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I would like to share that I had never used Twitter before #SEDU283 class. I came across the #rethink_learning chat and #kinderchat. I think both chats are great sources for early education.

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Found this great article in our #pstpln Twitter posts.  I really enjoy all of the resources social media provides and the PLN I am building.  It will be so great to have all of these resources, colleagues, and tools for when I have my first classroom.  Excited to continue to learn and grow as a teacher!

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Found this great article in our #pstpln Twitter posts.  I really enjoy all of the resources social media provides and the PLN I am building.  It will be so great to have all of these resources, colleagues, and tools for when I have my first classroom.  Excited to continue to learn and grow as a teacher!

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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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"The teaching life is the life of the explorer, the creator, constructing the classroom for free exploration. It is about engagement. It takes courage. It is about ruthlessly excising what is flawed, what no longer fits, no matter how difficult it was to achieve. It is about recognizing teaching as a medium that can do some things exquisitely but cannot do everything."
- Christa L. Walck, "A Teaching Life," Journal of Management Education, November, 1997, p. 481

Teaching and learning go hand-in-hand. Effective teachers continually improve their skills by learning about the latest trends in the field of education. But what exactly is teaching and learning, and how do you foster a relationship between the two that is synchronistic and fluent? The following guide offers teaching principles, learning examples, and the importance of a healthy relationship between student learning and teaching.

Teaching Principles

"Most teachers resist showing students the dirty part of real learning, and by the dirty part I don't mean the hard work...I mean the part where we fail nine times in a row before we find a good approach. I mean the parts where we are confused about our project, defensive in the face of criticism, doubtful of our abilities...Whatever the venue...teachers like modeling their knowledge, not their ignorance, and they avoid referring to the muddy paths, fear-filled moments, and just plain failure that are the unavoidable parts of getting the knowledge we possess."
- Marshall Gregory, "From Shakespeare on the Page to Shakespeare on the Stage," Pedagogy, 2006, p. 324

Teaching and learning are multi-faceted phenomena-and that's how we should be thinking about them, right from the start. Books written for beginning teachers, in fact lots of teaching books, focus on techniques. Yes, new (and old) teachers need techniques, but when that's the main focus, it tends to narrow the thinking and trivialize the complexities.

The literature on teaching and learning is diverse-one of its finest features. It can do a good job of shaping this broader thinking if it's sampled across disciplines, topics, and categories. The following articles and programs are reflective of how those learning to teach (doesn't that include all of us?) ought to begin and proceed.

Free articles

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Learning Principles

"Good students are those who learn. Whatever their preconceptions, barriers or deficits-whatever their story-they take new information and new experiences, and to the best of their ability, make them tools for transforming themselves and their world. And at last I've learned that a good teacher is someone who can recognize and connect with good students-in all their forms."
- Mark Cohan, "Bad Apple: The Social Production and Subsequent Reeducation of a Bad Teacher," Change, November/December, 2009, p. 36

The learning-teaching synergy happens when teachers are thinking, observing, and focusing in all sorts of ways on learning-when we are constantly asking, "What's going to help students learn this?" This focus on learning and attempts to understand how it's happening for students drives decision-making about teaching. It is what determines whether students will work in groups, whether they need to write or speak answers, whether their understanding of a concept should be tested, and on and on. Teachers become learners of learning. We have always been learners of content, but now in every class we seek to better understand the relationship between the learning experiences of students and the instructional approaches we are using.

Free articles

Related products

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The Importance of Teaching and Learning in the Classroom | Faculty Focus

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"The teaching life is the life of the explorer, the creator, constructing the classroom for free exploration. It is about engagement. It takes courage. It is about ruthlessly excising what is flawed, what no longer fits, no matter how difficult it was to achieve.

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It is truly incredible and great to see so many educators and students chatting on Twitter. It is a great platform for valuable information for teachers to utilize. I found a lot of very interesting information on Twitter. WOW!!

