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Did the summer holiday already start where you live? Lucky you!
Are you counting down the days? Hold on: summer break is just around the corner!

In either case, you'll find some great ideas for a splendid summer in this blog post, which consists of two parts:

For those who want to take a practical approach to this, we have created a very handy Planner Widget. All 25 activities from this blog post can be found in the planner, but you can completely personalize it by choosing your own activities and determining their order. The most important links mentioned in this blog post are also included in the Planner's activities.

Part I - Ideas to disconnect and relax during the summer break

Are you looking for inspiration to fill your free time? The first part of this blog post is all about refreshing your soul and your mind before you dive in again. We'll provide you with our best tips for your 2022 summer.

1. Meet up with some friends and relatives

After more than two years of lockdowns and restrictions, it is finally time to get back together. Which friends, family members, or (former) colleagues have you not seen for a while? Call them and make an appointment to have a drink together and catch up. What's better than a good talk with a friend and a cup of coffee?

2. Attend a festival, a sports competition, or other events

A lot of events were canceled or postponed over the past two summers.... time to catch up! There are plenty of choices with major sporting events like the Tour de France, some European F1 Grand Prix, or the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. For music fans, don't miss out on big music festivals like Rolling Loud (Florida / New York / Canada / Netherlands / Portugal), Lollapalooza (Illinois), Glastonbury (UK), Tomorrowland (Belgium), or Sziget (Hungary). Of course, you can also attend smaller events near you and support your local artists and athletes.

3. Travel the world

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page."

If your summer vacation is long enough, why not take advantage to explore the world? The good news is there are hardly any travel restrictions. Traveling is not only about relaxing, it is also a way to learn about other cultures. You will undoubtedly have experiences that will enrich you as a person and as a teacher.

Still looking for a destination? Check out this Google Maps Widget with the best travel tips from the BookWidgets team members! Don't expect the typical tourist attractions. In this overview, you will find hidden gems and untrodden paths that are absolutely worthwhile.

Are you not in a position to travel far? No problem! The covid period has taught us that short trips close to home or even a staycation can also be really fun. Go local - check out a farmer's market, thrift store, and more.

4. Do day trips

A day trip - with or without children - is always a good idea. Whether you're visiting a museum, a nature reserve, or a city.... you always learn something and the day is over before you realize it. If you have a teacher's card, be sure to check at which places you get a discount or even free admission.

A successful day trip could be repeated with your students next school year as a field trip. Be sure to check out our blog post on field trips for inspiration.

An escape game could also be a fun activity. Nothing beats the experience of a real escape room, but online versions can be a good exercise. Try this digital adventure, where you follow a certain Eric Murphy throughout a remarkable day and find some other examples in this blog post.

5. Step out of your comfort zone and learn something new

Skydiving, geocaching, computer science, scuba diving, photoshopping, making TikTok videos, baking carrot cake, starting your own YouTube channel, write a book, .... there are plenty of things you have never done before and summer break is the perfect time to try them! This way you will experience for yourself what your students sometimes go through during the school year and it will enrich you as a person and as a teacher.

6. Cook and bake new things

When you have a little more time, outside of the hustle and bustle of workdays, you can finally try some new recipes. Looking for inspiration? Here are three tasty and super-easy recipes to try!

7. Read books

Throw your laptop and smartphone aside for a moment, summer is the perfect time to read a good book. You don't have to spend a lot of money on new books. Check out what your local library has to offer, browse the used market, or borrow books from friends (who can give you good reading tips right away). Looking for inspiration? Check out our summer reading tips for teachers in the Tiptile widget.

After reading a book, you can reflect on your reading experience and analyze the story. In this blog post, we give 15 creative ideas about book reports for students. When you read a new book yourself, you have the perfect opportunity to test some of them and see what works best. Two birds with one stone.

8. Get outdoors

Hike, (e-)bike, run, swim, ride a boat, a kick scooter, a monowheel, or a skateboard ... No matter which way you move, by getting outside you always discover interesting places or you get to know the places you already know in a different way. You certainly don't have to travel long distances. The important thing is to get a dose of fresh air and vitamin D. And while you're moving around, a picnic is a perfect break.

Looking for an app for finding and creating routes near you? Check out Strava, RouteYou, MapMyRide, or Komoot.

If you're in the United States, enjoy local, state, and national parks. Get off the beaten path and visit some lesser-known parks with fewer visitors:

And while you're enjoying the outdoors, you can immediately test a few lesson ideas from this blog post so you can share this experience with your students later.

