits that teachers want when integrating technology. When creating two classrooms: one real and one virtual – teachers want to save time and ensure students master standards.

Virtual Classroom

One such program is G Suite for Education by Google. G Suite is a is a suite of Google online tools designed to allow for teaching and collaboration between and among teachers and students. G Suite in the classroom begins with teachers creating their virtual classroom in Google Classroom which “offers a one-stop platform for facilitating digital production, workflow, and communication, between teachers and students” (Catapano). Currently, “Google estimates approximately 30 million educators and their students use Google Classroom for classwork, communication, and collaboration for school” (Screencast-O-Matic).

Virtual Communication

Once teachers create virtual classrooms, they can upload, grade, and comment on assignments in Google Classroom. This alleviates teachers spending time photocopying which results in cost savings. Students complete work assigned and submit it with students writing papers use Google documents. Once completed and submitted, teachers can easily see which students have turned in their work and which have not. Teachers can grade assignments, give immediate feedback, and grade within Google classroom. Teachers can make announcements to all students or just a few individuals about their work. “One of the biggest benefits of using Google Classroom is that it helps facilitate communication between teachers and students, providing space to teach, mentor and give feedback to their classes” (Screencast-O-Matic).

Gone are the days when teachers had to look through piles of papers to determine who has completed the assignment. Students don’t have to worry about losing papers as all is provided and submitted digitally. Even students who are absent can work on their work from home without having to send someone to collect assignments from school. Students can share and work on projects together without having to be in the same location.

Virtual Collaboration

Teachers can collaborate and share ideas, curriculum, resources and align classes vertically and horizontally. By being familiar with what other teachers are using in their classroom, the classroom becomes much more open, and this allows teachers the option to use cross-curricular units. “Teachers and students can participate in online Classroom discussions, and everyone can post links to informative resources with discussions or other sharing mechanisms” (Catapono). This further creates team building which strengthens the school community.

Virtual Differentiation

Teachers can more easily differentiate instruction using Google Classroom as they can upload and assign differentiated assignments to specific students. Theoretically, teachers could assign each student their own specialized assignment. Importantly teachers can zero in on and target individual student learning needs. Teachers can also focus their grading individually as they can target instructions and improvement for individual students. Specific feedback can be given to each student. All of this gives teachers an opportunity to meet student needs and align instruction with identified learning needs.

Virtual Testing

One of the complaints about using technology in the classroom is the concern that cheating may occur. While it is impossible to eliminate cheating 100 percent of the time, cheating can be reduced by using the testing option of Google forms. Teachers can easily make tests which are computer graded. With the testing option, all tabs are inaccessible, and only the test form is open. When teachers assign the test to ask questions in a random order, it presents a formidable challenge for students who relied on cheating.

Virtual World

Another advantage of G Suite is that Google Earth, Google News, video programs, sheets, pdfs, and other Google programs can be used and integrated with Google Classroom. This allows teachers to open a virtual world for students. It transforms the educational experience. As one teacher said, “it completely transformed the interaction between me, my students, and information. Today I find myself a facilitator of learning, rather than the source of it” (teach.com).

There is no doubt that technology especially G Suite for Education in the classroom has changed the way teachers teach and students learn. It has opened the classroom for teachers and students both physically and virtually. In effect, it allows teachers to surrender control. As T.J. Hendrickson (2016) said in relation to his 3-D printing class, “My students’ use and applications of 3D printing far exceeds ours as teachers. Consequently, I’ve learned I don’t need to be in control all the time – I just need to get out of the way and go along for the ride.” Teachers and students can collaborate at any time of the day, and parents have limited access as well. Teachers have a wealth of technology to meet their needs at their literal fingertips. All they need to do is embrace and use what is helpful including G Suite for Education.

References

Allhands, Joanna. (Oct. 9, 2017). “Why use Google Classroom?. Here’s what teachers need to know.” azcentral. Retrieved from: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/joannaallhands/2017/10/09/google-classroom-changing-teachers-students-education/708246001/.

