[Tech Highlights] Chrome Browser, Professional Development, Pear Deck, and Easy Math Notes – Week 26

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 26 (March 1-5)

Weekly Giggles:               Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
                                           It felt crummy.

YouTube. Four new videos released to my YouTube channel recently. A teacher reached out and asked for support with research in the classroom. We are all adapting our teaching practices to backfill gaps from last year. Sometimes we find that we are supporting ideas that we have not had to teach for some time. So, how do you escort fourth graders through internet research without all of that prior knowledge? There are three videos in the series. The last video is designed to revolutionize your work flow for sharing math notes. Click. Click. Bam!
     1) Intro to Online Research. What are some guiding principles students (grades 3-6) need to know when they research online?
     2) Citations for grades 3 – 6. You set the expectations for your room, but here are some ideas to consider.
     3) BibItNow! Chrome Extension. Need a quick way to cite research? This is available to our students. And, it’s available to you as well. See if this tool works for your team.
     4) I explain the fourth video down below in the iReady Math + PowerPoint + Google Classroom section.

Chrome Browser (grades 3-6). If any of your families do not have Chrome on their personal devices, they will need this for state testing. HERE is a resource you can share with families if they need help.

Professional Development. Remember to sign up for this session if you are interested. Consider this the bare basics. A general overview. I won’t answer all your questions, but you will see that it’s more accessible than you think once done.

This opportunity is no longer available.  The link is not provided here on the blog.

Here are the trainings you have been waiting for:
       Adobe Spark
       EdPuzzle
       Keys to Successful Grant Writing
       TeacherMade – Intro to Creating Interactive PDFs
       The complete list can be found HERE.

Pear Deck. We are used to interacting with our students during a lesson to ascertain if they understand the content or not. In a completely digital environment, that can be complicated. Children are fearful about sharing their ideas in a semi-public way. If you aren’t familiar with Pear Deck, it offers instant feedback options. You can see how your students are doing in real time. NearPod is a similar product; I tend to recommend Pear Deck as it is cheaper.

Feedback is an essential pedagogical tool that provides vital information to shape instruction. Feedback lets you determine if you can speed up or slow down your lesson or your pacing structure. Feedback lets you know who understood the lesson and who did not. Feedback guides your small group re-teaching. These are vital instruments that help us ensure that each child has access to the tools they need to succeed.

Please let me know if you need help with this.

Image credits: Pear Deck website.

Math Teaching Slides [iReady + PowerPoint + Google Classroom]. For any of our teachers who have joined us mid-way into this year or last, please know that Ready Math offers teaching slides for each lesson. Do not stay up late into the night making those teaching slides on your own. Download that content and go. Edit, modify, and draw on those slides as you see fit. Your computer may even come with a stylus (check the right side of your computer). Not all of our devices have an on-board stylus. Need one? See if your site has CARES money to supply a tool like that. Amazon has them for $8-13 dollars. Walmart, Best Buy, and Office Depot might even have some in stock.

Here’s an added bonus: you can share those live notes with your students easily. The Share button in Microsoft PowerPoint makes that easy. This video shows you how to do that. I can co-teach with you one day; book a slot on my calendar, and I can model how this works. VIDEO LINK

Kindly,
Melissa Culver