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The New York State Education Department is no longer supporting the EngageNY.org website and it will no longer be available for use after April 15, 2022. NYSED encourages educators to download any EngageNY content they wish to use in the future.

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Energy and Calm: Brain Breaks and Focused-Attention Practices | Edutopia

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Energy and Calm: Brain Breaks and Focused-Attention Practices | Edutopia

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Quick breaks that help students refocus so they can return to work feeling centered and ready to learn.

© Popova Anastasiya/Creative Market

When presented with new material, standards, and complicated topics, we need to be focused and calm as we approach our assignments. We can use brain breaks and focused-attention practices to positively impact our emotional states and learning. They refocus our neural circuitry with either stimulating or quieting practices that generate increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, where problem solving and emotional regulation occur.

Brain Breaks

A brain break is a short period of time when we change up the dull routine of incoming information that arrives via predictable, tedious, well-worn roadways. Our brains are wired for novelty. We know this because we pay attention to every stimulus in our environment that feels threatening or out of the ordinary. This has always been a wonderful advantage. In fact, our survival as a species depended on this aspect of brain development.

When we take a brain break, it refreshes our thinking and helps us discover another solution to a problem or see a situation through a different lens. During these few minutes, the brain moves away from learning, memorizing, and problem solving. The brain break actually helps to incubate and process new information. Consider trying these activities with your class:

The Junk Bag: I always carry a bag of household objects containing markers, scrap paper, and anything that one would find in a junk drawer-for example, a can opener or a pair of shoelaces. Pick any object out of the junk bag and ask students to come up with two ways this object could be reinvented for other uses. They can write or draw their responses. Once students have drawn or written about an invention, they can walk the room for one minute sharing and comparing.

Squiggle Story: On a blank sheet of paper, whiteboard, or Promethean Board, draw one squiggly line. Give students one minute to stand and draw with their nondominant hand, turning the line into a picture or design of their choice.

Opposite Sides: Movement is critical to learning. Have students stand and blink with the right eye while snapping the fingers of their left hand. Repeat this with the left eye and right hand. Students could also face one another and tap the right foot once, left foot twice, and right foot three times, building speed they alternate toe tapping with their partner.

Symbolic Alphabet: Sing the alphabet with names of objects rather than the letters.

Other Languages: Teach sign language or make up a spoken language. In pairs, students take turns speaking or interpreting this new language for 30 seconds each.

Mental Math: Give a set of three instructions, counting the sequence to a partner for 30 seconds. Example: Count by two until 20, then count by three until 50, finishing with seven until 80. Switch and give the other partner another set of numbers to count.

Invisible Pictures: Have a student draw a picture in the air while their partner guesses what it is. You could give them categories such as foods or places, or other ways to narrow the guessing.

Story Starters: A student or teacher begins a story for one minute, either individually or with a partner. The students then complete or continue it with a silly ending.

Rock Scissors Paper Math: After players say, " Rock, paper, scissors," the last call-out is "math." With that call, students lay out one, two, three, or four fingers in the palm of their hand. The first player to say the correct sum of both players' fingers wins.

Focused-Attention Practices

A focused-attention practice is a brain exercise for quieting the thousands of thoughts that distract and frustrate us each day. When the mind is quiet and focused, we're able to be present with a specific sound, sight, or taste.

Research repeatedly shows that quieting our minds ignites our parasympathetic nervous system, reducing heart rate and blood pressure while enhancing our coping strategies to effectively handle the day-to-day challenges that keep coming. Our thinking improves and our emotions begin to regulate so that we can approach an experience with variable options.

For the following practices, the goal is to start with 60 to 90 seconds and build to five minutes.

Breathing: Use the breath as a focus point. Have students place one hand close to but not touching their nose and the other on their belly. As they breathe in, have them feel their bellies expand. As they exhale, they can feel the warm air hit their hand. Students will focus on this breath for only one minute. Let them know that it's OK when thoughts sometimes come into the mind uninvited. Tell them to exhale that thought away.

Colors: Visualize colors while focusing on the breath. Inhale a deep green, and exhale a smoky gray. Have students imagine the colors as swirling and alive with each inhale. If a student is de-escalating from an angry moment, the color red is a great color to exhale.

