Some American Issues - Covid - Can be Canadian Too

 

An American Perspective

Here are the 7 most popular Education Week stories and opinion essays you and your colleagues have been reading. Take a look! Also, don't miss our latest special report, K-12 Connectivity Challenges Now and After COVID-19 which examines what steps school districts, states, and the federal government are taking to improve internet access for all students, now and for the future.  Click the links below to read more ... Sure, it's an American publication, but no doubt the issues and solutions filter into Canada, don't you think?

1. One District's COVID-19 Journey: A Year of Upheaval and Unexpected Insights

2. Reopening Plans, Private Schools, Special Education: Senate Puts Stamp on COVID-19 Bill

3. 'Give Yourself Grace' as You Teach Concurrently (Opinion)

4. A Year of COVID-19: What It Looked Like for Schools

5. How Two Years of Pandemic Disruption Could Shake Up the Debate Over Standardized Testing

6. Most Principals, District Leaders Predict Their Schools Will Be Fully In-Person This Fall

Can Facebook Be Used as a Tech Tool in Classrooms?

We've seen many social media platforms and websites used in education: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube - the list goes on! With this strong use of social media platforms, however, I have yet to see Facebook being used as an instructional tool. Facebook is one of the largest and most popular social media platforms that enables you to connect with and contact people, and post about your life, interests, and opinions. Facebook is a very public website, where almost everyone generally could have access to anybody's profile. From first glance, it does not seem like the type of website that would be appropriate for educational purposes, but I would like to contradict that. In fact, I believe that Facebook could be very useful for education. 

Instructors can create a class Facebook page and invite students to "like" the page so that they receive announcements, current events news, and updates on class projects, etc. There can also be a Facebook "group" created with all of this same information, however, the access to the group is only available to those allowed or invited in (i.e, students, parents, other teachers). Through Facebook, students can engage with the instructor or with their peers through posting comments and replies on the page. Facebook also takes note of what you like or your interests, so you could find many educational videos on there that you can use as a resource for students. Facebook Live is a new feature that is immensely useful in the classroom. It is a tool that allows teachers to record videos which students may view through live streaming, or view later. This is a terrific way to record and share videos of difficult lessons so that students can watch and learn after school.

Pros and Cons of using Facebook as a tech tool...

Pros:

• Easy and straightforward for anyone to use

• Can be used on any device - computer, phone, tablet, etc.

• Can be synchronous (Facebook live) or asynchronous

• Students can access at any time

• Parents can have access to it

• The information can be accessible only to those who are in the group or like the page

• Teacher can have full control of what the students see in these groups/on the page

• Can document class adventures

• Can document any information for students to refer to 

• Teaches students digital citizenship skills

• Can post links, documents, images, videos, events

• Students can use Facebook to make global connections

Cons:

• You must be at least 13 years old to use Facebook. This means that it would not be suitable for younger students, unless they use their parents' account, or if the Facebook resources would be accessible just for parents to keep track of their kids' learning. Facebook would be a good tool for high school students.

• There is the possibility that students can post inappropriate images or texts in the group

• There is no way to guarantee that students will not be researching inappropriate topics outside of the classroom

• Unless students' profiles are private, almost anyone could have access to viewing their profile 

With all of the pros and cons considered, would YOU use Facebook as a tool for your classroom? 

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-ways-use-facebook-classroom/

https://www.facebook.com/

Caitlin@Niagara

Coding in the New Math Curriculum

With the introduction of coding to the new math curriculum, teachers are struggling to find ways to incorporate inquiry-based learning in the classroom. Insert: code.org. This website includes free courses and activities for students K-12 in computer science. Teachers can setup a classroom section on code.org, where they can assign courses to students and track their progress. They can also leave them direct feedback through code.org. The website is also a good resource for teachers new to coding to gain a better understanding and develop ideas on how to teach the concepts through the "teacher resources" tab. That includes Lesson plans, certificates, and music filtering. The games available on this website are a great way to show students how to use coding in everyday life. Interactive coding games include dance party, AI for Oceans, and so much more!

