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Students make a presentation about were they go to school and share with school in another country.

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Students debate with cartoons and speech bubbles. Rebuttals could be in the comments or screencast a response.

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There's no debate here - teachers agree that debates are a great tool for engaging students, teaching critical thinking skills, developing persuasive writing techniques, and learning an appreciation for multiple viewpoints. Now there's another bonus: debates can integrate technology.

Debating a controversial issue has traditionally been an oral exercise. But there is a fun, unique alternative: student partners use Google Slides or Office Online to create a debate presentation. They pitch persuasive arguments justifying two different viewpoints on a controversial issue. The traditional structure of a debate - resolution, constructive speech, rebuttal, and summary - are maintained. However, the two students work simultaneously on the same digital document using G Suite for Education.

Flipping this technique into a digital task not only engages students but also provides a series of benefits. Here are ten reasons to create a digital debate:

1. Time to think: When debates are written instead of oral, students have the time to make thoughtful, meaningful, and well expressed arguments. Being able to organize and express one's ideas when 'put on the spot' is a skill many students have not yet mastered.

2. Work simultaneously: Being able to see what the opponent is writing at the same time allows the student to be mindful of the rebuttal they will have to make. As a result, opinions are written with care and attention to the facts and emotional appeals that they are trying to make.

3. Build quality: When the opponent's arguments can be seen, the student is encouraged to enhance the strength of their own persuasive arguments. For example, the opponent may be citing a website to support their viewpoint. As a result, the student may research their own facts to find online support.

4. Inspire and engage: The friendly, competitive nature of debating appeals to middle school and high school students. Debating digitally can be a teaching tool that really sparks the interest of today's media savvy students.

5. No stress: Not everyone is comfortable in a public speaking forum. Debating through a digital presentation will engage students who are apprehensive about facing a live audience. They have the opportunity to express their viewpoints without the fear of speaking in front of their classmates. Also, when one opponent can think 'faster on his feet' than the other, the debate isn't a fair match. Writing arguments as a collaborative task levels the playing field.

6. Get a redo: Oral debates are 'in the moment'. Spoken statements are made and cannot be improved or deleted. In a written digital debate, students have the opportunity to review, revise, and edit their arguments.

7. Develop writing skills: A debate conducted as a digital presentation can do double duty as a persuasive writing exercise. It is not only a task that develops critical thinking, organizational skills, and collaboration, but it also integrates language arts. When writing their arguments, students can take the time to express their perspective concisely, organize supporting evidence, and develop an effective emotional or intellectual appeal.

8. See the debate: The slide presentation includes visual cues that support the opposing viewpoints: different backgrounds, characters who represent the pro and con sides, and clip art that visually enhance the message. The visual nature of a digital debate appeals to both the debate creators and the audience.

9. Audience participation; Using the commenting feature of Google Apps allows the audience to pose questions and cross-examine the debaters, who can then take the time to compose answers that defend their position.

10. Have fun! Creating a debate digitally allows students to build essential cooperative skills, etiquette, and teamwork. Working together online is a learning style that holds wide appeal. When students enjoy what they are doing, learning is enhanced.

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Digital Debate - A Unique Approach to Debating - TechnoKids Blog

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There's no debate here - teachers agree that debates are a great tool for engaging students, teaching critical thinking skills, developing persuasive writing techniques, and learning an appreciation for multiple viewpoints. Now there's another bonus: debates can integrate technology. Debating a controversial issue has traditionally been an oral exercise.

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Students can collaborate on the same dotstorming board or their own. Students can vote on their favorite board.

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Great for brainstorming or use instead of your mimio studio. It makes your hand writing look better.

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Scratchwork goes beyond the traditional online whiteboard model with usage scenarios designed specifically for classrooms and engineering teams and an api for developers.

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Students solve word problems and record their reasoning at the end. Students answers are shared on a community board for the class.

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Within CueThink, teachers can flexibly implement rigorous mathematical tasks from a curated Problem Bank or district curriculum to differentiate instruction. We employ a team of professional math educators who train teachers on effective implementation of rigorous tasks and review of student work to improve problem solving pedagogy.

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Within CueThink, teachers can flexibly implement rigorous mathematical tasks from a curated Problem Bank or district curriculum to differentiate instruction. We employ a team of professional math educators who train teachers on effective implementation of rigorous tasks and review of student work to improve problem solving pedagogy.

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Google My Maps

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Mural app for brainstorming

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Work better together with Mural's visual work platform | Mural

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Increase connection and teamwork with our secure, flexible visual work platform. Make it a mural, not a meeting.

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Canva has premade poster/flyer templates.

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Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

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Adding pictures and text is so much easier with Drawings.

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Google Drawings - easily create diagrams and charts.

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Choose from a wide variety of shapes to create diagrams and charts.

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Students and teachers can make quizzes in this program. There is even a print option for all quizzes so you can send for absent students.

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The evidence is in the practice

ESSA Level 3 correlation evidence in math and ELA, earned by teachers running frequent formative assessments.

When teachers run 30+ formative questions a week, the research is clear: they get more data-driven, their students get more engaged. Wayground is built to make that practice enjoyable ot run, attainable to fit a class period, and habitual enough to last past September.

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Quizizz is now Wayground | Teacher AI and Resources

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Find standards-aligned resources that engage every student. Wayground (formerly Quizizz) helps teachers differentiate instruction with AI and track student progress.

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Quiz game projected on a whiteboard. Students answer on their devices.

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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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Many options for students to study vocabulary. Students also can play the live version teams vs. teams.

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Connect our students with the world.

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Great website along with very entertaining podcasts.

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The podcast that provides practical ideas for Google tools.

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Alice is the Google Classroom guru.

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Alice Keeler Teacher Tech blog provides tips and resources on teaching with Educational Technology EdTech.

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So many great ideas on how to engage our students. Need ideas to other than "sit and get" check out this site.

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We love sharing practical ideas that work, and we're generous with them to a fault. Find what you need through articles, books, videos, in-person presentations and more.

About Ditch That Textbook

We can do better than marching
chapter by chapter through a textbook.

In his own classes, Matt Miller found that textbooks were more an obstacle to learning than a help. He ditched them. For years, he's learned what works better than traditional "textbook" teaching and shared those ideas widely. His workshops and keynote speeches empower, entertain and inspire teachers to move forward confidently.

New Teaching Ideas Every Week

Get a weekly dose of tips, tricks, templates and more in your inbox -- practical ideas you can use in your class right away.

Weekly emails with LOTS of ideas Plus three FREE ebooks

101 Practical Ways to Ditch That Textbook

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AND 50 Free Templates for teachers

Google ideas to make your classroom click

Create amazing, unforgettable learning experiences.

When your students use Docs, Slides, Sheets and more in G Suite, they can do so much more than write an essay or do an oral report.

But how?

Coming up with creative classroom activities with Google tools is our jam. Learn how your students can create ...

* stop-motion animation
* infographics
* digital interactive notebooks
* and more.
Check out our FREE resources, including downloadable templates!

What People Are Saying ...

