The T3
Tesmer Tech Tuesday - Welcome Back Edition!
Welcome back from the long weekend! As Jimmy Fallon says, "You're here! You made it!"
Every other Tuesday, you'll receive the T3 Update in your inbox with a bit of knowledge and ideas to try in your classroom.
This week's spotlight is on...
WHY WE DO THIS
- 1 stop shop for distributing and collecting work
- hub for a variety of resources
- doubles as a digital portfolio
- opportunities for dynamic lessons led by students' questions, curiosities, and needs
- great way to quickly view process over time
IT'S GREAT BECAUSE...
- it simplifies the distribution process
- it's 1 space for you to differentiate student learning
- students can quickly and efficiently access and interact with related materials
- set up is 10 minutes or less
- it's not only for 1:1 classrooms
- open window for effortless communication with parents
REMINDS ME OF...
- a student-friendly and class appropriate social media stream
OPEN MIC: HOW YOU CAN TRY
- Student introductions/get to know you, interest inventory surveys
- Book chats/recommendations
- Elevator pitches or prototype demos (rethinking the time we spend asking students to present in front of the class).
- Upload a photo of a drawing (ex: heart map, identity map, etc.)
- "If you only knew me you would know..."
- Practice fluency via video
- Share questions to another class or grade level and have them respond via Flipgrid Shout Out: 8th grade ELA staff at JJH facilitated student interviews for empathy with 3rd and 4th grade Meadowview students.
- Pass out differentiated assignments
- Reflect via video during the learning process (ex: assign students 2 specific peers to give feedback to and then require 3-4 of their own choice) Shout Out: Seek out 6th grade Ts Jenny Bell & Kelly Drevalas on how they're doing this with their students.
- Link to IXL or Tenmarks
CLASSIC HIT: GOOGLE CLASSROOM
What it is:
An online platform for distributing and collecting work through the Googley-ecosystem (aka GAFE).
- Set up a Google Classroom
- Have students join with the class code
- Check out the new features
Get going at classroom.google.com and sign in with your teacher Gmail account. Be sure to invite guardians in the Students Tab.
DEBUT SINGLE: FLIPGRID
You may have seen this if you did the spring 2017 "Slice of Life" challenge. It picked up major traction this summer with tweets (#flipgridfever)
What it is:
A video discussion platform that encourages students to verbalize their thoughts and more deeply reflect on their learning. You can now add an attached file (Google Docs), document (PDF, Word), or any site as the stimulus in your Topics.
- Sign up for a free account
- Create a GRID (one grid per teacher with unlimited topics... a Grid could be, for example, your class name)
- Create a topic (ie: Class introductions OR book chats)
- Share topic with students via the URL or place on Google Classroom
See more on their site.
PLAY IT AGAIN: SEESAW
You may have seen this during the "Chopped Edu" 2016 Halloween inservice. Popular in the past among primary grades but became a big win across K-12 (many grade 6 and JJH staff are currently using it, too).
What it is:A comprehensive, easy-to-use digital portfolio app and website. It is the "swiss army knife" of creation and reflection platforms and set up is SO easy.
- Set up a teacher account
- Create a class
- Add students by providing them with either a QR code or class code.
Check out more at web.seesaw.me & be sure to add guardians so they can view their child's work.
COLLABORATION MIX
How have you used any of these three tools? What ideas do you have that you can share with us?
hint: when you're on the page, hit the giant green plus sign to record.
UP NEXT 9/19: MAKING THINKING VISIBLE (THE TECHY WAY)
Reach me faster than email with a Video Voice Message!
Interested in getting started with your digital workflow? Seek out help from me, your coach, or LRCD.
Email: tesmert@woodridge68.org
Website: bit.ly/tarahvm
Phone: 6309672070
Twitter: @TarahTesmer