During the pandemic, we have all embraced new technology out of necessity…even when we didn’t want to. So, I completely understand the desire to toss your computer, iPad, camera, headset, etc. out the window and to erase all evidence of virtual and remote learning. However, when you think about this
Here they are: My six favorite ed tech tools for this year. Each one has the potential to make a big difference in your teaching and your students' learning.
What do you want your students to do? There’s an edtech app for that! Created by @Poeteacher TechUseGuide pdf
A place to share e-learning and Web 2.0 tools for education. Computers and laptops in education are important only when used with good pedagogy. Digital content and creation is an important part of the process for educators in the 21st century.
Want To Learn About Transform Your DIY Furniture Assembly: Amazing Tips Using an Impact Driver ? This Post You Will Learn About Transform Your DIY Furniture Assembly: Amazing Tips Using an Impact Driver
Learn efficient organization strategies for your Pro Tech tool box with expert guidance. Discover tips and tricks to optimize space, categorize tools effectively, and enhance accessibility.
Transform your teaching with the ultimate tech resource! The Technology Toolbox for Teachers offers tutorials, presentations, and endless ideas for your elementary students.
The key to impactful learning lies in well facilitated debriefing - so Trainers Toolbox team decided to support you in making debriefings even better :) Debriefing is definitely one of the most important parts of any training session or any learning experience. If done right, debriefing is where the learning really happens - where conclusions
Come learn about my FAVORITE technology tools for digital communication and collaboration with elementary students. Use these tools with Chromebooks, laptops, computers and some can even be used with iPads. Global learning is making its way into the classroom and we need to make sure our students are prepared so they can make the most of these authentic learning experiences!
This blog post introduces Semantify, a powerful tool designed to elevate long-form content through Generative AI. It guides readers through installing Semantify, utilizing its features to generate reading times, interactive Q&A sections, and semantically similar content recommendations, and customizing these enhancements for their blog posts. Targeted at content creators and marketers, this tutorial provides the knowledge needed to seamlessly integrate Semantify into their content strategy, thereby increasing engagement and page views on their sites.
Transform your teaching with the ultimate tech resource! The Technology Toolbox for Teachers offers tutorials, presentations, and endless ideas for your elementary students.
GoNoodle gets over 14 million kids moving to be their strongest, bravest, silliest, smartest, bestest selves. Start GoNoodling for free!
Book Creator has teamed up with Common Sense Education to bring you these fantastic new Digital Citizenship resources for your classroom.
If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night sweating over one of your AAC clients who doesn’t have a back-up communication tool, then this post is for you. Jeanne Tuthill is back…
Over 120 technology tools presented in easy-to-follow steps and includes ideas for use with elementary students for each tool.
Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Check out our Linky Parties page for details on how to link up! I was hopelessly out of ideas for Tech Thursday this week. Ugh! What to write about? So I decided to ask my students what their favorite website is that we use in class. I got a couple of different answers but the winner was Storybird.com. It may have something to do with the fact that I just introduced it in January so it is still pretty new to my students. New = better sometimes. So my post this week is a website that is highly recommended by my 3rd grade students. What is Storybird? The official scoop: Storybird is a visual storytelling community. It is for artists, readers, and writers of all ages. The site boasts that it is "one part educational platform, one part real-time publishing, and one part social network". My students' take: Storybird is a cool site to write stories on! How much does it cost? Although there is a premium membership, the regular teacher account is free. There are a few differences between the two, but I have never found a need for anything more than the free account. How can teachers use the site? Finding stories: The site has a wonderful storehouse of stories for students to read. The stories have fabulously artistic pictures and are written by other members of the site. Some are written by students just like them. Users can search for stories based on category, format, and age range. Some of the categories included are dream, diary, sci-fi, animals and there is so many more. Formats can be long form (chapter books), poem, or picture book. Most of my students prefer the picture books. You can also search by age ranges; the ones most pertinent are pre-school, kids, tweens and teens. Writing stories: This is the most exciting part of this website. Students are so excited to write and create their own picture books and stories! It only takes a mini-lesson to teach students how to get started creating their own stories. Writers click on the "Write" tab