The lessons are our way to change the world through our students! 🙌Thanks for all the resources @jmattmiller #Interface2019https://t.co/SxUXoWPfgr

Level Up Your Skills

Bring teaching into today's age with these practical ideas, mindset shifts and curriculum adjustments.

Make the Most of Your Class Technology

Want to make sure you're using your technology meaningfully? That you'll get results? This video series will give you some insight.

Take the Tech to Learn Online Course

Learn how to move the needle for learning with tech. With these six areas, you'll see results from your tech use.

©2023 Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller.

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Awesome teaching, one lesson at a timeWe love sharing practical ideas that work, and we're generous with them to a fault. Find what you need through

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Ways to engage our students by integrating technology.

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Shake Up Learning in your classroom today!

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Need tutorials about tech in the classroom? Check out tom!

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edtech "educational technology" "history lessons" "google classroom" "united states history" "world history"

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Tom Mullaney's YouTube channel featuring educational technology tutorials and history lessons. Tom Mullaney is the Digital Learning Coach at Carroll Middle S...

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New from Google. Great way to collaborate using this google app. Jamboard can be found in the waffle.

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Check out the free digital games. Digital games have to set up. Plug and play at it's best.

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Breakout EDU - Educational Games for the Classroom

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Breakout EDU gamifies learning to create an engaging and empowering experience for students of all grade levels.

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Powtoons are comic slideshows. Merge a comic strip and slideshow together.

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Powtoon | Create Awesome Videos Yourself

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Powtoon gives you everything you need to easily make professional videos and presentations that your clients, colleagues, and friends will love! No design or tech skills are necessary - it's free, easy, and awesome!

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Pixton schools has lesson plans and user friendly set up for teachers. Students love making their own avatar.

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FREE Comic, Storyboard & Graphic Novel Maker

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Pixton is the world's most popular comic maker and storyboard creator for teachers and students. Create an account for free and make comics for English language arts, history, social studies, math or science assignments.

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Video response it's like YouTube and Instagram smashed together.

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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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Want to try out a flipped lesson? Or to video a lesson for absent students? Try this app.

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A google extension that walks your students through their first screen cast.

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millions use Screencastify to create amazing videos

/* Sets tab pane to display block instead of default display:none */ /* Allows CSS opacity transitions */ .w-tab-pane, .w--current { display: block; } /* Any .w-tab-pane that does not have webflow .w--curent sets opacity 0 */ .w-tab-pane:not(.w--curent) { opacity: 0; } /* Any element with .w-tab-pane that has .w--tab-active sets the opacity 100% */ .w-tab-pane.w--tab-active { opacity: 1; } /* Set the opacity transition to 1 second ease-in */ .w-tab-pane { transition: opacity 1s ease-in; }

Educator, student, marketer, engineer, gamer. Whatever part you play, you'll have simple, yet powerful screen recording and editing tools.
Learn more

Easily share your creations in multiple channels. Let more viewers watch, pause and rewind on their schedule while maximizing time by eliminating unnecessary meetings.
Learn more

Collect video assignments to ensure any team or student is heard. Track viewing activity and add interactive questions and more to ensure your message is understood.
Learn more

Educator, student, marketer, engineer, gamer. Whatever part you play, you'll have simple, yet powerful screen recording and editing tools.
Learn more

Easily share your creations in multiple channels. Let more viewers watch, pause and rewind on their schedule while maximizing time by eliminating unnecessary meetings.
Learn more

Collect video assignments to ensure any team or student is heard. Track viewing activity and add interactive questions and more to ensure your message is understood.
Learn more

loved by everyday video creators

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Screencastify | Screen Recording and Video Editing

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Screencastify is the leading screen recorder for Chrome. Install the extension to record, edit, and share videos in seconds. Create video class assignments, training and tutorials, and make business communication faster.

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Brainstorming made easy. Great for teachers to keep links in all one place.

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Brainstorm collaboratively with a student chat function.

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Students can collaborate by marking up a website or making mind maps.  Teachers can one link for students to gain access

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Mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or start drawing on a blank canvas. Browse the web with your students or make that remote tutoring session more productive than ever. No plug-ins, downloads, or firewall voodoo - it's all here, ready to go when you are. Browser-agnostic, user-friendly.

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Twiddla is an Online Whiteboard for the Modern Classroom. Mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or start brainstorming on a blank canvas. Voice and Text chat too!

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his is a collaborative tool where students can add pictures, draw, and communicate through a chat feature.

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What is CoSketch.com?

Do you have an idea, a problem or just a cool picture that you quickly want to show a friend?

CoSketch is a multi-user online whiteboard designed to give you the ability to quickly visualize and share your ideas as images.

Simple sharing
* Anything you paint will show up for all other users in the room in real time.
* One click to save a sketch as an image for embedding on forums, blogs, etc.

Zero hassle
* Runs in all common browsers without plugins or installation.
* Free and without registration.

Now with Google Maps support!
* Use google maps as the background for your sketches to show directions or share trips.
Read more or just create a sketch and try for yourself.

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CoSketch.com - Online Whiteboard Collaboration

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Do you have an idea, a problem or just a cool picture that you quickly want to show a friend? CoSketch is a multi-user online whiteboard designed to give you the ability to quickly visualize and share your ideas as images.

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Intergalactic mobile learning labs students can co-create work that usually would be done on one sheet of paper.

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University of Michigan - University of North Texas

Elliot Soloway - Cathie Norris

For further information, please contact Elliot at imlc-info@umich.edu

Also: please tap on "support" to download our articles
We gratefully acknowledge Lucas Education Research for its support of the Multiple Literacies in Project Based Learning Project. PI: Dr. J. Krajcik, Michigan State University, MSU CREATE for STEM, Co-PI's: Dr. Annemarie Palincsar, University of Michigan, and Emily Miller, Independent Consultant As well, we wish to acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation (#1123965, #1249312)

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University of Michigan - University of North Texas Elliot Soloway - Cathie Norris For further information, please contact Elliot at imlc-info@umich.edu Also: please tap on "support" to download our articles We gratefully acknowledge Lucas Education Research for its support of the Multiple Literacies in Project Based Learning Project. PI: Dr. J.

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Integrating technology with younger students can be challenge. Check out this article to see how to implement Google Gaggle.

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Collaborative learning with Google Apps for Education (or GAFE) has never been easier as many schools are assigning safe Google Accounts for students to use. Students can share, comment, and even work together on the same document using the same sharing settings available in a traditional account.

However, when using Google Apps with elementary students, the digital collaborative features can sometimes be a distraction from the task as they are not as proficient as older students. Not only are their keyboard skills not strong enough to type comments quickly and their mouse skills are still developing, they also need support with using the apps themselves. Plus, I think it is important to be mindful that too much quiet collaborative via digital means is not age appropriate for young students who still need to navigate the nuances of group work!

Learn how we use a "Google Gaggle" to collaborate in my elementary classroom and how it has transformed my students' ability to work on Google activities.

What is a Google Gaggle?

A Google Gaggle is a small group of students that sit together and support each other when we complete assignments on Google Classroom. Yes, I could have called it a "Google Group" - but where is the fun in that? A Google Gaggle is best limited to 2-3 students per group.