9. Read blogs and listen to podcasts

During the school year, you sometimes see interesting blog articles or podcast episodes come along, but don't always have the time to read or listen to them in detail. Now is the time to catch up!

Looking for inspiration? You can start with the 5 most popular articles on the BookWidgets Blog from the past school year, or of all time.
BookWidgets' 5 most read blog posts of 2021-2022

1. "10+ Short films for students with ready-to-use lesson ideas"

2. "How to create digital rubrics for your student evaluations - The teacher guide on rubrics"

3. "How to convert student hand-outs into digital self-grading worksheets"

4. "30+ ready-to-use TikTok lesson ideas for teachers - The Complete Classroom Guide"

5. "15 Creative and digital book report ideas that will get your students excited to read"

BookWidgets' 5 most read blog posts of all time

1. "15 fun team-building activities and trust games for the classroom"

2. "20 interactive teaching activities for in the interactive classroom"

3. "19 Classroom seating arrangements fit for your teaching"

4. "15 Fun classroom energizers for students"

5. "Direct instruction - A practical guide to effective teaching"

Other useful edublogs can be found in this article.

Are you more of a podcast listener? Then be sure to check out this list of interesting podcasts for teachers. Or listen to some podcasts related to your teaching subject, that you could also share with your students

10. Watch series/Movies/Short films

While we recommend you get outdoors as much as possible and limit your screen time, sometimes it's just nice and relaxing to watch a good movie or series. Tip: go to a small alternative cinema or watch lesser-known foreign series and movies instead of the blockbusters.

Are you still looking for inspiration? In this Tiptile Widget, you will find some must-see movies for teachers.

Or check out the short films in this blog post, which can inspire you for next school year's lessons.

11. Meditate

Take some time to invest in your most important resource - YOU.

Setting up a summer meditation routine now may also help once the new school year begins. The effects of mindfulness and meditation have been well-documented in reducing stress and increasing focus. A recent RMT Study indicated that mindfulness and meditation can:

Reduce stress and feelings of burnout.

Improve emotional health, including self-confidence, empathy, compassion, and patience.

Enhance teachers' ability to concentrate and focus.

Improve health, including reductions in absenteeism.

Enhance job performance (better classroom management for example)

Here are some great free meditation apps and resources just for teachers.

Once again, you can share your own successful experiences in this area with your students later. Inspiration can be found in this blog post.

12. Reflect on the past year

Another school year is over! It was undoubtedly a special year, with COVID-19 still present, but thankfully fading more and more into the background. The summer break is a good time to reflect on what the past year has brought for you as a person and as a teacher. How have you grown? In what ways were you more than just a teacher to the students? What will you remember from the past year? Why?

Of course, you choose which way to reflect: thinking, talking with colleagues, and even journaling about the year so that you can close that chapter and begin a new one.

To learn more about reflecting, check out this blog post.

13. Do nothing

The tips above will no doubt give you a lot of great ideas, but the most important tip is to completely clear your head and recharge your batteries. Definitely don't plan too much and at times just do nothing. Above all, don't forget to enjoy the summer!

Part II - How to prepare for the next school year

Is your summer vacation almost over and are you ready to start the new school year with full energy? Then you will find in this second part of the blog 12 tips to be perfectly prepared at the starting line.

14. Set some personal goals for the new school year

As a teacher, you know that every well-prepared lesson starts by defining the learning goals. So why not set some personal goals for the new school year? If you have reflected on the past school year (see tip #12), you have probably found a few opportunities for personal growth. If you struggle with finding your personal goals, we recommend the " What is your why?" method. Once you have the why, the how will come.

To not lose sight of your goals once the hustle and bustle of the school year arrives, it is recommended that you write down your personal goals. To make it very visual you can create a vision board and put it in your classroom or near your desk.

15. Consider Professional Development

If you have set your personal goals (see tip #14), you may realize that to achieve them it may be helpful to pursue professional development. Whether it's learning new teaching methods, mastering new EdTech tools, or immersing yourself in your field, there are always interesting PD courses to be found. It's a good idea to start considering this now so that you take it into account in your planning right away. During the school year, you may lose sight of this.

Looking for inspiration? Check the 20+ professional development resources for teachers in this blog post.

16. Organize classroom materials and supplies

Your classroom is the place where the magic happens! It is the place where your students grow in their learning process, where they sometimes have discussions, and where they feel safe.

As a teacher, you want to provide an environment that offers structure, but also stimulates their creative process. Maybe this year it's time to give your classroom a facelift. Often, a few small interventions (like changing the seating arrangements, see tip #22) are enough to create a completely different feeling.

To get inspired, check this Pinterest board and this Instagram account with classroom decorating ideas.