to get started. The next step is searching for art. You can search for "tags" on art which are categories. Art tags include fun things such as big ears, tails, aliens, submarines, and dancing. The sky is the limit. You can also click on an art picture and look at pictures from just that artist. Once you have selected the art you want for your story, click the button at the top of the page that says "Use This Art". A drop down menu will appear and you select the format of your story: long form, poem, or picture book. Next, type in your text and position your pictures. It is easy to add pages to your book by clicking the plus button at the bottom right of the page. You can also navigate through your pages by clicking on the miniature pages at the bottom. Clicking save...well, I think you know what that does... Cool feature...you can add someone else in the class as a collaborator and work together on a book. This video gives a very brief rundown of website's basics. Storybird Studio: The Storybird Studio is the teacher dashboard and contains all of the teacher tools you will need. From the Studio, you can add classes, add students, edit passwords and user names, and monitor your class stories. Setting up a class: Creating an account and setting up a class are super easy. I have embedded a video that shows how to register for the site, create a class, and add students. Classes: Teachers can make as many classes as they want, and each class can contain 35 students. Here is a great feature. Classes are private! Student names are hidden and the stories that the students write are contained in your virtual classroom. Students can comment on each other's stories, but these comments are only seen by your class. Student stories are automatically published to the class library when complete. Making an assignment: Teachers can actually make assignments for their class. You can assign students to write a story about a certain theme, topic, or using a particular format. Teachers can explain the assignment and even add a video link, URL, or upload a file if needed. You can also set the due date. All assignments will appear on the student dashboard, and the completed assignments will go into an assignment library that is separate from the classes' general library. Students can read and comment on each other's work. Below is a short video on making an assignment in Storybird. Here are a couple of stories written by previous students. I know the samples I put up aren't "perfectly perfect", but I just love the creativity that this site brings out in my students! An InLinkz Link-up
Transform your teaching with the ultimate tech resource! The Technology Toolbox for Teachers offers tutorials, presentations, and endless ideas for your elementary students.
This year's collection includes a discussion monitor, a tool that analyzes writing, a virtual reality tour maker, and my favorite new game.
At first Smyface looks like a cute little toy but this is an excellent tool for gauging the mood and feelings of your students in a safe non-threatening way. Smyface is an excellent example of how technology can assist in the pastoral care of your students. It gives a very real voice to a shy or quiet kid but more importantly it gives a voice to those kids that we would consider to be “at risk.” For many of the students that we teach Smyface may be irrelevant most of the time but for those students who are struggling with their work or do not understand a maths problem this is a safe and easy way for them to let you know how much it is effecting them. All they need to do is pick a face, write how they feel and email it to you. Very simple! I might run this as a three minute reflection at the beginning of the day and then repeat it again at the end of the day. The beauty of Smyface is the second half of the idea; Because…… Your students can actually tell you what is wrong without having that conversation that many may not have because they find it embarrassing. This might be even more important for a student that is suffering from bullying, has a really sick parent or grandparent or is in a situation that requires intervention. This is a fun and engaging tool that might encourage students to open up to a significant adult. It could even be used as a way of introducing the concept of emotions, feelings and empathy - especially with boys. What a good way to illustrate how our actions have an impact on how other people feel. This cute little toy could be the catalyst for a real learning moment. http://smyface.com/
As a librarian in a BYOD high school, in addition to providing opportunities for my students to use their mobile devices as a creation tool, I also promote the idea of using their personal devices as
I remember exactly how I felt when I put together my first real toolbox. The gray no-nonsense plastic container, made by Rubbermaid, would house the essential tools I needed now that I was twenty-something and on my own. I bought a hammer, of course, two kinds of screwdrivers (one with a Phillips head and one with a flat head), a foldout miniature saw, some nails and screws, and a measuring tape. I mainly used the toolbox to hang pictures in my apartment, but oh my, did it make me feel empowered!
In my quest to build my own Teacher Toolbox I have been getting rid of outdated tools and collecting new shiny ones. Now, why would I bother? What is wrong with just assigning my students an ess…