If 1:1, students can sit together with their devices. If in a computer lab, these students would be assigned to work near each other.

Students can then provide technology help, share ideas and accomplishments, and keep each other on task.

How is a Google Gaggle Different Than a Group?

Each individual student in the Gaggle might be working on either an independent project or on a group collaborative project. They do not need to be working on the project together. The point of the Gaggle is for support on common trouble spots like logging in, inserting images, spelling, navigating directions, turning in assignments, finding and responding to comments, etc.

The Gaggle is NOT responsible for helping with the content of an assignment. In fact it works better if students in the Gaggle are not in the same collaborative group for the assignment.

How to Create a Strong Google Gaggle?

This is the tricky part - there is not a magic formula. Get to know your students and who they work well with. Try to spread students out so that groups are made up of various levels of technology fluency. The best Google Gaggles will not change as the year goes on.

As I explain to students, there are many times we change groups, work with many different classmates, but the Gaggle works best if the same students are partnered for the year. Google Gaggles take care of each other. They make sure partners are logged in and can find the assignment. This is much more smooth when it is a routine.

Also, be thoughtful of how you spread students out. You do not want to put a member of your tech team with the student who has the hardest time or they will never be able to circulate to help others. I tend to create Gaggles more on personalities and interest. If you have three students who love changing fonts, adding GIFs and making every tech project an art project - put them in the Gaggle together. That way their conversations are way more likely to be on topic since they are on the same page.

Isn't using a Google Gaggle really noisy?

I mentioned conversations because it is important to know that collaborative groups with Google Apps will involve talking. Some of it might be off-topic, but most of it will be about the project. In fact, I notice most of the time, my Gaggles share something they did that they love or are proud of. I overheard a student telling her partner about how she cropped an image to cut out part she didn't want. The other student was super impressed and 10 minutes later, cropping was THE thing to be doing in 3rd grade.

If anything, a room of children on computers all day in silence is a little scary to think about. While I definitely think there is time for quiet and focused activities, it should be balanced with time to collaborate. In fact, by creating Google Gaggles, I find the talking to be more contained and focused as students know the expectation about who they can talk to and what they can talk about.

What a Google Gaggle and not an iPad...Iggle?

When students work on iPads in my class, they mostly reach out to our tech team to help. I have not had a need to create groups since I find iPads to be more intuitive for younger students than the Google Apps. This could change as Google fine tunes the platforms to be more elementary friendly or as students become more familiar every year.

So that is the Google Gaggle and how it helps my students work in collaborative groups on Google. Has your experience been the same and how do you manage the extra support students need? Share in the comments and be sure to check out my GAFE Pinterest Board for all things Google Apps.

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COLLABORATIVE LEARNING WITH GOOGLE APPS -

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Collaborative learning with Google Apps for Education (or GAFE) has never been easier as many schools are assigning safe Google Accounts for students to use. Students can share, comment, and even work together on the same document using the same sharing settings available in a traditional account.

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Not a G Suite school? Try Slack.com for collaboration.

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Slack is a new way to communicate with your team. It's faster, better organized, and more secure than email.

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How to make a video with a green screen.

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Easy-to-Use Green Screen by DoInk App Enables Creation of Green Screen Effects on iPhone and iPad

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An alternative to AR.

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I've used Whooo's Reading with my middle school students for just over a year now and absolutely love it! My students keep track of their independent reading and answer questions/take quizzes during class time. I can adjust the question level to differentiate for my lower readers, can set goals for students, and reward students who go beyond the requirements.

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If you are not 1:1 but need a quick way to assess learning.

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Interactive math activities

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In order to log in and use this website, you need to enable "cookies" in your browser.

How you enable cookies will depend on your browser. It will generally be found in the Security settings under "Internet Options" or "Preferences".

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In order to log in and use this website, you need to enable "cookies" in your browser. How you enable cookies will depend on your browser. It will generally be found in the Security settings under "Internet Options" or "Preferences".

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Check out this website for amazing ways to make and use HyperDocs in your classroom.

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Educators around the world are entering digital lesson design with varying experiences and expertise. Our HyperDocs Online Academy is your source for learning about designing and delivering the engagement-driving digital lessons we call HyperDocs. Our course instruction method is what we call 'just in time teaching' so that you can take on new learning when you are ready, and explore the Academy at your own pace.

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Skype has virtual field trips, lessons, and more.

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Educator Center Overview - Microsoft Learn Educator Center

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Microsoft Learn for Educators takes the best of Microsoft Learn online learning paths and helps you to bring instructor-led training materials from Microsoft into your courses. This program provides members with access to Microsoft ready-to-teach curriculum and teaching materials aligned to industry-recognized Microsoft Certifications.

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Google Expeditions

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Arts & Culture Expeditions - Google Arts & Culture

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Go on a virtual field trip with Google Arts & Culture

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An article about how to make your class more engaging with the use of QR codes.

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Ever since I started using QR codes with my fifth grade students, it's made learning a lot more fun and interactive in my classroom.

You've probably seen or used QR codes before. They're those jumbled little boxes that companies have been trying to use for years as a marketing tool. You just scan the image with your smartphone or tablet, and it acts like a shortcut, taking you directly to a website or page.

While they definitely have a place in the business world, I've found them to be a great addition in the educational world. I've seen them engage struggling students and add instructional differentiation and technology to the classroom. They are super easy to create using free QR code generators. (My favorite places is the QR Code Generator website.) Then I create codes that I can link to specific websites or even text-based messages or files I have saved in Google Drive. Here are my favorite ways to use QR codes. I hope some of these ideas will work in your classroom, too.

1. Create a Scavenger Hunt

Get the students up and moving by creating a scavenger hunt. Place questions around the room, or better yet, around the school. Add possible answers to the questions and accompany each answer choice with a QR code that sends students to a new location. Only the correct answer will send them to a new question. Incorrect answers offer a hint and send them back to the question they missed.

2. Offer Extra Practice for Early Finishers

You can make matching games where students can self-check using QR codes. Place half of a QR code on the question and the other half on the matching answer. If the student successfully matches them, the QR code will respond with whatever positive message you created. If the student doesn't have a match, there will be no message at all. Another idea is to use codes for flash cards-another great way to self-check.

3. Simplify Research Projects

Provide quick and easy links to articles, videos, web sites, or podcasts that you want your students to be able to access.

4. Try a New Twist on Gallery Walks

Use QR codes to share student work. Students or student groups can make a video or audio recording about what they have learned. They can also use them to describe a process or show how to solve a problem. Upload their recording to an Internet source like YouTube, Dropbox or Google Drive. Link a QR code to the recording to make sharing their work with the rest of the class a snap.

5. Provide Support to S truggling Readers

Make audio recordings of material you need students to read and upload the recordings to your Google Drive or Dropbox. Link a QR code to the web address for the file and have the QR codes available for students who need a little extra help when reading content area material.

6. Add Pizazz to Your Word Wall

Make a video of your students acting out a new vocabulary word. Upload the video to your Google Drive or Dropbox and link the video to a QR code. Then add the QR code to the word on your word wall. Your students will love watching themselves and won't even realize how much they are practicing new words!

