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One thing I've learned from my students is that sometimes I assume they understand the social conventions of technology and the really do not. A prime example is email formatting. I've received so many emails from students that sound like they're texting their friends. Last week a student emailed me at 12:35am. This year I will be incorporating proper email etiquette into my classroom. We expect students to communicate, but they're often not taught how. So, my tip is to have students practice proper email etiquette by teaching them the expectations and having them practice.

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Although most people are probably familiar with Google apps for education,  Google forms is a great resource when used in quiz mode. I have used it for formative assessments but have most recently used the section linking features for differentiated instruction. This has been helpful because if the student clicks the wrong answer, the link takes them to a page where they can re-learn information and then try again. I also have the ability to write feedback no matter what they click. The students can also make their own Google forms and share with classmates. The data-sharing feature is intriguing because they can see how well they did in comparison to other peers in their class. Here's an example of a form I used in class.

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Make sure that you test out the technology BEFORE presenting it to your class. Often times you'll run into issues that you may not know how to resolve and you'll have a lot more pressure to fix it with 25 students waiting on you. Have a laid out procedure just as you would be a normal classroom procedure. Allow students to explore the technology and manipulate tools for practice! (While also doing all of this yourself before hand so that you're prepared for any questions or mishaps!

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Google Classroom
Google classroom is a free source where you're able to create a classroom by simply having a gmail account. You can create multiple classrooms for different subjects, or even create different classrooms for easy differentiation! All students have to do is simply enter their class code to become part of the classroom. They will receive any assignments you post for that classroom, including directions, points, and the due date. You're also easily able to download editable slides into google classroom that coincide with classroom activities. It also cuts down on the use of paper in class, allows you to keep assignments all in one place, and is able to be easily monitored by the teacher while students are collaborating.
https://edu.google.com/products/productivity-tools/classroom/

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Free edition

Switch from class to assignment to student in just a few clicks

Track student progress in your gradebook and export scores to your school's student information system (SIS)

Keep grading consistent and transparent with rubrics displayed alongside student work

Store frequently used phrases in a customizable comment bank

Prepare and schedule tasks, assignments, and quizzes across multiple classes

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Free edition Switch from class to assignment to student in just a few clicks Track student progress in your gradebook and export scores to your school's student information system (SIS) Keep grading consistent and transparent with rubrics displayed alongside student work Store frequently used phrases in a customizable comment bank Prepare and schedule tasks, assignments, and quizzes across multiple classes

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This article (PDF) from NAEYC explains the difference between using technology to enhance learning (like using a document camera to see something closer) and students learning through technology (like students using the google classroom). Check it out! Technology requires careful planning.
https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200809/OnOurMinds.pdf

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Resource: Storybird
Storybird is a free online resource for students where they can create online stories or books. They are able to write their stories, illustrate their stories and publish or print! Students can also share stories with other students online. Storybird is a very motivating way to have students writing and creating stories. You can also set up a school fundraiser through them as well!
https://storybird.com/educators/

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Participate in as many different learning situations as possible! Step outside of your comfort zone! The more real world, investigated, and hands-on problem solving situations you can be a part of, the more you will learn and develop into a 21st century learner. Technology also plays a role and helps assist the 21st century learner.

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HistoryPin!

In the 21st century- making global connections and sharing culture is a must have! As a history teacher, I always try to promote why history matters and how it still affects us today. I try to show connections between the past and present, have students think more critically, and have them be involved in their own community. Historypin is an amazing tool to do all of that! Historypin allows students to learn about their own community, their family background, and other cultures all over the world. It allows them to explore all these places by looking at pins on  map, and then picking a topic of interest. Historypin SHOULD BE USED FOR ONLY GRADE 8-12. It allows students to see how important history is, how cultures change over time, and what it means to maintain a legacy. Historypin allows students to visualize the shared history of their city, country, and world, as well as the individual experiences that shape our past.