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I found a learning game for all the different things from Numbers, Counting, Addition & Subtraction, Shapes, Letters, Spellings, Sight Words, Read Alouds and more.
https://games.splashlearn.com/sem/learning-games?msclkid=19d01042b540134095ce7368e54a1758&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=sb%3Aus%3Adesktop%3Anon-grade%3Agame&utm_term=learning%20games&utm_content=sb%3Aus%3Adesktop%3Anon-grade%3Agame%7Clearning%3Aphrase

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Learning Games For Kids Online - SplashLearn

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Interactive learning games for Preschool to Grade 5 kids online aligned with Common Core Standards. SplashLearn is an award-winning learning program used by more than 40 million children.

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I also found EduMatch on twitter. Its a global network/chat that connects educators together. Their goal is to collaborate and learn together. Here is their page incase anyone wants to follow!

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I have found this great blog about technology and how we should be using it for our children and students. There are many beneficial ways to help students learn with technology, we just have to find that balance for each child.

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We seem to be living in an all-or-nothing, black-and-white world without any acknowledgment that there can be a middle ground. Our attitudes toward technology and our children are hardening into these types of fixed mindsets.

Figuring out how to integrate technology into our lives is not a new conversation. Several years ago, the Good 30-Day Challenge encouraged people to unplug after 8 p.m. The argument I made then about balancing rather than banning is the same argument I make now.

Those who recommend taking technology away form our kids are oversimplifying a complicated issue with sweeping and possibly inaccurate generalizations.

It's not unusual to read overgeneralized statements about how children don't play outside anymore because they have smartphones and iPads, or that kids don't get information from books because they have access to the internet.

While technology may contribute to children staying inside, I think there are also plenty of other reasons - not the least of which is concern about their safety. As Bruce Feiler wrote in the New York Times, "It's easy to say children need to wander unsupervised in the neighborhood inventing their own activities, but we live in the 21st century, not a Beverly Cleary novel."

I grew up in a Cleary-esque world where my friends and I often played outside unsupervised. I also spent a lot of time with my head in a book. While I would defend reading to my dying day as a wonderful way to learn and engage with an author, it is not a particularly interactive or hands-on way of learning. When I was introduced to a new area of interest via a book, pursuing that topic meant dragging out the encyclopedias or waiting for a trip to the library.

A balanced approach

I read so much my mother would have argued that I was addicted to books. To her credit, though, my mother did not ban reading - even the summer I read every Nancy Drew book I could get my hands on. Instead she monitored my reading, and when she thought it had gotten out of hand she would shoo me outside to play, help me learn a new craft, make sure I practiced the piano or suggest that my room could use a bit of tidying.

What I am suggesting is a balanced approach to the world: time with technology, time with nature, time with tools. Sometimes those activities may even overlap. I use my iPhone to create videos about my beehives and share them with others who view them using their iPhones to learn more about the life of a beekeeper. I spend a half hour every morning journaling with paper and pen but also keep a more public digital journal on my blog where others can comment and share. I love to crochet, and I use the web to find new patterns and ideas along with experts who can help me improve my skills. My iPhone can be a camera, a cookbook and a collaboration tool.

Model appropriate use

I am also suggesting that we take a lesson from my mother and be actively involved in our children's lives. Adults need to model appropriate use. We can't just ban iPads for the kids while we spend every waking hour staring at our phones. Recently I spent a wonderful evening at a local market where families gathered to celebrate the end of the week. The kids rode their bikes and played hide-and-seek while the adults chatted and listened to music. There was hardly a phone in sight other than for taking a few photos to capture the moment. If we are going to help our kids lead a balanced life, we must find that balance for ourselves.

How to integrate technology into our own lives and that of our children will continue to be an important conversation. When we reduce the issue to an all-or-nothing, yes-or-no, black-or-white answer, we miss out on the richness of the opportunities offered by technology in our world. And when we keep our children away from technology, we miss a greater opportunity to guide them in learning how to use that technology safely and effectively. We cannot find balance when all we do is ban.