7. Give Tutorial Help for Homework

Add a QR code to homework assignments. Students who are struggling or who get stuck can watch a linked video tutorial that you have made that helps them recall what they learned during class.

8. New Take on Book Reports

Make video or audio recordings of students reviewing a library book. Link the recording to a QR code and attach it to the spine of the book. Students will be eager to check out what their friends think about books in the library.

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8 Ways I Make Learning Fun by Using QR Codes in the Classroom

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Ever since I started using QR codes with my fifth grade students, it's made learning a lot more fun and interactive in my classroom. You've probably seen or used QR codes before. They're those jumbled little boxes that companies have been trying to use for years as a marketing tool.

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Need to make a rubric for collaborative learning? Check out this site.

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Rubric Maker - Create custom assessments

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Create rubrics for your classroom projects.

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Many ideas on how incorporate other subjects into one project.

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Amazing Alaskan Animals-This project immerses elementary students in a study of Alaska's animals in their environment. Students will contribute to a "big book" highlighting the animal they choose.
http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles02_03/alaska.htm
Buying a Car-

Math: Interest rates, incentives, price.

Science: Technology involved in airbags, gas mileage, brakes.

Social studies: History of company, Kelly Blue Book.

Communication arts: Advertising, information, warranty, etc.

Reading: Search Internet for information. Ask sales staff questions.

Activity: Go to car dealer and go through process of picking out car/paperwork.

Chef for a Week- Groups will plan a week of lunches for the school cafeteria (or to bring to school as brown bag). Daily menus must include all food groups and a designated healthy choice. Submit menu, cost for 100 students and prices to be charged. (Cost adapted if bringing own lunches.) Menu can show calories. Poll can be conducted to identify popular choices before planning. Be prepared to present the plan to cafeteria head or cooks. Healthy choice must be explained nutritionally.

Exemplary Projects-Includes projects of varying content including a mock trial around the Amistad.
www.wested.org/pblnet/exemplary_projects.html

Faces to the Window: The Construction Project-What's happening in YOUR neighborhood? Construction taking place next to the school or in the neighborhood is a good foundation for learning about the complexity of building.
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/berry.html

Foot to Height-Students combine mathematics with forensic science to study how bones of the feet can reveal interesting facts about a person. www.cyberbee.com/whodunnit/foot.html

Forensics 101-Middle school students learn about forensic anthropology and solve mysteries using hands-on activities from math, science, language arts, art and technology. A series of four forensics projects are also available to download at http://teachersnetwork.org/readysettech/sedewitch/forensics.htm.

Let's Go Shopping-In this project, elementary school students set up a classroom store. Students learn about the different roles and responsibilities connected to running and stocking a store and of being a customer and paying for merchandise. http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles01_02/Greenberg.htm

Ohio Resource Center-High school-level instructional units from exploring the effect of different treads on tires to planning a wedding reception.
http://pathways.ohiorc.org/

Personal Finance- Understanding the use of money in the world has many possible lenses which can be combined in a project or investigated separately.

Math: Set up a budget given a salary. What must come out of it? Rent, gas, food, utilities, medical expenses, recreation, clothing

Social studies: How citizenship affects your living, taxes, employment, choices on where you want to live.

Communication arts: Make phone calls to check on setting up living arrangements, etc.

Reading and writing: Applications, filling out forms, use newspapers/ads.

Science: Tools to tend to house and yard, energy conservation.

Recipe-

Math: Ingredients, fractions.

Science: Baking, physical/chemical.

Language arts: Write paragraph.

Social studies: Where ingredients came from, demographics.

Activity: Make (cook/bake) the recipe item. Scale up or down for more or fewer people.

Soccer Field Development- Designing a soccer (or other playing) field could involve:

Math: Construction and design of the field, how much grass seed; survey and leveling of land, drainage, irrigation and seating arrangements.

Science: Soil testing, pick test for drainage, fertility of land and amount; use of chemicals, turf growing season and research on correct types.

Social studies: Civic organization - cooperative fund-raising and economics of the use of the field.

Communication arts: Press releases and justification to school board, community, etc. Explanations of the what, why and how of the project.

Grant development: Communication with other agencies that have completed this project, research on size, etc. for the field.

Story Quilting-This literacy-based project integrates social studies, math, art and technology. Late elementary students start the project though a piece of literature and extend their learning to research the author, the time period and more. http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles00_01/Espinoza.htm

Tour de France- Integrated learning using the Tour de France (Or, the Alaskan sled dog race or a triathlon, etc.)

Social studies: Geography (trace the path), topography, cities, historical significance and cultural impacts.

Math: Routing and distance, km - mi conversion; endurance ratio (pacing).

Science: Bike mechanics (gears, correct tires, pedals, handle bars vs seat heights, etc.).

English/reading: Foreign language (linguistics) newspapers/magazines, journaling of what has occurred, diary, etc.

Witness for the Prosecution-High school students take on the role of investigative journalist and read the play Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie. After each act of the play, students write news stories using facts from the play.
www.teachnet-lab.org/fklane/pmaslow/witness.htm

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Amazing Alaskan Animals-This project immerses elementary students in a study of Alaska's animals in their environment. Students will contribute to a "big book" highlighting the animal they choose. http://teachersnetwork.org/impactii/profiles02_03/alaska.htm Buying a Car- Math: Interest rates, incentives, price. Science: Technology involved in airbags, gas mileage, brakes. Social studies: History of company, Kelly Blue Book.

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Many great ideas in this article.

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The start of the school year offers an ideal time to introduce students to project-based learning. By starting with engaging projects, you'll grab their interest while establishing a solid foundation of important skills, such as knowing how to conduct research, engage experts, and collaborate with peers. In honor of Edutopia's 20th anniversary, here are 20 project ideas to get learning off to a good start.

1. Flat Stanley Refresh: Flat Stanley literacy projects are perennial favorites for inspiring students to communicate and connect, often across great distances. Now Flat Stanley has his own apps for iPhone and iPad, along with new online resources. Project founder Dale Hubert is recently retired from the classroom, but he's still generating fresh ideas to bring learning alive in the "flatlands."

4. Connect Across Disciplines: When students design and build kinetic sculptures, they expand their understanding of art, history, engineering, language arts, and technology. Get some interdisciplinary project insights from the Edutopia video, Kinetic Conundrum. Click on the accompanying links for more tips about how you can do it, too.

5. Honor Home Languages: English language learners can feel pressured to master English fast, with class time spent correcting errors instead of using language in meaningful ways. Digital IS, a site published by the National Writing Project, shares plans for three projects that take time to honor students' home languages and cultures, engaging them in critical thinking, collaboration, and use of digital tools. Anne Herrington and Charlie Moran curate the project collection, "English Language Learners, Digital Tools, and Authentic Audiences."

6. Rethink Lunch: Make lunch into a learning opportunity with a project that gets students thinking more critically about their mid-day meal. Center for Ecoliteracy offers materials to help you start, including informative essays and downloadable planning guides. Get more ideas from this video about a middle-school nutrition project, "A Healthy School Lunch."

7. Take a Learning Expedition: Expeditionary Learning schools take students on authentic learning expeditions, often in neighborhoods close to home. Check out the gallery for project ideas.

