I enjoyed sharing with you these collections of resources throughout the year. I imagine there will be a few “summer editions” posted, so be sure to peruse this blog while reading online this summer!
Connected Learning
The latest edition of Tech Tidbits!
Tech Tidbits – Issue #2
I hope you enjoy the next edition of Tech Tidbits!
Less than one month until Digital Learning Day!
Digital Learning Day is February 5, 2014!
While many of you incorporate technology into students’ everyday learning experiences (yay!), Digital Learning Day is a day for teachers and students to explore new methods of using technology to support learning and/or extend the ways in which students use technology to collaborate, share, create, and communicate with one another and the world.
A number of lesson plans are available for teachers to use to support Digital Learning Day activities. Topics range from Writing Powerful Blog Comments to Jigsaw Plot Development to Visual Book Report. Check them out here!
There are also Toolkits available for a number of content areas to help you get inspired and think creatively about using digital tools to enhance student learning.
You’re not limited to the activities and ideas shared by the DLD folks. Do you want to get your class connected with another via Twitter? Do you want to learn about ways students can share and summarize their learning through online project work? Are you interested in helping your students create and communicate differently? Do you want to try new research tools to promote critical thinking? Do you want to schedule a Skype chat with an author or expert in the field? Do you wish to have students continue the Hour of Code activities they began during their computer lab specials? Do you want to find another classroom around the world who is blogging, so your students always have someone to comment on their posts (and so they can comment on others’ writing)?
The possibilities are endless, not just for Digital Learning Day, but for the entire year!
How will you be celebrating Digital Learning Day in your classroom? Please contact Lynmarie so she can be sure to share your class’s experiences on this blog!
Countdown to the holidays with this Digital Ideas Advent Calendar!
Shelly Terrell is a wonderful educator who freely shares inspiring ideas for the inclusion of digital technologies in the classroom. Check out her fabulous 31 Days of Digital Tech Integration advent calendar! This resource offers tools and tips for ways to successfully integrate technology into your classroom.
Think about how fun it would be to create a similar calendar to post for your students to use for activity choices during independent work time in math or language arts! Read here (scroll beneath the calendar) to learn how to make your own!
You can also reference this helpful post by innovative educator Kelly Tenkely to learn how to create an interactive calendar using a different service called Wix.
Happy holidays!
Save the Date: Digital Learning Day 2014!
Save the Date!
Digital Learning Day ~ February 5, 2014
Courtesy the DLD media department:
Digital Learning Day will be held on February 5, 2014 in conjunction with state events and the national event hosted by the Alliance for Excellent Education at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. This powerful grassroots campaign promotes the effective use of technology to improve outcomes and achieve higher college- and career-ready standards for all students in K–12 public schools.
Digital Learning Day promotes the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to learn in a robust digital environment every day with the goal of success in college and a career. Common-sense and effective applications of digital learning should be fully integrated into all of America’s schools, libraries, coffee shops, and homes to promote life-long learning and good citizenship.
It takes less than five minutes to add your voice.
I ask that you add your voice and consider planning classroom-based activities for your students and parents to get involved. Activities and events can be as simple or complicated as you like. Feel free to use Digital Learning Day’s interactive lessons (more coming soon), host a technology fair to showcase student work, check out the teacher toolkits for ideas, or simply try something new that better integrates technology into good instructional practice. Regardless of your level of comfort with instructional technology, Digital Learning Day has something for everyone.
In addition to the national event and its related activities, all fifty states and DC are making similar plans. This is a great opportunity to use the momentum from these national and state-awareness campaigns to highlight your district- and school-level digital learning efforts to media, community leaders, parents, and local policymakers.
Most importantly, we urge you to
- add your voice in support of digital learning in schools;
- plan activities for your classroom;
- share your plans by adding your event to the map; and
- spread the word by asking your colleagues and friends to join the movement
Thank you for supporting digital learning! Please let me know if your class/team/school is planning any Digital Learning Day events! I will continue to share ideas over the next several weeks and wish to feature your activities on this blog and share with the world!
Click here to ‘Like’ Digital Learning Day on Facebook. Click here to follow Digital Learning Day on Twitter!
Here is a PDF with more information about Digital Learning Day!
One book to connect the world!
On September 30, Mrs. Kidhardt, Mrs. Huber, Mrs. Libell and Mrs. Twaddell’s classes from Brecknock Elementary School embarked on a new project with the Global Read Aloud. For six weeks, the teachers will read aloud from the book, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. Throughout the study, students will connect with other students from different parts of the world to discuss the book.
They will be using various educational technologies to connect with other students!
- Mrs. Kidhardt’s class is discussing the book with 10 and 11 year-olds in private school in Australia using Edmodo.
- Mrs. Huber’s class is discussing the book with sixth graders in a school near Ontario, Canada using Kidblog.
- Mrs. Libell’s class is discussing the book with a class near British Columbia, Canada using Edmodo.
- Mrs. Twaddell’s class is discussing the book with a 5/6 combination class from British Columbia, Canada using Kidblog.
Following is a summary of the (amazing) book the classes are reading together and discussing!
“Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there’s no delete button. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don’t think she’s capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can’t, because Melody can’t talk. She can’t walk. She can’t write.
Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.” Source: www.goodreads.com
We are looking forward to a great experience, connecting with other readers worldwide!
Thank you to Mrs. Libell, Mrs. Huber, Mrs. Kidhardt, and Mrs. Twaddell for sharing these experiences with us!
How are you connecting your students with the world? Email Lyn with exciting activities and projects you wish to be featured on this blog!
October is Connected Educator Month!
Last year the first annual Connected Educator Month was organized and celebrated by the US Department of Education. This year marks the second anniversary, and there are many exciting activities and events in store this October to celebrate the wonder of being a connected educator! These are the themes for this year’s event.
There are many ways to get involved with CEM. Here is the Kickoff page that lists all of the great events during the opening days of CEM. Check out the Events Calendar to find events and activities that interest you. There are also Book Clubs being organized, Twitter chats to participate in, and ways to get your students and classrooms connected!
Are you connecting with other educators, and/or getting your kids connected through global projects? I want to share the great work you’re doing! Please let me know what types of activities you’re participating in, including Mystery Skype, Global Read Aloud, etc. I’d love to showcase your project work here and share with others!
Finally, if any of you are interested in becoming a Connected Educator – the benefits are HUGE! – please let me know. I’d be happy to organize time to meet with you/your team/your school to discuss the use of social media to connect with educators around the world! I can support you in getting started with Twitter, reading some great educational blogs, and engaging with other online communities such as those in Google+!