CFHS Ed Tech Newsletter
Trending EdTech News for the Month of February 2016
One day. Thousands of possibilities.... Feb. 17 2016
All across the country, schools are undergoing a transformation in teaching and learning with the help of digital technology. As educators re-imagine school in new and different ways, Digital Learning Day provides an opportunity to collaborate with peers, share ideas, try new digital tools, and celebrate education innovation. Most importantly, it encourages everyone to play a role in the transformation of their own schools and communities.
From virtual student debates to a digital project showcase, local Digital Learning Day events are as diverse and unique as the students that participate. The possibilities are endless. Thousands of classrooms in addition to community centers, school districts and even states get involved in the day by hosting events and activities that highlight or encourage new ways of using technology for learning.
Browse Activities and Ideas
Looking for inspiration? Digital Learning Day has partnered with Participate Learning to offer new resources and classroom activity ideas. Participate Learning is a free collection and collaboration platform that lets teachers quickly find, collect, and share digital resources.
20 Ways To Ditch The Worksheets this Year
Call in to Google Voice
Create a digital game like Kahoot! or Quizizz
Create a Zaption Video
Ed Tech All Stars: Celebrating Teachers' Ed Tech Use At CFHS
I can wake up the sleepiest class with a quick game of Kahoot where even the usually least engaged students are on the edge of their seats or even standing and shrieking when they see their name listed on the top five places screen. I don't even have to create the game quizzes because there are many that I can quickly edit or adjust. Kahoot is a fast and easy way to help students get engaged that has a lasting effect even after the game has ended. There are many similar games online that are almost as engaging, but Kahoot is the current favorite.
In addition to the games, I am also using our online text site regularly. This site allows students to practice with individual feedback and in addition, saves information for me to see how they are doing and what effort they extended. It is an great resource and it allows me to have time to work individually with struggling students in a class of 30+ because everyone is individually engaged at an appropriate pace, leaving me more available.
From a teacher perspective, what I am finding most enlightening about using technology in the classroom is that rather than being an uncontrollable disruption, it is the resource that allows me to better manage the crowd and still individualize instruction.
Bathany Thiel: In my self contained learning strategies class I have used the Scrap Pad app with the IPads. The students basically created flash cards for difficult vocabulary words and added text & pictures to help them remember definitions. We have also used the IPads in our class to complete online surveys about study habits & learning styles. We also use the IPads for Poll Everywhere and Kahoot!
Trending this Month @MoJoEdTEch
1)#SCPSpowerup
2) Digital Learning Day Resources
3) BYOD Resources
Professional Development Offerings this Winter
BYOD Power Up Sessions
Participants will learn about different formative and summative assessment tools for their Power Up Teacher Tool Kit. These are tools that teachers can use with student owned devices. Each Month will be a new tool for the Power Up Teacher Tool Kit. Participants will have to go to 3 Sessions and complete a reflection form for each one before the end of the year.
See mylearningplan.com to sign up and get more details.
Meeting Students Needs through Differentiated Instruction
This workshop is designed for teachers, curriculum specialists, professional development specialists, or other school personnel. Participants are expected to have regular access to computers and be proficient with using email and web-browsers. Every classroom is made up of individuals with diverse strengths, backgrounds, and approaches to learning. Understanding and responding to students' individual learning needs can be a challenge for teachers. Participants in this course, Meeting Student Needs Through Differentiated Instruction, will learn how to identify student learning needs and they will explore many strategies and tools that will help them to plan lessons so that all students are appropriately challenged and supported. Participants will also explore technology tools that will facilitate differentiated instruction and strategies to differentiate assessment. To apply what they learn in the course, participants will create or modify a lesson plan demonstrating how they will differentiate instruction to meet a variety of student learning needs.
See mylearningplan.com to sign up and get more details.
Monthly Newsletter from your iTRT Monica VanHusen
Email: vanhusenmj@staffordschools.net
Website: cfhs.org
Location: 550 Courthouse Road, Stafford, VA, United States
Phone: 540-658-6115
Twitter: @MoJoEdTech