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Greetings International School Teachers & Leaders     

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Greetings International School Teachers & Leaders     

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Thank you to MiniPD Coaches, IB and Non-IB educators, who have co-constructed this calendar with the MiniPD Team.

Key words: Technology, Integration, Online, Hybrid, Blended.

- Bookmark this page - read one card a day this month!

- Scroll horizontally along for bite-size reads on Tech Tools, Strategies and Resources.

- Scroll each day up and down to read the full pro-tips.

Stay safe and well.

The MiniPD Team
www.minipd.com

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Strip Away the Gimmicks, Focus on the Learning!

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Strip Away the Gimmicks, Focus on the Learning!

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Mohamed Elashiry, MiniPD Coach, says,

Online learning can be very tech-heavy. We use several online edtech tools to help students learn content, develop skills, collaborate on projects, demonstrate their learning, and receive feedback on their work.

Online tools are always getting better and it seems like everyday there is a new online tool that promises to solve all our problems.

However, it’s important to always focus on the LEARNING! Edtech can sometimes be gimmicky and only adds a level of fanciness without enhancing student learning. As teachers, we do not need to learn how to use every single edtech tool that becomes available. Focus on a few tools that truly engage students and enhance their learning.

Remember, you’re the teacher and you’re the most valuable resource these students have, and these edtech tools should only be used to enhance the students’ learning.

Strip away the gimmicks, focus on the learning!

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Use tech to help you and your students manage to-dos in 2022

Listen to student voice:

Year 13 student (2021-22), Isabella, St. Julian's British International School, Portugal recommends Notion.

Pro-tips to organize and manage your time:

Take 10 minutes per day for planning

Create deadlines

Avoid multitasking

The MiniPD Team

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Notion - The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.

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A new tool that blends your everyday work apps into one. It's the all-in-one workspace for you and your team.

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Check Out Microsoft Educator Center

Ioanna Karariga, MiniPD Coach, says,

Microsoft Educator Center offers fantastic free and constantly updated  resources for educators, that are linked to specific subjects, tools or competencies! Check them out!
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/educator-center/?source=mec

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Educator Center Overview - Microsoft Learn Educator Center

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Try This: Use ed.ted.com for Flipped Learning

Grades 3 - 12

Free

Develop your thinking classroom by using powerful case studies and examples with TEDEd videos and lessons in a flipped learning model.

The MiniPD Team

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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Hexagonal Thinking routine in Grade 3 Net/Wall Games in Physical Education

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Try This: Hexagonal Thinking

Mihai Catrinar, MiniPD Coach, says...

Hexagonal Thinking is a powerful strategy that capitalizes on physical placement or manipulation of concept cards. Individually or in groups, students place their hexagonal concept cards for the lesson, series of lessons, or unit and discuss how the concepts are related. Due to the hexagons having six sides, students can look for multiple relationships and cannot repeat the same connection twice.
Use this template from Learning that Transfers resources.
To personalize your own use this Digital Toolkit created by Betsy Potash @nowsparkcreativity

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Join our Skilling Up with Tech Chat
@FariaMiniPD #MiniPDchat

The MiniPD Team

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Find Your Tribe!

A few follow suggestions for individuals with loads of Ed Tech content:

• TechyLeaderEDU
• Jason Reagin, M.Ed. : #DesignCast

Adam Morris, Schools Technology and Integration Director, Faria Education Group, says these two, Georgina and Jason, produce a wealth of content, both byte-sized and longer form.

Virtual communities are out there to be found; Find your tribe!

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Want to Bring Relevance and FUN to STEM Units?
https://brilliant.org/home/

Brilliant has a wide variety of modules that can be accessed with FREE educator sign-up. Units can be used in entirety or as mini-lessons across wide variety of levels and subjects in Math and Science areas. A must to check out!

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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Guided interactive problem solving that's effective and fun. Master concepts in 15 minutes a day.
Get started
Join over 10 million people learning on Brilliant

Over 50,000 5-star reviews
on iOS App Store and Google Play

Master concepts in 15 minutes a day

Whether you're a complete beginner or ready to dive into machine learning and beyond, Brilliant makes it easy to level up fast with fun, bite-sized lessons.