Before you buy new supplies, check with your school board about the available budget. If it's limited, you might be able to do some fun things with some creative ideas. You could also consider registering on sites such as Adopt a classroom or Donors Choose.

17. Archive the work from last year

To start a new school year with a clean slate, it is recommended to close the previous school year administratively. Depending on the rules in your country, state, region, or district, you will need to retain certain lesson content from the past school year, e.g. for an inspection. If in doubt, it is best to inquire with your school board. Do this first, so that from now on you can turn your gaze fully to the new school year.

If you used any EdTech tools last year (we bet you did 😉), be sure to check what happens with content and results from the previous year in these tools.

If you work with BookWidgets, we have good news. All previous student results are automatically organized by school year. As of this year, widgets are also automatically reset, meaning that repeaters will no longer see their completed answers from the previous year when you reuse the same widget. More information can be found in this recently updated blog post.

18. Check the licenses/accounts of your favorite EdTech tools

Technology is great... when it works. The start of the school year is a good time to check and get a few things in order. Here's a small checklist with our tips:

Check that you still have access to your school's LMS and your most-used EdTech tools (do you still remember your passwords?);

Check with your school's IT admin if you need to renew some licenses. If you have a BookWidgets account, click here to check the expiry date of your license;

Check if your favorite EdTech tools have done any interesting updates that could be useful in the new school year (like the Rubrics question and the Word import feature in BookWidgets);

If you manage a student/parent communication tool yourself, update student (and parent) data;

Archive previous years' data to start with a clean slate (see tip #17);

Check for professional development on EdTech tools (see tip #15);

Change your passwords and consider the use of a password manager like Bitwarden, Dashlane, or 1Password.

19. Make a plan

"Plan your work and work your plan."

Proper planning is the best way to keep track of things during the school year. Of course, it is not the intention that you have planned every lesson in detail on day one; planning can always change. But planning does give you and your students something to hold on to. It is best to take the following elements into account when making a plan:

What major curriculum components do I need to cover?

How much time do I have?

When are the holidays?

When are the exams?

How much time should I provide for repetition and remediation?

Which large assignments do the students have to do for my subject and for other subjects?

When are field trips scheduled?

When do I plan professional development?

If you want to make your planning visual, be sure to check out these fun free template planners from Canva or invest in a complete planner on Teachers Pay Teachers.

20. Create an emergency substitute folder

It can always happen that you are absent during the school year, or need to replace an absent colleague. This always happens at an inconvenient time, leaving you too little time to create an alternative assignment for the students. Therefore, it is recommended to have an "emergency substitute folder" ready in advance. The good news is that with BookWidgets you can do this very easily! Read more about it in our blog post " 4 ways to help students continue learning when the teacher is absent ".

21. Create and follow groups to collaborate with other teachers

If you're looking for fun lesson ideas, know that there are several groups in BookWidgets where teachers share ready-to-use digital lessons and interactive exercises. If you have a BookWidgets account, you can view all of these lesson materials, duplicate them to your own account, edit them if necessary, and then share them with your students.

So, don't wait any longer, create a free BookWidgets account if you don't already have one and start looking for relevant groups. We highly recommend these groups:

Or search for groups related to your profession yourself in the "My groups" section of your account.

Reciprocally, you can also share your own teaching materials in these groups so that other teachers can use your great ideas.

Learn more about collaborating in BookWidgets in this recorded webinar.

22. Determine your desk and seating arrangement

Despite the fact that so much has changed in education in recent years, the seating arrangement of classrooms still often looks surprisingly "old school" (pun intended). However, certain new teaching methods work even better when you also adjust the classroom setting accordingly. The start of the school year is the perfect time to take a moment to review with your colleagues whether you might want to change the setup of the school desks. For inspiration, be sure to read our blog post " 19 classroom seating arrangements fit for your teaching ".

23. Prepare for the first day of the school year

The first day of the school year... everyone back at their post with vacation stories and recharged batteries, familiar and new faces, a little healthy stress, and most importantly, a very important day to get off to a good start with your students. Every teacher knows that the first day of school (and by extension the first week) often sets the tone for the rest of the school year, so it's extremely important to get a good start.

In past years, teachers have made the most of our ready-to-use lesson ideas for the first day of the school year. You can find them in these blog posts:

24. Get to know your new students

Depending on your school organization, you will receive your class lists a few weeks to a few days before the start of the school year. Although it is often difficult to learn so many new names in a short period of time, it is an important form of recognition for the students that you get to know them quickly.

