Just a quick rundown of some apps I've been looking at in the past few weeks. I get very Google-centric here because of their vast array of resources and the availability of them, but it's important to remember there are amazing #EdTech resources outside of the Google realm. All three of these resources are designed to be for any curriculum. They are tools every class can use as apart of their repertoire.
This is a favorite of a lot of people in the EdTech world. For Blended Learning purposes (think flipped but not completely), this resource is a big one. You can house a series of steps for your students all in one easy to navigate, and use, hub for a self-contained lesson. Add content (documents, video, images, etc.) from your computer or the web, and provide guidance for students. The resource is shareable and embed-able (as you can see below) and makes complex tasks with numerous steps easy for students to grasp.
A link to the above file if you'd like to see it in a new tab:
https://www.tes.com/lessons/C9C0J3u6cp4OPQ/rise-of-fascism-dbq-prep
I'm a huge fan of EdPuzzle for videos (forces students to answer questions about the video before proceeding) and Actively Learn works very similarly but with articles and primary source documents. Have students answer questions as they read as part of their check for understanding. Want them to discuss items while they are reading (What? Thinking...while they are reading?), create the space for them. Want them to take a poll within the document at any place to gauge their opinions or understanding? Well....lets' do that!! It's one of those products that asks you to create a classroom and have students sign into it. But it is well worth it. Ken Buck at NU has been giving it a go as of late and he reports its an excellent resource for Primary Source documents and his students' understanding of them. There are a ton of features and options and Actively Learn walks you through the process in an easy to understand way.
With Actively Learn, you set the pace with students, get them to answer all the questions in a rich manner, and allow for a deeper understanding of course material. After clicking, "Read More" check out the pic and gifs on how this looks for the student.
Assessing writing is always a challenge for any teacher. The age-old hurdle of time keeps teachers from creating an assignment that needs to be assessed and feedback provided in a timely fashion. Problem is we can't let time bar us from developing those literacy skills with our students. Rubrics also pose significant challenges as there is a debate about whether they encourage our student's best work or formulaic writing. Wherever you fall on that debate, providing guidance for student writing is extremely important. There are some writing assignments that work without guidance. But with formal writing, students need a guide of sorts. You'd be crazy not to give that guidance....like dress up as a clown for fun crazy!! ***My apologies to all clowns who may be reading this. Please don't hurt me
With that in mind, below is a simple template you can use and alter in anyway you choose. The Single Standard Rubric is open enough to push the high and low achievers. It provides guidance without the cookie-cutter feel of a traditional rubric. It gives you the flexibility to assess and provide feedback in case the writing doesn't fit neatly in a box. The rubric was one I adapted from English Teacher Aric Foster in Michigan. Please feel free to adapt this one to suit your needs.
This rubric can be added to or subtracted from based on your needs and based on the assignment. Again, the idea isn't about using this rubric for each writing assignment. Rather, it is a call for holding all students to the same standards, not allowing them to decide which numbers they want to strive for, giving the educator flexibility in assessing their work, while also providing students a chance for students to find their voice.
You could also digitize it. Why not provide feedback from one single Google Form that you can type directly into? The data is housed on a spreadsheet and you can share that sheet with your students. Or set up a mail merge to send a student an individual report on their feedback. Below is an example of this. If you'd like to snag a copy of it, it is found here.
After school yesterday at NU I ran a PD session on resources to help with teaching ELL populations. It was a good group of educators from different departments all looking to increasing their toolkit. As I will do with all of my PD sessions I passed along and previewed some tools and resources you can use in the classroom. Below are my materials from the session. I'll be offering the session again in the future as well as others in different areas. For now, poke around the Slidedeck and see if there is anything of interest to you. If you have any questions, about the technology or want some help in incorporating it into your curriculum, feel free to contact me.
Don't forget to sign up for future PD sessions with me!! Google for Beginners and Formative Assessments this month at both NU & BR! Check out the calendar under the "EdTech Professional Development" tab above.