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This is an article of seven skills students will always need, even as technology evolves and changes.
They are:
1.Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Preparation
2.Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence Preparation
3. Agility and Adaptability Preparation
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurship Preparation
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication Preparation
6. Accessing and Analyzing Information Preparation
7. Curiosity and Imagination Preparation

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by Jennifer Rita Nichols
Ed note: This post has been updated from a 2013 post.
As educators, we constantly strive to prepare our students for the 'real world' that exists around them. We teach them how to read, write, and calculate. Then, of course, there are the less tangible skills we teach; such as how to work in a team, think critically, and be curious about the things they encounter each day.

We want to prepare them to lead productive and successful lives once they leave us and enter into the realm of adulthood. But what lies ahead for our students in the future? Did educators of twenty years ago know that so much of our world would be based on computers and technology now? Could they have known what skills would be needed in the job market today? Unlikely, but yet they had to do their best to prepare their students for this world anyhow. Nowadays, educators are still charged with the same complicated task - preparing students for the unknown.

Tony Wagner of Harvard University worked to uncover the 7 survival skills required for the 21st century. To accomplish this, hundreds of CEOs in business, non-profits and educational institutions were interviewed. A list of seven skills that people will need to survive and thrive in the 21st century was compiled from their answers.

We may not know exactly what lies ahead for our students in the future, but we have the advantage of knowing what skills they will need once they get there. Here are the 7 survival skills of the 21st century, along with how they may look being purposefully applied in a classroom.

The problem should ideally lend itself to multiple solutions, as we do not want to teach students that there is only one answer available, but instead that problem-solving can be a creative and personal experience. Situational problems in mathematics provide a good example of these skills at work.

However, the ability to lead others can definitely help a person to advance and become successful in their chosen career. Also, finding a job where you don't need to be able to work closely and harmoniously with others can be quite a difficult task. To best prepare students in this area, more than just the typical teamwork is required. Instead of simply getting into a group and splitting the tasks with each other, students should instead be encouraged to take on different roles within their group for each task within the project.

Sometimes they can be the 'manager' and at other times they can be an 'organizer' or a 'graphic designer'. There are many different roles that students can fill during a project with their peers that allows them to work with others in a more collaborative way than just breaking apart a project and then putting it back together in the end.

Our students need to be comfortable with the idea of change and be willing to adapt to the changes around them. Teachers can create a very dynamic environment within the classroom that can help to prepare students for the future. Varying the teaching strategies we use, the setup of the classroom, the ways that learning is demonstrated by students, and even the guidelines for group work or homework can help students learn to adapt.

Have students create a storyline, for example, then surprise them with a mandatory element to incorporate, or even have them switch work and complete a task based on the preparations of another. They might grumble at first, but the skills will serve them well!

Let them know that you are available and willing to listen to any of their ideas about improving the classroom or school. Help them organize their ideas and put them into practice - even if an idea may fail. It can be a valuable lesson about how to analyze what went wrong and consider how to improve the idea. Students should never be afraid of trying because they are afraid of failure.

This doesn't come naturally, but with practice; enunciation, speed, volume, gestures, and eye-contact can all be taught and learned. The same skills that help in drama can help in oral communication. Take a moment one day to begin teaching a lesson in a very ineffective way and see how long it takes your students to ask what you're doing... they should be able to tell you exactly what's 'wrong' with your communication skills!

As for written communication, we need to continue to emphasize the rules while also teaching students how to use the technology available to them to help check their writing. The difference between formal and informal writing is quite important for students to learn and start applying.

Many students today will check 'answer' websites to gather information, not really thinking about how the information was written by a person who may or may not be correct or truly knowledgeable in a subject area. In the same way a teacher can 'think-aloud' reading strategies, we can think-aloud Internet searching strategies. Project your screen on the board and learn about a topic with your students. Show them how to search, and how to use those 'answer' sites without being misled!

How do you react when he shows you his freshly-drawn picture of a soldier using a robot-inspired weapon to destroy a princess? Do you celebrate his creativity in the same way you celebrate the world-saving-robot drawn by the student next to him? Is his picture hung on the wall?

We don't all like and appreciate the same things, so an educator must be very careful about how they nurture and develop their students' creativity and imagination. We can teach them which things are appropriate in which situations without making them feel like their ideas are wrong or bad.
Image attribution flickr user gustavodevito and flickeringbrad; How To Prepare Students For 21st Century Survival

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How To Prepare Students For 21st Century Survival

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by Jennifer Rita Nichols Ed note: This post has been updated from a 2013 post. As educators, we constantly strive to prepare our students for the 'real world' that exists around them. We teach them how to read, write, and calculate.