                                               
                                               

Try coding.org in your classroom!

Brought to you by Madison@NU (OTECC)

Mars - NASA's Perseverance Virtual Tours

 These are just 3 sites you can visit and have your students explore Mars.

Newsweek

Mars 'Virtual Tour' Gives 360 View of Planet From NASA's Perseverance Rover

Mars 'Virtual Tour' Gives 360 View of Planet From NASA's Perseverance Rover · The sky in Hou's tour has been edited to show it full of stars, so ...

4 hours ago

NASA

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Provides First Audio ...

New video from NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover chronicles major ... In the coming days, a 360-degree panorama of Jezero by the ...

1 day ago

GeekWire

NASA releases jaw-dropping video and audio from Mars, with an assist from AWS

Nominate a Junior Geek of the Month Submit a nomination. What the Biden Administration Means for Startups, a Lane Powell virtual event in ...

1 day ago

Edmodo

As our world becomes supported and driven by technology, it is important for teachers to adapt their practice to meet the needs of the 21st century student. Especially in these unprecedented COVID times, teachers have been thrown into an online teaching environment where they have been able to meet the educational needs of their students and keep the academic year flowing as normal as possible. 

In this blog, I would like to feature the online teaching resource Edmodo. Edmodo is a global education network that helps connect all learners (remote and in-person) with people and resources required to be successful in their academic studies. 

As a teacher, Edmodo provides the tools necessary to make learning accessible for all students wherever they may be. Teachers can send messages, share class material, create polls, quizzes, post assignments and create an exciting hands-on learning environment for all of their students. They can also post class updates, grades and keep students learning from home on track and while contributing and remaining an active part of the classroom community. 

Students benefit from using Edmodo by easily staying organized. Edmodo organizes the student's work with class folders and a built-in planner. Confidence is raised and learning becomes empowered as students experience their education as a digital citizen and can access their learning from anywhere with an internet connection. 

Edmodo is a safe, simple and free resource for teachers to use while creating their digital classroom. Getting started is simple. The site offers organized step by step directions on how to create an account, set up your class and invite students to join. Edmodo allows the classroom community to learn better while learning together! 

                                         

Lisa@NU, OTECA

How to Become a Reflective Teacher

In an article ("How to Become a Reflective Teacher: The Complete Guide") written by Lucie Renard, she discusses the importance of practicing reflective teaching and the ways in which it can only better you as an educator.

Reflective teaching is a process defined as self-reflection of your work and putting an effort to make positive changes for improvement. 

I enjoyed this article because it not only thoroughly defines what reflective teaching is, but also provides free downloadable checklists, exit tickets, and lesson plan templates for teachers to use. It is important to involve your students in this process because they provide a unique perspective on your teaching; they are on the receiving end of it.

By utilizing different perspectives (self, students, colleagues, etc.) you can analyze your teaching process and make adjustments to improve yourself for the future!

You can read the entire article at: 

https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2019/02/how-to-become-a-reflective-teacher-the-complete-guide-for-reflection-in-teaching

Brought to you by: Alanah@NU

Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants

"Bring science, exploration, adventure and conservation into your classrooms through virtual speakers and field trips with leading experts across the world."

Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants is and always will be free for classrooms everywhere! Whether you are teaching virtually or in person, this is a great resource to use to get your students excited and engaged about science. Each month during the school year, there are about 30-50 live virtual events for classrooms. You can show your class how the sharks are fed at the Ripley's Aquarium, or follow expeditions around the world- the catalogue of videos you and your class can explore on this site is limitless. 

Here's how it works: 

All of the events are announced each month via their newsletter, website, or social media. The events are usually 45 minutes. There are 3 ways to join:

1. Sign- up on the website and make sure to have a camera set up in the classroom so that your class can ask questions and interact with the speaker. They generally have 5-6 classrooms joining a lesson. 
2. Tune in live- If the spots for a lesson you're interested in is fully booked, you can watch them live on YouTube or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ebtsoyp). You can even send in questions through the chat.
3. Watch on YouTube- If you can't watch it live, you can watch the recorded lessons/events anytime (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQkEzcH9f_9OylEdmALiWg)

I think this is a great resource to enhance your science lessons. I really like that when a classroom signs up for a live event, the students aren't just sitting and watching a prerecorded video, they are able to interact and engage with the speaker live. 