Digital balance - making informed decisions about how to prioritize time and activities online and off - is one of the five competencies of the DigCitCommit campaign. Watch the video below to find out how you can join the movement!
Karen Richardson is an education technology specialist and owner of Ivy Run LLC. Connect with her on Twitter via @witchyrichy. This is an updated version of a post that first published on Oct. 17, 2014.

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Technology; Help Kids Strive for Balance | ISTE

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We seem to be living in an all-or-nothing, black-and-white world without any acknowledgment that there can be a middle ground. Our attitudes toward technology and our children are hardening into these types of fixed mindsets. Figuring out how to integrate technology into our lives is not a new conversation.

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Hey everyone, I found an interesting article about using creativity for lessons and activities in elementary classrooms.
https://t.co/3pP7ELe2hd

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What is the second teacher doing that the first one isn't? He or she is using creativity in that classroom. Creativity makes a huge difference. Creativity is vital for a classroom to be successful. There is a common misconception that the word "creative" has to do mostly with the arts. But being artistic is only a small part of creativity. While any classroom environment would benefit from a teacher blessed with the gift of artistic talent, creativity is many other things.

Creativity is innovation.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. If something isn't working, then it's broken and needs to be fixed. Come up with something else that will work for your students.

Creativity is thinking outside the box.
Everything doesn't always have to be black and white. Sometimes the oddball activities are the ones that work.

Creativity is improvisation.
Things don't always turn out the way you planned. When I've realized that a lesson wasn't working midway through, I literally tossed it out and started over. I tried a different angle (in this case, incorporating a movie that my students liked), and it worked.

Creativity is professional growth.
We don't always have all of the answers. If you can't figure out what to do, use your coworkers as resources. You might find some really great ideas that make sense for your students. Also, look at research and see what has worked for other teachers around the world. Use resources like KS2, hubbardscupboard.org, and starfall.com for some fun engaging activities.

Creativity is being a risk taker or mold breaker.
I have had many crazy ideas for things to try in the classroom. Some have worked and some haven't, but I found that trying was better than being stuck in the same pattern that isn't working.

Creativity is passion.
Be passionate about what you are doing. You are there to inspire students to become lifelong learners. If you want them to love learning, you have to love what you are teaching.

Suggested Activities: The Game of Learning

For the first six activities, seat your students in a circle and introduce a ball or something else they can pass easily between them.

1. "I know a word"
You can begin this skills game by saying, "I know a word that starts with the same sound you hear at the beginning of butterfly." Students will raise their hands, and you choose one to tell you a word the starts with "B." Once they tell you the word, toss them the ball. They choose someone else to tell them another word that begins with that letter, passing the ball to the student who gets it right. As the game continues, change the letter every so often. Play until everyone has had a turn. You can use this game for beginning sounds, ending sounds, middle sounds etc.

2. Rhyme time
Say, "I need a word that rhymes with cat." Pass the ball to someone once they give you a correct rhyming word. Keep changing the starting word and continue the game until all kids have gone.

3. Practice counting
You can have your class practice counting by twos, fives and tens. Pass the ball clockwise or counterclockwise, with the student who receives it saying the number that comes next. For example, you say, "We are going to count by fives. Five!" The person next to you says "ten," the next one says "fifteen," and so on.

4. Spelling review
For older kids, you can pass the ball and go through your spelling words one letter at a time. For example, you say, "We're going to spell the word t heir, as in 'This is their ball.'" The first person says "T," the second person says "H," the third person says "E," and so on. If one says the wrong letter, the next person says correct letter and fixes the mistake.

5. "I need a synonym"
This is a great vocabulary building exercise. You can use the ball or a pair of flyswatters, depending on the age of your students. You say, "I need a synonym for mad." Choose someone to give you another word that means the same thing, such as angry, furious and enraged. For older kids, you can put a list of synonyms on the board and divide the class into two teams. Have one person from each team come up and compete. Whoever slaps the board with the flyswatter and says the correct synonym wins a point for their team. In the end all of your students win a better vocabulary.

6. Reinforce other skills
What other subjects are you teaching? You could adapt these games to fit pretty much anything. "I need a name of an explorer." "I need you to name one of the phases of matter." "I need to know one of the reasons for the Civil War." Be creative!