8. Find a Pal: If PBL is new to you, consider joining an existing project. You'll benefit from a veteran colleague's insights, and your students will get a chance to collaborate with classmates from other communities or even other countries. Get connected at ePals, a global learning community for educators from more than 200 countries.

9. Get Minds Inquiring: What's under foot? What are things made of? Science projects that emphasize inquiry help students make sense of their world and build a solid foundation for future understanding. The Inquiry Project supports teachers in third to fifth grades as they guide students in hands-on investigations about matter. Students develop the habits of scientists as they make observations, offer predictions, and gather evidence. Companion videos show how scientists use the same methods to explore the world. Connect inquiry activities to longer-term projects, such as creating a classroom museum that showcases students' investigations.

11. Locate Experts: When students are learning through authentic projects, they often need to connect with experts from the world outside the classroom. Find the knowledgeable experts you need for STEM projects through the National Lab Network. It's an online network where K-12 educators can locate experts from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

12. Build Empathy: Projects that help students see the world from another person's perspective build empathy along with academic outcomes. The Edutopia video, "Give Me Shelter", shows what compassionate learning looks like in action. Click on the companion links for more suggestions about how you can do it, too.

13. Investigate Climate Science: Take students on an investigation of climate science by joining the newest collaborative project hosted by GLOBE, Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment. The Student Climate Research Campaign includes three components: introductory activities to build a foundation of understanding, intensive observing periods when students around the world gather and report data, and research investigations that students design and conduct. Climate project kicks off Sept. 12.

14. Problem-Solvers Unite: Math fairs take mathematics out of the classroom and into the community, where everyone gets a chance to try their hand at problem solving. Galileo Educational Network explains how to host a math fair. In a nutshell, students set up displays of their math problems but not the solutions. Then they entice their parents and invited guests to work on solutions. Make the event even more engaging by inviting mathematicians to respond to students' problems.

15. Harvest Pennies: Can small things really add up to big results? It seems so, based on results of the Penny Harvest. Since the project started in New York in 1991, young philanthropists nationwide have raised and donated more than $8 million to charitable causes, all through penny drives. The project website explains how to organize students in philanthropy roundtables to study community issues and decide which causes they want to support.

20. The Heroes They Know: To get acquainted with students at the start of the year and also introduce students to PBL processes, High Tech High teacher Diana Sanchez asked students to create a visual and textual representation of a hero in their own life. Their black-and-white exhibits were a source of pride to students, as Sanchez explains in her project reflection. Get more ideas from the project gallery at High Tech High, a network of 11 schools in San Diego County that emphasize PBL. To learn more, watch this Edutopia video interview with High Tech High founding principal Larry Rosenstock.

Please tell us about the projects you are planning for this school year.

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The start of the school year offers an ideal time to introduce students to project-based learning. By starting with engaging projects, you'll grab their interest while establishing a solid foundation of important skills, such as knowing how to conduct research, engage experts, and collaborate with peers.

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Make books with this app. There is a Chrome extension for this app.

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Book Creator - Love Learning - Book Creator app

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Teachers love it. Students love it. Book Creator is the simplest, most inclusive way to create content in the classroom.

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Many apps for younger children are iTunes apps. This is wonderful for our 1:1 iPad classrooms. Find great apps here.

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Best Apps for Creating Books and Storybooks | Common Sense Education

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Best Apps for Creating Books and Storybooks is a list of 11 apps, games, and websites curated by Common Sense Education editors.

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Check out this program. Your students will love it!!! With Blabberize you can make pictures talk!

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A Google Extension that is a student planner.

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A digital student planner that helps students stay organized.

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Great for beginners to make movies.

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Collages and Ecards

Create still and animated collages using your photos and videos or using one of our many templates. Then share your animated Ecard via Email, Facebook, etc.

Learn more about collages and ecards

Collages and Ecards

Create still and animated collages using your photos and videos or using one of our many templates. Then share your animated Ecard via Email, Facebook, etc. Learn more about collages and ecards

Video Editing App for Android and iPhone

Make a movie, or edit a video using your photos, clips and music directly on your Android or iPhone! Personalize with hundreds of transitions, effects, and text. All it takes is just a few taps to create an amazing movie you can share with friends and family, or directly on Instagram, YouTube or Facebook!

Video Editing App for Android and iPhone

Make a movie, or edit a video using your photos, clips and music directly on your Android or iPhone! Personalize with hundreds of transitions, effects, and text. All it takes is just a few taps to create an amazing movie you can share with friends and family, or directly on Instagram, YouTube or Facebook!

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Free Online Video Editor, Movie Maker, Video Makerfor SOCIAL MEDIA

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Create still and animated collages using your photos and videos or using one of our many templates. Then share your animated Ecard via Email, Facebook, etc. Learn more about collages and ecards Create still and animated collages using your photos and videos or using one of our many templates.

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Make books on the iPad.

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Book Creator - Love Learning - Book Creator app

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Teachers love it. Students love it. Book Creator is the simplest, most inclusive way to create content in the classroom.

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Google Extension for creating stories. Stories can be views on a community/classroom board.

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Creative digital story-building tool for readers, writers, and educators.

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Digital post it notes that can be shared with students/teacher.

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Upload a picture and make it "talk". Your students will love this!

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‎Create ChatterPix with friends and family as silly greetings, playful messages, creative cards, or even fancy book reports. And best of all, it’s FREE! AGES: 5-12. NOTE: For adults, check out our “ChatterPix” app for more fun and sharing via email and social media. CATEGORY: Creative Expression…

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Take a picture and talk and draw.

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Clarisketch can be played in any browser.Friends and colleagues do not need to install Clarisketch

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An animation tool through Google Play. This will work on Chromebooks.

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Make content faster-with Disney's creative process and the power of AI.

Watch our Fall 2023 Storytelling Masterclass to learn more.

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Video Animation Software for Businesses | Vyond

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Create videos for your business with Vyond's video animation software. From training to brand storytelling, keep your audience engaged.

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A Google Extension that allows you make to-do lists and keep you organized.

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The only way to organize your life and business

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Make your classroom into a game with wonderscope.

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Tuesday through Friday: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Last entry at 4 p.m. - exhibit rooms begin closing at 4:15 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Last entry at 4:30 p.m. - exhibit rooms begin closing at 4:45 p.m.

Sunday, March 3: Due to forecast of snow, Wonderscope will be closed.

Farm to Market and ArtWorks close at 4 p.m Tuesday through Friday and at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Make a donation by shopping at smile.amazon.com. Select Wonderscope as your charity of choice and Amazon will make a small donation based upon your total purchase.

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Tuesday through Friday: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Last entry at 4 p.m. - exhibit rooms begin closing at 4:15 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Last entry at 4:30 p.m. - exhibit rooms begin closing at 4:45 p.m. Sunday, March 3: Due to forecast of snow, Wonderscope will be closed.

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Math playground K-12.

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The name of this organization is Mid-America Association for Computers in Education. MACE is a non-profit corporation with educational purposes to...

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Dzivula Gube
Marine Conservationist & Underwater Photographer, Kenya

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iNaturalist is a social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals,
share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.

