# data[].attributes.body
This link takes you to the homepage for the Florida GEG. It has links to the twitter, calender and much more!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
GEG Florida is a community of educators across Florida where we inspire, empower, share, and learn from each other in order to meet the needs of students through technology. It is a great way to meet other educators, share edtech strategies and tools, and celebrate our love for Google for Education tools!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
GEG Florida is a community of educators across Florida where we inspire, empower, share, and learn from each other in order to meet the needs of students through technology. It is a great way to meet other educators, share edtech strategies and tools, and celebrate our love for Google for Education tools!

# data[].attributes.body
A safe way to use twitter with your class. Since the internet is so important to kids right now this will be a great way to stay safe but keep their interest!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I was never able to talk teachers into writing articles or blog posts for the school website. However, its easy to convince them to publish Tweets every now and then. With the help of GroupTweet, we can now keep our school's website content fresh and our followers up to date with relevant and timely content.

Tom P. - High School Principal

I love your service... I use it as a homework help line for my high school math students. They all follow and are contributors to the class account. When they have a question, they tweet at the class account and everyone gets it. It makes it so everyone doesn't have to follow everyone else, just the class account.

Brett L. - High School Math Teacher

GroupTweet has been awesome for our classroom discussion. It provides the perfect backchannel and allows all students in the class to have a voice and be heard.

Lauren F. - Middle School Civics Teacher

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Best Way to Manage Your School or Classroom Twitter Account | GroupTweet

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I was never able to talk teachers into writing articles or blog posts for the school website. However, its easy to convince them to publish Tweets every now and then. With the help of GroupTweet, we can now keep our school's website content fresh and our followers up to date with relevant and timely content.

# data[].attributes.body
A website with lesson plans in all subjects and grade levels. This link is for middle school social studies. Anyone can post/use lesson plans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Middle School Social Studies Lesson Plan Templates

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find free Middle School Social Studies Lesson Plan Templates.

# data[].attributes.body
An online community for teachers to socialize and share ideas.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The current of learning and teaching today. Created and curated by community members.

# data[].attributes.body
Online courses and projects for kids to engage an dlearn something new!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Huge library of hands-on projects, how-to videos, and an awesome kid community.

The TV is off and DIY is on!

Thousands of projects with
step-by-step video.

A variety of courses for any skill level

Kids earn badges while they
learn new skills!

(and you get insight into your kids' passions)

It's What We Don't Have
That Matters

Imagine if Netflix made kids smarter and YouTube was safe - DIY is it.

Start Your Free Trial

DIY is fantastic. It engages my son's creativity and nurtures his talent, without the frustration of challenging his very short attention span. The broad nature of the projects - for example "draw a monster" allows for so many projects to be created and for him to see improvement. He can create and challenge himself over and over, and interact with other kids to encourage them and be encouraged by them.

Our Mission

Any kid, anywhere, can learn any skill.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DIY.org - Online Courses and Fun Projects for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Huge library of hands-on projects, how-to videos, and an awesome kid community. The TV is off and DIY is on! (and you get insight into your kids' passions) Imagine if Netflix made kids smarter and YouTube was safe - DIY is it. DIY is fantastic.

# data[].attributes.body
An online source for teachers to learn and develop. Any teacher can upload and others can leave comments or suggestions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Edthena classroom observation and instructional coaching platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edthena helps teachers analyze teaching using classroom video and online collaboration.

# data[].attributes.body
A website where students can collaborate and talk about real world issues. It also helps to build their media and literacy skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Youth Media Challenges ask students to explore how they see themselves, share their view of the world, or envision a better future. Choose from a range of standards-aligned, media-making projects across content areas that help reach your learning objectives and engage students at the same time.

All challenges come with ready-to-use curriculum and every student submission is published on the KQED Youth Media Showcase. Select submissions will be aired on KQED broadcasts and shared with PBS and NPR member stations around the country.

Explore the 7 current challenges or browse all published student submissions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Youth Media Challenges ask students to explore how they see themselves, share their view of the world, or envision a better future. Choose from a range of standards-aligned, media-making projects across content areas that help reach your learning objectives and engage students at the same time.

# data[].attributes.body
An online community where teachers can post things like assignments and powerpoints for students. The whole class/group is on one page for everyone to see and collaborate.

# data[].attributes.body
Reading A-Z is a website for teachers to download and print different activities and reading materials for students. There are many resources in all subjects.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reading A-Z: The online reading program with downloadable books to print and assemble | Reading A-Z

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Award-winning reading solution with thousands of leveled readers, lesson plans, worksheets and assessments to teach guided reading, reading proficiency and comprehension to K-5 students

# data[].attributes.body
The website is TeachThought.com, this link is specifically to an article on how to best teach remotely. The website it is on has many articles and guides to how to improve your teaching and classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
contributed by Kate MacDonnell

COVID-19 has made a lot of changes in our lives.