7. Roll dice to have your students answer story questions.
"What is the plot of the story?" you might ask them. "What is the setting?" You can introduce more reflective questions such as, "Why did this character do what he or she did?" and "What was the author's purpose?" You can write these questions on cards or purchase them from reallygoodstuff.com.

8. Sight Word Slap Game
Write your sight words on the board. Separate your class into two random teams. Let one person from each team step forward and hold a fly swatter. Call out one of the sight words. The first one to slap the correct sight word gets a point for their team. Continue until everyone has gone. This is great for helping sight word recognition.

Suggested Activities: The Artsy Side of Creative

9. Use different voices or accents when reading stories to the class.

10. Dress in costumes of storybook characters to leave a lasting impression, or let students dress up as characters to retell stories.

11. Turn your room into the environment of what you are learning about. When the class is learning about fairy tales, turn your classroom into a castle. When you're learning about animals, turn your classroom into a jungle.

12. Create class songs about topics they need to know, or use the music of singers like Hap Palmer and Jack Hartman. You might also borrow songs and games from coworkers. Songs are catchy, and children learn quickly from them.

Creative Science

13. When teaching about the properties of friction, use KS2 for interactive projects you can do in small groups or as a class using a smart board. You might ask your students slide down the hallway first in their socks, then barefoot, and have them journal about the different amounts of friction.

14. When teaching phases of matter, drop some food coloring into beakers of cold and warm water and note the difference. Then pour the contents of one beaker in a bag and put it in the freezer. The next day, compare the liquid bag with the solid chunk of ice and note differences.

15. Use the ice from the above activity and talk about gravity. Stand on a chair and discuss what will happen if you drop the ice, and if it matters which way you drop it. Let your students predict the possible outcomes.

Incorporate Your Students' Favorite Things

16. Survey your students at the beginning of the year. Get to know them and what they like. Then make a point of using their names, favorite foods, games, books, etc. in word problems, writing exercises, shared reading and many other activities. People do better and learn more when working with things they like. As adults we know that we don't want to do something if it's not fun. The same goes for kids.

Creative time savers

17. Have your students rely on each other as resources. For each table, pick a team leader to try answering his or her classmates' questions before they come to you for help.

18. Pair your higher achievers with lower achievers to study sight words, letters or other skills.

19. Put them into literature circles to discuss books.

20. Have them read one another's writing to check for completion or suggest ideas before they come see you.

21. Use the Leap Frog Reader system. You can plug it into the computer to get student scores on activities, which will provide guidelines for what you need to work on. This is a great way to collect data!

22. Have a "math problem of the day" journal to review skills in which your students scored low on assessments. Put the problem on the board and have them copy it into their journals at the beginning of the day. You can take a minute or two after they have completed it to review the problem with the class. Check notebooks later for understanding.

Live Like a Turtle

For those of you trying to figure out how you'll find the time to integrate all this into an already busy teaching day, here's some food for thought. It will take longer to teach a lesson three times than it will to teach it once using a little creativity. Make time for creativity. Most of the above creative activities take only a few minutes to do. They also require very little prep time and cost very little money, if any. So go ahead -- be a risk taker and try at least one of these ideas this week. I'm sure you won't regret it.

As I said above, everyone has bad days, but overall my classroom is a happy place to be. It's like this because I use creativity to make learning fun. I live by these words that Dr. Ruth once said: "Live life every day like a turtle." To get anywhere, a turtle has to stick its neck out and take a risk. So take risks every day. It's the only way to truly live and make a difference in the world.

What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for bringing creativity into your elementary students?

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22 Simple Ideas for Harnessing Creativity in the Elementary Classroom

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Look through the door of one classroom and you might see the students hunched over, not engaged, even frowning. Look through the door of another classroom, and you might see a room full of lively students, eager, engaged and participating. What is the second teacher doing that the first one isn't?

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#pstpln I had no idea how many twitter chats for educators there were. Amazing!!!

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#pstpln I had no idea how many twitter chats for educators there were. Amazing!!!

