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International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Educators

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International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Educators

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The ISTE Educator Standards challenge educators to deepen their practice, empower students and rethink traditional approaches to education.

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Awesome tools working together get even better results. We have updated the way Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoints integrate with Nearpod. Nearpodize PowerPoint and Google Chrome extension are here to help! With Nearpodize, teachers can easily convert static slideshows into interactive Nearpod lessons with the click of a button.

Google Chrome extension

Now you can easily convert your Google slides into interactive Nearpod lessons with the click of a button via a free Google Chrome extension called Nearpodize. We updated the Nearpod add-on to make the process even smoother!

Watch the video below to learn how to install Nearpodize extension for Google Chrome, or follow the simple steps below. Be sure to remove the existing Nearpodize extension before you install the new version.

How to install the Nearpodize Chrome extension

1. Search "Nearpodize" at the Chrome Store:
2. Open the link and select "Add to Chrome".
3. Select "Add extension".
4. You will now see the Nearpodize extension to the right of the address bar in your browser.

How to use the Chrome extension

1. Open the Google Slides file you want to convert to a Nearpod lesson.
2. Click the Nearpodize icon in the top-right corner of the browser
3. Sign in to Nearpod by following the prompt that appears if you aren't already signed in to your Nearpod account.
4. Add interactive activities and multimedia to your new Nearpod lesson!

Microsoft PowerPoint add-on

With the Nearpodize PowerPoint add-on, you can upload your PowerPoint presentation to Nearpod directly from PowerPoint.

Installing the add-on is very straightforward

1. Uninstall any previous version of this software from Control Panel/Software/Uninstall
2. Download plugin from this link (if you experience any inconvenience, feel free to use alternative link number 1 or number 2)
3. Run SetupNearpodize.exe(version may vary)
4. Complete the installation process by following the prompts.
5. Upon finishing, open Microsoft PowerPoint. A new Nearpod tab will appear on the upper right corner.

1. Open the file you want to change to Nearpod.
2. click the Upload button in the Nearpod menu of PowerPoint.
3. Sign in to Nearpod by following the prompt that appears if you aren't already signed in to your Nearpod account.
4. Add interactive activities and multimedia to your new Nearpod lesson!
You are ready to go! If you have any issues, please contact support at support@nearpod.com
Want some ideas for getting started with Google and Nearpod? Check out these 10 ways to integrate Nearpod with Google.

What are some other integrations you'd like to see from Nearpod? Let us know in our Nearpod Community.

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Easily Convert Your Google Slides + PowerPoint presentations into interactive Nearpod lessons with "Nearpodize" - Nearpod Blog

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Awesome tools working together get even better results. We have updated the way Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoints integrate with Nearpod. Nearpodize PowerPoint and Google Chrome extension are here to help! With Nearpodize, teachers can easily convert static slideshows into interactive Nearpod lessons with the click of a button.

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Zoom Breakout Rooms, Nearpod, dynamic slides, tips for ELLs

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Initially, remote learning was an emergency response to the pandemic, but now we need to get better at engaging students. Together we can use this as a professional learning opportunity for leveling up our teaching practice this school year.

Like many teachers at this time, the COVID-19 crisis caused me to begin teaching all of my classes remotely. Although, I was not new to online teaching or coaching - I wasn't sure how the experience would be fun or engaging for either myself or my learners who were now being forced to assimilate.

I knew the basics to deliver content online - or at least I thought I did! But knowing the basics is what initially had me very worried for many of my students. How can learners who were accustomed to receiving my instruction through systematic and reflective practices (i.e., evidence-based instructional strategies and educational protocols) now get the same level of engagement through Zoom and my PowerPoint slides? And for how long should our lessons and meeting times be held?

Now that the entire education community has rallied to provide their resources and talents at no charge to educators - I have begun using edtech tools that have the power to engage learners who require my digital instruction to be interactive and personalized.

For my teaching to be optimal, I require edtech with video with breakout capabilities, dynamic slides, and to be social enough for my most connected students. After toying with several options - I settled on my top three must-haves for leveling up my online teaching and here's how you can as well.