Movement: This one is for younger children. Direct students to stand and, as they inhale, lift an arm or leg and wiggle it, exhaling it back to its original position. For younger grades beginning these focused-attention practices, it's good to include an inhale and exhale with any type of movement.

The Deep-Dive Breath: Have students inhale for four counts, hold for four, and exhale for four counts. You can increase the holding of breath by a few seconds once the students find the rhythm of the exercise.

Energizing Breath: Have students pant like a dog with their mouths open and their tongues out for 30 seconds, and then continue for another 30 seconds with their mouths closed, taking short breaths with one hand on the belly. We typically take three energizing pant breaths per second. After a full minute, have students do the deep-dive breath.

Sound: The use of sound is very powerful for engaging a calm response. In the three classrooms where I teach, we use rain sticks, bells, chimes, and music. There are many websites that provide music for focus, relaxation, and visualization. Here is one of my favorites.

Rise and Fall: As we breathe in and out through our noses, we can lie on the floor and place an object on our stomachs, enhancing our focus by watching the rising and falling of our bellies.

When we're focused and paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and choices, we have a much greater opportunity to change those thoughts and feelings that are not serving us well in life and in school. When we grasp this awareness, we see and feel the difference.

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Energy and Calm: Brain Breaks and Focused-Attention Practices

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Quick breaks that help students refocus so they can return to work feeling centered and ready to learn. © Popova Anastasiya/Creative Market When presented with new material, standards, and complicated topics, we need to be focused and calm as we approach our assignments.

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Using Assessment to Create Student-Centered Learning | Edutopia

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Using Assessment to Create Student-Centered Learning | Edutopia

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Using Assessment to Create Student-Centered Learning

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There’s more to assessment than test scores. By assessing students’ passions, learning styles, success skills, and levels of rigor, teachers can create a student-centered classroom.

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I am an administrator I am a teacher

CONTENT

Texts (and videos!) for ELA, Science, and Social Studies with scaffolds and higher-order questions

READING

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ASSESSMENT

Data you need;
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Engage every student in every lesson with Actively Learn's award-winning ELA, science, and social studies curriculum platform.

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Educade | Find, create and share lesson plans and teaching tools to empower your classroom

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Educade | Find, create and share lesson plans and teaching tools to empower your classroom

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© 2005-2012 Hostmonster.com. All rights reserved.

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Automatically fill out vocabulary sheets | Vocabulist

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Automatically fill out vocabulary sheets | Vocabulist

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It is with a heavy heart to inform you that I must shut down Vocabulist. Although there has not been any development in a long time, there are added hosting costs to maintain a reliable service. Unfortunately, I no longer have the time or resources to dedicate to Vocabulist any more.

It's been a fabulous journey that has involved thousands of loyal users, a fantastic educational technology community, and great supporters. I thank everyone who has helped in any way to make Vocabulist better.

Sincerely,

Ahan Malhotra
Founder, Vocabulist

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It is with a heavy heart to inform you that I must shut down Vocabulist. Although there has not been any development in a long time, there are added hosting costs to maintain a reliable service. Unfortunately, I no longer have the time or resources to dedicate to Vocabulist any more.

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Adams County News 354 issues Nov 28, 1908 - Aug 25, 1917

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Animoto - Video Maker & Photo Slideshow Maker | Animoto

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Animoto - Video Maker & Photo Slideshow Maker | Animoto

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Create videos that engage and impress. Animoto's drag-and-drop editing tools and visual effects make it easy. No training or experience necessary.

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As you get started making videos, we're here to help along the way! Join other businesses just like yours in the Animoto Social Video Marketing Community on Facebook. Our team of video experts is ready to help you grow with tips, ideas, inspiration, and feedback on your videos. You can also reach our dedicated Customer team directly at help@animoto.com .

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Create, edit, and share videos with our free video maker. Combine your photos, video clips, and music to make quality videos in minutes. Get started free!

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Make Your Images Interactive - ThingLink

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Make Your Images Interactive - ThingLink

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ThingLink: Create unique experiences with interactive images, videos & 360° media

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Easily create interactive and immersive visual experiences for online communication and learning. Start a free trial!