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LitPick:
An article on the International Literary Association describes LitPick as a way for students who are reluctant readers to continue to hone their reading skills during the summer months. It is also a way to ensure that all students have access to reading materials. LitPick provides free books online to students in return for a review of the book. The reviews are posted to the website, and the students also receive feedback on their writing skills and reading comprehension from qualified adult mentors on the LitPick team. LitPick is supported by many well known publishing houses, such as St. Martin's Press, Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Scholastic, and many others.

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LitPick is a free online reading and writing program. Students, book clubs, and reading groups review preteen, teen, YA books and write book reviews.

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Stay on top of your work and DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!

Staying on top of your work is crucial to success at any academic and professional level. Overestimating ones workload for the allotted time can often lead to anxiety and high stress levels among children and adults. Creating an organized plan for completing work in a timely fashion can reduce ones stress level and remove the uncertainty that is associated with difficult tasks. Never be afraid of seeking help early on when facing a these tasks, rather than pushing it off. Starting early can reduce the feeling of a negative outcome due to having additional time to review and revise the work. It also provides the person time for draft writing and peer review. When ones anxiety is lower the quality of work is usually better and more useful.

Boyes, A. (2013, March 13). 6 Tips for Overcoming Anxiety-Related Procrastination. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-practice/201303/6-tips-overcoming-anxiety-related-procrastination

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PhET Interactive Simulations

Created and supported by the University of Colorado Boulder, PhET provides science and math teachers with over 100 different simulations to use in the classroom. These simulations can be used to introduce students to new concepts, reinforce class content, and challenge the students through inquiry based practicals. The simulations have been created to meet a wide range of students from the elementary to university levels. Many of the simulations have tools to gear them up or down depending on the class and depth of content. Through collaboration with teachers, PhET also has extensive teacher resources to help guide instructors through the simulations and post lab activities. PhET is a crucial resource to teachers who are limited with lab supplies, who have missed time, or want to explore abstract concepts through lab.

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Eliminate digital distraction, social media updates, and reduce always on communications.

In the book The Distracted Mind, by Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen, an argument is made that our primal minds are not properly equipped to deal with the distractions brought on by the speed of advancements in communication technology. Our brains are meant to reward us when we process information. This reward was an evolutionary trait that increased our chances of survival. A leaf rustling when there is no wind, could be a tiger in the brush, an enemy about to attack. Today our phones vibrate and our social media notifications trigger similar chemical processes in the brain. However, our brains know that this is not a tiger, but there is energy in suppressing sensory information.  We don't often realize that our brain is constantly suppressing meta senses too, like an urge to check updates to spaghetti lines of a hurricane simply because we can! This is an unintended consequence of the smart phone. Our brains must work constantly to suppress distractions, not just in our immediate physical vicinity, but the whole of the internet. Turn off what you can, do work with your phone off, even, in another room, or left in the car. Turn off e-mail alerts and buzzers for social media networks. The distracted mind and mental health will be a huge factor in our 21st century learners.

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Why our brains aren't built for media multitasking, and how we can learn to live with technology in a more balanced way.

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Have a place to store your info and sort it all out with Trello!

Trello is a project management site based on a card per project philosophy. To Survive in 21st century world full of information, we must be able to track resources and collaborate. Trello allows teams to see where certain aspects of many different projects are. Trello also works great as a "store-all" information depot. Cards can hold attachments, to-do list, due dates, and more. Personally I create a trello card for people too, I use this to add communication, files I may have sent, links I asked them to follow, and more. I used Trello to specify duties in my ORG chart, allowing team members to move duties on or off their plates. Trello isn't the only player in town, there are more traditional "store all's" that are less project focused like evernote and one-note, but you may find that having a place to sort it all out is key to the amount of information individuals and teams must process in order to be 21st century successful.

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Picture highlighting what "digital citizenship" means.