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I want to talk about the importance of #BuildHOPEedu. This is an amazing twitter group that specializes in bringing hope into schools in places that have been lost before. As a person who advocates for mental health I stand by this twitter chat and I am so happy I did this challenge

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This week I found so many interesting accounts and hashtags! There is so much i did not realize as a future teacher that I was able to explore through twitter, as well as being able to follow other teachers/future teachers! This is also a great way to share tips and ideas and discuss topics with other students involved in the same major!

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During this challenge, I found an amazing article with top resources for social studies education. I also found a great Twitter chat under #sunchat that has numerous teachers interacting with each other, holding good discussions.

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10 Best Social Studies Tools for High School | Common Sense Education

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10 Best Social Studies Tools for High School is a list of 10 apps, games, and websites curated by Common Sense Education editors.

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I found this helpful website that gives some ideas on teaching phonemic awareness!
Online Phonemic Awareness Games for EVERY Skill (ateachableteacher.com)

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Last updated on January 26, 2022

New readers need as much phonemic awareness practice as they can get to build those important skills. These free online phonemic awareness games are the perfect way to provide repetition for kids!

Technology can be such an amazing learning tool if used correctly. I also love to utilize it to practice skills that require a lot of repetition and practice. My kids love it because it's fun and super engaging. It is a win-win! 🙌

The games I am highlighting here focus on specific phonological and phonemic awareness skills. All of these games are also free to play (as of July 2019)!

Online Phonemic Awareness Games for EVERY Skill

Phonological Awareness VS Phonemic Awareness

Before we get started, do you know the difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness?

I used these terms interchangeably for years, but they're actually quite different.

I've explained it all (and even created a little cheat sheet for you) which you can read about here: The Difference Between Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness.

Educational and Appealing Online Phonemic Awareness Games for EVERY Skill

Sound and Word Discrimination

In this interactive game, players practice sound discrimination by matching the beginning sound of the picture in the box with one of the pictures below. The words also populate on the side of the screen as they create matches.

This fun game gives players the chance to practice sounds. Players listen to the targeted sound and "pop" the letter that matches. Players can pick from a variety of letters or digraphs to practice from.

In this (favorite of many of my students) game, players practice sound discrimination by listening to the middle sound in a each word. The monster also gobbles up the correct word after it is clicked followed by many giggles ☺️

Rhyming

Students love to control the train by choosing the correct tunnel in this interactive game. They also practice rhymes by matching the picture in the cloud to a rhyming picture above the tunnel. In between tunnels, they can control the speed of the train which is just a fun bonus. 🚂

In this rhyming game, players practice by listening the the different words to find the match. They can look at the photos and say the words aloud or click on them to listen to the words read which also helps with vocabulary. 👏

In this engaging game, players match the rhyme the monster thinks of to the one in the net. They also capture rhymes to collect treasure. They can click on the different pictures to hear them said aloud as well.

Syllables

In this silly syllables game, players listen to the word and move it to the box with the matching number of syllables. Words are in text form but can be listened to rather than read. (Ideally they would be pictures but I haven't found a good syllable game that features pictures yet. If you have a recommendation, let me know!)

Blending

Splash Learning

In this blending game, players practice blending words. Players hear the desired word and then must drag the bubbles in the correct order to make the word. Players hear every sound as they drag the letters. Once the letters are in the right spots players get to hear and see the desired word. I was so excited to find this game because it provides SUCH vital practice that is hard to find elsewhere. 🥳

Online Phonemic Awareness Games

Sound Match Up

This game is all about letter-sound relationships! Players practice phonological awareness by finding the items that start with the sound they hear and then they drag it to "Muggo's" machine! This game is helpful because students practice matching pictures to sounds. So glad this game is available for free! 😍

Phoneme Manipulation

Students love to practice changing phonemes in words to make new words in this game. For example, they are asked to change the /a/ in pan to an /i/ sound making the word pin. Then they click on the word they made. This is another one we come back to again and again because the repetition is just what we need. 👏

Don't those games look fun? You may have noticed that several came from the same website. These free games are perfect practice and FUN for your students.

