Two Big Announcements: The Evolution of Old Favorites

Welcome back to school! Over the summer, there were a couple of additions to some of our favorite tools that I will make mention of here. To avoid information overload throughout the year, I will work to curate those resources that speak to me and/or types of resources that you are seeking based on your requests.

First, Khan Academy has an app now and it is for kids too! Young kids, that is. If you download the free app, your children can start learning independently in a variety of subjects, including Computer Science. We use Khan Academy in 5th grade technology exploratory as we gain exposure to JavaScript. Because Khan Academy now supports every age learner in our school (including adult learners) in an easy to use app, please remember this resource as a great center activity or form of enrichment.

Next, Tumblebooks has rolled out TumbleMath. Fun, right?! TumbleMath includes picture books and story books that are all about math, as well as quizzes and lesson plans. This is another great tool for a center activity or enrichment. It is free from now until the end of November. If you would like to check it out and pilot it in your classroom, please let me know. 

This year and next, I will be serving on a national committee identifying the best websites and apps for teaching and learning through the American Association of School Librarians. I will continue to send along new resources and I look forward to learning from each of you about what you love, don't love, and about what you discover in your classroom. I am looking forward to a great year ahead!

Have you heard?

So happy to discover Padlet that I decided to give the founder, Nitesh Goel, a piggy back ride! (2014)

Last week, while at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference, there was a lot of buzz surrounding the demise of Padlet as a free service. Folks are pretty devastated about this, as is evident from all the Twitter chatter. Going forward, you can have up to three free Padlet walls but this will not impact your pre-existing Padlet walls. If you currently have eight Padlet walls, then you are eligible for a total of eleven, without having to pay. Otherwise, it is $99/year or $8.95/month. I know one of the best features of Padlet is its ease of use. Now that we have some rules to follow, as can be imagined, people are disappointed. I completely understand why Padlet made the change but I understand the sadness too. 

In the meantime, however, there are some alternatives to Padlet. Many of these alternatives have similar restrictions as to how many "walls" you can create. Some of the most commonly mentioned replacements are Lino (you can see my example here), Wakelet, Dotstorming, and Flipgrid (talk to me about this if you are interested in this one...it is awesome!). Another tool similar to Padlet that is useful is Sway by Microsoft. You can see my example here and edit it too. To use Sway, you do have to create a Microsoft account but I was able to use my Davis email address to do so. If you create your Sway so that anyone can edit (similar to a Google doc), then collaborators can add text, images, and links to videos. Our 4th grade team started using it this year and are really enjoying it. 

As we mourn the loss of free Padlet, we are reminded that when one door closes, another one opens. Sometimes, we decide to roll with the changes and adjust accordingly. Perhaps some of us will continue to forge ahead using Padlet and others will be inspired to try something new. The good news: the choice is yours. 

Digital Literacy: Teacher Cast

Today's Tuesday tech tip is both a tool and a thought. I just came back from the most mind bending conference and walked away with so much new knowledge that I am excited to dole out. One key message at SxSWEDU was this: Digital Literacy must happen at school.  If you are wondering what digital literacy is, the American Library Association defines it as "the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills." All teachers have a responsibility to teach kids not only the skills to critically assess the information that they access but to help shape what they do with that information. Danah Boyd, author of It's Complicated, a book that through research uncovers myths about teens and social media, stirred up this conversation at SxSWEDU. She reminded us that students will choose to use the information they seek for good or for bad. What role will we as teachers play in how we influence their choices in relation to media interactions? What kind of content will they create? Are we growing kids that will spread positive messages or will they yield their digital literacy power to do harm? This has to be a part of the conversation. 

Where do we start? There are so many powerful resources for teachers, both in human form and online but one that I learned about is called Teacher Cast. It is an online network of teachers helping teachers. Much of the content is focused on using technology in the classroom to create content. As a teacher, if we don't see the value in this yet, we need to start considering our own blind spots. Kids will create their own content. What role will we play in shaping the type of content they create and how they choose to use it? We have a responsibility to be a positive influence on these types of choices that our students make. It's what we do.

Teacher cast provides podcasts, videos, blogs, and other resources that help craft meaningful technology-infused practices into student learning. It's meant to empower teachers to feel more comfortable with their technology usage so they can steer students in the right directions. Check it out. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Sketch Nation

This is another great technology tool that I believe I discovered through the #TCEA hashtag, similar to last week's tip. I seek creative "brain breaks" for my students in upper elementary when they are working on intense coding projects to reel them back into another reality, to help lighten the mood, and to remind them to take breaks. While not an unplugged activity, Sketchnation.com (also an app) gives the students a chance to remain in the coding zone but perhaps with a lighter approach. 

Sketch Nation App allows users to create their own games. They can establish the scoring system, the levels, the objective, the graphics, and more. It's "coding lite" though as the coding piece is really done for them but they are choosing the game structure. It's a fun way to think about gaming beyond the user's experience and more about the programmer's method. 

Allow your students to give it a try after an arduous test and play each other's games. What a sweet reward that will keep them mentally engaged and focused on a task. Students will love the opportunity to create their own online games in the classroom.

Classroom Management with your Computer

In following the #TCEA conference hashtag recently, I discovered a host of new technology tools that I really like. One that seems very useful for teaching students of any age is called classroomscreen.com . It works in both Spanish and Hebrew too! When you go to the link (no log in required), you can select a background of your choice and use classroomscreen.com to project a variety of useful tools. For example, it can do the following:

• pick a random name and roll the dice to see who presents next, leads the students in a song, or anything else that requires a class leader to start a task

• check the noise level (that you set) and alert the class when it goes beyond your expected noise level

• generate a QR code from a link that you input for your kids to scan 

• draw directly onto the screen using the whiteboard feature

• type instructions or any text for that matter

• set a reminder for how you want your students to work: silent, whisper, ask a neighbor or work together

• set a timer

• show the clock and the calendar

• use the traffic light so that you can select red when you want them to stop something, green when you want them to begin something and orange when you want them to prepare to stop

• calculate numbers

Any of these features can be put onto the board together as well. As a reminder, it recognizes foreign languages too! Here is a screenshot to show you what it can look like:

Scavenger Hunt for the Masses: GooseChase

How cool is this?! What a great way to gamify your classroom learning! A scavenger hunt for the masses! It is called Goosechase. It is free for up to three teams so you can divide your class accordingly and try it out. You can use it on field trips, in the classroom, or for team building. The best part too is that they have a game library so rather than create your own, you can try it out by duplicating a previously created game and then if you wish, you can customize it to meet your own needs. For example, I found an awesome one on simple machines (ahem 2nd grade) that was already created and situated in Goosechase's game library. If you are looking for fun ways to gamify the learning and go beyond Kahoot, this is a great option!