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Make flash cards, jeopardy, and more!

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Jake Miller is a teacher who shares many many ideas about technology and the classroom .

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Students try to guess a location by Google Earth photos of landmarks and such.

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Get dropped anywhere from the busy streets of New York to the beautiful beaches of Bali.
Join 50 million players now!

Discover the world

Discover the world in your own pace and earn medals in our single player mode.

Play with your friends

Put your skills to the test against your friends and family. Create your own private party and play together.

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Test your ability against players all across the world. Earn badges and compete against others in tournaments and events!

If you've forgot your password, click on "Already have an account?" in the upper right corner, and then on "Forgot your password?". Enter the email address which is connected to your account, and we'll send you an email with a link to reset your password! Don't forget to check you spam email if it may have gotten caught there.

If you are not receiving an email you might have enabled Google/Facebook login. If so, send an email to info@geoguessr.com and we will help you further. If you've forgotten which email you signed up with, no worries! Contact us at info@geoguessr.com and we'll help you out!

Become a geography expert and have fun at the same time! Seterra is an entertaining and educational geography game that gives you access to over 400 customizable quizzes. Seterra will challenge you with quizzes about countries, capitals, flags, oceans, lakes and more!

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GeoGuessr is a geography game which takes you on a journey around the world and challenges your ability to recognize your surroundings.

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Play, learn, and fee the hungry! Students answer questions and earn rice that goes to aid in feeding the hungry.

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Freerice.com | Not Your Average Online Trivia Game

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Play online, learn online and feed the hungry | Freerice.com

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For every correct answer you choose, 10 grains of rice are raised to help end world hunger through the World Food Programme.

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Take your students to the Great Barrier Reef. 360 degree views of wonderful places on Earth.

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Trek the world with Google Maps. Take a Street View journey to sites of cultural, historical, and geographic significance.

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See if Google can guess what you are drawing.

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Can a neural network learn to recognize doodles? See how well it does with your drawings and help teach it, just by playing.

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Google Teacher Tribe has a very beneficial podcast.

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Using Google during elusive free time and for enrichment!
Download Episode!
Google News and Updates

Featured Content
20 sites for students with free time on their hands

GeoGuessr - GeoGuessr uses Google Maps Street View to place you on the ground somewhere in the world in full panorama. The problem? You have NO idea where you are! You must use context clues to guess your location and pin it on a map. Choose to be dropped in certain continents, countries, cities, etc. ... or make your own GeoGuessr game with !

Smarty Pins - Smarty Pins is kind of like GeoGuessr's cousin. It asks questions from categories like arts and culture, science and geography, and history and current events. The answers are locations, and you must pin them on a map to answer. It makes geography a game, and the closer you guess, the better your score is.

A Google a Day - Most of us search the internet daily, if not multiple times per day. But effectively searching for something is a skill. A Google a Day challenges users to put their searching skills to the test by asking them to answer a question using Google search. With Google's search education lesson plans you can take this game even further and begin teaching search literacy in your classroom.

Street View Treks - Google Maps Street View lets its users see what life is like from the road, in full panorama. Street View Treks take that same technology to some of the most spectacular locations in the world, from Mount Fuji to the Grand Canyon to the Taj Mahal in India. Swim underwater at the Great Barrier Reef or climb the El Capitan rock face at Yosemite National Park.

Google Arts and Culture - Discover exhibits and collections from museums and archives all around the world. Explore cultural treasures in extraordinary detail, from hidden gems to masterpieces. See super high-resolution images of some of the best works of art in the world. Walk world-famous museums. Examine historical happenings in detail.

Google Quick Draw! - Quick, Draw! tells you what to draw. Then, Google's artificial intelligence tries to guess what you're drawing. It's a neat way to introduce students to artificial intelligence OR to look at how we convert words/ideas into images.

Emoji Scavenger Hunt - Emoji Scavenger Hunt is a super fun game from Google Experiments. Using the camera on your device, students identify emojis in the real world. The application uses artificial intelligence to try and determine what's in the picture and see if it matches the emoji.

- AI experiment that allows you to draw and tries to predict what you are drawing so you can then select a more professional image to add to your project.

Story Speaker - Combine the power of Google Docs with AI! Make interactive, talking stories without coding and play your story instantly on Google Home. What I love about this tool is that it will give you a "Choose Your Own Adventure," story template in Google Docs, so that alone is worth exploring! Help students improve writing and get creative. Even if you don't have a Google Home or cannot use it in your classroom, the Story Speaker tool and template are worth exploring!

Talk to Books - When you type in a question or a statement, the model looks at every sentence in over 100,000 books to find the responses that would most likely come next in a conversation. This is a really interesting way to help kids connect and learn with literature, discover new authors and books, and strike up some interesting conversations!

Made with Code - Made with Code is a program designed to help close the gender gap in the programming industry, and give girls and young women fun ways to learn how to code the things they love.

More tools and resources from Kasey: Stranger Google: Crazy Tools from the Upside Down

Google Teacher Tribe Mailbag

Matthew Reischer (NJ) - Google Forms/Quizzes question

Nancy Richards (North Hollywood, CA) - Thank-you for your great ideas, suggestions and tips, Matt and Kasey!

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Google For Enrichment & Free Time - GTT081 - Google Teacher Tribe Podcast

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Using Google during elusive free time and for enrichment! Download Episode! Google News and Updates Featured Content 20 sites for students with free time on their hands GeoGuessr - GeoGuessr uses Google Maps Street View to place you on the ground somewhere in the world in full panorama. The problem?

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Helpful hints on way to use Adobe Spark.

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This post is written by Claudio Zavala Jr., an Instructional Technology Coordinator with Duncanville ISD in Duncanville, Texas. This is the third in a series on creating in the classroom with Adobe Spark. You can find Claudio on Twitter @ClaudioZavalaJr or on his blog: iamclaudius.com

Creating web pages used to be very time-consuming. If you didn't know HTML then putting together a webpage was almost impossible. Luckily web design tools have come a long way and designing your own web story is now even easier with Adobe Spark Page. You can create eye-catching web pages with magazine style themes.
Want to know how?
With Adobe Spark Page you and your students can create amazing web pages in minutes. They can be created using browsers on Macs, Windows, and Chromebooks. Or build awesome visuals on the go with Adobe Spark Page on iOS.

Start by creating an account on spark.adobe.com or download the Adobe Spark Page app to your iPhone. Both web and mobile apps work the same, with some minor differences in the user interface. Trust me, it's easy to figure out!

Add videos, photos, text and more to your page using the magazine style themes and with Adobe Spark magic your content is put into motion using Glideshow. See what the finished product might look like in the video below.

It really IS that easy! Now, that you know how simple it is, it's time to create some digital web stories with your students. Check out all of the ideas and example projects below.

Here are 5 ways you can use Adobe Spark Page in your classroom tomorrow!

Adobe Spark Page is a great tool to highlight photography or artwork. Make photos stand out with a variety of page layouts. Try using a Glideshow to create a scrolling museum page. It's a great way for your students to highlight and display their work.