Courses in Foundational Math

Join over 10 million people learning on Brilliant

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Brilliant - Build quantitative skills in math, science, and computer science with hands-on, interactive lessons.

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Try Explain Everything- Best Digital Whiteboard
https://explaineverything.com/online-whiteboard/

Chris Hayden, MiniPD Coach, says, the best feature of this is probably being able to record your feedback and the thought process as a short video- imagine being able to explain your thought-process verbally and attach that to written feedback.

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The collaborative online whiteboard for individuals or teams. Record videos, collaborate or broadcast across any device with anyone from anywhere. Try FREE.

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Utilise Phones Positively

Tom Brodie, MiniPD Coach, says,

- Utilise phones positively with some simple in class apps to promote engagement and learning.
Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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Oculus Quest 2- Virtual Reality in Ed

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/search
While this is really for 'innovators' (those early adopters), it is worth the 300$ price tag for the 128 GB model to start exploring. As the price of VR continues to drop, the tools will become more and more accessible to classrooms.

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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Download hundreds of Oculus Go VR experiences. Step into a new virtual world with downloadable games, apps, entertainment, and more. Play solo or with friends.

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Good Practice, First. Technology, Second (5-10 minute read)

- Access more MiniPD Coach articles and resources by creating an account at no cost
- Get to know MiniPD Coaches experienced in Technology who can support you 1-on-1!

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So how do you use technology? And how do you know you are using it in a meaningful way? From integrating technology in teaching, to using technology to manage data or drive decision making as a leader, what matters most is this: good practice comes first, technology second.

So are you using technology in a meaningful way to enhance teaching?

Let's face it, 'edtech can sometimes be gimmicky and only adds a level of fanciness without enhancing student learning,' shares Mohamed Elashiry, MiniPD Coach. Dr. Liz Kolb, author of Learning First, Technology Second in Practice (2017), says about 80% of apps are simply drill and kill apps, where an over reliance on these implies a danger to what should be taking place - good instructional practice. MiniPD Coaches, specialists in edtech, and tech integration share some pro-tips below:

Ioanna Karariga, MiniPD Coach, recommends,:

'Make your classroom an active learning space, where the roles of experts and learners are constantly interchanging. Give them plenty of opportunities to teach others in the classroom, the school, the community, and the world. Use technology as means for communication and inspiration.

Adopt active learning strategies. Retrieval practice, spacing and interleaving. Use technology tools to help you manage the logistics.'

Read more In her blogpost, The Knowhow Classroom.

Mihai Catrinar, MiniPD Coach, in his article on blended learning iterates key points,:

'Technology (should be) leveraged intentionally to restructure the classroom to increase student involvement, engagement, and input. If we get caught up in the tools, we miss the point: blended learning is about plain good teaching and making the most out of our online and face-to-face teaching environments.'

'When teachers use applications in the classroom, they may increase student engagement and efficiency to a certain level. However, this is not blended learning, just as using tools such as Kahoot or online quizzes to generate students' responses are not either. If we take answers and post them in an online environment, students interact and collaborate by providing peer feedback that is blended learning.'

Read more in his blogpost, Learning with Technology: Blended Learning

Christophe Gigon, MiniPD Coach, asks us to,:

'Consider the workflow. He recommends iPads as a great teaching tool. He explains, 'They free away the teachers from their screen and keyboard, they enable them to move around the room and interact with the students while teaching.

'Use mindmaps to s chematize the concepts to help retention of knowledge and clarify the different aspects of a culture. He recommends Framindmap and Drawings by Google.'

Read more in his blogposts, Upscaling Technology, What's Next? and Can Mindmaps be Useful in Teaching Languages?

'Online learning prepares our students for success in today's world...we would be doing a disservice to our students, if we did not at least offer some online learning given all of the amazing resources and possibilities it provides.' Using technology to bridge the real world is crucial.

Read more in his blogpost, 3 Myths of online Learning

The teacher is the most valuable resource that students have, and to 'focus on a few tools that truly engage students and enhance their learning.'

So how do you know you are using technology in a meaningful way?

Technology should be a value added in a lesson, to engage students and to enhance teaching and student learning.

Hattie's VisibleLearningMetax.com is a powerful tool that every educator should have bookmarked on their device of choice; using Hattie's metadata to intentionally reflect on your own practice and use of technology is a great research-based place to start.

