Classroomscreen
November 2, 2021
Classroomscreen.com- #96
I've mentioned classroomscreen.com before, but it was mentioned again at EdCampPaloPintoTx. During the session, I had the opportunity to look at it again and it has definitely changed.
Here are just a few examples of what the basic plan can offer:
- Exit Poll, Clock and Calendar, Timer, Stopwatch, Traffic Light, Work Symbols (silence, whisper, etc.) , Text Box, Drawing Tool, Upload Image, QR Code Generator, Noise Level in Classroom, and so much more.
This is a great way to visually display your schedule and to engage students. See the images below 👇🏻
Fall Coffee Shop Ambience Videos:
- Cozy Fall Coffee Shop Ambience: Relaxing Jazz Music & Rain Sounds
- Cozy Autumn Cafe Ambience ASMR & Relaxing Guitar Music
- Autumn Evening Ambience with Relaxing Fireplace & Rain Sounds
Keep looking on YouTube- there are so many more.
BrainPop and BrainPop Jr.
Don't forget that BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. have videos and several activities to go along with the video.
Discovery Education DEX
This is a great resource for curated videos. Don't forget, we have the new Discovery Education Experience that allows you to add quizzes to a video and live in-class. Teachers and students have access to studio where you can build interactive slideshows and boards.
HyperDocs
I absolutely love HyperDocs! They give students the opportunity to explore, collaborate, create, and reflect. With Veterans Day coming up, I was searching for already-made HyperDocs and I’ve found this one and then I created my own.
HyperDoc #1- Here is HyperDoc about Veterans Day that I got from hyperdocs.co. Don’t forget to make a copy first. This HyperDoc would be great for younger grades; however, go through and check out the resources. I would substitute a Google Slide and/or Google Draw for the Starfall resource. I’ve noticed that some Starfall activities do not work correctly due to Adobe Flash, etc. Even though this HyperDoc is using ThingLink, ThingLink is approved for teachers to create an account and for students to view, but it is not approved for students to have their own account to create. In this case of using this HyperDoc, students are just viewing and accessing the links on the ThingLink. Don’t forget to check out what’s available in the free pricing plan and click here to see more information about using ThingLink with students as a free teacher account, if you want to create your own.
HyperDoc #2- Veterans Day. Here is one that I created using YouTube, Padlet, Google MyMaps, and Google Draw. Feel free to make a copy and edit to make your own.
For more HyperDoc templates, visit hyperdocs.co.
Google Arts & Culture
This virtual tour of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Arlington Cemetery would be a great hyperlink to input into a HyperDoc for Veterans Day. This virtual tour takes you to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a little bit through the Arlington National Cemetery.
Please keep in mind, if you choose to allow students to look up other art materials, please be aware that Google Arts and Culture defines art differently than we might do as teachers. There may be material that is inappropriate for grades below 9th.
Even though we can't be there physically, this is truly a humbling experience.
Nearpod District-Licensed & Nearpod with Free Version
There are several Veterans Day lessons in the Nearpod Library created by the Nearpod Team for grades K-2, 3-5th, and 6-12th. There are also Nearpod created lessons that are optimized for use in Student-Paced mode with the district licensed. Definitely preview them and check them out.
Flipgrid
A great idea to show your thanks is to have your students create a Flipgrid video thanking a Veteran. Did you know that after receiving all of their videos, you can download them and create a master video using a different EdTech tool? Click here to see the steps in Flipgrid on how to download all of the videos. To access already-created Veteran Flipgrids, go to your Flipgrid Dashboard ---> up at the top heading, click on Discovery ---> search for Veterans Day. There are several choices to choose from.
Pre-Made Quizzes
Don’t forget to check out EdTech tools where there are already teacher-created quizzes, e.g., Kahoot and Quizzizz. I also wanted to share about Flippity. They don’t have premade quizzes, but there are a lot of ‘games’ to choose from that the teacher creates themselves.
Kahoot S’more (created September 2019)
Quizzizz (October 2018)
Flippity (April 2017)
Campus Librarians
Your campus librarians have a plethora of resources for Veterans Day.
As similar to the EdTech tools mentioned above for Veterans Day, I would recommend using those same tools for Thanksgiving. Check out my findings below where I added a few extra tools. Gobble! Gobble!
BrainPop and BrainPop Jr.
Don't forget that BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. have videos and several activities to go along with the video. One of the great things about their activities is that you can assign it through your BrainPop class.