Are you looking for a place to collect all of your work or the work of your students? How about an online resume? Adobe Spark Page provides space and features that enable everyone to curate their own work and create a gorgeous portfolio or resume.

Meet Kate Kriege: Educator. Mentor. Leader. by Kate Hieb-Krieger - Building a resume is a life skill. One that we are continually looking to improve on ourselves as adults. Show your students how easy it can be to build a beautiful eye-catching resume for their future job applications.

My Portfolio - You or your students can put all of their best work from the year of over the course of several years in one place to share at Open House or to showcase at an event.

Everyone has a story to tell. Every student has a voice to share. Adobe Spark Page is a great resource to share and tell your story. Create an About Me web page and add images, videos, galleries, and web links.

Take a traditional assignment like book reports and essays and give them a digital twist. Using features like Glideshows and Split layouts in Adobe Spark Page to organize sections and display content by themes or topics.

The Colorado River by Ezra Forta - For a fun spin on traditional essays, students can use images and captions to share what they have learned about a topic. In this 6th example text provides background information to accompany the images along with their reasons for choosing the topic.

The Civil War - Give history reports a modern spin. Students can create a page that describes important historical events and can even embed a YouTube video to support their information.

1984 - Book reports get a makeover with Adobe Spark Page. Students from elementary to high school can easily add information about the book and share their thinking through a web story.

Adobe Spark Page is perfect for documenting trips. Students can also create content in companion apps Spark Post and Video and then add them to the web page.

Adobe Spark Page is available to all teachers and students. Even better, schools get Premium features that usually cost $9.99/month per user absolutely FREE! Read more about that here.

Related posts:
For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links: Interested in having Matt present at your event or school? Contact him by e-mail! Matt is scheduled to present at the following upcoming events:

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5 ways to use Adobe Spark Page in your classroom

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This post is written by Claudio Zavala Jr., an Instructional Technology Coordinator with Duncanville ISD in Duncanville, Texas. This is the third in a series on creating in the classroom with Adobe Spark. You can find Claudio on Twitter @ClaudioZavalaJr or on his blog: iamclaudius.com Creating web pages used to be very time-consuming.

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Multimedia is one way that technology is impacting what we do in the classroom. Just look back 10 years.

To create impressive video, audio and images in the past, it used to take expensive equipment. Video mixers. Audio boards. Design software.

Now we have high-resolution (or high-definition) creation tools right in our pockets. Smart phones, tablets and computers can do what the high-cost equipment used to do. (And often, it can do better!)

Adobe Spark is one of those tools. It lets students smash together various forms of media into creations that are so cool, they'll want to show their friends and family. It's all free, including the website and its iPad/iPhone apps ( Post / Page / Video). If you've used Adobe Slate or Voice before, Spark will be very familiar. Adobe rebranded those tools with its former Post app under the Spark heading.

What you can create

With Adobe Spark (a free service), students can create:

Posts: These single images can combine text and images. They're saved as picture files.

Pages: These are long, flowing, top-to-bottom pages that you scroll through. They can include images, videos and text.

Videos: These videos can be picture slide shows or a combination of images and videos. They can include voice narration and/or music.

About the three formats

Posts: When you create a post, Spark asks you, "What do you want to say?" Type the main idea or quote and it's added to your post. Spark offers several sizes for your post, including:

Sizes for various social media uses (posts, headers and thumbnails for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and more)

Presentation slides

Posters

Tall informational graphics

To find images for your posts, Spark connects you to a search of Creative Commons licensed images. It lets you customize your text with fonts, shapes, alignment and more. When you're done, you can download your image or share it with a link.

Pages: Create a long, flowing webpage with lots of relevant content. Add a title and subtitle to the top, and then Spark lets you add lots of content, including:

Photos

Text

Links

Videos

Photo grids

Glideshows (like slide shows that zoom in on the image while you scroll)

When complete, they can be shared with others with a clickable link.

Videos: I love that Spark asks you what kind of video you want to create and then gives you suggestions on how to fill the slides of your video. For example, when I chose "lesson" from its video types, it created six slides for me with these suggestions:

Overview: What will you teach, and why is it interesting or relevant? How will people use what they learn?

Concept: Describe the concept you're teaching.

Example: Give an example that your audience can relate to.

Explanation: Connect your example to the idea and explain how it applies.

You try it: Share a scenario or example problem to let your audience apply what they've learned.

Summary: Summarize the key takeaway for your audience to remember.

When students create videos, sometimes they struggle to create the right framework. Adobe Spark suggests frameworks for them. Plus, it lets them add an attractive theme to their slides, music and several layout options.

Uses in class

After playing with Spark for a while, I can see numerous uses in the classroom, including:

1. Announcement: Use a video to tell about an upcoming event for the school (a play, a sporting event, an academic competition) or for your class (a party, a project, an important assignment).

2. Trailers: Create a short video to promote interest in a book, a historical event or a person/character.

3. Opening hook: Make a video that sparks students' interest in a topic to be covered that day (or the next day ... or, to really boost anticipation, next week!).

4. Quotes: They're easy to repeat, prompt great discussion and are sticky to the brain. Share quote cards on a class website/learning management system, on social media or printed out in the classroom.

5. Newsletter: Create a video newsletter (or have students create one!) to send home to parents. Include images and videos to keep parents, families or even the community at large up to speed.

6. Announcements: Change up the daily announcements with an Adobe Spark video. Create graphics using Adobe Spark posts. Include photos and pertinent information. Share it with teachers (who can play them for their classes).

7. Field trip recap: Gather a bunch of photos and videos from a field trip. Then pull them all together in a video or page to share with students and families.

8. Public service announcements: Health, physical education and science lend themselves to these messages for the greater good, but they could potentially be used in any classroom. Create a video, post or page to give the public info they need to know.

9. Facts and figures: Share a quick, bite-sized, interesting tidbit with students with a post. They're visual and aren't overwhelming, so they're likely to be remembered.

10. Presentations: The typical PowerPoint presentation can be jazzed up with a page. Use images and text to present information in a very visually appealing way.

11. Story telling: Have students create their own stories or retell the ones from class (maybe with an interesting twist to create a different outcome!). They can do this with a video, telling the story in their own voice, or a page, telling the story in printed text.

12. Lab reports: Pages are made for this. Take pictures and videos of your science lab. Add them to a page. Use text to explain what's going on.

13. Travel journals: Take an imaginary trip to a far-off place. In a page, use pictures and images to illustrate and give information with text.

Info to know

Adobe created Spark with students in mind, at all levels (from kindergarten on up).

Spark requires an Adobe login, and children under 13 can't create them. A teacher or parent can, and the student can use it under their supervision.

Student identification can be suppressed when students share their work, protecting their privacy but still letting them open their work up to others.

The iOS apps are rated 12+, but Adobe says the apps are safe for younger students. They just didn't want younger ones to download the apps on their own.

All of this and more is available in the Adobe Spark Edu Guide (click here to download the PDF).

