People and Hashtags
From the list of 50 people and hashtags you must check out on Twitter from Matt Miller’s Ditch that Textbook, I enjoyed reading and learning from some amazing teachers. I also learned a lot from educational hashtags. Some phenomenal teachers I decided to follow are listed below.
A new resource I learned about was sketchnoting from Sylvia Duckworth. I have watched sketch notes before, but it was interesting to read about what she had to say. Sketchnoting is basically a creative way to take notes or present information. It uses illustrations to add visuals to the information being given. Sylvia Duckworth likes using the app, “Paper by FiftyThree.” I think sketchnoting is great because it provides a fun alternative to basic presentations and notes. I also think it caters to both visual and auditory learners because they can both hear the information as well as see connect it with a picture.
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I could see myself using sketchnote videos in my classroom because I know I am a visual learner; however, I do not see myself making one personally. I think it would take me a long time to create my own because drawing is not something that comes easily to me.
The second educator I learned from was David Geurin. He shared an interesting article by Ben Johnson from Edutopia, called “3 Unused Teaching Tools: The Furniture, Floors, and Walls.” I really liked this article because it stressed the importance of utilizing these spaces to engage and motivate students in their learning. It discussed how the arrangement of the classroom could affect student behavior and engagement.
One example is if you are having a debate, put the desks on the sides of the classroom facing each other. If someone is presenting, put the desks on the walls facing the center. If students are doing partner work put pairs of desks facing each other. Teachers should set the classroom up in a way that will reflect how they want the students to behave and participate during the lesson.
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To use floor space, the teacher could move the furniture out of the way to engage students kinesthetically. An example in the lesson was to use tape to create a graph for a math class and to have students physically the points. Last, the article talked about wall space. Walls are another great space to utilize more. This is great space to have word walls, posters, display formulas, grammar rules, or other things that will enhance the students’ learning. I think teachers don’t always think to use these spaces, but I can see how it would be beneficial to utilize them. I could see myself finding engaging ways to use these spaces in my future classroom. After reading this article, I realize that there are many creative ways to go about using the furniture arrangement, floors, and walls to increase student learning and engagement.
A third tool I learned about was Piktochart. This is a resource that was tweeted by Beth Houf. Piktochart is a tool that can be used to create infographics, reports, posters, and presentations. It is easy to use and has many different templates that are customizable. I think resources like this one are great because they are simple, yet creative. I could see myself using this website or other similar apps because it is a creative way for students to present projects or to share what they have learned.
Hashtags
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A few of the ways mentioned are to create exit tickets, bellringer activities, make video reflections, create assignments from templates, create reminders or post due dates, post tests or quizzes, and create discussions, activities, and forums. Check out the video here to watch view all twelve of the ways to use Google Classroom. Then click on the individual one that you want to learn more about. I could see myself using Google Classroom to create exit tickets, bell ringers, quizzes, and tests.
Another resource from #googleedu is Google Forms. This is a great tool to use in a digital listening center. This allows young students to listen to books by watching videos. Teachers can also create questions for the student to answer at the end of the story. Google Forms also allows the class to see the results of how the questions were answered. I found this source on a website called Primarily Google. This website also provides readers with a website that has over 700 YouTube read-aloud videos. Click here or on the embedded video to watch a tutorial about Google Forms. I think Google Forms is really neat! I think this is something I could incorporate this into my future classroom and lessons!
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A third resource I discovered from #googleedu is Google Expeditions and Virtual Reality. I read an article called "Getting Started with Google Expeditions and Virtual Reality" on the website called Shaking Up Learning. These are basically resources that allow students to use a computer to experience another environment through sights and sounds. I think this is a really neat resource that teachers should take advantage of because it’s is yet another way to incorporate technology into the classroom. Today’s students are very capable of using technology. Teachers should keep up with the latest technology because that is something the students can relate to. Google Expeditions allows students to take virtual field trips and see 360-degree images of wherever they are (museums, different countries, underwater, etc.). I think virtual reality is amazing.