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Let's Talk About Everything That Is Awesome

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I am excited this week to be co-authoring a post with my friend and partner in all things EdTech Melissa Wilson . Melissa is an English teacher and Instructional Technology Coordinator at Neuqua Valley High School. We will be cross-posting this story on her blog “ #Whatsup Wildcats ”. If you’ve never had a chance to explore Melissa’s blog, I highly recommend that you change that today. Melissa provides some incredible insights about teaching and learning that happens every day at Neuqua. One of the perks of our profession is that we get to be lifelong learners and can use what we learn to enhance and transform instructional practices in our classroom. The best teachers are always looking for new ways to support all students. We believe that teachers need to find time to collaborate and share the awesome ways they are engaging students in the learning experience. With our busy schedules, it can be difficult to find time to share what we are doing in our classrooms with other teachers in...
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What Are Your Favorite Game Based Formative Assessment Tools?

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You Don't Know What You Don't Know Formative Assesment is a huge part of the day to day learning process in my classroom. I use a variety of tools and strategies to support our exploration of what we know and what we don't know. Formative assessments help me adjust the learning process on the fly. They also help my students connect key concepts back to the lessons, readings, and activities. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have access to so many great formative tools.  While all types of formative assessments can be used to engage students in the learning process, some of the game-based resources are great ways to get students excited about learning. Kahoot, Quizlet Live, and Gimkit are great game-based formative tools that I use all the time as part of the our weekly learning experience, but my overall favorite game based formative tool is Quizziz . Have you ever used it? What do you think? What are your favorite formative tools? I'd love to update some...
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Essential Tips for Studying Smarter, Not Harder

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What advice do you have students as they prepare for final exams? Exams may be just around the corner, so here are a few resources we've put together to help students organize, prioritize, and prepare for just about any assessment at any time throughout the year. Essential Tips for Studying Smarter, Not Harder Supercharge your Study Guide It is just as important to think about HOW you study as it is to WHAT you study. Don't Memorize - ORGANIZE! Organized learners are more successful on exams. Being organized is the difference between knowing and understanding. Graphic organizers are a great way to make connections. The Auditory Learner Written notes have always been a valuable tool to learn, but voice typing and recording your voice are powerful ways to learn and review. Voice typing in Google Docs is a quick way to add thoughts and essential concepts to your notes as you review activities or text. You can also record and share your learning by using quick recording resources ...
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Happy Friday Videos 2018 - 2019 Engage, Inspire, and Motivate

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I sometimes struggled tremendously with the pace of the content in my Advanced Placement Environmental Science classes, so much so that I sometimes forget what is the most important thing in my classroom. My students and their growth as humans are so much more important than the content or the test we will all take. Don't get me wrong, I understand my responsibility to engage students in content, but I try to remember that it is not the only thing. This post is about remembering that content is not the most important part of my students' lives. A few years ago I started a tradition of showing a funny, inspirational, or unique videos in class every Friday. While the videos were not always about being happy, we dubbed these our Happy Friday videos. I try to keep these short so we still have time for the Environment. I think the students looked forward to them almost as much as they did the weekend. I loved them because of the messages that were shared and discussed. Last year wi...
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Digital Shopping Resources for Educators

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Every year I do more and more of my shopping online. The thrill of driving from store to store and fighting the crowds just isn't there for me anymore. Each year I  a share some Holiday shopping tips I’ve put together to help teachers, their families, and just about anyone save a little green this holiday season. I put this guide out once a year and we think there is something in this post that can help just about anyone regardless of your online shopping experience. Do you have additional online shopping tips or resources? Please share them in the comments below. Online Cashback Websites There are many sites that take advantage of online advertising to provide the consumer with coupons and cashback for major retailers when you shop online. They are free, secure, and incredibly easy to use. Combine these with rewards on a credit card and it the cashback can start to really add up. Mr. Rebates and Ebates are two great resources for online shopping. Click  here  to explore...
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Digital Study Resources for Students

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We've put together a  resource document  sharing tools and resources for independent and collaborative student-centered learning and review. The goal of the  guide  is the help students use digital tools to be self-directed and collaborative learners as they learn new concepts and review for classroom assessments. We need your help. If you have a moment to look over the  guide  and provide any additional resources or suggestions, we would appreciate it. Thanks in advance. 
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Reflecting on a Student Centered Learning Experience

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“ Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn. ”  - Xun Kuang I am always looking for new ways shift the ownership of the learning experience away from me and towards my students. I have always believed that student engagement can be enhanced when students are encouraged to take ownership of not just the knowledge, but the process of learning itself. I really enjoy creating and experimenting with different student-centered learning experiences. I am always looking for new ways to engage my students. Today I am reflecting on a new learning activity my students and I explored this week.  On Monday, I introduced my students a new Time Design Challenge . The activity was designed to help students build a knowledge base connected to several essential concepts connected to life on Earth.  Day 1 - Getting Started We led off with a Pear Deck question and class discussion about the concept of time. I then introduced the activity to the class and ...
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