Explaining ideas orally vs. written

Need a way to have students record their voice and explain their thinking? From any device, go to https://online-voice-recorder.com/.   Simply click record, and students can record up to 7 minutes of themselves talking.  They can also do this with tablets, using an app like Easy Voice Recorder.  The recordings are saved as an audio file that can easily be added to other applications.   For example, the recording can be uploaded to WeVideo, Google Slideshow, Padlet or Thinglink.

Some instructional ideas for use are to have kids explain how they solved a math problem, talk about the steps to conduct an experiment, reflect on a mentor text, or create a dialogue with a partner in another language.  They could also type up a story/essay/poem in Google Docs, and then insert a link of them reading the text for fluency practice, or a link to them reflecting on the piece.

And there's more! Imagine if they could take a picture of something, draw on it, and talk about it.  I love this app Clarisketch!  

Click HERE for samples of Clarisketch.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

Looking for a way to connect your math students to others around the world? Want to challenge them to use their math knowledge both in school and at home? Check out this innovative idea to motivate students!  This would be a great warm-up or closing activity!

There is a Global Math Twitter Challenge and it’s very easy to participate. Each day (or whenever you want), your class can post one math question from their lesson and can answer other math questions posted from students around the globe.  Simply type the hashtag #gmttcMS (for middle school) with the question or response.  You can also search Twitter with that hashtag to see what other classrooms at your grade level are posting. This is an ongoing challenge throughout the school year. The more classes that sign up, the better it will be, so spread the word!

Want to learn more about how Twitter is being used to improve instruction?  

Check out these links!

NEA: Can Tweeting Help your Teaching?

Edudemic: 30 Innovative Ways to use Twitter in the Classroom

A new way to share learning - Google Tour Builder

Communicating and creativity come to life in an interactive template, using Google Tour Builder.

Google Maps Interactive Tour Builder - Students and teachers will LOVE this new tool!  It's a great way to set the stage for inquiry-driven learning. Students can tell a story and create a "tour" to present learning, using pins on maps.  With each pin, they add a description which can include other forms of media, such as text, videos, photos, and links.  The project creates an interactive timeline of events.  This tool has so many possibilities for all content areas!   

A few lesson ideas:

• Multimedia letter about events in a novel, or events in a war.  Students assume the role of a character or historical figure to create their tour.
• Students create one class tour, and add information for a place their family is from.  Students can look for things they have in common with their classmates for a writing project.
• Students can add information about various cities in one area of study.  For example, the class can create a tour of South America, with each student creating a pin in various key cities.
• Create a tour from one biome to another with photos and descriptions.
• Create a tour measuring miles from one city to another.  
• Create a tour of famous musicians or artists, with places of their birth, and pictures of samples of their work.

Sounds interesting?  Here's a list of sample tours to check out!

Civil War Battlefields

Being a post 9/11 National Guard Member (Example of Digital Storytelling)

Underwater Reef Tour

Another similar web tool is tripline.net.

Innovative Idea - Scavenger Hunts

Kids are more likely to make connections when they are activly moving while learning.  Try a scavenger hunt to get them up and out of their seats.

Automatic QR code Scavenger Hunt Creator - Enter in the questions, and the QR codes are generated automatically!  It's so fast and easy!  Cut and paste the QR codes around the room to get your kids moving and answering questions.  A great review/warm-up activity.  Kids use the tablets to read QR codes.

Graphic Organizers with Google Drawing

Matt Miller does it again with infographics for all your classroom needs!  Click on the samples below to see the many capabilities of Google Drawings.  What a timesaver!  

Venn diagram: Lets students write similarities and differences on a topic.

KWL: Lets students list: what I know, what I want to know, what I have learned.

Timeline: Lets students plot dates and events over a specified time period.

Evaluation: Lets students identify criteria, explain whether it was successful and why, and     provide evidence.

