Techie Tips & Resources
August 2019: Volume 6- Number 58
Back to School!
Below is a curation of apps and articles that may be helpful, whether you're in a classroom or office or at home.
Visor
"Screen dimmer and reading aid, may help with fluency, eye-strain, concentration and comprehension whilst reading."
Noisli
"Improve your focus and boost your productivity. Block out annoying noises and create the right environment for working or relaxing."
Dualless
"Dualless is a poor man's dual monitor solution. It splits your browser windows into two by just 2 clicks. The ratio can be adjusted according to your needs"
Back to School with G Suite: 6 Activities for the Classroom
Excerpt:
"Student Interest Survey with Google Forms
One of the most important things teachers can do during the first few weeks of school is to build relationships with their students. We want to know what they like, what they don’t like, where they struggle, and their learning style.
There are lots of ways to get to know your students, but Google Forms is a great way to gather some basic information and keep it organized in a spreadsheet.
The answers to some of these types of questions may not be something students are comfortable sharing with the entire class, so a Google Form is a great way to give students a safe space to share.
Depending on what age you teach, these questions will vary. Below are some ideas to get you started.
- What do you want me to call you in class? (preferred first name)
- What is your favorite color?
- What is your favorite food?
- What are you passionate about?
- If you could learn anything at school, what would you choose to learn?
- Do you like to be recognized for your accomplishments in front of the class?
- What characteristics do you like in a teacher?
- Is there anything that you struggle with in class?
- What do you do if you don’t know how to answer a question or problem?
- How do you learn best?
- What do you want me to know or understand about you?
- Do you prefer to work in groups or on your own?
- Do you like to read aloud?
- What are your favorite books?
- Do you enjoy reading?
Digital Wellbeing - Tools to Balance Tech and Life by Eric Curts
Excerpt:
"As much as I love technology, it can still be a challenge to balance its use with the rest of my life. On one hand technology allows me to earn a living, to connect with friends around the world, to find the answer to most any question, and to enjoy the latest bingeable show on Netflix. On the other hand, technology has the potential to consume more of my time than I realize. The challenge has always been finding that right balance."
Rethinking Data
Excerpt:
"For at least a decade now, the driving force behind education reform has been data. We talk about collecting data, analyzing data, and making data-driven decisions. All of this data can certainly be useful, helping us notice patterns we might not have seen without aggregating our numbers in some way, looking for gaps and dips and spikes, allowing us to figure out where we are strong and where we need help. In terms of certain academic behaviors, we can quantify student learning to some extent and improve our practice as a result.
And yet, we know this is not enough. We know our students bring with them so many other kinds of data. So many other factors contribute to academic success: the atmosphere in their homes, the demands of their out-of-school school schedule, the physical concerns that distract them, the passions and obsessions that consume them. These things are much harder to measure, so we don’t even try, focusing instead on the things we can convert to numbers.
In the spring of 2015, Denver elementary teacher Kyle Schwartz asked her students to complete this sentence in writing: “I wish my teacher knew . . . ” The student responses were so unexpected, so moving, Schwartz shared some of them online, igniting a movement that went viral within hours. Teachers everywhere asked their students the same question, learning in late spring things that had troubled their kids all year:"
Director of Technology
Please contact me if you have any questions or would like help using these tools!
Email: vturner@bereaschools.org
Website: https://www.berea.k12.oh.us/domain/104
Phone: 216-898-8300
Twitter: @vturner8