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Help students to learn and practice "digital citizenship". Where they are more aware of what they do online and in an online community. Digital citizenship is –“the quality of a response to membership in a digital community”. Use lessons, dramatizations, activities, and various experiences to help them and guide them with being safe online, using technology appropriately, protecting themselves while online, protecting themselves and others from cyber bullying and various online interactions. Teachers can also learn appropriate technology uses for instruction whether it be a video, a website, assistive technology etc. and since students use their cell phones, or laptops, Ipads etc., for leisure and entertainment, they now have the opportunity to use it in the classroom more often for learning, and with the correct guidance and resources coming from their teacher, students can learn the appropriate strategies of technology use. Teachers can also closely look at their own strategies of classroom technology use to gauge its effectiveness on their students. Teachers can model digital citizenship for their students, even parents so the whole school community can be more effective and aware digital citizens.

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The Digizen website provides information for educators, parents, carers, and young people. It is used to strengthen their awareness and understanding of what digital citizenship is and encourages users of technology to be and become responsible DIGItal citiZENS. It shares specific advice and resources on issues such as social networking and cyberbullying and how these relate to and affect their own and other people's online experiences and behaviours.

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The Digizen website has now closed and all relevant content and new resources are hosted here on the Childnet website.

Created in 2005, the Digizen website provided information for educators, parents, carers, and young people.

It was used to strengthen their awareness and understanding of what digital citizenship is and encourage users of technology to be and become responsible DIGItal citiZENS.

Amongst the ground-breaking and popular resources hosted by the Digizen website was the award-winning film Let's Fight It Together, which shows ways in which cyberbullying can occur, who it involves, how it can affect different people, and what can be done to prevent it and respond to it.

Other resources, including the Digizen Game, has now been retired. Please see below for up-to-date resources from the Childnet Team.
Take a look at some of Childnet's other ground-breaking resources and projects from the past 25 years.

Donate

Even a small donation can support the development of our online safety resources and help our Education Team to connect with more children and young people.
Donate

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The Digizen website has now closed and all relevant content and new resources are hosted here on the Childnet website. Created in 2005, the Digizen website provided information for educators, parents, carers, and young people. It was used to strengthen their awareness and understanding of what digital citizenship is and encourage users of technology to be and become responsible DIGItal citiZENS.

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Don't be afraid to try new things. Education is a process and the learning never stops (for students as well as teachers). Try new tech tools, try new instructional approaches, come up with a new assignment or project that you haven't done before. You can't be afraid to experiment. If you try a new project and it's a stinker, at least you know that you tried it. As the saying goes, "Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from swinging the bat."

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Project Gutenberg

This is great online database with thousands of books available to download and/or read online. It has over 54,000 titles and they are all FREE! Have you ever been reading a book and remembered a good quote but can't remember exactly what chapter or page it was on to find it? Look it up on Project Gutenberg using the "find" tool online and it will take you to the quote! It also offers students a new medium to read from if they prefer reading online or with a device. There are so many uses for this website and it is fantastic!

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Project Gutenberg is a library of over 70,000 free eBooks

Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for you to enjoy.

No fee or registration! Everything from Project Gutenberg is gratis, libre, and completely without cost to readers. If you find Project Gutenberg useful, please consider a small donation to help Project Gutenberg digitize more books, maintain its online presence, and improve Project Gutenberg programs and offerings. Other ways to help include digitizing, proofreading and formatting, or reporting errors.

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Project Gutenberg is a library of free eBooks.

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Get Organized! Write everything down. Carry a planner or notebook with you everywhere, or use an app on your mobile device. Whatever system you choose, use it religiously!  Write down assignments, appointments, tasks needing follow up, meetings with teachers, ideas, to do lists… anything that crosses your mind. Make sure to review your lists regularly, at least weekly and file items, note upcoming deadlines in your calendar, follow up on items needing it. I love to keep sticky notes handy to jot things down and stick on my planner; I can move the note to next week if I need to, or I can toss it once the task is done.

