Friday Feed
16-17 Sawnee Tech News Vol. 3
The 4Cs: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking
Imagine what learning would look like in your ideal world. In my mind, it should involve sharing thoughts and ideas, working together, playing on each other's strengths, looking at problems in different ways, and trying to reach goals in new ways.This is where the 4 Cs can lead your instruction, with technology ready to lend a hand!
Collaboration
Google apps instantly pop into my head when thinking about collaborating in the classroom (and outside those 4 walls too)! This week is the perfect time to look at ways to integrate Google Apps as a follow up to our grade level training about Google Drawings. Collaboration isn't limited to Drawings! It may look like a grade level working together in Google Docs to create lesson plans or rubrics for a project, students working to create a shared presentation in Google Slides, or students using an app to explain their thinking for a math problem. Collaboration doesn't have to involve technology at all, but chances are it may make life easier and boost student creativity and engagement. Looking for ways to increase collaboration?
- Consider having student groups work collaboratively to complete a story web during reading centers *Jennifer Miller created this template for differentiated reading groups. The web is color coded so students know which blocks they can type in. Ask her for tips about starting it with your class.
- Kim Lochbaum (Mashburn ITS) shared these Graphic Organizers you can copy for use in your own class. Make sure you click File > Make a Copy and choose to save to your drive if you plan on using the files. (Guess what?! You're already collaborating if you read this and use templates created by a teacher at another school!)
- Use the Team vs Team mode in Kahoot! (access through Classlink) allowing students to discuss submissions.
- Create a backchannel during small groups or videos. Students can ask questions to one another using the itslearning conference tool or Socrative (access through Classlink) using the Short Answer with unlimited response feature.
Be Kind
Please remember to return laptops and carts to their home location. Before leaving the cart, plug it in and check to see if the switch is in the DOWN position to enable charging.
About the Friday Feed
Betsy Paul is an Instructional Technology Specialist at Sawnee Elementary in Cumming, GA. This flyer is created to share instructional technology news and tools with teachers at Sawnee Elementary, but feel free to use and share with others.
Twitter: @BetCPaul