We also recommend using a technology integration framework to reflect and self-assess your use of technology. There are multiple frameworks you can choose from, such as the model, The Triple E Framework or .

Chris Hayden, MiniPD Coach, recommends The '4 shifts Protocol'. He says,

' The '4 shifts' refers to promoting/developing deeper thinking & learning, authentic work, student agency & personalization and technology infusion. The protocol is exceptional in its ability to guide technology integration along these lines and in meaningful ways that have immediate practical impacts on lessons, units and culture...giving teachers a practical approach to technology integration that focuses on many of the same teaching practices that IB seeks to develop.'

Read more from Chris' bite-size pro-tips in Skilling Up with Tech

C onsider how these bite-size pro-tips and recommended tools from Chris and other tech specialists, MiniPD Coaches, can meet your lesson learning goals and enhance your teaching.

So let's finally dip into good practice when using digital data.
To what extent are you applying best practices when using digital data?
With an upsurge in online learning, we now have a greater reliance, more than ever, on digital content. So how do you use software for improving teaching or for school improvement? How do you use technology to manage data, or analyse data to drive well-informed decisions? To what extent do you consider data reliability and validity?

In his blog post on Data Management, Adam Morris, Schools Technology and Integration Director for Faria Education Group, provides essential points to consider for school leaders. He says, 'when it comes to data management, i dentifying the properties of what constitutes good data is the first step.' He highlights the main concepts around what is good data:

Another best practice Adam asks us to consider is that of adhering to the single source of truth principle. He writes,

'The principle is about ensuring that there is only one location for updates of certain data points to occur.' He highlights that, 'If there is only one location for certain data points to be updated, and the rest of the data simply updates itself based on that source, either overnight or after a few hours, the result is that all of the data are now "in sync."

Education Technology is to be embraced. So we leave you with a final question, what action might you take now to put best practices first, rather than technology?

Join the Conversation

We invited educators from around the world to join us in a Coaches-in-Conversation on Skilling Up with Tech in January 2022. (to be posted in Week 3 of January)

Wanting to further the conversation?

Needing a thought partner? A critical friend? Schedule one-to-one coaching sessions with any of our inspirational MiniPD Coaches above about areas that can support you to drive engagement in your classroom with your students!

Want to keep connected?

You will receive a newsletter at the beginning of each month with pro-tips, tools and resources.

You will have access to information on live events and our bite-size action-based calendar created for, with and by our community of international school educators.

You can access articles published by MiniPD experienced Coaches, IB and non-IB international school educators, on topics that matter to you.

You can connect with our experienced Coaches quickly and easily for ongoing one-to-one supportive conversations.

Want to learn more?
Technology

MiniPD Coaches, (2021), Actionable Strategies Skill Up with Tech

Hattie, J., (2021), VisibleLearningMetax.com

Dr. Liz Kolb, (2017), Learning First, Technology Second in Practice.

Morris, A., with contributions by Karariga, I., & Marshall., S (2021) Data Management

What topics matter to you?

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Good Practice, First. Technology, Second. - MiniPD

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So how do you use technology? And how do you know you are using it in a meaningful way? From integrating technology in teaching, to using technology to manage data or drive decision making as a leader, what matters most is this: good practice comes first, technology second.

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Education Perfect!
https://www.educationperfect.com/

While this is a paid product, it is revolutionizing content-based modules that can be used in online, hybrid and- what I'm most excited about- flipped classroom approaches. The modules and features are truly exceptional- get a free month trial and you will be hooked!

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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Education Perfect | Learning, Assessment and Analytics Platform

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Education Perfect is a leading learning, assessment and analytics platform for years K-12. Learn More.

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CLICK HERE TO WATCH Skilling Up with Tech: MiniPD Coaches in Conversation (60 mins) with Adam Morris, Christophe Gigon and Mihai Catrinar. No cost.

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Video used during the Movement Composition unit with grade 4 students in physical education.

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Pose the Question: What Concepts Live Here?

Mihai Catrinar, MiniPD Coach, says...

