SEL with strategies for remote/in-person learners

This article from Common Sense Education shares strategies and concerns for students both in the virtual and in-person classroom.  Please click here to see the article.

Changing the font in Google Slide Master

Kasey Bell (ShakeUpLearning) recently shared a quick video on how to easily change the font (type, color, size, etc) in the Master Google slide.  The changes will be applied to all slides.  Please see her video here.

Helping students find their work in Google Classroom

Google Classroom has a series of tools to help students find their work (and to find what is missing!).  Please see this blog post from Alice Keeler- I feel you could use it with your students.  Please click here for the details.

If you are on a Chromebook, did you see

The triangle at the top right?  You can now use this Tab locator to quickly find other tabs.  Please see the video from Alice Keeler here.

Drama in K-6

No, I’m not talking about that type of drama- look here for an interesting resource to teach drama.  Click here to read the review in TeachersFirst.  Drama Resources has games, suggestions, and (as the name implies) many resources.

New Screenshot tool in Chrome

I had noticed some changes to the screen capture tool in Chrome- but didn’t realize all the new features until I watched Tom Larson's video here. While he demonstrates access from the setting features, I’ve always used the keyboard shortcut.  (Ctrl+Shift+ Show windows- see image below).

Music in schools month

March is Music in Schools month and TeachersFirst has prepared a special topics page with many resources.  There is something for every grade level.

It’s YAM time!

March is YAM (Youth Art Month)  and TeachersFirst has prepared a special topics page with many resources.  There is something for every grade level from museum resources to online tools.

Isn't everyday one of happiness?

 Happiness Ideas from Discovery Education:

Discover Your Happy Everyday in Celebration of the International Day of Happiness 

Lean into International Day of Happiness ALL WEEK with LG & Discovery Education 

Create your own mini wellbeing workshops in class every day in the week leading up to International Day of Happiness with specially curated Discover Your Happy videos and activities! Facilitate discussions around emotional wellness for today’s teens with dynamic resource combos that are each dedicated to one of the Six Sustainable Happiness Skills. 

Explore Resources to Smile About

Sprinkle some fun throughout the week leading up to International Day of Happiness with a series of six grab-and-go resource combos from Discover Your Happy, each featuring a short video dedicated to a practical happiness skill + a companion activity to explore as a class: 

1. MONDAY: PEOPLE POINTS
   Use an interactive chart that lets students add up the positive and negative aspects of their online lives to discover the true value of Generosity. Uncover the effects of digital media on students’ emotional wellbeing with the Digital Interactions lesson bundle.
   Explore the Generosity Video + Activity 

2. TUESDAY: BENEVOLENCE BUZZ
   Boost your students’ emotional IQ by exploring the scientifically proven benefits of Gratitude. Show your class how gratitude can literally change a person’s neurological state from one minute to the next with the Be Thankful activity.
   Explore the Gratitude Video + Activity 

3. WEDNESDAY: THE I IN CONNECTION
   To achieve long-lasting emotional bonds with others, students must understand their role in creating Human Connection. Inspire a group discussion with the Agree to Disagree activity, which helps students recognize their part in building sustainable happiness.
   Explore the Human Connection Video + Activity 

4. THURSDAY: KNOWING THE NOW
   Snap students out of autopilot and help them live every moment to the fullest with Mindfulness. Explore a simple meditation exercise that tests students’ ability to stay fully present in the moment.
   Explore the Mindfulness Video + Activity 

5. FRIDAY: OPTIMIST OPTICS
   Equip students with the resiliency they need to overcome adversity and maintain an optimistic approach to the future by practicing Positive Outlook. The Judge Less, Reflect More activity opens students’ eyes to the risks involved in making snap judgments.
   Explore the Positive Outlook Video + Activity 

6. SATURDAY: HOMIES WHERE THE HEART IS
   Give your students a dynamic at-home activity that puts Purpose into action with the help of family! The Chain Reaction family activity lets students establish what happiness means to them by sharing their emotions with loved ones.
   Explore the Purpose Video + Activity 

You can enjoy days, weeks, and months of happiness with your class by exploring additional Discover Your Happy resources designed for students, educators, and families in learning environment of all kinds. Explore these resources and more on the Discover Your Happy channel in the Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform.

The Miller Jamboard Series

Matt Miller recently shared a series of 3 videos on Jamboard in the classroom. (There are really 4 videos, yet the last one is a commercial for his online class.)  Please see the link here.  The videos are short and will work for someone new to the platform to those

Looking for Google Training?

Here’s a Google option- just sign up and get short lessons weekly in your mailbox. This will help you learn new skills in smaller bites!

Getting Started with Google for Education

Looking for training on Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals? Sign up for our 8-week email training series that delivers video tutorials to your inbox every Tuesday on core Google tools. Lessons take less than 10 minutes to complete. Register today!

Looking for Jamboard suggestions?

Here is a blog post from John Sowash with 5 templates (and suggestions) for your next Jambaord.  Please click here to read his post. These could be modified to use with Kami as well.