Cause and effect chain: Lets students identify actions that caused other actions and their effects.

Fishbone planner: Lets students list advantages and disadvantages of a topic.

Word web / semantic map: Lets students branch ideas out from a main topic into subtopics.

Flow chart: Lets students display the linear relationship among several things.

Hexagonal thinking: Lets students connect ideas with multiple contact points.

Character map: Lets students list important information about a character, like what the character says and what the student thinks of the character.

Cornell note-taking: Lets students list main points and evidence, details and location.

Plot diagram: Lets students show how a plot builds, climaxes and resolves.

Vocabulary cluster: Lets students identify synonyms, antonyms, and related words to a specific word.

Vocabulary concept map: Lets students make connections to other words from a specific vocabulary term.

Think about your thinking: Helps students think through their decisions and how they arrived at their conclusions.

Frayer Model (by request!): Provides a framework for a thorough understanding of new words.

Argumentative Writing (submitted by Melissa Rasmus of Chippeway Falls Area USD in Wisconsin): Helps students organize essays by breaking down parts of the essay in different sections.

BONUS: Click here for the entire folder of all of the graphic organizers in one shared Google Drive folder!

Digital Citizenship - Organize your Drive

Imagine what your bedroom would look like if you had no drawers or  hangers for all your clothes.  Piles and piles of shirts, pants, and socks, all in a random order.  Image how hard it would be to find something you want to wear.  This is what happens to your Drive if you do not stay organized!  Start the new year off fresh by creating folders for your important go-to documents.  Students need to be reminded of this important skill also.  They can create folders for each school year to organize their Drive, which ends up bring the ultimate digital portfolio.



 Practice being a good digital citizen and get organized!

Increase Classroom Comunication

Here are some ideas to increase communication in your classroom.

1) Google Classroom - Post assignments and announcements, and organize all digital assignments.  Helps build a community of learners.

2) Remind - Students/parents sign up to receive a text message from you for reminders.  Parents love getting reminders about important deadlines!  You can do this from your computer, or from the app.

3) Gmail - Create contact groups for each class period.  Send emails to kids quickly!

4) Google Forms - Use google forms to create surveys for students or parents, digital reading responses, formative assessments, or reflective exit slips.

5)  Twitter - Start a twitter account for students and parents to follow.  Share the great things kids are doing in your classes!  Also a great way to promote a team sport or club.

6) CCSD59 Teacher web pages.  Update the page so it doesn't read "Welcome back 2012!"  Add a homework calendar, or whatever else you need.

7) Find Someone Who... Google Slides activity Fun Team building activity, for Chromebook or Tablet. Make a copy first and add any necessary slides. (Thanks for sharing Coach Suzie Rocha!)

New Year's Resolutions - Follow innovative blogs!

Looking for new innovative ideas for the new year? I love sharing innovative ideas with everyone I work with. My New Year's resolution is to house all these ideas in one place for others to follow. The best part about blogging is learning from others. My favorite bloggers are Alice Keeler and Matt Miller. Alice Keeler is a Google expert and shares scripts to accomplish just about any task you can think of. Matt Miller, the author of "Ditch that Textbook," provides many activities you can take and use right in your classroom.  Start with his list of 20 Google-apps-activities-for-classroom-innovation.    You can also subscribe to receive his weekly inspirational newsletter.

Why we do what we do

All it took was a smile. A smile from a jr. high student who was so proud of his work, that he could hardly contain his excitement!  He was complimented by our own district network specialist, and by the Lewis Leiboh, from Google Play.  That was all it took to impact this student.  Seeing the inspiration on the face of kids reminds us why we do what we do.  We work through all the challenges and stress with hope that we make a difference.  We want to help children make good decisions and be prepared for the world that awaits them.  I sometimes hear teachers say they want to be inspired.  And so do our children.  It is our job to inspire the kids we teach.  And as an Innovative Learning Coach, it is my job to help teachers make that happen.