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We've streamlined our integration with Schoology, making it easier to install and use the OER Commons LTI App. Installation from the Scho...

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AnswerGarden - Plant a Question, Grow Answers! Generate a live word cloud with your audience.

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AnswerGarden - Plant a Question, Grow Answers! Generate a live word cloud with your audience.

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AnswerGarden is a new minimalistic brainstorm tool for online brainstorming, real time audience participation and classroom feedback.

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PowToon for education online animated presentation software

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PowToon for education online animated presentation software

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Video Maker | Make Videos and Animations Online | Powtoon

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Make videos in minutes with Powtoon. Use our library of styles, characters, backgrounds and video, or upload your own! Free. Easy. Awesome. Sign up today!

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13 Keys to Successful Blended Learning -- THE Journal

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13 Keys to Successful Blended Learning -- THE Journal

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Distance Learning

13 Keys to Successful Blended Learning

Educators share their best practices for tech-enabled pedagogy, from building capacity to implementing lessons to supporting teachers and students.

Transforming a mishmash of educational technologies into a coherent "blended learning" model is fast becoming the holy grail of modern education. With so much software and hardware already in place, making blended learning work is less about acquiring technology, and more about changing mindsets. Susan O. Moore, supervisor of blended learning at Meriden Public Schools (CT), breaks the implementation of blended learning into five stages:

1. Build the capacity of staff members to support each other in the transition to a blended learning environment. Provide opportunities for staff to visit each other's classrooms and collaborate.

2. Allow teachers and students the freedom to fail and learn from mistakes.

3. Engage student experts to support each other and their teachers in learning new technologies. "We had students present on technology tools to teachers during one of our professional development days," Moore said. A student introduced her to Google Keep, which has become one of the apps she uses most.

4. Encourage students and teachers to take charge of their learning. Providing control over "time, place, path and/or pace" comes with responsibility. For example, a student might have access to digital content during the high school pep rally, but is that the best time and place to retain the information? Teachers may need additional training in using rotation models or creating digital content. "They need to model extending learning beyond the classroom," said Moore.

5. Take the first step. As Moore put it, "We have had several reluctant teachers who, after implementing their first blended learning lesson, wondered why they hadn't tried the approach sooner."

Moore cautioned against waiting for the ideal time to launch a blended learning initiative. "We will never have all of the devices, all of the access points, the perfect content, the perfect classroom setting, and all the stars aligned in just the right way," she said. "What we will always have are students who are counting on us as education professionals to lead the way, and that starts with a first step."
Blending From the Beginning
Relatively new charter schools have the luxury of starting with the primary goal of establishing a cogent blended learning curriculum. The Village Green Virtual Charter School in Providence, RI, launched in September 2013 with a three-pronged approach.

"Number one is maximizing technology in courseware," said Robert Pilkington, the superintendent at Village Green Virtual. "Number two is maximizing teacher efficacy in the face-to-face role, and three is providing supreme equity in access for all kids with a rigorous, high-quality curriculum."

John Butler, the director of academic planning and logistics at Village Green Virtual, reported that actual class instruction is made up of 60 percent online and 40 percent face-to-face teaching. Village Green officials believe the 60/40 approach makes sense for schools looking to boost their blended learning efficacy, but they are by no means tied down by the ratio.

Kevin Cordeiro, social studies teacher in the Second Learning Center and mobile learning coordinator at Village Green, puts it this way: "The way blended learning plays out in the classroom is you are trying to have little to no false boundary between kids learning digitally or in a traditional method. The kids don't distinguish between learning in a traditional way, or using some type of digital medium, or using a mobile device. The kids use every resource available to them for the best possible education."

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13 Keys to Successful Blended Learning -- THE Journal

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Distance Learning Educators share their best practices for tech-enabled pedagogy, from building capacity to implementing lessons to supporting teachers and students. Transforming a mishmash of educational technologies into a coherent "blended learning" model is fast becoming the holy grail of modern education.

