MiddSouth Innovates
Issue #2
Innovation (noun): a new method, idea, product, etc.
Innovation does not mean creating something the world has never seen. It means doing something (anything!) in a lesson that you have never tried before. All the time, I get stopped in the hallway by a colleague telling me of something new they are trying and they almost always say "but this isn't innovative." If it is new for you, it IS innovative! Be proud of taking the risk and daring to fail.
Oh, and don't forget to come find me when you do so you can featured in the next #middsouthinnovates!
Helping Students Dive Deeper With Physical Modeling
As you can see, this video was done on a cell phone so it is not polished (this was actually Take 6 and it still has mistakes!). This type of method makes for a great intro video if you are thinking of Flipping Your Classroom. Dr. Resnick can post this video to her Google Classroom for the students to watch for HW. It is very short (30 seconds!), but it will allow her students to start generating questions before coming to class. 'What is in the canisters?', 'Why are they not the same?', 'What is the star made out of?', 'Does this work for other elements as well?', 'What could we change about what's in the canister to model other elements?'. Now students have the chance to process what they have seen and come to class ready to go deeper which makes class time more meaningful. Flipped lessons don't have to involve PowerPoints and notes; they can just be simple lessons to make the students think deeper.
Get Smore Out Of Your Newsletters
Our favorite part is the Educator Hive. Educators from all over the world share their work to this space and you can find inspiration (or use theirs as your template!) when you are starting your own. When you enter the Hive, you will find Educators using Smore for club announcements of meetings and fundraisers, weekly Classroom Highlights for parents, public service announcement assignments in Health, as an presentation alternative to PowerPoint/Google Slides, and even as a way to share what they learned from a professional development conference with their colleagues. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Have you used Smore? Share yours with us and we will feature you in our next issue!
Tech Help At Your Fingertips
Of course, you can also schedule a time to meet with him using Google Calendar.