You can always check the EdTech Professional Development Calendar on this site by clicking the tab up top. I update it weekly (these days)
Upcoming EdTech Playgrounds!! Come join us for what some people are calling "the most amazing experience of my adult life..." Ok, I may have paid some to say that, but it's a Playground people!! Time to play!!
Wednesday 10/26 @NU 4pm Library Conference Room - Sign Up Here
Wednesday 11/2 @ BR 4pm Career Center - Sign Up Here
ELL EdTech Resources This will be a traditional PD Session where I will present EdTech resources to assist you in differentiating instruction for ELL populations. The resources I cover is also beneficial for other populations outside of just ELLs. There will be time embedded in the session for you to explore some or all of the products discussed. All are welcome to attend whether you have ELLs or not.
Google For Beginners This will be a traditional PD Session where I will present tips and tricks on a number of G Suite Apps (Docs, Slides, Forms, Drawing). There will be time in the sessions for you to develop products and explore the features covered. All skill levels welcomed.
Formative Assessments This will be a traditional PD Session where I will present EDTech answers to assessing your students. Shoot some life into your assessments so you can get an authentic understanding where your students are in their development! There will be time in the session for you to build your own assessment to administer the next day if need be! All skill levels are welcome.
When I was in the classroom teaching Psychology, it wouldn't be uncommon weeks into the year to receive a new student in my class. These wouldn't be transfers from other classes. Those would typically take place around the first few days of school. These would be new students to the school. Foreign exchange students from Germany, Japan, Spain, China, Holland, France or anywhere else some lucky soul came from when they made the decision to get educated for a year in California. Often times these students had a basic skill set in the English language but it was always a challenge. Especially since understanding Psychology is very difficult. We don't have as many ELLs in our area as other geographic locations in California, however we have a fair share. And their needs are very specific and need to be met if we are fulfilling our obligation of educating and preparing all students. But...its a challenge. One I found I struggled with often in my time in the classroom.
Below is a short clip to a 12-minute, short film called Immersion, from the WIDA Consortium that fictionalizes the struggles ELL learners face in the classroom. It captures very vividly the obstacles ELL students face in the classroom. But one thing that stuck out to me was the child in the clip had desire, drive, and thirst for participation in the lesson and success on a test to be taken in the future.
Although fictionalized, it's a good visual representation of how challenging the classroom can be for ELL students. It also demonstrates the need to differentiate instruction for our ELL populations.
Here is where EdTech can help....Below are some Web-based applications you can utilize in your curriculum to bridge this divide with our students. Now there are a ton of other products out there, and a lot of them can help with struggling learners...not just ELLs. Take a look and see what works for you! And if you use something that may be helpful to others, let me know and I'll spread the love!
What You Already Have: Google Translate: Students can translate text ans whole web pages in their native language. Android and iOS apps too that allow you to use your camera to translate words in physical space (i.e. Stop sign), speak your native language to get the audio translation, and translate any app the student has; you could also ask the student to type up an assignment in their native language and use Google Translate to understand their ideas
YouTube: With their webcam, students can record (in Live Streaming Mode) their ideas, thoughts, processes, and practice their English language skills without the self-consciousness that comes with speaking in front of the classroom
Speech to Text in Docs: Great way to have students practice their English speaking skills without having to spend too long searching the proper way to spell
Extensions: Read&Write for Google Docs & the Web- Great for ELL, students with dyslexia, and other learning needs; students can have words read aloud, see the meaning of them with text and images, get summaries of text on the website itself, annotation tools....this extension is a must-have SpeakIt! - Simply highlight text on any site or document and the word will be spoken through the speakers
Web-Apps Fotojet - Free online collages to allow students to express their ideas in visual form Canva - Create beautiful web design graphics in many different formats Clicker Docs - supports and develops writing skills for struggling students building their writing literacy Newsela - Change the reading levels of current events and non-fiction text to meet your students' needs while building their reading comprehension. Real-time assessments are built into the articles as well. BrainPop - Animated, synthesized content to help struggling learners comprehend complex material
