I am a goo witch or maybe not - Would you like to try a delicious apple?
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Brandon Moreno - I Will Be the Champion
I love the self-confidence and motivation that he has presented on stage. I think this is a big lesson for our kids.
Regards Farnaz@NU (OTECA)
Math Playground - Math Games by Topic
Select which math game you'd like your students to play - You can select by topic.
You can visit >>> www.mathplayground.com for more. Click the links below for more:
MATH GAMES
Math Playground is currently one of the leading online math game providers on the web!
The site is filled up with math games, logic puzzles and a variety of problem-solving activities.
Since the start, back in 2002 by Colleen King, it has helped millions of students eliminate math stress and develop the confidence needed to be successful in a fun and engaging way!
We are very excited to review and provide you with a resource to understand how to efficiently navigate Math Playground so your students can enjoy the benefits of Math Playground
Brought to you by Friends of OISE
PhotoFunia!
Photofunia is such a fun and easy tool that can boost student engagement and creativity! With the countless options, students are able to let their imagination run wild and see their photos in a whole new way! PhotoFunia can be used as a way for students to attach photos to their writing pieces or further communicate their ideas.
Emily S. (OTECA) @ NU
PhotoFunia
Use this fun site with your students to create edited images with special effects, for FREE!
Manpreet@NU
PhotoFunia is fun...ia!
Check out our new calendar model...PEACHES!
Try making your own pet calendar and much more at: https://photofunia.com/
Courtesy of EmilyR@OTECA NU
Math Playground - Math by Grade
Here are some Math links for you to use - choose what you want by your Grade
MATH PLAYGROUND
1st Grade Games
2nd Grade Games
3rd Grade Games
4th Grade Games
5th Grade Games
6th Grade Games
Thinking Blocks
Math Videos
Courtesy of Friends of OISE
The Empower Reading Program
Empower Reading Program was created in 1979 by Dr. Maureen Lovett, a Senior Scientist Emeritus in the clinical and educational unit at SickKids in Toronto. The program was designed to help individuals that are experiencing difficulty developing reading skills that is easily accessible online with an account. Empower Reading is a multi-component intervention program for struggling readers. It has five distinct reading intervention modules that address decoding, spelling, reading comprehension and vocabulary skills for different ages. The program is primarily used with children and adolescence.
Program Highlights
- 'Self Talk' Dialogue
- Variety of activities to practice new skills and strategies
- Flexible teaching approaches and methodologies
- Individually Paced
The Learning Disabilities Research Program (LDRP) was the first research laboratory program to use randomized controlled trials in order to understand the effectiveness of different reading interventions for children and adolescents with disabilities. The research included over 6500 participating over three decades. The results of the LDRP research determined the importance of incorporating decoding strategy instruction, motivational retaining, and promotion of flexible approach to word identification and text into a reading program. Dr. Maureen Lovett and the LDRP expert's research was used to develop Empower Reading. Students are able to achieve better literacy and improve reading comprehension with EmpowerReading. This program benefits all struggling readers, regardless of their socioeconomic status, language background, and intellectual functioning.
Empower Reading can be extremely effective, especially for children and adolescents with diagnosed learning disabilities and individuals that are at risk for developing language learning difficulties. Empower Reading program has resulted in improved reading outcomes for children with significant difficulties in reading.
References
Dr. John H.F Chan. (2021) Overcoming Reading Deficits. EdCan Network. Accessed November 14, 2021.Retrieved from: https://www.edcan.ca/articles/overcoming-reading-deficits/
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2021) Empower Reading Program and the Provincial Schools' Research Partnership. Accessed November 14, 2021. Retrieved from: https://pdsbnet.ca/en/schools/trillium/programs-and-services/empower-reading-program-and-the-provincial-schools-research-partnership/
The Hospital for Sick Children. (2021) Empower™ Reading and Learning Group. Accessed November 14, 2021. Retrieved from: https://www.sickkids.ca/en/learning/empower-reading/
-Madeleine @NU-OTECC
ASCD Article: How We Can Ease the Burden on Educators in Four Steps
Leaders, we have a problem, and it’s not solely because we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. This problem existed long before the pandemic began and, if we’re not careful, the pandemic may be the tipping point.
In 2018, an international study on teachers found that only one-third of teachers felt appreciated for their work. The TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey), which spanned 31 countries and surveyed 260,000 teachers, included recommendations for changes in policy and teacher working conditions to help improve the profession. Suffice to say, while many districts have been working on improvements that align with the TALIS recommendations, pandemic stress has thwarted their best efforts and left countless teachers in the United States considering leaving the profession.