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LiveBinders: Do with digital information what you do with piles of papers on your desk—organize them in a visual, virtual 3 ring binder! Combine all of your cloud documents, website links, and desktop documents to access, share and update from anywhere. LiveBinders is a cloud-based document that lets you view other online media and upload documents in context. Add explanatory text to images and websites. Add links within text. Embed videos. Organize by tabs and subtabs. I love to create LiveBinders to organize information into binders such as “Tools for Learning Strategies” and “Cool Tools for Students.” LiveBinders are very easy to create and have endless uses for teachers and students alike.

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Making Them Useful, One LiveBinder at a Time!

We created LiveBinders so that you could do with digital information what you do with the piles of papers on your desk - organize them into nice presentable containers - like 3-ring binders on your shelf.

With our online binders you can combine all of your cloud documents, website links and upload your desktop documents - to then easily access, share, and update your binders from anywhere.

Context Matters

Information is communicated better and more often retained when organized in visual portfolio. LiveBinders is the only cloud-based document that lets you view other online media and uploaded documents in context.

Empowering the Knowledge Leader in You

With all of the information available online today, curated content is a very important part of filtering through a vast body of resources. But real curation involves a personal perspective, not an impersonal algorithm.

We understand that you are a valuable resource for your network of colleagues, clients, and students. LiveBinders is your way to curate all the content you collect and make it easily available for your audience. Create a shelf of your binders and embed them right on your web page where visitors can easily access your impressive library of resources.

Thank You to Our Community

A big thank you to our educators, business managers, consultants, trainers, and administrators who are using LiveBinders to curate and organize their resources for clients, colleagues and students. All of your stories, request and discoveries have helped us make LiveBinders better. Please keep your feedback coming! Let us know at feedback@livebinders.com. Thanks for your help!

"I was able to put together this livebinder with everything we needed in less than 2 hours. The great thing is that we could send it out ahead of time for those who like previews, we used it as our presentation tool today and it serves as a resource for staff as they think about projects for which they could utilize minigroup. Wow, what a great education tool!

Love, love, love that I can add explanatory text to images and websites.

Love that I can add links within the text, along with styling options like bold, colors, etc.

Love the option to embed videos.

Sub tabs are great for highlighting info like pulling out some content from the minigroup site -- FAQ's, tour, blog, etc."

--Dawn Wall, Technology Coordinator, K-State
"I love Livebinders. It is such an easy tool to use and the uses are endless."
-- Steven Anderson - Blogging About the web 2.0 Connected Classroom

"Really, one of the best parts of LiveBinders is how easy and intuitive the application operates."
-- David Chan - Chanatown - LiveBinders - ePortfolios done easy

"FINALLY got around to creating my first LiveBinder. And I love it!"
-- Marie Slim - LibrarySlim blog

"Think of Livebinders as a virtual 3 ring binder that you can put pretty much anything in. Webpage, PDF, image, video, text: they all can go into a page organized for you. Each item can be on it's own tab or you can further organize by using sub-tabs. You can even put LiveBinders inside LiveBinders inside LiveBinders!!"
-- Melissa Edwards - The Inspired Classroom

"Dear @LiveBinders. I set up my account yesterday. It was love at first click. I'm working on my first binder now...Thx for such a cool tool!"
-- @carolynstarkey on Twitter

"I've seen examples shared on twitter and have started following @livebinders there - but while searching for materials for a course project I remembered I had saved a few of them as examples - then I started to look through what was available on the livebinders site that folks were sharing... and was AMAZED :) (I feel like I'm a selling snuggies here :)"
-- Alana Callan - Alana Learns About Educational Technology

"This web 2.0 tool is easy to use and becomes a Techbook instead of a Notebook for teaching."
-- David Wetzel's "5 Reasons Why You Should Use LiveBinders" from the Teach Science and Math blog

"I LOVE LiveBinders. I have set up 5 already, some for me, some for my students."
-- Kit McCormick

"Try out a new web tool. One of my favorites right now is LiveBinders.com. This website works a lot like social bookmarking sites that let you save links to share with others, but the big difference is that the sharing of links through this site is visual."
-- Jim Knight - Radical Learners Blog

"Seems like I always find the best sites late at night and I've done it again. I love the idea of LiveBinders. Basically, it is a "3-ring binder" online. You can make your own binder over a unit you teach complete with videos online, websites you use, documents you hand out, and your own notes."
-- Carlisle Middle School Blog

A Few Recent Tweets:

Tweets about LiveBinders

More fun...