What Concepts Live Here? To create learning experiences that leverage students’ prior knowledge and create a culture of transfer, consider frequently posing the question, What Concepts Live Here? alongside interesting quotes, pictures, videos, news headlines, historical documents, complex mathematical problems, etc that can capture student attention. Students can simply jot down or call out the concepts that they notice. This focuses student attention on the underlying structure of every situation and creates the habit of mind to access prior knowledge when encountering a new situation.
Use this template from Learning that Transfers resources.
Check more about Misty Paterson's  work @popupstudioed or @PatersonMisty

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Great online collaboration tools!

1. Gathertown https://www.gather.town/
2. Wonder.me https://wonder.me/

Help design and use virtual spaces for collaboration & interaction- a must check out for online learning!

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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Gather gives distributed teams a digital space that brings everyone together.

The in-person moments you've been missing

Everything remote teams need to get work done

Premium support
(Premium Office plans only)

Why remote employees love Gather

Build a culture your remote team loves

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Work remotely side-by-side in digital Spaces that make virtual interactions more human.

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Try This: 4 Shifts Protocol

Put the 'why' into technology integration for deeper learning, authentic work, agency & collaboration

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/resources/4-shifts-protocol

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Welcome to the resource page for the 4 Shifts Protocol (formerly known as trudacot), a discussion protocol intended to help facilitate educator conversations about deeper learning, greater student agency, more authentic work, and rich technology infusion! The 4 Shifts Protocol is being used by teachers, principals, instructional coaches, and technology integrationists all over the world to make lessons,...

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Jump back into our Skilling Up with Tech Chat
@FariaMiniPD #MiniPDchat

The MiniPD Team

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Idea Thread Mapper
https://idea-thread.net/

Want to truly transform your class inquiries? ITM is a truly innovative approach for enabling collaboration.
It has the capacity to link multiple classrooms & keep  inquiries going & accessible for extended periods of time.

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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Idea Thread Mapper (ITM) is a research-based collaboration platform that supports student-driven knowledge building and creative inquiry across classroom communities.

At the core of ITM is a visual collaboration and discourse environment where students develop extended threads of ideas to build deep understandings and work on progressively deeper problems. The online discourse tools integrate with Knowledge Forum, a world-renowned platform for collaborative learning and knowledge building. To sustain student-driven inquiry and dynamic collaboration, ITM further incorporates two types of support:

Support for collective inquiry structuring: Idea thread mapping and analytics embedded in the online discourse environment help students reflect on their progress and co-organize their collective journey of inquiry; and

Support for cross-classroom collaboration: Boundary-crossing tools help build connections between different classrooms, which share inquiry progress and engage in shared "Super Talk."

With its solid design for open interoperation and adaptability, ITM works with Knowledge Forum and other tools across platforms and databases. Together these systems provide a new social technological infrastructure for transforming classrooms into interconnected creative communities, in which students develop 21st century competencies.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

ITM was made possible by the NSF Cyberlearning grants awarded to Dr. Jianwei Zhang (learning scientist), Dr. Mei-Hwa Chen (computer scientist) and their team at the University at Albany.

For more info about our research, see our project site.

© All rights reserved. Contact us: ideathreadmapper@gmail.com

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Idea Thread Mapper (ITM) is a research-based collaboration platform that supports student-driven knowledge building and creative inquiry across classroom communities. At the core of ITM is a visual collaboration and discourse environment where students develop extended threads of ideas to build deep understandings and work on progressively deeper problems. The online discourse tools integrate with Knowledge...

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Gamify Learning

Tom Brodie, MiniPD Coach, says, build vocabulary and engagement by gamifying learning

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LIVE EVENT: WATCH THE RECORDING

SKILLING UP WITH TECH
MiniPD Coaches in Conversation took place on January 20th, 2022. 1:00 pm UTC.

Go to our blogpost here and scroll down to view the live event recording

Access all live events recordings here

Discover Tech Coaches to support you.

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So how do you use technology? And how do you know you are using it in a meaningful way? From integrating technology in teaching, to using technology to manage data or drive decision making as a leader, what matters most is this: good practice comes first, technology second.

So are you using technology in a meaningful way to enhance teaching?