Having my students pair up during activities or work in project teams is an integral component of my instruction that I didn't want to lose at this time. Fortunately, the Zoom platform enables online facilitators to place student project teams in breakout roomsfor collaboration.

How To Enable Breakout Rooms In ZOOM
Some examples of how I blend my teaching strategies with the Zoom breakout room virtual feature include:

Storytelling at the beginning of a mini-lesson: To inspire students and connect their previous knowledge to new concepts, I like to share related stories. The students then go into breakout rooms (either in pairs or triads) to share their own stories. This shouldn't take more than five minutes.

Turn and talk: I use this as an informal and low-stakes way for students to share their thoughts and ideas. Students are paired and only go into breakout rooms for about 3-5 minutes.

Jigsaws: Groups of 3-4 students spend time in breakout rooms reading, developing computational artifacts and debriefing. Work time varies between projects and it is important for teachers to make frequent check-ins.

Work time in projects: The meaning of work time varies between guided and independent practice. For this purpose, I love to form learning centers in the breakout rooms within the structure of the workshop model.

Feedback protocols: The number of students assigned per breakout room will vary depending on the protocol you use. Prior to using a protocol, be sure to model its use for the entire class before sending them into the breakout rooms. Also, be sure to be the timekeeper and use the broadcast feature to keep everyone on task during the protocols.

Some examples of how teachers can blend effective teaching strategies with breakout rooms in Zoom for English language learners:

Making group work relevant by allowing students to choose topics that matter to their specific community (i.e., Latinx).

Allowing voice and choice about the type of products students create to demonstrate learning.

Providing small group instruction with an emphasis on language skills across the content areas.

Using visuals for encouraging dialogue and comprehension.

Use their native language as a support for learning English.

Having them practice with sentence starters.

How to Teach Online from Home to ESL Learners

My students really enjoy being able to collaborate virtually during class time using Zoom. I love that that the breakout feature also allows me to visit each of their spaces - which enables me to personalize my ability to engage and coach and also clarify misunderstandings about the material being taught.

How to Create Breakout Rooms in Microsoft Teams

Other video conferencing platforms with the breakout feature also include GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, and RingCentral. But before diving in - it is important that educators connect with students ONLY via platforms that are supported by their school district.

When the pandemic arrived, I was very concerned with my ability to keep students engaged and collaborative virtually with ONLY my traditional PowerPoint slides. When teaching in person, I always teach using systematic and reflective strategies - and because ONLY my academic class content changes - my classes have developed norms and collaborative culture with an inquiry mindset. And I was not sure how I was going to make this happen digitally.

Luckily, Nearpod success manager and expert user Michelle Moore - introduced me to the tool and gave me the quick skinny. The Nearpod platform is designed for student engagement during lessons, and what immediately enticed me was the ability to upload my existing slide decks and then tweak them to add the interactive features I desired for lessons/projects using the 'add activity.'

Incorporating slides using the 'add activity' feature in Nearpod has enabled student participation during my lessons in ways I never thought possible AND best of all - in real-time! I have found that adding polls, fill in the blank activities, short quizzes, open-ended questions, and drawing (among other items) allows my students to be better vested during our time together because our lessons are now a dialogue that isn't one-sided.

Another added bonus is that Nearpod has partnered with ISTE to develop digital teaching content for ISTE members to access for free. And a lot of this content can be added seamlessly into either my existing or new lessons.

Other online presentation slide alternativesfor teachers to consider using may include Knovio, Google Slides, and Keynote.

Let's face it; many of our students are using various social media platforms to connect with others socially by creating content (i.e., videos and pictures) on a daily basis. Finding a tool to leverage this aspect of their lives and personalities can be challenging but if it means helping my learners connect with others academically - I think it's worth the exploration.

Ofcom of the UK reports that the older kids get, the more active they're likely to use social media. CNN reports similar findings from studies indicating that many US teens use devices more than seven hours a day and that the median age of first use of social media is 14.