Supporting and protecting the teacher workforce should be the primary focus for districts and policymakers. If we don’t make meaningful changes to lessen the strain on the profession and improve working conditions, we stand to lose our biggest asset: teachers.
Moving forward, district leaders need to work toward reducing stress, improving teacher support structures, and building sustainable, attractive working conditions for our teachers. Where change can’t be forced locally, leaders need to call on our state and federal education agencies to solve the systemic issues that are perpetuating teacher stress and causing teacher turnover.
Read more at >>>>>>> Solve Systemic Issues Causing Teacher Turnover
PhotoFunia Easter Egg Hunt
Since Easter will be coming up soon, students are super excited about their in-class activities and for their mini eggs. Last year we did an Easter Egg hunt in our school playground, the students loved it and asked for it again this year. They were a bit concerned though as one of them came up to me and said Mrs. Faltas it's very cold outside this year how are we going to have our easter egg hun with all that snow! I acknowledged their concern and told him don't worry before you know it the weather will be nice for our easter egg hunt.
little did I know the following two weeks were also cold and snowy, which was also a bit disappointing but we didn't lose hope. we made our Easter egg hunt in class and it was a blast of fun. Eventuality spring came along and so did the nice weather. we had our Easter egg hunt along with outdoor water paint and it was a blast.
PhotoFunia is so simple and easy to use, I would totally recommend it for students to get creative.
Photofunia - Writing Activities
Photofunia WRITING PROMPT
Preparation
Put pictures of students on billboards.
Writing prompt
"You are walking to school and you see your face on a billboard. What do you do? Who is with you or who do you tell? Did you know you would be on a billboard? How does it feel to be on a billboard?"
Bonus mark for - using an alliteration: Words with the same first letter.
ex She sells sea shells
Bonus mark for - using a simile: Describing something using "like" or "as".
ex They were as cold as ice
*Use graphic organizers to help students organize their thoughts and ideas. For example a who, what, when and where chart.
Courtesy of Shiam
Raz-Kids
With so many different academic applications on the market today, it may be challenging finding the right one for your students. Especially one that they will like and want to use. Over my years as a supply Educational Assistant, one application that really stood out to me was Raz-Kids.
Raz-Kids is a literacy based academic tool that allows students to explore a multitude of different books at different reading levels. The student can read the story themselves or have the story read to them. At the end of every story there is a quiz based off of the reading material.
All of the students I have seen use this program all really enjoyed it and I hope it may be beneficial to anyone reading this.
A link to the website https://www.raz-kids.com/
Elijah@NU
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Khan Academy Kids (K-Gr.2)
Khan Academy Kids is a free, fun, educational program designed to inspire young children to become learners for life.
Free ... yup, Free, and it's easy-to-use, comprehensive and able to track multiple children. Available in App Store, Amazon Appstore and Google Play.
This complete curriculum contains approximately 775 leveled early reading, math and logic activities; including videos and ebooks; plus a drawing/coloring space.
https://khankids.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004559231-Welcome-to-Khan-Academy-Kids
Here are a few links you'll find - It's so easy to get started ... So, what are you waiting for?
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a free online educational website that is used to support students learning from kindergarten to their post-secondary years. Once registered as a user, students have the ability to master skills and concepts in math, science, reading and the language arts, arts and humanities, computing, life skills and economics at their desired grade level. However, not all of the courses are designed for every student and grade in mind. For instance, primary and junior learners are more likely to use Khan Academy to gain extra support in math and the language arts.