The need for social distance and to handle the pandemic responsibly means many students are learning over the internet. For educators, that means a tight focus on a newly-critical field: remote teaching and learning.

Eventually, however, most students will return to the physical classroom and when they do so, the transition will be crucial for both teachers and students to maintain continuity and reduce both academic regression and psychological duress.

Here are some tips to help you craft a better virtual learning experience for your students that you can take back into the classroom when we (finally) can safely do so.

7 Remote Teaching Strategies You Can Take Back Into The Classroom

1. Lesson Segmenting

In short, segment activities and lessons to fit your students.

Depending on the age, content, home life, and a million other factors, students have a wide range of attention spans. If you can segment lessons in a way that is accessible to students, you'll have a much higher chance of engaging your virtual classroom during synchronous learning.

Often that will mean focusing on smaller pieces of content. That's not necessarily a bad thing either if you can keep up your students' participation then they're more likely to keep learning despite the fact that you're miles apart. Shorter pieces make larger concepts easier to teach, just make sure that each segment is crucial to the lesson itself.

This can be less critical in a physical classroom but no less effective as a teaching strategy-especially if you're personalizing the learning for students.

2. Be intentional in the beginning, middle, and end

Each lesson, no matter the length, should remain tightly focused on the learning objective itself. While hour-long, in-school classes allow for more debate and back-and-forth, it's not as effective in a synchronous online learning environment.

A common approach is for each lesson to build on the last one (much like a physical classroom). A brief introduction reminding your students what happened last time before you launch into the next piece of the puzzle is another way to keep comprehension up despite some of the handicaps of distance learning.

Not every lesson will go exactly as planned, but there should be a clear beginning, middle, and end to each session with a clear and intentional role for each going into your remote teaching classroom.

In a physical classroom, the beginning, middle, and end also play important roles but with more flexibility and more opportunities for different kinds of collaboration. That said, when you begin to see lessons in three 'acts' while teaching digitally, that kind of framing can be useful in a brick-and-mortar classroom as well.

3. Ongoing formative assessment

Depending on the software you're using, you may have more or fewer options for interactive lessons. The more that your students are interacting with the content, the better chances they'll retain information once the lesson is over.

Having your students create 'things,' answer questions, and even interact with each other are all useful. Acquaint yourself with the software you have access to and see what you can do about getting everyone engaged. Using ongoing formative assessment-with tools like Loop, for example-can represent a core remote teaching strategy that you can eventually carry over into the physical classroom.

4. Make learning objectives accessible to students

One easy remote teaching strategy anyone can use is accessibility: make sure every student knows what they're learning and that what they're learning is accessible to them (that is, within their Zone of Proximal Development)

If what you're teaching is important, accessible, and brief, it has a better chance of being mastered in any classroom-remote or otherwise. But it's especially important to save the complex thought experiments for in-person courses or supported asynchronous courses.

Note, this can often mean learning more about the material yourself. It's been said that breaking things down means you understand them, and you'll have to if you want to get the point across through Zoom.

It also helps to keep students on track. Behind the scenes, your students could be doing anything from fervently taking notes to finding out if dogs can eat corn. It also gives you a little bit of time to prepare to dive into the next lesson planned. Use your fika breaks wisely to stay on track!

5. Adaptable curriculum and instruction

Another remote teaching strategy that will carry over into the physical classroom involves your own mindset and approach to teaching: Show flexibility and humor-even when it's difficult.

Remote teaching and learning is new to many of us, and (especially in an uncertain world) getting overwhelmed is easy. Modeling a growth mindset for students-responding to uncertainty and difficulties with flexibility and humor-can help students develop 'soft skills' more important than the content itself.

And for you personally as a teacher, you can make your life and lesson plans a lot easier if you remain adaptable, especially since it looks like this will be happening for some time. Remaining flexible and constantly looking for ways to improve is how we'll be able to make it through this trying time.

Other Remote Teaching Strategies That Will Work In The Classroom

6. Think-Alouds (less effective online but still functional)

7. Modeling (how effective this is depends on the content area-better for math or language learning than science, for example; also see #10 below)
8. Socratic Discussion or Fishbowl Discussions
9. Literature Circles (or any intentional group work, really)
10. Gradual Release of Responsibility
A Final Word

Learning entirely through remote teaching is new to most students and teachers but that's just the way it's going to be for the foreseeable future. Dive in and learn what you can so that you can remain an effective teacher. Everything else will pass, but the well-being of students during this time-psychologically and intellectually-will continue to affect them (for better or for worse) for years.