Catapano, J. “Technology in the Classroom: A Look at Google Classroom.” TeachHub.com. Retrieved from: https://www.teachhub.com/technology-classroom-look-google-classroom.

Heick, T. (May 24, 2019). “60 Smarter Ways To Use Google Classroom.” teachthought We Grow Teachers. Retrieved from: https://www.teachthought.com/technology/60-smarter-ways-to-use-google-classroom/.

Hendrickson, T.J. (May 19, 2016). “10 Reasons 3D Printing Has Completely Changed the Way I Teach.” We Are Teachers. Retrieved from: https://www.weareteachers.com/10-reasons-3d-printing-has-completely-changed-the-way-i-teach/.

Lynch, M.(Sep. 11, 2017).  “10 Ways to Use Google in Your Classroom.” The Edvocate Podcast. Retrieved from: https://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-ways-use-google-classroom/.

Screencast-O-Matic. “Collaborate Anytime, Anywhere with Google Classroom and Screencast-O-Matic.” Screencast-O-Matic.com. Retrieved from: https://screencast-o-matic.com/blog/google-classroom/.

Sheninger, E. (2019) Digital Leadership Changing Paradigms for Changing Times (10th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

teach.com guest post (Mar. 28, 2017). “How Technology Changed the Way I Teach My Students.” Teach Make A Difference. Retrieved from: https://teach.com/blog/how-technology-changed-the-way-i-teach-my-students/.

Let’s face it, personalized learning is the future of education. It’s not that teachers over the years haven’t tried, to some extent, to personalize learning for each student, but the effectiveness of that personalization has yet to come to fruition. Technology is powering society today, more than ever before, and the reach of this technology has yet to see its apex. One of the prime examples of this view is education. Many schools today are under-utilizing, or not using it at all, and it is one of the main areas we can change in order to help students learn.

There are many issues that can be discussed in regards to the integration of technology. The focus of this blog is related to the use of technology to power personalized learning for all students, and to take the pressure off teachers to figure out strengths and weaknesses on their own. Companies like DreamBox, Pearson, Cerego, and many others have developed software to help students with individualized needs. WIth the help of this technology, teachers can accurately find strengths, weaknesses, skills, and interests, and create assessments and assignments based around those criteria.

This style of learning isn’t new or unique, in fact it has been around for over a hundred years. Following her medical studies, Maria Montessori began taking pedagogy classes at the University of Rome, where she studied educational pedagogy that had taken place over the last two-hundred years. Italy 1907, the first classroom by Maria Montessori was opened, called Casa de Bambini (Children’s House). By 1912 this method had reached the United States, and a year later the first Montessori school was opened by Narcissa Cox Vanderlip and Frank A. Vanderlip, named the Scarborough School. This school closed a year later after clashes with the educational system in place in America and a 1914 booklet by William Heard Kilpatrick, called Montessori System Examined. It took another forty-five years, 1960, for another Montessori school to be established in the United States.

Not to say that American education needs to move into something that looks like a traditional Montessori school, but the pedagogy behind these schools is based on personalized learning and human development. It’s this fundamental idea that educators have been chasing for years, mainly without the use of technology. Students with different backgrounds, different interests, different skills, and different needs are stuffed into a classroom on a daily basis and taught the same exact lesson. On a larger scale, over fifty million students will be attending a K-12 school this year, most of them going through the motions of dis-individualized lessons and assessments.

Technology can help teachers grade student work, and other administrative tasks, in order to allow teachers to interact more with their students. With the help of technology, teachers can have personalized data on all of their students in order to differentiate learning and deliver instruction to students that can be engaging and enjoyable, which allows for students to better learn the concepts being taught inside the classroom. As a teacher, going through the same motions each and every day, teaching lessons, grading papers, and not being able to interact with students, gets to be disenchanting to an extent. Once students see a teacher who stops caring, they stop caring, and they themselves become disenchanted with the classroom setting.