@Teresa(OTECC)NU

eSchool News: Student Centered Learning

 

4 things data tells us about student-centered learning
New data examines the state of online and hybrid learning and casts a forward-looking eye toward what's next for education.

A new report from the Clayton Christensen Institute offers unique insights and recommendations for education as schools strive to move toward student-centered learning practices.

In the report, author Thomas Arnett highlights findings from survey data and discussed trends in instructional practices that could help redirect education and reshape its future.This first survey reveals that many remote and hybrid instructional models are replicating the traditional classroom experience, only now, that classroom is online.

Almost half of teachers surveyed said they teach via live synchronous instruction for the equivalent of a regular school day. What’s more, the materials teachers use to teach online are typically intended for synchronous instruction–just 22 percent of teachers use commercial materials specifically designed for remote instruction.

Read more ... Click here TELL ME MORE

Ticket Generator for Entry and Exit Tickets (template)

 
Instead of using a ticket generator for classroom or school events, try using it for exit or entry ticket questions to assess for learning! Teachers can write a question prompt and have students write their name and something they learned onto the ticket. This can be a fun way for students to share what they learned with their teacher.

It is important to find different and innovating assessment tools that will excite students to be in the classroom. This ticket generator has endless possibilities on the different ways it can be incorporated into the classroom.

Step 1: Go to the website
URL:https://tickets.kadsoftwareusa.com/#start

Step 2: Put in the information in the blank boxes

Step 3: Click Make My Ticket!

*You can change the colours and background to fit any themes or events in your classroom.

Gabriella NU

DPA: Daily Physical Activity During Online Learning

All elementary school classrooms across Ontario are required to have 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily physical activity (DPA) (Ministry of Education, 2017). Are students getting this DPA time online? We know the negative effects of spending too much time sitting in from of a computer and being online. In this new world of being online all the time, how are teachers including DPA time into the online environment? With the time spent online increasing for children, it is becoming more important than ever to include DPA. Creating DPA activities can be difficult in the classroom or online. Some resources for creating DPA activities include: 

The Toronto District School created a free resource with DPA activities for Primary, Junior and Intermediate Grades. This an expansive resource that can help teachers find new ideas for DPA activities and many can be adapted online. 

DPA Book:  https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SchoolProgramsK12/Documents/FINAL%20DPA%20book%202005.pdf 

We Are Teachers: "Our Favorite Virtual P.E. Resources to Keep Students Moving at Home". This resource includes DPA activities specifically for online learning. 

https://www.weareteachers.com/virtual-pe-classes/ 

St. John's Elementary school "Distance Learning at home". The Physical Education teacher from this elementary school created physical activities that can be done at home and online but also can connect to the Physical Education Curriculum. 

https://pe.st-johnschool.org/tools-for-an-active-home/ 

With the increasing amount of time students spend online it is important for teachers to ensure they incorporate DPA into the online classroom. These websites can help teachers find new creative ideas for DPA in an online classroom. 

Alexandra @NU OTECC

IT Leadership: Virtual Schools, the "Next" Normal

How virtual schools will lead the ‘next normal’ Virtual schools are positioned to help students and teachers navigate the many changes COIVD-19 has brought to education.

Duolingo

Duolingo is a popular and well-known tool for learning a language online.  It is  a platform with more than 300 million users. Duolingo is designed to feel like a game to make education free, fun and accessible to all. Duolingo is easy to use, you set up a profile, choose your target language and set you weekly goals. Duolingo dictates the order in which you need to complete the different modules, with new modules appearing when you've completed the previous one. Each lesson is made up of a range of activities, like translations or matching words to their foreign language. New vocabulary is often taught with images and grammar points are explained in little speech bubbles. There are also listening exercises where you need to type what you hear, and speaking exercises where you say what you hear. Duolingo also gives you the option of redoing all of your lessons, even if you got them right. Duolingo uses several different methods to keep you hooked like a goal-setting tool and bonus skills.