Now that I introduced this resource, how does it work? Upon creating an account, students are asked to register in one course they are interested in, if not more. This course and any others they have selected will then appear on their dashboards, which they have access to at all times. Thus, if a student wants to learn about grade two math, they must select that course on their dashboard. In doing so, they will be guided to their grade two math course, where they can explore the different math concepts and strands such as subtraction, addition, money, time, data management and geometry at their own time and pace. If a student wants to learn about data, all they have to do is click on that strand, and they will be provided with instructional videos, practice questions, quizzes, and unit tests to reinforce their learning. Upon watching the various instructional videos and doing the practice work, students are also given points based on their mastery of the topic. Mastery points allow students to see how their understanding of the concepts compares to that of other users and thus encourages them to continue practicing until they feel confident and comfortable with the material. Ultimately, Khan Academy is a great resource for all learners as it provides every individual with the ability to learn the subjects they want, anywhere and at any time. Check out this example:
In order to get started as either a learner or teacher, please check out the link below:
Courtesy of Jasman(OTECC)@NU
Canadian Association of Principals Article You Want to Read
The Potential Impact of Covid-19 on the Near-Term Elementary School Teacher Supply
Evolving Teacher Supply and Demand
The COVID-19 pandemic can be characterized as a “black swan event,” defined as an improbable, unexpected occurrence with broad consequences (Nassim, 2010). This article reports on an investigative survey which examines whether the national supply of trained elementary school teachers will be affected by the pandemic and to what degree. The survey results raise the possibility that attrition-related elementary teacher hiring will emerge as an issue for principals, school districts, and Human Resources (HR) staff in the near term. For the last four years there has been an adequate supply of Kindergarten to Grade 8 teachers across Canada. This situation is changing. In 2018, the national teacher unemployment rate for elementary teaches stood at 4.3%. From 2016 to 2018, the number of job openings for teachers began increasing at a slightly faster pace than the number of jobless. The number of unemployed teachers available to fill vacant positions declined. The hiring pool of available trained elementary teachers is expected to be small in most provinces from 2020 to 2028. Jobs for teachers will be plentiful while there will be a reduced selection of candidates for this in hiring positions.
If you're in a pre-service program (Faculty of Education) preparing to be a teacher, you'll want to read more.
So, click here >>>>>> SURVEY DETAILS for more info.
Math Playground - Fun with Math
What is Math Playground?
Math Playground is an extensive collection of math games, interactive activities, and videos that address a wide variety of math topics such as arithmetic, geometry, percentages, word problems, algebra, graphing, and even logic.
You can visit the site by going to >>>>> https://www.mathplayground.com/
By Shiam@NU (OTECA)
Toy Theater (Virtual Geoboard)
I often use this virtual manipulative tool as a way to provide students with the experience of creating shapes, rotating shapes, exploring angles, and concretely exploring the properties of geometric objects.
For more info and fun times, visit >>>> https://toytheater.com/
Courtesy of Shiam@NU (OTECA)
Quizizz - A Tech Tool for You
Quizizz is a free tool. It works on any device: web browser, iOS, Android and Chrome apps. You can access hundreds of ready-made learning quizzes or create your own. Join as a teacher, pick a quiz, and use the code for a virtual room to give to your students.
Teachers can create questions, edit what's available, and upload it to google classroom so that students can log in and do the test.
By Shiam@NU (OTECA)
Friday, February 4, 2022
Thursday, February 3, 2022
ASCD Article: Be a Truth Seeker
How Media Decoding Can Teach Students to Be Seekers of Truth
Teach your students to be “truth seekers” with this curriculum-driven, inquiry-based media analysis activity.
In 2020, the World Health Organization declared that we are in the midst of a global infodemic: an overabundance of information—some accurate and some not—that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it. This media-fueled crisis is shaking the foundations of our democracy by undermining our collective understanding of truth through politicized and monetized misinformation and disinformation.
But there is a solution: By teaching K–12 students to habitually ask critical questions about the media messages they see, read, and hear—and to reflect on their own biases and interpretations of that information—teachers can stem the infodemic tide. For more than 25 years, we have been codifying this process that we call Constructivist Media Decoding (CMD).
Read more by clicking here >>>> THE CMD RECIPE
Blooket - Tech Tool
Blooket is a great learning experience for students. Similar to Kahoot, Blooket is a web-based quiz platform intended for group competition or solo study. Not only is it fun, but it's also an incredibly effective way to generate student engagement and educational learning. This is an alternative option to reading or studying from a traditional textbook. By creating memorable experiences with various classroom content, students learn the information without even noticing! This tool can also be used by teachers to assign games for independent practice or homework.
How it works:
This tech tool is built for classrooms. It is very easy to play Blooket. First, the teacher chooses a question set, either by creating their own, importing one that was used previously or using the search function which can direct you to many attractive options found in the Blooket database. Next, the teacher selects a game mode from the numerous unique options available that are intended to engage the students and spark initial interest. Once the question set and game modes are selected, the teacher can then host a game and this is when the students are able to join, simply by inputting the game ID. As the game begins, students will be engaged in a very interactive experience, answering questions posed by the teacher. Teachers have the ability to create question sets to be used as a review for what was previously covered in class that day or week. Once all the questions are answered and the time is up, the game is done. Blooket then creates detailed score reports and question analysis, which helps teachers easily understand how their students performed on that particular topic, and identify areas that may need to be revisited or reviewed again.
Learn how to use Blooket in your classroom! This is a beginners tutorial to help you get started with Blooket. You'll see the "Teacher's Perspective" and the "Student's Perspective". Enjoy.
Andrew@NU
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