For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links: Interested in having Matt present at your event or school? Contact him by e-mail! Matt is scheduled to present at the following upcoming events:

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13 ways to create unforgettable multimedia with Adobe Spark

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Multimedia is one way that technology is impacting what we do in the classroom. Just look back 10 years. To create impressive video, audio and images in the past, it used to take expensive equipment. Video mixers. Audio boards. Design software. Now we have high-resolution (or high-definition) creation tools right in our pockets.

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How to use Adobe Spark Video

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This post is written by Claudio Zavala Jr., an Instructional Technology Coordinator with Duncanville ISD in Duncanville, Texas. This is the first in a series on creating in the classroom with Adobe Spark. You can find Claudio on Twitter @ClaudioZavalaJr or on his blog: iamclaudius.com

Video is a powerful medium for storytelling. And creating videos has never been so simple. You and your students can easily put a story together on your mobile phone, laptop, PC, or Chromebook.
How?
With Adobe Spark Video, you and your students can create compelling videos in just a few minutes using professional looking themes and music. Adobe Spark Video is a free online video making software that allows you to easily combine images, video clips and icons into a beautiful, shareable movie. Add text, music and your own voice to personalize your video.

To begin, simply head to the website spark.adobe.com or download the app to your . Both web and iOS apps have the same functionality with the differences being in the format.

The interface is very intuitive! Want to add video? Click the plus sign and add a video. Click Preview to view your video in progress. Very easy to follow. What you see is what you get!

Ready to learn more about how to use Adobe Spark Video? Here is a tutorial that walks you through each step in creating a video.

So how can you get started using Adobe Spark Video in your classroom?

Here are 5 video project ideas for your students.

Invitation

Hosting an event at your school? Use Adobe Spark Video to create a stunning invitation to a school event such as first day of school, meet the teacher night, curriculum night, sports events, concerts, etc. For added value, have your students create invitations to send to their parents or guardians for Open House event.

Book Report/Reviews

Do you assign students write book reports or reviews? Instead of writing book reports or reviews in worksheets, have students create a video. Students can talk about Plot and Theme of the book. Depending on the grade level, you can break the book into sections and have a one group create a video about the Plot, other groups can do Theme, Story Elements, etc. Students can create a video analyzing characters in a book.

Classroom Highlights

How do you share the happening in your class with parents? A great way to share classroom activities or events is by creating a highlight reel. With Adobe Spark Video you can do that by choosing the "Tell What Happened" guide. Perfect way to show off your classroom and students.

Step-by-Step (How To Videos)

Need to create a step-by-step video? Use the Story Guides found in Spark Video to help you and you share a lesson. Students can also use Spark Page to teach each other how to do solve a math problem, build a project, pass a level on a game, cook, etc. The sky's the limit!
Field Trips
How many of you enjoy looking at photos or videos of vacations or trips? Create a video of a recent classroom trip or outing. Use the "Tell What Happened" story guide to share what transpired. Better yet, have students create a video of different parts of the field trip. For example, task them with creating videos of different sections of the zoo (lions, tigers, and bears...oh my!)

Things to Know

Projects (Spark Videos) are automatically synced so you can work whenever inspiration strikes.

Adobe Spark Video is available across the web or the iOS app. Unfortunately, at this time Spark Video isn't available on an Android device.

Adobe Spark Video is available to all teachers and students. Even better, schools get Premium features that usually cost $9.99/month per user absolutely FREE! Read more about Adobe Spark EDU here.
For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links: Interested in having Matt present at your event or school? Contact him by e-mail! Matt is scheduled to present at the following upcoming events:

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5 ways to use Adobe Spark Video in your classroom

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This post is written by Claudio Zavala Jr., an Instructional Technology Coordinator with Duncanville ISD in Duncanville, Texas. This is the first in a series on creating in the classroom with Adobe Spark. You can find Claudio on Twitter @ClaudioZavalaJr or on his blog: iamclaudius.com Video is a powerful medium for storytelling.

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Need some help with Genius Hour?  Check out this post.  

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Need some help with Genius Hour?  Check out this post.  

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Genius Hour In The Classroom: 6 Principles Of Genius Hour - TeachThought PD

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Genius Hour In The Classroom: 6 Principles Of Genius Hour
by Terry Heick
Grow >> Update: We did a t-shirt campaign of this graphic last year and it sold decently (if 13 t-shirts can be considered 'decent.'). It's still available if you wanted a t-shirt with a kind of learning model on it. You know. If you're into that sort of thing. You can find it here. TeachThought PD Genius Hour Workshops
Genius Hour in the classroomis an approach to learning built around student curiosity, self-directed learning, and passion-based work.

In traditional learning, teachers map out academic standards, and plan units and lessons based around those standards. In Genius Hour, students are in control, choosing what they study, how they study it, and what they do, produce, or create as a result. As a learning model, it promotes inquiry, research, creativity, and self-directed learning.
What's The Difference?
Genius Hour is most notably associated with Google, where employees are able to spend up to 20% of their time working on projects they're interested in and passionate about. The study and work is motivated intrinsically, not extrinsically. The big idea for Google is that employees motivated by curiosity and passion will be happier, more creative, and more productive, which will benefit the company in terms of both morale, "off-Genius" productivity, and "on-Genius" performance.

Genius Hour provides students freedom to design their own learning during a set period of time during school. It allows students to explore their own curiosity through a self-manifested sense of purpose and study while within the support system of the classroom.
Genius Hour In The Classroom: 6 Principles Of Genius Hour Sense of Purpose
A key distinction compared to more open, self-directed learning and user-generated learning experiences is that within a "Genius Hour" framework, this student-centered approach is only used a portion of the schedule, providing students a choice in what they learn and how they learn it during a set period of time within a school day.
Design
Students must find their own sense of purpose in what they study, make sense of, and create. The context and motivation are no longer entirely academic, which forces both the student and teachers to make adjustments.
Inquiry & Navigation
Without teachers "packaging" content that frames and scaffold content, students are left to design their own learning experiences.
Create
Through surveying possibility, navigation of unfiltered content, gathering information, and narrowed research, students make sense of ideas important to them. This navigation and survey of possibility then leads to more narrow inquiry and research. In this way, inquiry-based learning has significant overlap with Genius Hour. (See also, 20 Questions To Guide Inquiry-Based Learning.)
Socialization
Whether students "make," publish, design, act, or do, "creating" is core to Genius Hour. There is always a visible product or function of the learning.
80/20 Rule
Students connect with teachers to plan, peers to produce, and experts and community members to establish a sense of purpose for their work.
*this blog was originally published at TeachThought.com
The 80/20 rule is important, as it provides the only structure of most Genius Hour learning. Whether it's an "hour," one day per week, or something else, it provides a kind of schedule while contrasting usefully with traditional academic "training."

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Genius Hour In The Classroom: 6 Principles Of Genius Hour - TeachThought PD

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Genius Hour In The Classroom: 6 Principles Of Genius Hour by Terry Heick Grow >> Update: We did a t-shirt campaign of this graphic last year and it sold decently (if 13 t-shirts can be considered 'decent.'). It's still available if you wanted a t-shirt with a kind of learning model on it.

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Elijah Johnson, Ulrich Andregg, Adolph Andregg, Miltilda Tezlaff

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This is the Radio Angel coming to you live from Hoxie Jr High