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On June 30, 2019, support and services ended for GoAnimate for Schools. GoAnimate for Schools was built on older technology (Flash) that will no longer be supported by all major browsers beginning in 2020. In preparation for this, we decided to retire GoAnimate for Schools instead of rewriting it using newer technology.

Vyond does not offer a direct replacement for this product. If you are looking for a similar platform, we strongly encourage you to find one that is committed to safeguarding the personal information of children. Good questions to ask are: Are you COPPA compliant? Are you GDPR compliant?

Thank you for supporting Vyond and using the tools our team has worked so hard to create. Please contact support@vyond.com if you have any questions.

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On June 30, 2019, support and services ended for GoAnimate for Schools. GoAnimate for Schools was built on older technology (Flash) that will no longer be supported by all major browsers beginning in 2020. In preparation for this, we decided to retire GoAnimate for Schools instead of rewriting it using newer technology.

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World History Timeline The FREE atlas of world history

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World History Timeline The FREE atlas of world history

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World in 3500 BCE

Stone Age hunter-gatherers and farmers live in much of the world. In one small area, however, cities are appearing, literacy is developing, and civilization is emerging.

Start Exploring

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World History Timeline The FREE atlas of world history

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stone Age hunter-gatherers and farmers live in much of the world. In one small area, however, cities are appearing, literacy is developing, and civilization is emerging. Start Exploring

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StrataLogica - The Learning is in the Layers

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StrataLogica - The Learning is in the Layers

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StrataLogica - The Learning is in the Layers

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Nystrom Education maps, globes, atlases, and charts now come alive in an environment where teachers and students can actively engage with our multi-layered world, easily share content, and collaborate in ways never before imagined. Completely web-based and powered by Cesium and Bing, StrataLogica is designed for computers, projectors, and interactive whiteboards.

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Free Online Textbooks, Flashcards, Practice, Real World Examples, Simulations | CK-12 Foundation

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Free Online Textbooks, Flashcards, Practice, Real World Examples, Simulations | CK-12 Foundation

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Simple free learning tools for students and teachers | Quizlet

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Simple free learning tools for students and teachers | Quizlet

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design discussions
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Transforming media into collaborative spaces with video, voice, and text commenting.

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Presentation Software | Online Presentation Tools | Prezi

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Presentation Software | Online Presentation Tools | Prezi

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Open Canvas

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Presentations and videos with engaging visuals for hybrid teams | Prezi Present

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Welcome to Prezi, the presentation software that uses motion, zoom, and spatial relationships to bring your ideas to life and make you a great presenter.

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Diigo - Better reading and research with annotation, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving, bookmarking & more.

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Diigo - Better reading and research with annotation, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving, bookmarking & more.

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Diigo - Better reading and research with annotation, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving, bookmarking & more.

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Diigo is a powerful research tool and a knowledge-sharing community

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Blendspace - Create lessons with digital content in 5 minutes

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Blendspace - Create lessons with digital content in 5 minutes

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Nearpod: Create, Engage, Assess through Mobile Devices. | Interactive Lessons | Mobile Learning | Apps for Education | iPads in the Classroom

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Nearpod: Create, Engage, Assess through Mobile Devices. | Interactive Lessons | Mobile Learning | Apps for Education | iPads in the Classroom

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Interactive slides

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Nearpod: You'll wonder how you taught without it

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Real-time insights into student understanding through interactive lessons, interactive videos, gamified learning, formative assessment, and activities -- all in a single platform.

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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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Ohio's PreK-12 Digital Library. Optimized by the Management Council.

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We've streamlined our integration with Schoology, making it easier to install and use the OER Commons LTI App. Installation from the Scho...

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iCivics | Free Lesson Plans and Games for Learning Civics

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iCivics | Free Lesson Plans and Games for Learning Civics

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In this new Private i History Detectives unit, Elementary students analyze primary sources to discover how Constitutional Amendments attempted to address slavery's wrongs, how the courts challenged unfair laws, and how individuals and groups fought for civil rights.

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In this new Private i History Detectives unit, Elementary students analyze primary sources to discover how Constitutional Amendments attempted to address slavery's wrongs, how the courts challenged unfair laws, and how individuals and groups fought for civil rights.