I kept this page pulled up on a computer for centers at the beginning of the year. Students were encouraged to play any of the games on this page.

Online phonemic awareness games are such a fun way to practice these skills after they have been taught. Do you have a favorite way to give your new readers extra phonemic awareness practice? Let me know below! 👇

The Best Phonemic Awareness Resource

Did you know about my best-selling Phonemic Awareness Teacher Task Cards? Take the guess work out of teaching phonemic awareness with these on-the-go scripted task cards.

Use them during guided reading, or even in the few extra minutes before your class needs to be somewhere, and watch your students phonemic awareness acquisition go through the roof!

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Online Phonemic Awareness Games for EVERY Skill

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Pre-readers and new readers will get lots of practice with these free online phonemic awareness games. There is one for every skill!

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This was an awesome experience to practice using Twitter in a professional way. It creates a sense of community between teachers and they have someone to turn to! I am attaching the link I found to a resource. I tweeted this resource, but I loved it so much I wanted to share it here too! https://jeopardylabs.com/

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Create your own jeopardy template online, without PowerPoint. Or browse the pre-made templates created by other people!

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I just want to say how amazed I am on how many resources are out there for teachers. The support you get by connecting with everyone out there is unreal! Twitter is definitely a great resource for us.

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Best Homework Games for Students | Common Sense Education
6 Reasons for Fully Including Children with Special Needs in the Regular Classroom | Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. (institute4learning.com)
Top 12 Websites For Children With Learning Disabilities | Special Education Degrees (special-education-degree.net)
Here are a few things I found on my on-going journey of using Twitter to get connected. #SEDU283

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Here is my favorite Tik Tok Teacher! She posts so many helpful tips and ideas on her page! There are some funny teacher jokes on her page too!

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I am amazed on how educators can stay connected with Twitter! The idea that we can connect with teachers across the country is amazing. Finding all the cool resources and tips on Twitter is so helpful!

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This week I realized how useful twitter can be. Teachers do not only share specific resources, but also their ideas about education and how to deal with specific situations. It is very helpful.

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This group is amazing! i was weary a little but when I explored the hashtag it showed so many articles and ideas for all educators. I love how you can simply communicate with teachers throughout the world.

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I honestly just wanted to say how thankful I am to have joined this amazing educational group! I have learned so much in such a short period of time from being in this community, I cant wait to see what else I can use and explore for my future!
Lots and Lots of Love to you all!

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I found this great website that creates engaging, online discussions for students. https://parlayideas.com/

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Hello! I have found this article and I have forgotten to share it here. I hope you like it!

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These approaches help build trust and a sense of community in middle and high school, no matter where or how classes are held.

Establishing strong teacher-student relationships is key to educational success-whether we instruct our students in real time or remotely. Strong relationships provide students with a sense of support and the knowledge that we care. They are also part of culturally responsive teaching, which fosters increased engagement and learning outcomes among racially and culturally diverse students. In her book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, Zaretta Hammond describes teacher-student relationships as "learning partnerships" that build on mutual trust and authentic connections.

As Hammond points out, caring is how we can generate trust. Teachers can demonstrate caring by asking students about their personal interests and strengths and areas for improvement-and then providing specific feedback so that students can grow.

"Two Truths and a Lie"

This activity has worked well as a getting-to-know-you activity in my ninth-grade advisory groups. Students write three "facts" about themselves on an index card: two truths and a lie. Seated in a circle, they take turns sharing the information on their cards. Students guess which "fact" is the lie before the author reveals the answer, elaborating on any truth or lie they choose. Other students may ask follow-up questions.

If the activity is offered remotely, students can email their two truths and a lie to the teacher, indicating which is the lie. Using Kahoot or another program, the teacher can create a virtual version of the game. Each student's two truths and a lie become a Kahoot question. The teacher identifies the lie as the "correct" Kahoot answer.