For engaging students socially in their new virtual classroom projects/lessons at this time of crisis, many in my PLN have begun using Flipgridfor free! I like that Flipgrid allows teachers to create grids by academic topics and are a safe space for learners to record and showcase their short videos. This is a feature that is now being leveraged by some educators to lift each of the diverse voices in their digital classrooms. Flipgrid topics can also be embedded in a Nearpod lesson!

For getting started and answering my 'need to knows', I found the Flipgrid Educator's Guide to be an excellent resource. I was able to incorporate Flipgrid into some of my lesson activities in tandem with Nearpod and Zoom and find the app useful for establishing community, having students respond to class topics, reflections on learning, and bringing in experts in 'topic guest' mode.

Another useful app for keeping kids engaged in comparable ways to how they interact socially with others is Recap. The app is also free to educators and enables student responses via video but also through text and audio.

No doubt, the current crisis has changed many aspects of how we live, work and do school. I believe the same holds true for our teaching pedagogy - it needs to evolve. Our students are accustomed to a world of their own design. To teach them, I believe we will need to meet them halfway strategically. With both the availability and the capabilities of today's technology - it's on us to prepare ourselves with engaging lessons.

This article was originally posted on this link.
Jorge Valenzuela is the lead education coach at Lifelong Learning Defined. Additionally, he is a national faculty of PBLWorks and on the Teach Better Team Speakers Network. His work is aimed at helping educators understand and implement computational thinking, computer science, STEM, emotional intelligence, restorative practices, and project-based learning.
If you like this work, please give it some claps, follow our publication and share this with your friends and colleagues.

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Initially, remote learning was an emergency response to the pandemic, but now we need to get better at engaging students. Together we can use this as a professional learning opportunity for leveling up our teaching practice this school year. Like many teachers at this time, the COVID-19 crisis caused me to begin teaching all of my classes remotely.

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THINK ABOUT POLICY AS ALIGNING INSTRUCTION
Can we level ESSA for equity?

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Equity is about how the equity came into being and if it's still there? 

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Equity is about how the equity came into being and if it's still there? 

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How this affects our students. This is a systemic barrier. Needs to be understood and removed in order to achieve equity.

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Once comfortable labeling emotions have students do Emotions Check In 

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Once comfortable labeling emotions have students do Emotions Check In 

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First Column is a product
Second Column is an emotion
Third Column is the SEL Strategy to get back into peaceful state.
May have to model

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Emotions check in in terms of a weekly lesson plan 

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Emotions check in in terms of a weekly lesson plan 

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Emotions check in is part of the formative assessment to see how they are feeling about what they are doing. 

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Emotions check in is part of the formative assessment to see how they are feeling about what they are doing. 

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Article: Bringing Trauma Informed Strategies into the Online Classroom

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Article: Bringing Trauma Informed Strategies into the Online Classroom

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Bringing Trauma-Informed Strategies into the (Online) Classroom

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As educators, every day of teaching is an invitation to learn more about ourselves and our practice. And then summers hit, offering us a chance to step back and go even deeper – renew our energies, reflect on our goals and dig into compelling and necessary new learning.

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Important Social Awareness and Relationship Skills

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Important Social Awareness and Relationship Skills

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Use Learning Circles: In Person & Virtual

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Use Learning Circles: In Person & Virtual

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In order to know students we must become more socially and culturally competent to know what they are experiencing. Their trauma, their inequity...

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Responsible Decisions Making through pedagogy of PBL especially when it focuses on Social Justice

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Responsible Decisions Making through pedagogy of PBL especially when it focuses on Social Justice

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Framework & Modell of Excellence for Project Based Learning 

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Framework & Modell of Excellence for Project Based Learning 

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https://hqpbl.org/

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Gold Standard PBL
Buck Institute for Education
PBL Works

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2Simple Ways to Improve Online Instrution

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2Simple Ways to Improve Online Instrution

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Distance learning started as an emergency in the spring, but teachers are finding ways to make it better, even for students working on smartphones.

As the new school year looms in the U.S., many teachers are unsure of the exact amount of time they will need to dedicate to remote teaching. With departments of education and districts looking to maintain both teacher and student attendance while minimizing the risk of coronavirus outbreaks in their schools, we know that remote learning isn't going away at this time.