As educators and administrators, our goal should be to not teach to the middle, leaving the lower tier students to fend for themselves and the higher tier students to become bored and engaged. With the use of personalized learning, every level of student can be reached, and better yet, every student can enjoy learning and every teacher can enjoy teaching.

References:

 

Kramer, Rita (1976). Maria Montessori. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-201-09227-1.

 

“Biography of Dr Maria Montessori”. Association Montessori Internationale. Retrieved 2019-07-10

Differentiated instruction has been an important subject for some time now, just like technology. What are some ways you can differentiate instruction while using technology?

5 ways to integrate technology and differentiated instruction in your classroom:

#1 Projects

Students can use technology to create their projects and other class assignments. These projects can be created using different technology and the students can be given choices on how they want to create their project to help differentiate them (Raki, 2016). Students can present their information using a movie, powerpoint, online storybook, song recording, etc.

#2 Centers

Teachers often need one on one time or small group time with students to help remediate or work on something they are struggling on. However, teachers often struggle with figuring out what to do with the other students during this time.  This is a perfect opportunity to integrate technology into the classroom for differentiated instruction. Small groups that are leveled can work on different tasks around the classroom and one station or multiple stations can use technology. Some technology options for students to use are Newsela and EDpuzzle. Newsela allows students to read about a current event that matches a standard, but it is differentiated to adapt to student reading level. EDpuzzle allows teachers to create videos or articles and questions and have students working to complete the assignment individually or in groups. It will not let them go ahead unless they have completed all of the tasks in each section, which helps eliminate wasted time (Stern, 2015).

#3 Games

Creating a list of educational game links on each computer, iPad, or other types of technology in the classroom for students to use that is differentiated for each students specific needs. There can be a specific time for students to play these or whenever they finish another assignment early this can be an option for something to do. Some educational games that can be on the list for students include PBS kids, Mr. Nussbaum, National Geographic Kids, Poptropica, Primary Games, and Arcademic (Schaff, 2019). It is important to have lots of options so students do not get bored and can be working on different skills.

#4 Collaboration

According to Raki (2016), “When using collaborative learning groups like jigsaw, inside outside circle, or think pair share, allow students to share their thinking using a message board like Edmodo or virtual bulletin boards like Padlet.” When students are working in groups and collaborating with eachother is helps their social skills and they can also build ideas off of each other. It is important for students to not work individually all the time, but get opportunities for different types of learning. With the use of technology, students do not have to be in the same place to collaborate. For example, for a project the students can use a google document or a prezi so they can all be working on the same project at the same time. This helps students keep track of what they are in charge of and it helps the students become responsible for their part of the assignment.

#5 Teaching

The students can pretend to be a teacher. The teacher can strategically create groups of students that are on the same level and have different strengths. These students can be in charge of mastering a subject and then picking a way using technology to present the information and teach it to the other students. This gives the students an opportunity to be creative and have fun by getting to be the “teacher” for the day. This also gives the teacher an opportunity to work with struggling students on a separate task.

Conclusion

According to Smith & Throne (2007), “Technology serves as a bridge to more engaging, relevant, meaningful, and personalized learning, all of which can lead to higher academic achievement.” This personalized learning they are talking about can be known as differentiated instruction. With the use of technology in the classroom, teachers can better meet the needs of all of their students.

References

Raki, H. (2016, September 18). 10 Ways to Differentiate Instruction with Technology. Retrieved from http://blog.whooosreading.org/10-ways-to-differentiate-instruction-with-technology/

Schaff, R. (2019, April 12). 10 Free Online Educational Game Sites. Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/34761/10-free-online-educational-game-sites

Smith, G. E., & Throne, S. (2007). Differentiating instruction with technology in K-5 classrooms. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education.

Stern, J. (2015, March 30). Enhancing Learning Through Differentiated Technology. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/enhanced-learning-through-differentiated-technology-julie-stern