At the designated time during remote learning, the teacher's screen can be shared through Zoom, and students can log into Kahoot. Through Zoom's audio, students have a chance to elaborate about the lie (or their truths). Using this activity at the beginning of the school year establishes foundational connections for the whole year.

Individual Conferences and Goal Setting

I found that after this spring's move to remote learning, many of my students became more aware of their strengths and any areas where they felt they needed additional support. In June, I asked students about their remote-learning experiences. Many said that they wished they'd had more time-management skills and had been more organized prior to remote learning.

Upon their return to the classroom this fall, students might identify at least one strength and one improvement area. Each student might establish an individualized goal based on their self-perception. Goals should be academically important and meaningful to the student. These goals can be revisited midyear and at the end of the year.

During in-person teaching, teachers might confer with students individually, holding a conference of five to seven minutes. The conference might begin with students' self-identifying a strength and an improvement area. At the beginning of the year, students would benefit from identifying a goal that could be accomplished quickly, and/or one that would support other required skills.

Teachers can then discuss concrete steps needed to achieve the goal. I plan to document each student's information on a separate index card so that I can refer to their progress and provide specific feedback throughout the year. This process can allow students to feel a sense of accomplishment and success as they progress toward mastery.

To confer remotely, teachers can create one Zoom session and ask students to sign up for specific conference times using SignUpGenius or Google Calendar. Within Zoom, enabling the waiting-room feature ensures that students won't accidentally enter another student's conference. Engaging with their teachers in one-on-one conversations about strengths and discussing specific steps to achieve their self-selected goals helps students feel that their teachers care about them-which builds trust.

Get Students' Input

For the past two years, I've collected my ninth-grade students' input on content and other instructional approaches I use, including brain breaks, community circles, and the like. Getting students' input provides me with vital feedback about how activities are perceived, which I then use to adjust instruction. It also enables students' voices to be heard.

In person, teachers can gather student input through community circles, jigsaw activities, or entrance and exit slips. In a virtual classroom, students can provide input through a form, in a virtual class conversation, in a Kahoot game, or by email. Providing opportunities for students' voices to be heard helps students feel valued, which further builds stronger student-teacher relationships.

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3 Ways to Build Relationships-in Person or Virtually

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These approaches help build trust and a sense of community in middle and high school, no matter where or how classes are held. Establishing strong teacher-student relationships is key to educational success-whether we instruct our students in real time or remotely. Strong relationships provide students with a sense of support and the knowledge that we care.

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I never would have imagined being able to use Twitter to find teaching tips!

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I am in awe of the optimism and creativity among teachers during this pandemic. In the midst of so much uncertainty, teachers across the globe came together to collaborate and navigate these uncharted waters. A major theme among the resources and ideas shared involved virtual learning and technology. Here is a amazing video tutorial of a teacher creating a clickable online classroom: https://twitter.com/RaRaPenguin/status/1260421682470281216/photo/1

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I learned so much about twitter. Here's a helpful link. https://t.co/VikrNwAgiD?amp=1

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I am so excited to be able to continue using this twitter account to connect with other teachers and my students. It has been so useful and super fun!

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Hey everyone, I found this website that helps teachers tackle tough conversations and offers activities and teaching kits

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In 2014, the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner in New York City, Tamir Rice in Cleveland and too many others caused waves of nationwide protest and appeals for stronger protections against police brutality...

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Teaching Tolerance | Diversity, Equity And Justice

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Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators-teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners-who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

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Hello everybody! I wanted to share this webpage that I find really useful to work on the importance of recycling!

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Online Resources - Indoor Activities - Museum of Brands

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The Museum of Brands is a registered charity and independent Museum. We rely on your support to care for our collection and to continue to provide learning opportunities for students, families and adults across the country.

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Before this challenge, I had no idea how to use Twitter. Twitter was one of the only social media platforms I shied away from. After completing this challenge I now have a pretty good idea on how to use twitter! I have learned many useful teaching accounts to follow that share lots of advice/ideas. A great website I found that shows how to use twitter as a teacher is linked below! https://elearningindustry.com/15-ways-twitter-in-education-students-teachers

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This week has been amazing! Connecting with other teachers and future educators has been awesome!. This has showed me how social media can build on your resources and skills as a teacher. It also allows your to reach out to other teachers!