Over time, we will find ways to make remote teaching easier on teachers and remote learning easier for students. In the meantime, take it upon yourself to keep abreast of the newest developments in eLearning and take care of yourself as a teacher in the process. When we all return to the classroom, your teaching-and student learning-can have a more seamless and efficient transition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Remote Teaching Strategies You Can Take Back Into The Classroom -

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
contributed by Kate MacDonnell COVID-19 has made a lot of changes in our lives. The need for social distance and to handle the pandemic responsibly means many students are learning over the internet. For educators, that means a tight focus on a newly-critical field: remote teaching and learning.

# data[].attributes.body
Allows writers to post on the website and go to college essay bootcamps.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Write the World is a global community, where young writers can publish their work and refine their craft through a regular writing routine, an attention to revision, and access to quality feedback.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Make your lesson plans relevant, engaging, and productive.

Curriculum and lesson planning can seem daunting, especially as a new teacher. How do you plan an entire year of learning before it even begins? How do I make each individual lesson relevant and engaging? I used to find myself asking these questions. But as the years have gone by, I've learned helpful tricks to plan my year smoothly.

Whether you're adjusting an existing lesson plan or starting from scratch, try the following tips for a productive school year:

1. Start with the big picture.

I believe that starting is the hardest part. If you're struggling in the initial steps of lesson planning, try taking a step back. Connect with other grade level teachers at your school to see how your year can fit into the bigger picture-like a curriculum calendar. From there, break it down to objective-based, shorter-term units. Within each unit, what do you want to accomplish? What do you want your students to know and be able to do by the end? With each lesson, outline a desired outcome or goal for you and your students to work towards.

2. Don't rely on fluff.

Even after I've planned my lessons, I like to reassess my own strategies. I ask myself what I can improve or make more efficient. What are the structures or systems within my classroom that are working? How can I use these more? Rather than breaking your day into tiny little pieces, focus on the activities that provide richer opportunities for deep thinking. While Pinterest-inspired little activities may keep kids busy, they don't always teach to the rigor and relevance that they need.

3. Get creative about your resources.

These days, inspiration is all around us. I use (free!) tools and resources that elevate my lesson plans. One of my favorites is Understanding by Design , which is a template for lesson planning created by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Their website has articles, webinars, videos and more for online learning. Their method is a way of thinking that's backwards planning-you start by thinking what you want to accomplish, then creating a performance assessment.

4. Think backwards and relate the lesson plan to real life.

Step one is to identify the learning standards set out by your state or national standards. In step two, identify what some of the enduring understandings are. Create essential questions that will motivate the student to actually learn that unit. For example, show them how measurement is used in the world and show the different ways people measure and the tools they measure with. Put students in scenarios where they have to select tools and use the lesson in a practical way.

Then step three is the learning activities that you scaffold, which refers to a variety of instructional techniques used to move students progressively toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the learning process. Start with what they already know about measurement. For example, maybe they were measured at the doctor's office.

Try to relate it to their real life.A real-life example I use with my students is the grocery store. I take them on an imaginary tour and ask them where and how they measure their fruit. Soon they start recognizing scales and using this vocabulary in their everyday lives.

5. Get nontraditional.

Don't be afraid to incorporate something new and different into your curriculum. For example, get your kids out of the classroom to see the lesson from a different perspective.

In my second grade class, we learn about urban, rural, and suburban communities. I built a field trip for each unit so they could experience each. For the urban unit, we took a bus ride into a city and took a walk through the historic sections. They were able to observe and experience the community and think through why certain houses were built differently than others. For the rural unit, we went to a dairy farm. For the suburban unit, we walked into the town with clipboards and backpacks. We interviewed business people as they were working in their businesses at the bank and at the bagel shop. Then they came back, and presented their findings.

Let's face it: a good lesson plan is hard to come by. My best advice is to build something that works for you, and is flexible enough to change if needed. As you're building your lesson plan for the year, try my five tips for a unique and fun curriculum your students will enjoy all year long!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Tips to Improve Your Lesson Plan | NEA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Whether you're adjusting an existing lesson plan or starting from scratch, try these tips for a productive school year.

# data[].attributes.body
I am interested in both Florida and North Carolina so I added the GEG for North Carolina as well! It has the same things as Florida like the discussion, calender and more!!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
GEGs are independently run communities of educators who inspire and empower each other to meet the needs of students through technology both in the classroom and beyond. Via face to face meet-ups and online activities, GEGs provide a way for educators who are passionate about education and technology to meet like minded people and share, learn, and collaborate together.