A handy and fun way to quickly get to know your students is this fake Facebook profile page (created with the BookWidgets Worksheet Widget) which also asks students to add a photo and pronounce their name.

25. Don't forget to enjoy your last days of summer break and... don't stress

Yes, there will probably be a lot of elements to manage from the start and unexpected things like a copy machine that's not working in the first week... but you can manage that! If it does become a bit tough, use your meditation app's techniques (see tip #11), have a look at your vision board (see tip #14), or check your planning (see tip #19) to count down the days until the next break!

Wrap up

Do you want to use some examples from this blog post in your lessons? You'll find them in this BookWidgets group.

Have you decided yet how you are going to fill up your summer? Which tips from our list are you definitely going to apply? We're very curious, so be sure to let us know on Twitter! - @ibookwidgets

On behalf of the entire BookWidgets team, we wish you a great summer break and an excellent new school year!

Continue to be awesome. 🎉 Let's enjoy summer together! ☀️ ~Dimitri & Sheryl

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25 Summer holiday ideas for teachers to get the most out of your free time

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Did the summer holiday already start where you live? Lucky you! Are you counting down the days? Hold on: summer break is just around the corner! In either case, you'll find some great ideas for a splendid summer in this blog post, which consists of two parts: For those who want to take a practical approach to this, we have created a very handy Planner Widget.

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eMediaVA - Virginia's premiere destination for high-quality instructional resources.

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Explore our end-of-year review collections for elementary and secondary classrooms.

Testing season is right around the corner or already here for many of you, and eMediaVA has a plethora of resources to support student learning and prepare your students for those anxiety-inducing end-of-year assessments. Reviewing with digital media can take some of the pain out of drill-and-kill, giving students the targeted practice and reference resources they need to conquer high-stakes testing.

Elementary Collections

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If you're looking for more media to use in your review, nothing beats a simple search! Using the "search" function, you can filter by grade level, the subject you teach, or the type of resource you're looking for to find the best resource for your classroom needs.

Sign up for great resources, timely notifications, and more!

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SOL Review Collections from eMediaVA - eMediaVA

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Explore our end-of-year review collections for elementary and secondary classrooms. Testing season is right around the corner or already here for many of you, and eMediaVA has a plethora of resources to support student learning and prepare your students for those anxiety-inducing end-of-year assessments.

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Sign up for the Teacher Direct Newsletter to stay up to date with what is happening in the Commonwealth!

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Students must apply!

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Quick, grab-and-go lessons to help your students think critically about AI and its impact.

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Quick, grab-and-go lessons to help your students think critically about AI and its impact.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the world we live in. From using generative AI for schoolwork to dealing with misinformation and befriending AI chatbots, students have a lot to consider when it comes to this ever-evolving technology.

This collection of quick lessons (20 minutes or less!) provide an introduction to AI and help address its social and ethical impacts. Through these lessons, students will:

Understand what AI is and how it works

Consider some of its potential benefits and risks

Think critically about how we can be responsible and ethical users of AI

ChatGPT and Beyond: How to Handle AI in Schools

Here's what educators can do as artificial intelligence evolves.

Free Resources to Explore and Use ChatGPT and AI

Get an educator-focused approach to information, concerns, and uses for artificial intelligence.

Transforming Education with AI: What Educators Need to Know

Lessons and Tools for Teaching About Artificial Intelligence

Help your students understand the impacts and uses of AI.

ChatGPT: To Ban or Not to Ban?

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AI Literacy Lessons for Grades 6-12 | Common Sense Education

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Quick, grab-and-go lessons to teach your students how to be ethical and empowered users of artificial intelligence.

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Hack Space Con is a cybersecurity conference and training event taking place on April 10-13, 2024 at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Center for Space Education, Kennedy Space Center Florida and on April 13th at a local community college.

The conference will feature talks, workshops, competitions, and villages on various topics related to cybersecurity. The event features professional training, workshops, speaker sessions, competitions, and villages, all focused on the latest developments in cybersecurity, AI, cloud, space, and defense.

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Background

Taylor Swift is undeniably talented and a pop culture icon. In her music career, she has had 11 number one hit songs and sold over 114 million albums. Her Eras tour is selling out stadiums around the world and has already grossed more than $1,000,000,000 (USD) worldwide! Since she began dating Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce and attending games to cheer him on, economic analysis has estimated that she has added more than $330 million in brand value to the Chiefs and the NFL simply by showing up to games. Viewership of Chiefs games is up and sales of Travis Kelce jerseys increased by 400% almost overnight when Taylor started appearing at games and their love story became a storyline for the NFL. This gigantic economic boost from her presence at NFL games has been called "The Taylor Swift Effect" many times by the press.