 

                                  

 

By: Karina@NU OTECC

Class Dojo

ClassDojo is a great classroom management tool that teachers can use as a virtual platform for their students' learning. You can access this TechTool in several different ways: as a teacher, as a student, as a parent or a school leader. It is a very effective way of communicating online with the different groups of people that make up a school community. It is a safe platform where students can virtually see their work online in their individual portfolios, participate virtually through a huge variety of fun and engaging group or individual activities, post messages that the whole class, including the teacher, can see and even get rewards for exhibiting skills such as teamwork, participation, or staying on task.                                                                                

It provides teachers with an easy platform to monitor their students virtually through features such as attendance, reports, and student academic progress in their individual portfolios.  It also makes learning fun and interactive for the students. Additionally, parents can stay in touch with what their students are doing and communicate with the teacher through the messaging option. 

For more information about how you can use ClassDojo for your classroom or for your child, click on the link: https://www.classdojo.com/remotelearning      

By: Isabella@NU OTECC

YouTube

YouTube is a widely used website by people all around the world.  YouTube is an online sharing platform; anyone can post and watch videos on YouTube. Everyone can find something they are interested in on this website.  On YouTube you can find blog videos, podcasts, educational resources, workout videos, how to build/fix something and so much more.  

As a future teacher I believe YouTube is a teaching asset.  Teachers can YouTube to play exercise/ dance videos (Gonoodle and just dance).  Teachers can also use YouTube for read aloud and different kinds of literature.  Teachers may also use YouTube to show videos of science (volcanos, weather, etc.). 

Overall, this website can be used by teachers and by the students.  Students may also find it useful to watch a video (visual learner) instead of reading it or learning it another way.  There are many resources people can explore on this website.

By: Laila@NU OTECA

IT Leadership: Leading in this Time of Crisis

 

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Leading in this time of crisis Learn how one district leader is tackling the ever-evolving challenges of COVID while also keeping an eye to the future.

Virtual Learning - How Far Can It Take Us?

The events that have taken place over the past year have forced many to shift their work and schooling to a primarily virtual sphere. Although the transition has posed a major challenge, many educators and ministry officials have been quick to adapt and do the best that they can. Aside from the commonly used communication and networking tools that have been employed, such as Zoom, Google Classroom, to engage in conversation, and lead lessons, many other organizations have developed platforms to enhance the learning experience or attempt to make up for what has been lost going virtual. 

Those of interest (in a local context) include the  Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario Science Centre, and Woodland Cultural Centre (to name a few). Such places, that would normally give students an experiential, and immersive learning experience, have now taken to offering virtual tours and exhibitions. Although these provide students with a source of new knowledge and expose them to new ideas, how drastically do they really differ from virtual learning in any other context - say a YouTube video, film, or read-aloud? Outside of a situation in which in-person learning is not at all an option, are these forms of "field trips" sufficient? What do they provide students with, and what do they lack? Lengths of time spent in front of  a screen can often cause students to feel disoriented and more likely to lose focus. In today's learning climate, might "field trips" that prioritizes outside play, and consistent reflection on one's thoughts, feelings, and learning experience be more effective than more screen time? 

I feel as a supplement to learning, these tools are helpful, but to use them as a replacement to outdoor, in-person, experiential learning and reflection is to do a disservice to students that are already screen fatigued and yearning to move about. 

Isabella(OTECA)@NU

Transforming Handwriting into Personalized Fonts!

Ever wanted to create your own font? How about turning your handwriting into a font to use for your online classrooms?

Here I copied the link for a website called 'Calligraphr' that allows users to transfer their own handwriting into a personalized font. 

https://www.calligraphr.com/en/

It is free and easy to use!

Users simply create an account, download and print out the letter template, handwrite each letter however they would like it to appear online, scan the page back onto the site, upload the template, and install the MyFont to use your font in other digital mediums.

It also has multiple languages to choose from!  Now, how cool is that??  Kids will love this.  Enjoy it.

@AlanahNU