Not another poster... Throwback Post

One year ago we posted about alternatives to poster projects, such as interactive Google Slides, Info graphics & Fictitious Social Media profiles.

Mrs. Bothun's high school students ran with the idea this year in their "If the heart was an amusement park" assignment.  I was lucky enough to have visited and witnessed some really great interactive presentations.

Cardiovascular Candyland was one of my favorites.  It sent students through a tour of the heart with comprehension checks along the way.  If questions were answered correctly, the tour continued.  If incorrect the participant was redirected to review information and asked to repeat the question.

Other students took the same concepts and applied it as if the human heart was an "Escape Room". Yet again, another great example of a presentation where the audience had some say in how the presentation was led.  Something like this would be very cumbersome with a stereotypical, linear presentation that goes from slide 1 - 20.

Cick here for a video segment of Cardiovasular Candyland!

Mrs. Bothun's interactive presentations, as well as Mrs. Wensel's VR/360 Tours are both featured on the Tech Showcase.  Be sure to check it out and let us know if you have something for display! 

Keeping Up with Technology Trends over Summer Break

After a long year of teaching, it's great to have summers off to refocus your energy. But while you're taking that much-needed time to relax, technology trends in education are still going full steam ahead. In order to keep up with new tech tools and trends over the summer, you have to strike the right balance between relaxation and information overload. Here are some suggestions on how to keep up on the latest technology trends.

Read Educational Blogs

The internet is an invaluable tool with an enormous amount of information. With that said, it's become increasingly hard to keep up with all of the educational technology trends because it seems like they change daily. Luckily, teachers, administrators, and technology enthusiasts share their knowledge and expertise through educational blogs. A go-to spots for gaining information are The Ed Tech Round Up, Free Technology for Teachers, and The Innovative Educator. 

Subscribe to an E-Newsletter or RSS Feed

If you want to stay on top of technology trends in education, all you have to do is subscribe to an e-newsletter or an RSS feed. Instead of spending your summer days scouring the Internet, the relevant information is delivered right to your computer or smartphone. Try out the RSS feed of I Learn Technology, which gives you the latest information on how to integrate technology into your classroom. As far as e-newsletters go, try EdTech: Focus on K-12. 

Read Relevant Social Media Pages

In today's mobile-centric world, many of us get our news from social media feeds—I know this is one of my favorite ways to gain knowledge! It's easy to just pick up your smartphone and scroll through your newsfeed to learn the latest trends in education. Just about every one of your favorite ed tech blogs or websites will have a Twitter or Facebook page, so follow them to ensure that relevant ed tech news will make it to your feed.

Access an Ed Tech Podcast

Podcasts are the latest way to stay up-to-date with current technology trends. Check out the Ed Tech Weekly podcast to hear about the latest ed tech blogs to follow or the future of ed tech. It's a fun and simple way to learn.

Explore Professional Development Options

By taking a few short courses over the summer months or attending a seminar that touches on ed tech and other trends in education, you can increase your knowledge and readiness so that by the fall you're able to integrate new methods into your curriculum. Your motivation to stay ahead of ed tech trends will help you be as effective an educator as possible.

Student Choice Boards

... A platform to differentiate with technology



As one can see by this blog's index, there are a plethora of tech tools out there that meet the 21st century needs for teaching and learning.  So why are some teachers sill hesitant to incorporate them?

It is a risk.

We as teachers are hesitant to put all of our eggs into one basket by assigning everyone a tech-based assignment.

• What if it doesn't work?
• What if the results aren't what I expected?
• What if I have students who lack access to technology outside of class? 
• What if they get stuck and I can't help them?

Enter Choice Boards.... 

Student Choice Boards are not new to education.  They are a student-centered approach that embed differentiation & student ownership by allowing the learners themselves to select the ways that newly gained skills will be showcased to the instructor or alternate audience.

In the past student choice boards were a huge upfront investment.  All of the activities had to be decided upon, created, copied etc ahead of time.  There was little opportunity to be flexible and teach in the moment, or even make updates from year to year.

If we combine the technology with the student choice board, we lessen the workload & lessen the risk while gaining so much from our students.  I find this post very timely with current discussions in our buildings such as:

• Giving quality homework
• Allowing for redos/retakes
• Differentiating for IEP & GIEP students

The Gist.. 

You give your students a 3x3 board of assignment choices.  Students are not  to complete all of the assignments.  They are to choose "x" number of them.  For example, my students choose 3.  One from each horizontal row, which are tiered by DOK levels.

Another great way is to have an assignment that you want everyone to do in the middle.  Then the students need to complete 2 more to create a Tic Tac Toe row.  (vertical, horiztonal or diagonal).

Add tech..

For the majority of boxes, you will use your tried and true assignments.   For a few boxes, put in an assignment where the students are creating with technology.   Be specific with a tool you have learned here on the blog or keep it open and allow the student to find a tool to meet the learning goal. 

You now have challenged a section of your students without intimidating others.  You have little risk, as there are a variety options available.  And, you have a small sample of tech-based assignments to review and evaluate for efficiency and effectiveness without disrupting your unit plan.

I know compared to my early teaching years this is significantly less homework to assign, but it is better homework.  Less homework also means more time for quality teacher feedback.  

My template..

This year both 7th and 8th grade Spanish have been using Student Choice Boards for homework.  

The format so far has looked like this: 

Top Row - Traditional Assignments 

Middle Row - Mini-Projects with an option for Tech

Bottom Row - Formative & Performance Assessments with Tech

(click HERE to make your own copy)

Tips... 

You don't have to fill all of the boxes right away.  Post the board as "view only" and add assignments as you go along. 

Feel free to add in a teachable moment, that may only pertain to this year or this group of kids.  It is easy to change next year. 

Ctrl K - Allows you to make any text a clickable link to a website.   Highlight the text in a box and link it to a URL that you want them to visit. 

Don't be afraid to leave a "Make Up Your Own" box.   Students may surprise you with their own great ideas. 

Give 3 deadlines.   Students can choose any assignment for each deadline.  This gives them opportunities for time management.  Do the larger assignment when their schedule allows for more time.  Do the quicker assignment when they are busy.   

Don't Do It Alone! 

Collaborate with your dept. for more ideas. 

Call on a coach for tech ideas that meet your learning goals. 

Other options for boxes:

- Create a fictional Twitter Profile or write a Tweet (keep character count)

- Create a fake text message conversation

- Create a breaking news image

- Create a meme

Why would you use a Student-Choice Board? 

Please share out in the comments below. 

Are you a pro? - Get your badge!