Let's face it, 'edtech can sometimes be gimmicky and only adds a level of fanciness without enhancing student learning,' shares Mohamed Elashiry, MiniPD Coach. Dr. Liz Kolb, author of Learning First, Technology Second in Practice (2017), says about 80% of apps are simply drill and kill apps, where an over reliance on these implies a danger to what should be taking place - good instructional practice. MiniPD Coaches, specialists in edtech, and tech integration share some pro-tips below:

Ioanna Karariga, MiniPD Coach, recommends,:

'Make your classroom an active learning space, where the roles of experts and learners are constantly interchanging. Give them plenty of opportunities to teach others in the classroom, the school, the community, and the world. Use technology as means for communication and inspiration.

Adopt active learning strategies. Retrieval practice, spacing and interleaving. Use technology tools to help you manage the logistics.'

Read more In her blogpost, The Knowhow Classroom.

Mihai Catrinar, MiniPD Coach, in his article on blended learning iterates key points,:

'Technology (should be) leveraged intentionally to restructure the classroom to increase student involvement, engagement, and input. If we get caught up in the tools, we miss the point: blended learning is about plain good teaching and making the most out of our online and face-to-face teaching environments.'

'When teachers use applications in the classroom, they may increase student engagement and efficiency to a certain level. However, this is not blended learning, just as using tools such as Kahoot or online quizzes to generate students' responses are not either. If we take answers and post them in an online environment, students interact and collaborate by providing peer feedback that is blended learning.'

Read more in his blogpost, Learning with Technology: Blended Learning

Christophe Gigon, MiniPD Coach, asks us to,:

'Consider the workflow. He recommends iPads as a great teaching tool. He explains, 'They free away the teachers from their screen and keyboard, they enable them to move around the room and interact with the students while teaching.

'Use mindmaps to s chematize the concepts to help retention of knowledge and clarify the different aspects of a culture. He recommends Framindmap and Drawings by Google.'

Read more in his blogposts, Upscaling Technology, What's Next? and Can Mindmaps be Useful in Teaching Languages?

'Online learning prepares our students for success in today's world...we would be doing a disservice to our students, if we did not at least offer some online learning given all of the amazing resources and possibilities it provides.' Using technology to bridge the real world is crucial.

Read more in his blogpost, 3 Myths of online Learning

The teacher is the most valuable resource that students have, and to 'focus on a few tools that truly engage students and enhance their learning.'

So how do you know you are using technology in a meaningful way?

Technology should be a value added in a lesson, to engage students and to enhance teaching and student learning.

Hattie's VisibleLearningMetax.com is a powerful tool that every educator should have bookmarked on their device of choice; using Hattie's metadata to intentionally reflect on your own practice and use of technology is a great research-based place to start.

We also recommend using a technology integration framework to reflect and self-assess your use of technology. There are multiple frameworks you can choose from, such as the model, The Triple E Framework or .

Chris Hayden, MiniPD Coach, recommends The '4 shifts Protocol'. He says,

' The '4 shifts' refers to promoting/developing deeper thinking & learning, authentic work, student agency & personalization and technology infusion. The protocol is exceptional in its ability to guide technology integration along these lines and in meaningful ways that have immediate practical impacts on lessons, units and culture...giving teachers a practical approach to technology integration that focuses on many of the same teaching practices that IB seeks to develop.'

Read more from Chris' bite-size pro-tips in Skilling Up with Tech

C onsider how these bite-size pro-tips and recommended tools from Chris and other tech specialists, MiniPD Coaches, can meet your lesson learning goals and enhance your teaching.

So let's finally dip into good practice when using digital data.
To what extent are you applying best practices when using digital data?
With an upsurge in online learning, we now have a greater reliance, more than ever, on digital content. So how do you use software for improving teaching or for school improvement? How do you use technology to manage data, or analyse data to drive well-informed decisions? To what extent do you consider data reliability and validity?

In his blog post on Data Management, Adam Morris, Schools Technology and Integration Director for Faria Education Group, provides essential points to consider for school leaders. He says, 'when it comes to data management, i dentifying the properties of what constitutes good data is the first step.' He highlights the main concepts around what is good data:

Another best practice Adam asks us to consider is that of adhering to the single source of truth principle. He writes,

'The principle is about ensuring that there is only one location for updates of certain data points to occur.' He highlights that, 'If there is only one location for certain data points to be updated, and the rest of the data simply updates itself based on that source, either overnight or after a few hours, the result is that all of the data are now "in sync."