Scholastic
Go back in time and relive the journey the Pilgrims made as they crossed the Atlantic to start a new colony here in the Americas. Click on the link for virtual field-trips, reenactments, historical letters, and more.
Comic Strips for Giving Thanks
Having students create Comic Strips is a great way for them to show their creativity and it’s a great way to get reluctant readers involved in writing and reading. Google Drawings and Slides are great tools for giving students this creative opportunity. It lets them create using shapes, add speech/thought bubbles, and insert images in one place. What is the difference between the two? I would use Google Drawings if you want your comics to be on a single image and Google Slides for multiple pages.
Here’s how I would set it up in my class:
Create a template so class time is not wasted
Create a rubric so your students know what your expectations are
If you’re wanting the students to use images, I would recommend the teacher find images in advance and insert them into a GoogleDrive folder that is shared with the class. This saves time and also allows for safe images.
Here are a few templates from last year’s Rams Techapalooza speaker, Matt Miller with #DitchThatTextbook.
Simple, Four-Panel Comic Strip (Don’t forget to make a copy)
Wide, Four-Panel Comic Strip (Don’t forget to make a copy)
Comic Slide Template (Don’t forget to make a copy)
National Native American Heritage Month
Did you know that November is National Native American Heritage Month? I found this website which is part of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian. It has great resources for teachers that includes the grade levels for the lesson, keywords, essential understandings, and along with the academic standards.
Flipgrid
A great way for your students to tell others what they are thankful for is to have your students create a Flipgrid video. Did you know that after receiving all of their videos, you can download them and create a master video using a different EdTech tool? Click here to see the steps in Flipgrid on how to download all of the videos. To access already-created Thanksgiving videos, go to your Flipgrid Dashboard ---> up at the top heading, click on Discovery ---> search for Thanksgiving. There are several choices to choose from.
Google Slides Turkey Templates
Build a Turkey- I absolutely love this Turkey template for the Thanksgiving holidays, and it never gets old! Check out this template from Control Alt Achieve, created by Beth Kingsley. Have fun!
Disguise a Turkey- Kelley Costa, @costasecond, created this one. This would go great with a writing activity!
Breakout EDU
A Digital Breakout EDU is similar to an escape room that you go to on a weekend with your friends, but... it’s digital. Students are challenged with clues to open ‘locks’ to finish the game. The locks are not physical locks, but are instead Google Forms. I’ve listed below a few Thanksgiving breakouts that Peggy Reimers, @preimers, from TCEA created. These are great for all grades- even the older students will love them!
Need more information about Digital Breakouts? Click here to see more Breakouts from Peggy Reimers.
7 Direction Lock - L,R,U,D,U,D,L - (follow the Thanksgiving-themed towns)
10 Letter Lock - CORNUCOPIA
Date Lock - 11/26 (NOTE TO PEGGY - change this every year)
8 Number Lock - 22421112 (hidden link) (double the recipe)
4 Color Lock - P,G,O,B (background of the turkeys on the Google Site)
More information on the Directional Lock:
Click on the map on the Gobble Gobble Breakout.
From Turkey, TX to Roll, AZ - is what direction? From Roll, AZ to Corn, OK - is what directions?, etc.
4 Word Lock BLOWSLOWAROUNDGROUND (click on tree - poem)
4 Number Lock 1150 (click on cornucopia)
6 Color Lock Y,O,B,O,R,Y (leaf colors)
4 Direction Lock - L,D,R,U Follow the towns on a map - you can click on the map to make it larger. (Falls Church to Fall City is L, Fall City to Fallbrook is D, Fallbrook to Fall Branch is R and Fall Branch to Fall River is U)
Campus Librarians
Don’t forget to contact your campus librarian to see if they have a paid version of Digital Breakout EDU with other breakout types that might be of interest.
MWISD Instructional Technology Specialist
As the Instructional Technology Specialist, I will strive to serve the academic and digital needs of our students and provide equitable opportunities to prepare students for our ever-changing global community.
I will strive to assist teachers in appropriately incorporating and implementing technology in their classroom by being available for one-on-one meetings, PLCs, staff meetings, and providing professional development that meets our teacher's technology needs.
Email: jmartin@mwisd.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/mwisd.net/edtech/home
Location: 906 Southwest 5th Avenue, Mineral Wells, TX, USA
Phone: (940) 325-6404
Twitter: @janaleemartin