Article: 4 Reasons That Technology Might Not Be Helping Them Learn

I will be the first to tell you that technology is not always the best tool for the job. This article, 4 Reasons That Technology Might Not Be Helping Them Learn hits the nail on the head. 

The reasons they list include:
1) You're using technology for technology's sake.
2) The technology distracts from understanding.
3) The teacher is still the audience.
4) You're neglecting authentic student voice & choice.

Read more...

End-of-Year Equipment and Room Reservations

As the end of the year approaches, teachers often are scrambling to reserve rooms and equipment for projects and other assignments. Just as a reminder, room reservations must be entered in the name of the teacher whose class will physically be in the room at that time. Also, if you no longer need a reservation, delete it as soon as you know it's not needed.

If you try to reserve something and nothing is available, check back in a couple of days to see if something opened up. 

Article: PS we found it

4 O'Clock Faculty posts points to ponder for educators on a regular basis. This one caught my attention. It's worth a read.

PS We Found It

Kahoot!'s New Team Mode

Kahoot! has added a new Team mode. Read more. 

Vocabulary Game: Word Sneak

Caitlin Tucker, a leader in education, posted this game idea, a version of Jimmy Fallon's "Word Sneak" modified to fit classroom vocabulary. What a fun idea!

Article: 5 Ways Social Media is Changing Our Brains

Everyone should take a quick minute to read Lisa Nielsen's article Everybody Panic! 5 Ways Social Media is Changing Our Brains. It brings up several good points. 

Texting while Driving

The New York Times created an online interactive simulation of driving while texting. While this site is not new, it's new to me. Everyone should try it at least once. For me, it reaffirmed again why I won't look at my phone while driving. 

Google Slides: Tips and Tricks

The Gooru put together a list of 7 Tips for Google Slides. See if any suggestions can help your next presentation.

Develop Great Questions with the StoryCorps Question Generator

StoryCorps has put together a list of Great Questions for interviewing people. I also recommend you listen to some of their recordings. If your students are gathering information through interviews, take a look!

Article: Why I Taught My Students to Email (And Maybe You Should Too)

This article from Pernille Ripp entitled Why I Taught My Students to Email (And Maybe You Should Too) is a really worthwhile, short read. Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest impact. 

Google Drive: 8 Fantastic Ways to Find Anything

Shake Up Learning's Kasey Bell recently published a post titled Google Tricks & Tips: 8 Fantastic Ways to Find Anything in Google Drive. Her tips include:

• Search Google Drive by Keyword or Name
• Search Google Drive by File Type
• Search Google Drive by Date Modified
• Search Google Drive for Words the Item Contains
• Search by Owner
• Search Google Drive by "Shared with"
• Search Google Drive by "Located in"
• Search Google Drive for Exact Phrase

For more on these suggestions, check out her post. 

The 21st Century Book Report

I know not all of you teach English and if you do, you likely don't do traditional book reports often if ever, but everyone should read Adam Schoenbart's post The 21st Century Book Report. I especially like how he empowered his students to share their work with a world-wide audience. Check out the section titled "Sharing Student Work" to see their creations. 
If you ever want help with having your students share their work outside our walls, let me know! 

7 Ways to Identify and Protect Against Phishing Emails

The Gooru recently posted a good article titled "7 Ways to Identify and Protect Against Phishing Emails". I recommend you skim over the article, just in case.