Education Technology is to be embraced. So we leave you with a final question, what action might you take now to put best practices first, rather than technology?

Join the Conversation

We invited educators from around the world to join us in a Coaches-in-Conversation on Skilling Up with Tech in January 2022. (to be posted in Week 3 of January)

Wanting to further the conversation?

Needing a thought partner? A critical friend? Schedule one-to-one coaching sessions with any of our inspirational MiniPD Coaches above about areas that can support you to drive engagement in your classroom with your students!

Want to keep connected?

You will receive a newsletter at the beginning of each month with pro-tips, tools and resources.

You will have access to information on live events and our bite-size action-based calendar created for, with and by our community of international school educators.

You can access articles published by MiniPD experienced Coaches, IB and non-IB international school educators, on topics that matter to you.

You can connect with our experienced Coaches quickly and easily for ongoing one-to-one supportive conversations.

Want to learn more?
Technology

MiniPD Coaches, (2021), Actionable Strategies Skill Up with Tech

Hattie, J., (2021), VisibleLearningMetax.com

Dr. Liz Kolb, (2017), Learning First, Technology Second in Practice.

Morris, A., with contributions by Karariga, I., & Marshall., S (2021) Data Management

What topics matter to you?

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Good Practice, First. Technology, Second. - MiniPD

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So how do you use technology? And how do you know you are using it in a meaningful way? From integrating technology in teaching, to using technology to manage data or drive decision making as a leader, what matters most is this: good practice comes first, technology second.

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Create Accessible Documents

When creating content, there are a few basic steps that should be followed in order to assure your content is accessible. The core steps needed for accessibility are the same regardless of whether your document is in HTML, Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, or another document format:

Use headings

Use lists

Use meaningful hyperlinks

Add alternate text to images

Identify document language

Use tables wisely

Understand how to export from one format to another

Ioanna Karariga MiniPD Coach

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Flipgrid
https://info.flipgrid.com/

This is a classic - asynchronous discussions via video recording.
Setup classrooms- weekly reflections, project presentations, asynchronous discussions, so many options!

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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We express ourselves in different ways. On Flip, you can use our simple and fun built-in camera to record your thoughts, add effects and share within your Flip group as video, audio only or text in your web browser or mobile app.

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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Mentimeter- Make Presentations Interactive
https://www.mentimeter.com/app
Great tool to collect real-time classroom formative assessment data- live polling & word clouds, its a great tool!

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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Log in to Mentimeter – Create and access dynamic presentations - Mentimeter

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Welcome back! Log in to quickly access your presentations, review results, or create a new Menti. Engage your audience with interactive content.

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Share a story of impact on our Skilling Up With Tech chat on Twitter.

- What is one positive change you made in your work or classroom to skill up with tech?

@FariaMiniPD #MiniPDchat

The MiniPD Team

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Edpuzzle is awesome!
https://edpuzzle.com/

Want to turn youtube videos into engaging opportunities for formative feedback? Edpuzzle allows you to add questions to Youtube videos and collect results for data-informed instructional design and responsive teaching. Check it out!

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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Try This: Make Language Learning Visible with #Padlet

MiniPD Coach, Sra. Rini, says,

Do you feel that everyone in the class is not speaking?
Do you think everyone should get a chance to showcase what they have learned?

Use tech resources for making the learning of a language visible. In a diversified class making students speak and interact sometimes becomes challenging. However, a language course is all about making everyone speak and learn.

Use #padlet to create a classroom through which everyone's voice is heard and is visible.

MiniPD Coach, Rini Ghosh

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Common Sense Education- Find Safety in Consortia!

https://www.commonsense.org/education
Want to get the lowdown on any product?
Want to explore options, given your specific context & needs?
Start exploring Commonsense today!

-Chris Hayden MiniPD Coach

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Our website for families provides reviews and ratings of movies, books, games, apps, and other media to help parents and families make informed decisions about the media their children use.

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find our free K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum, reviews of popular edtech apps, tips on teaching responsible AI use, and resources for protecting student privacy and online safety.