Through staggered calendars and schedules, many schools hope to keep their students and staff safe by reducing class sizes in efforts to maintain social distancing for the time being. Although research on staggered scheduling shows that the practice can have positive effects on academic results, educators will need to continue making pedagogical shifts and pivots to adjust to yet another new instructional day in their efforts to engage all learners.

Whether students are in classrooms or are working fully at home, teachers will want to maintain personal contact with them, especially their most disadvantaged students. Frequent check-ins-in person, over phone or email, or through the class LMS-will help teachers better understand students' needs, providing them the insight needed to design more equitable lessons that address both academic and social and emotional learning for disadvantaged students, and all of their students.

In the months since the pandemic caused an emergency rush to distance learning, many teachers have made significant strides in improving the remote teaching skills they need to reach all learners. The new school year can allow us to improve our online lesson delivery still further by balancing the effective use of edtech with good teaching practice. Here are two relatively simple strategies to make online instruction better.

Make Lessons Interactive and Accessible 24/7

When teaching students face-to-face, my strategy for engagement is to use systematic and reflective strategies in tandem with interactive activities. This consistent practice helps build a collaborative culture, establish and maintain norms, and develop an inquiry mindset in students. Teachers will need to recreate this online to make their remote lessons engaging.

Nearpod can help, through a student engagement platform designed to make lessons interactive and accessible with or without a facilitator. This feature aids learning remotely because it allows students multiple chances for capturing the content and improving both their skills and transfer. Teachers can launch their lessons in a student-paced mode and can monitor the completion of the work.

Nearpod also allows teachers to add interactive activities to lessons, which enables student participation in both real-time and self-paced lessons in fun ways. This feature is multifaceted and has several interactive options, including adding polls, fill-in-the-blank activities, matching pairs, short quizzes, and open-ended questions, and having students draw a picture to show their learning. Each of these activities can be designed to fit the context of all age groups and generates data back to educators about how well the content is being learned.

It's also worth mentioning that students can easily access Nearpod on their parents' or guardians' smartphones, ﻿making the learning more accessible to students who do not have Wi-Fi access or a computer at home.

Foster Student Collaboration Via Virtual Breakout Rooms

Having students work together in pairs during activities or in teams to complete a task or product is critical learning work in lessons that teachers do not have to eliminate when teaching remotely. Incorporating collaborative activities during virtual class meetups enhances instruction the same way it does when teaching in person. For this purpose, I like to use the Zoom platform to place my learners in breakout rooms at various points of my lesson. I use either strategically or randomly chosen groupings depending on my purpose. For example, when students need to partner for project work, I group them purposefully. For activities like turn and talk or learning circles, they can be randomly assigned a partner or partners.

Again, students who lack Wi-Fi access and/or a computer can join live lessons via smartphones and still participate in all of the activities along with their peers.

Collaborative activities that can be conducted via breakout rooms include storytelling, turn and talk, learning stations or centers, workshops, jigsaws, think pair share, and feedback protocols like critical friends and gallery walk.

Mastering working in groups virtually will take some practice before most students become pros, but relatively quickly the experience will keep them engaged in enhancing their communication and problem-solving skills. Teachers in kindergarten to second grade will need to encourage parents and guardians to log in to assist learners with navigating the tech. Older kids can learn to schedule their own teamwork time once they are comfortable using the Zoom app independent of their teachers.

For schools that don't use Zoom, other platforms with the breakout feature include GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, and RingCentral.

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2 Simple Ways to Improve Online Instruction

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Distance learning started as an emergency in the spring, but teachers are finding ways to make it better, even for students working on smartphones. As the new school year looms in the U.S., many teachers are unsure of the exact amount of time they will need to dedicate to remote teaching.

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3 Ideas to Support Educators of Latinx Students in Online Learning

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3 Ideas to Support Educators of Latinx Students in Online Learning

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Guest Post Archives - Progress Report | UnidosUS

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Progress Report brings a Latino focus to state and national education issues. You can find information about UnidosUS's advocacy and policy work, the activities of our Affiliates, and read stories and perspectives from Latino educators from around the country.