At DataClassroom we wondered, does this Taylor Swift effect extend onto the field of play. Does her presence at a game influence the success that the Kansas City Chiefs have on the football field? Does Taylor's presence have a measurable effect on the individual play of Travis Kelce? We know all too well how to approach questions like these, and that is with data.

Examine this dataset to test for The Taylor Swift Effect on the performance of Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs. Are you...ready for it? Ok, we'll stop now ;)

Dataset

This dataset contains performance and outcome data from every Kansas City Chiefs game in the 2023 regular season and the playoffs through the AFC championship game. The football data for this dataset were sourced from and the data on Taylor Swift's attendance were sourced from US Weekly Celebrity News .

Variables

Date - This info variable describes the date of the game played. It is listed as month / day / year. It is not in a format to be included in any analysis

Game # - This numeric variable indicates which game was being played. Games are listed chronologically with the first game of the season as 1 and the most recent game (AFC Championship game) listed as 19.

Opponent - This categorical variable records which team the Kansas City Chiefs were playing for that game.

location- This categorical variable indicates if the team was playing at Arrowhead Stadium (home) or at an away location.

KC Win or Loss? - This categorical variable records if the Kansas City Chiefs won or lost the game.

KC Points - This numeric variable is how many points were scored by the Kansas City Chiefs in that game.

Opp Points - This numeric variable is how many points were scored by the Chief's opponent team in that game.

Was Taylor Swift at the game? - This categorical variable records if Taylor Swift was in attendance at the game or not. It can have the value of Yes or No.

Kelce Receptions - This numeric variable describes how many passes Travis Kelce caught in the game. (A reception is when an offensive player catches a forward pass from a teammate who throws the ball from behind the line of scrimmage.)

Kelce Receiving Targets - This numeric variable indicates how many times the ball was thrown to Travis Kelce during a game.

Kelce Receiving Yards - This numeric variable measures the total number of yards gained on all Travis Kelce receptions during a single game.

Kelce Yards per Reception - This numerical variable describes the average number of yards per reception. Calculated by taking total receiving yards and divided by number of receptions.

Kelce Touchdown - This categorical variable indicates if Travis Kelce scored a receiving touchdown during the game or not. (A receiving touchdown is scored when a player catches the ball in the field of play and advances it into the end zone, or catches it while already being within the boundaries of the end zone.)

Kelce Long Reception (YDS) - This numeric variable is the longest reception Travis Kelce made during a game. Units is yards.

KC Total Yards - This numeric variable describes the total amount of yards gained by the Kansas City offense (yards gained while carrying the football beyond the line of scrimmage) or passed (yards gained after receiving and running a ball) by all players on the Kansas City Chiefs combined.

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Can the Taylor Swift effect be seen in the NFL statistics for Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs? Explore this introductory data science exercise to test for a difference in performance when Taylor is at the game.

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Step into a world where imagination knows no bounds and education takes on a magical twist! The PD Magic conference is back by popular demand, and this time, it promises to be even more enchanting, captivating, and educational than ever before. Calling all educators, dreamers, and visionaries – this extraordinary event invites you to embark on an unforgettable experience with peers from around the country.

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I utilize this tool for immediate feedback. During testing season, I will put this as my bellringer.

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Host interactive online meetings | Poll Everywhere

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I have followed the majority of these presenters for a long time and have longed to go! I hope one of you gets to attend this amazing conference!!

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This time of year is hard, but you are doing a great job! 

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This time of year is hard, but you are doing a great job! 

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Check this out! An in-person Leadership Conference at UVA-Wise! Date: Oct. 25, 2023

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Check this out! An in-person Leadership Conference at UVA-Wise! Date: Oct. 25, 2023

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Check out this FREE self paced PL: Professional Learning Series on High Leverage Practices (HLPs), Virtual Virginia & VDOE TTAC at GMU

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Description:

Register for Professional Learning Series on High Leverage Practices, HLPs -

Each self-paced course is offered at no cost to Virginia public school educators and provides 3-5 hours of professional learning. The courses guide educators in learning about specific HLPs through videos that model exemplar teacher behaviors.

Educators may enroll in the six courses described below.

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training and technical assistance centers

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Professional Learning Series on High Leverage Practices (HLPs), Virtual Virginia & VDOE TTAC at GMU

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Professional Learning Series on High Leverage Practices (HLPs), Virtual Virginia & VDOE TTAC at GMU - Register for Professional Learning Series on High Leverage Practices, HLPs - Each self-paced course is offered at no cost to Virginia public...