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Newsela - Customize Readings by Language Phase
https://newsela.com/

Chris Hayden,  MiniPD Coach, says,

Want to be able to quickly adjust reading for Language Acquisition phase? This tool opens up pathways to inclusion in language learners

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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Create Social Activities in Covid Era

Ioanna Karariga, MiniPD Coach, says,

- Discover The Best Place to Host on the Internet

- Kumospace makes connecting online more human — and more fun
- https://explore.kumospace.com/features

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Kumospace makes connecting online feel as natural as connecting offline. Guests in Kumospace move across virtual rooms to chat with friends. Just like in the physical world, the environment suggests behavior, whether it's casual chatter in a cozy lounge, a professional discussion in a boardroom, or a presentation given from a stage.

Kumospace provides a variety of rooms that accommodate all types of interactions. If you need a conversation starter, fun features embedded in Kumospace promote conversation, from riddles to virtual drinks, music, trivia, and more.

Invite anyone you like to Kumospace without hassle. There's no software to download or install. The entire experience happens right in your web browser.

If you're looking for someone in particular, Kumospace makes it easy to find other guests by providing a participant list and an overhead map. All you need to do is stroll across the room and say hello.

Miss the serendipity of connections made in the cafeteria or ideas formed over the water cooler? Zoom, Webex, and Google Meet lock their users into a grid, making it impossible for colleagues to casually connect, stripping away any chance for human interaction.

In Kumospace, engaging with other guests is as easy as walking up to your fellow human. Conversation in Kumospace is natural, just like a real party or event. This ability to let relationships start and grow organically is what makes Kumospace the best video chat app out there for virtual parties, networking, workshops, and any occasion where socializing is center stage.

The future of digital human connection will be fun, immersive, and accessible. That's why we built Kumospace!

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Kumospace - Features for the World's Most Immersive Video Chat

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Kumospace makes connecting online feel as natural as connecting offline. Guests in Kumospace move across virtual rooms to chat with friends. Just like in the physical world, the environment suggests behavior, whether it's casual chatter in a cozy lounge, a professional discussion in a boardroom, or a presentation given from a stage.

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Noodle Tools - Guiding the Research Process
https://www.noodletools.com/

Chris Hayden, MiniPD Coach, says,

Noodle Tools is an excellent tool to help you guide & formatively assess students along the process of conducting research.

Doesn't it sometimes seem challenging to check progress of student research? How many times have you heard, "I am doing research" & felt challenged on how to guide a class of students along the way?

Noodle Tools allows teachers to be engaged in the process every step of the way.

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Designed by educators. Powered by technology. Tested by time.

For individual inquiry and collaborative research, NoodleTools:

Paves the way for original, high-quality work

NoodleTools gives students a systematic but flexible framework for navigating the tangled web of research. Students develop expert critical-thinking skills, gain confidence, and replace patchwriting and plagiarism with synthesis.

Grows with students, novice to expert

From a novice's research question to a graduate student's thesis, the three levels of NoodleTools provide a mental model for research and a common language across faculty and disciplines.

Supports teaching in the moment

NoodleTools pulls back the curtain so that you can offer early, in-context feedback on students' work at predictable bottlenecks and ahead of the writing space.

Gives you access to experts

We are educators, citation specialists, primary source authorities, and academic researchers. That expertise is baked into our platform design and services.

Smart Tools. Smart Teaching. Smart Research.

Effective & proactive teaching

Set up and start teaching in minutes.

Track students' progress, provide in-context feedback.

No advertising. Student-friendly privacy policy.

Teach responsively

A student's research companion

Cite your sources and organize your notes.

Get help with MLA, APA and Chicago-style citations.

Collaborate in real-time from anywhere.

Discover a better way

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NoodleTools: Student research platform with MLA, APA and Chicago/Turabian bibliographies, notecards, outlining.

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Next? Explore MiniPD resources on Using Your Data.

Data focused:

#MiniPDchat on Twitter

Padlet Calendar for daily-actionable strategies and practical resources

Blogpost and articles from MiniPD Coaches

Free live session with experienced MiniPD Coaches in Conversation

1-1 Coaching sessions via www.MiniPD.com

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What are educators saying about MiniPD coaching for continued professional learning?

"I walk away feeling confident about moving forward and I take ideas and strategies that I can implement in the classroom. Thank you!"

Get connected at minipd.com