Women’s History from National Geographic

National Geographic recently shared this site with a variety of women in many fields.  Here is the link.

Women’s History Month (An Applied Digital Skills project)

These digital skills will help your student after the March celebration of Women’s HIstory. This Google project provides directions and resources and could be done in any environment.  I love that there are 10 options for students.

Teach Women's History with Applied Digital Skills

Celebrate Women’s History Month with the Explore a Topic: Women’s History lesson from Applied Digital Skills. In this lesson, students research a topic, event, or figure in women’s history, then create a project to share their findings with the class.

More on Jamboard Version History

Here is a great summary of the new Jamboard feature from Alice Keeler.  Be sure to read to the end to note the one key difference between this version history and the ones you may be used to in other Google platforms.

Pi Day

Even though Pi Day (3.14)  was on Sunday, it’s never too late to celebrate a mathematical concept!.  When I taught fifth grade, this was a favorite team holiday (from pi theme poems, using oranges  (and calculating surface area) to real pies!).  If you are looking for resources, please see the Teachers First resource here.

Keyboard shortcuts in Google Forms

Please see this blog post from Alice Keeler on how to quickly move questions in your Google Form using the keyboard shortcuts!

Version History comes to Jamboard

Google recently announced Version History is now available in Jamboard.  While this is a gradual rollout, I checked my school account this morning and it was there!  After you open a Jam, click the 3 dots at the top (aka the snowman) to see the Version History option.  It works like other Google applications- you can see the changes, revert to an earlier version, and name the version.  You can see more details from Google here.

News from Kahoot!

There is now an option to show questions and answers on student devices.  Please see their announcement here.

STEM activities for Middle Schoolers

 

Looking for some STEM activities?  Check out this resource from Discovery Education and their partners.  This site includes virtual field trips as well as educator material.

Graphic Organizer and Master Slides- perfect together

In this blog post, Sarah Keifer shares not only a nice selection of graphic organizers and a brief video on using the Slide Edit feature.  Click here to see her Graphic Organizers Galore!

Using Google drawing in Docs

Sarah Keifer shared her directions for inserting a Google Drawing in a Google Doc.  Her video is here. If you didn’t want to use Kami to annotate a PDF, this might be an option for you.

Need ideas for Saint Patrick’s Day?

Here is a list of curated sites from Teachers First to help you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  This is just one of their special topics sections.

Unfortunately, there will not be any parades in the local area but I already have a plan for corned beef for dinner!  Please remember that not all TeachersFirst sites have been approved for use in the district.

Introducing Jamboard

Want to use Jamboard and have your students follow your directions to create an image?  Here is a video with the step-by-step directions from ABC Useful Tips.  I have also shared his Jamboard templates below (you will be prompted to make a copy).

Teacher link

Student link

Social Media with Google Slides

Matt Miller  (Ditch the Textbook) recently shared a blog post on using his templates (and Google slides) to help our students use social media.  Please see his post here.  It comes complete with directions and templates- all ready to go! Want even more? Check out his post from the fall with 12 themes.

Water and Surface Tension

This Physics Girl video from PBS Learning includes some of my favorites (food color in the milk and the jar of water are ones I used in my fifth-grade science classroom).  Please check out the site here. Some of these could be done at home for your remote learners.

Are you a middle school science teacher?

Looking for outstanding professional development this summer?  Consider applying for the New Jersey Science Teachers  Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award.  Here are the details:

 

Dates/Times: 

This five-day Institute will take place June 28–July 2, 2021 from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. daily. 

Scholars who are accepted must commit to attend each full day of the program.

Location: Virtual

I have attended several (when I was teaching science) and they were fantastic learning opportunities!  Please click here for the details and application.

Digital Interactive Notebooks with Jamboard

Are Google Slides not working for your digital interactive notebooks?  Then you might want to try New EdTech Classroom’s idea and using Jamboard.  Here is their video. While you do need to teach students how to add background to a Jam frame- I don’t think that is insurmountable.  I liked the idea of using sticky notes (and checkmarks from the students).

Read Across America and Kami!

Beth-Ann Bulla and Lauren Roman used Kami to help their online students share their favorite books!  They shared:

We gave the children this hat as a classwork assignment. Using Kami, they wrote the titles of their two favorite books (not just Dr. Seuss) in the white stripes. The bottom flap was for their name. We found the hat for free online, and added the red using Kami (fun!).

New field trip from Discovery Education

From their latest newsletter. Watch live or recorded!

This week is the premiere of another new Virtual Field Trip with Undeniably Dairy. Teachers can register their students for the March 4th event to learn about the innovations and STEM that the dairy community is using to help improve access to sustainable food sources. PLUS there’s a special appearance from celebrity chef, Carla Hall! If you can’t make the live premiere, you can always watch the virtual field trip on-demand at any time afterwards.

Math Manipulatives

Sarah Keifer recently shared a blog post on Virtual Manipulative.   Please read it here.  The site she shares is Didax Virtual Manipulatives.  While you can purchase from the site, all the virtual manipulatives are free!