From Mike Fisher's blog - Digigoy

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We created LiveBinders so that you could do with digital information what you do with the piles of papers on your desk - organize them into nice presentable containers - like 3-ring binders on your shelf.

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Perserverance is priceless If you have a dream, you’ll be faced with obstacles but by staying with problems longer, as Einstein says, can mean the difference between failure and success. Some ways to begin practicing perseverance is by committing to your dream, keeping a positive attitude, staying focused on what you want every day and bouncing back from adversity.

In the 21st century technological advancements and revolutionary findings are making for a fast passe world. You will run into a lot of problems/programs that are difficult but you must stick with it!

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(Gizmos) are interactive and engaging and do a great job of providing students with an opportunity to carry out scientific inquiry and test their understanding of concepts. ExploreLearning Gizmos is the world’s largest collection of math and science simulations for grades 3-12. Teachers can use Gizmos to complement and enrich instruction with powerful interactive visualizations that allow students to manipulate key variables, generate and test hypotheses, and engage in extensive “what-if” experimentation to develop a deep understanding challenging concepts. Gizmos are linked to state math and science standards, Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, and over 300 leading textbooks. I’ve used it in my genetics unit as well as my ecosystems unit. It is a wonderful way to let the students interact with the concept you are discussing. Instead of just talking about the effects of animals, plants and human interaction on an ecosystem I am able to show them.
https://www.explorelearning.com

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Be sure to create and have quick trouble shooting tips when using technology.  This can be just be everyday quick tricks and tips for students who encounter common issues like connectivity to the internet.  Common solutions for me is just reminding them their passwords, a how to connect to our wi-fi when they are disconnected, and sometimes to simply restart their chromebook as this is often a great fix to problems I don't even understand at times. I also highly recommend downloading the G-Suite Training App and have your students do the same as it provides hundreds of short tutorials to common uses of Google Apps.

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Flippity.net is a great resource that has templates that turn Google Sheets into Flashcards and Other Cool Stuff! Students use this site to create flashcards to help memorize vocabulary or an important math concept/property. I really enjoy using it for the Flippity Quiz Show game or the Mix and Match (I use with vocabulary).  It is also great to for creating word searches and crosswords .  These are great to have if students finish an assignment early or just to use as a changeup.

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Flippity.net: Flashcards and Other Resources for Educators and Learners

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Create an interactive virtual breakout activity.

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Have a back up plan.  Technology is constantly evolving and changing.  We are given many different technology sources to try and use in the classroom.  As much as we want to use technology, sometimes it isn't working and you need a back up plan.  Anytime we are working with iPads, computers, chromebooks,  or I'm using a technology piece, I make sure to have a back up plan such as independent or group work, just in case it doesn't work.

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ABCya is a site that helps students with letters, numbers, holiday's, strategies, and skills. It ranges from K to 5th grade students. My students really enjoy using it to help with their keyboarding skills. There are different games they can play as well. This site is very easy to use and navigate. I like using it as one of my technology centers.

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ABCya! * ABCya! * Learning Games and Apps for Kids

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Educational games for grades PreK through 6 that will keep kids engaged and having fun. Topics include math, reading, typing, just-for-fun logic games... and more!

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Sign Up to Create a Free Powtoon Account

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Powtoon’s Visual Communication Platform helps teams, companies, and educational institutions easily create, manage, and distribute visual content, at scale.

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The following tips can help you to create a digital story. Click on the image below for a closer look.

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PowToon is an easy-to- use movie making site. To create a short animated clip, all you have to do is write a script, characters, and other graphics by using a simple drag-and-drop tool. It is an engaging way to create a story or explain a concept alone or with a group. The possibilities are endless! Click on the login page below to check it out!

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Follow the 4 Agreements! These points are even more significant in the digital age when text/email/social media communications are misunderstood. Take the time to 'talk' to people. Ask for clarification and be clear about your intentions as well.

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Quizlet allows you to find or input key vocabulary to help you ace many a test!  It creates a variety of activities the make studying and self assessment fun!