Ice Breaker Templates

 

TCEA recently posted these Ice Breaker templates. Check them out!

Matos’s Favorite Finds from TCEA

Here are my favorite finds from the TCEA (Texas Computer Educators Association) Convention…

Brain break/calming sites

• Weave Silk (you can drag a color circle onto another and they blend, the faster your mouse moves the more it shows the 2nd color)

• Color Mandala – very good for my symmetrical, organized brain!

Radial Timers

• Much less stressful than the traditional bomb countdown!

• 2-minutes, 5-minutes, 10-minutes

Amazon’s Leadership Principles

• Along the lines of what our students need to be Future Ready… These are the principles that Amazon leaders focus on every time they meet and in every decision they make. A trainer from Amazon shared these and stressed how they guide everything they do. 

• https://www.aboutamazon.com/about-us/leadership-principles 

Canva Presentations

• Magic Shortcuts - So fun! Create a quick Canva presentation then when in presentation mode, play with these:

• Present and Record - You can record yourself giving the presentation!

• If you don’t have a FREE educational Canva account, click here.

• Canva for Education also includes a Classroom so you can manage your students and see their work! Adding students also gives them access to all of the additional FREE Educational resources.

Yellkey.com 

• Creates a shortened URL for a short period of time. Great for sharing a URL with students when it’s just needed for that time during class. 

Crowd Buzzer

• Turns devices (phones, chromebooks) into a buzzer. Great for class review games!

• Teacher: https://ccg.buzz/host/ 

• Students: https://ccg.buzz/ 

Gimkit update 

• KitCollab - students can create content; you can pull from it to use

• Now the free account allows as many people as you want & includes basic game types

Wakelet

• Wakelet is like Pinterest for education. 

• When creating a new board, select from several layout options.

• Many types of items can be added to a Wakelet board. 

• Boards can be used as a template for students to add their own resources to 

• Boards can be collaborative for group work. 

• Ideas of use:

1. Backchannel during class

2. Keeping track of resources/research

3. Newsletters

4. Calming Rooms (examples: MS, HS)

5. Station work

6. Sub plans (example; great for subs who can’t log into Canvas)

• Examples: Representation of Disability Through The Media and Fairytales, The 3 Branches of Government, Art in the Time of COVID-19, Digital Citizenship

Building Culture in your School/Classroom

• Culture is built 30 seconds at a time.

• Stand in halls during passing periods and talk with kids!

• Congratulate students on accomplishments

• Idea to build relationships: 

1. Pull out your phone, open photos. 

2. Find one to share and tell the story. 

3. 1 minute per person in pairs.

• 3 key findings that work with EdTech

1. Interactive learning

2. Use of tech to explore and create rather than to drill and kill

3. The right blend of teachers and tech

Fun Finds from TCEA

 Last week was TCEA's virtual conference. Here are a few of my fun finds...

Emojis

When typing on a PC, hold <Windows>+<period> to get a pop-up with emojis! Quick access to enter them into your text!

Textgiraffe

Like fontmeme, textgiraffe.com is another fun text creator! Feel free to use these in Google Slides, Jamboards, etc!

Fun Fonts from FontMeme!

 

This totally falls under "just for fun" but can add some enjoyment to your class! check out this site for making text in "famous" fonts!

fontmeme.com

Wheel of Names

 

https://youtu.be/T4Y0li_UiI8 

If you haven't seen this little gem before, you should check it out. Copy and paste in a list of names and spin away! wheelofnames.com

Mustard Ketchup Pickles

This one makes me super happy. Thanks to Brandon Walters for sending it my way! Feel free to make your own copy and edit away!

Common Craft's COVID Kit

 

Common Craft has shared their COVID Kit which includes 3 silent videos about COVID topics. Check it out!

PowerPoint Game Templates

 

PowerPoint game templates that play just like your students' favorite game shows including Jeopardy, Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, and more!

Symbol Salad

 If you need quick access for your students to use symbols, accented letters, and the such in an online product, copy what you need from Symbol Salad and paste it into the assignment's title or text. Students can copy and paste from there to use in their assignment (Jamboard, Google assignment, etc)! Genius!

Thanks to Jane Smith for this fun find!

Text Generator

If you are looking for a quick way to find just the right font, check out lingojam.com/BoldTextGenerator! Type in the first box, then locate and copy-paste the font you like from the second box! Done!

Thanks to Jane Smith for this fun find!

Teacher Soundboard

 Here's a fun little find. Enjoy!

Teacher Soundboard

http://bit.ly/32oYH56

Street View's 15 favorite street views

Google recently posted their 15 favorite street views. Take a break and check them out. Read more.

Eduphoria's Bumper Sticker Contest

Two of the most recent past winners are from Frisco ISD! 2017 - Kristy McCoy (Staley MS's DLC) 2018 - Carol Gross (former Cen10 News teacher; current Memorial HS animation teacher) Powerful Apps for Superpowered Educators

IT'S BACK... The 2020 Bumper Sticker Contest has begun! For 16 years, Eduphorians like you have crafted a variety of witty Bumper Sticker Slogans and we can't wait to see this year's submissions. The winning slogan will not only be printed and distributed during local and national conferences, but it will also be a part of Eduphoria History. What's in it for you? The winner will receive a $250 Amazon Gift Card, 100 Bumper Stickers with their winning slogan on it, and infinite bragging rights! Previous Winning Slogans - 2019 - I teach for the Money and Fame. 2018 - I Came. I Taught. I'm Still at School. 2017 - You Had Me at Jeans Pass!   Think you have the 2020 Winning Slogan? SUBMIT YOUR IDEA

Happy Halloween from NASA

NASA recently posted a picture of the sun that looks like a jack 'o lantern. Visit their Facebook post to download a high resolution version of the picture! Enjoy!
Read more. 

Mars 2020 or bust!

My name is going on board with NASA's Mars 2020 Rover heading to the red planet. Your name can go too! Submit your name by Sept. 30, 2019, and fly along! #JustForFun #Mars2020 
Read more: https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/mars2020 

Whackronym: Acronyms in Education

Think you know all the acronyms related to education? Give this game your best shot! whackronym.com

Emojis on Windows 10

Did you know that with Windows 10 you can use the on screen keyboard to access emojis?

You're welcome. 😁

Create Your Own Animated GIFs the Easy Way!

Want to impress your students? Check out Richard Byrne's post An Easy Way to Create a GIF From Google Slides and create some animated GIFs of your own the easy way (with the Docs365 GIFmaker add-on)! These can be used to get students' attention, to share screenshots of directions or much more!

iNaturalist

This summer you might be planning on a trip that includes time in the outdoors. If so, check out iNaturalist, an online community for sharing pictures and observations of animals and plants. Take pictures of your findings and post them to their collection. You can also explore through their free app (iTunes, Google Play). Enjoy your summer as a Citizen Scientist!

October Fun Contest

Participate in CHS's October Fun contest!

1. Pick up a coloring sheet from the mailroom or print your own (link).
2. Decorate with solid black shapes and return (write your name on the BACK) to Penney Matos or Tammy Turner by Fri, Oct. 20.
3. Stop by the Library Mon, Oct. 23 – Mon, Oct. 30 to view submissions in 3D and to vote for your favorites!

• Scariest/Creepiest
• Cutest
• Most Original
• Best Overall

Winners will be announced Tuesday, October 31.

If you’d like to see your own picture in 3D, download the FREE Quiver app.

** Note: The app does not pick up colors like their other coloring sheets do. It only picks up the black spaces as cut-outs.