Start with a Question

There are certain tools that are so flexible and easy to use that their potential use cases are infinite. Google Forms has recently added some new features that make it one of the go-to tools I recommend to even the most tech-tentative educators. Previously, educators needed to use add-ons to make their Forms self-correcting, and the question-types and design options left much to be desired. But the new Forms have been leveraged by the teachers I work with in such creative and productive ways this school year. They are worth recording in this post so that more students and educators can benefit. Use #1: Flipped Activity Instructions The Pain Point Our middle school physical education teachers sometimes use videos from Ninh Ly's Rules of Sports YouTube playlist  to teach their students the rules of a sport before they head outside to play it. The downside is that playing the videos during class time takes away from precious active time on the field or court. With class per...

As we near the end of the school year, teachers are working harder than ever to keep their students engaged and to maximize every single day they have left with them in the classroom. Teachers are the superheroes of education and there is nothing more important in a teacher’s day than the face-to-face connections they make with their students. According to renowned education researchers Robert and Jana Marzano , “Teacher-student relationships provide an essential foundation for effective classroom management—and classroom management is a key to high student achievement.” To ensure that limited face to face time in the classroom can be as meaningful is possible, teachers are using digital tools to bring learning and sharing beyond the classroom. And, when everything teachers do every day is listed, it is truly amazing to imagine how they juggle it all. So, what does a typical digital day look like for a teacher who is doing this well? Before the School Day Begins Check a...

Many schools are now 5 or more years into their BYOD or 1-to-1 programs and progress has stalled a bit. Early adopters, both students and teachers, continue innovate as they explore increasingly creative uses of the device. The majority have come on board and are relying on a smaller set of device functions, and are willing to continue learning and improving use. A smaller set are still critical of the program and are not integrating beneficial functions of the device in their classrooms. According to the Diffusion of Innovation Theory , which I've referenced before , this is normal. But it can still be concerning if the gap between the early adopters and the critics continues to grow and student experiences are vastly different from classroom to classroom. It is healthy for any social system, such as a school community, to have critics who question and push everyone to clarify their thinking and improve their practices. But critics that refuse to budge can have a negative imp...