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I did not have a Twitter before this week so, it was really nice getting to have some guidelines with how to use it. I found a lot of cool resources and awesome communities to expand my PLN through. Awesome experience!

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I am so glad we were introduced to PLN and got to connect with teachers and students around the country!

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I am so glad we were introduced to PLN and got to connect with teachers and students around the country!

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This week, I learned so much about twitter and incorporating social media in the classroom. I found so many amazing things for incorporating technology in a special ed classroom and so many other things!

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This week I learned so much about how to use Twitter and expand my network of professionals! I also learned that Twitter is a great resource to use for class project ideas and to stay up to date on whats happening in education!

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This week gave me so much insight and access to the teaching world of twitter! i was so glad to see all the ideas and opinions teachers had to share and know that if I ever needed helped with anything I could reach out and get it!

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I didn't know that there was a whole community of trans teachers. I've connected with them using the #transteachers hashtag on Twitter. Even if you aren't trans, I would highly recommend checking that hashtag out to know how to support your colleagues and how to advocate alongside us!

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This week was amazing I was able to connect with so many different educators, in so many different content areas! If was incredible to find so many resources that seem like they should only apply to one content area, but through creativity can truly fit any mold! I loved this article that was posted, https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/25-things-successful-teachers-do-differently/ . I feel like I am always striving towards being the best teacher and person for my future students. Every teacher is so unique, but the practices outlined in the article are things that I have seen in every educator that has inspired me!

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This week I was able to connect with other students from other areas as well as find people that would better help me with ideas.
On Friday I also found an amazing article!
https://www.the74million.org/article/fuller-call-it-ed-reform-or-dont-the-fight-to-make-schools-work-for-our-poorest-families-must-go-on-to-stop-is-to-dishonor-kings-memory/

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This week was a great way to expand my PLN, and gain valuable resources that will help me in my career! Here is a great website for my fellow math educators. https://t.co/mCe6eXuOFs?amp=1
It adds a pop-culture element to all of the lesson plans. I have seen this in use in the classroom, and the students love it! It has lesson plans for elementary school kids, all the way to high school.

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Through this week and the pstpln challenge, I have really loved gaining new contacts in my corner to help me as a teacher. It makes me feel more confident and comfortable in the teaching world. I cant wait to use these resources and share my own ideas as a teacher!

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https://www.historynet.com/today-in-history
I love this website since it shows you what events happened on this exact day in history! History is made everyday and has been made everyday before; so its neat to see what happened on what seems like any normal day.

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I highly recommend reading Book Love by Penny Kittle. She is so awesome, and there are so many great ideas and inspirations in this book!

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12, 17, 21 and 23 were some of my favorites. Hopefully they help you too!

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I found this article to be super helpful! It talks about how a school in Tennessee helped prepare their students and teachers for a healthy, progressive learning environment.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/evolution-trauma-informed-school
Honestly, most of the articles from this site are really good!
https://www.edutopia.org/

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https://www.noredink.com/curriculum/writing
This is a helpful website which has a detailed explanation on every part of speech, phrases, sentences,etc. It also focuses on the comparison of words, commonly confused words. Furthermore, it talks about punctuation,capitalization, as well as formatting, which I think is so helpful for both students and teachers. It also includes interesting articles for students to read. It is a great resource for students and teachers!

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I wasn't even really considering it but after talking with a few others I decided to do some research and join a twitter chat about special education students. We will all have them in our classrooms so it is important we know and learn from our peers what works best to give these students the best learning environment.

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I have learned so much this week! Not only have I expanded my PLN, but I've discovered amazing websites, articles, and other tools. These will come in handy when I'm a first year teacher, feeling overwhelmed and scared!!

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If you you're looking for a great read--

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If you you're looking for a great read--

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This is a fantastic article that gives a new perceptive on how equality is not equity. I appreciated the examples used and the message it sends

https://magazine.vunela.com/equity-is-empathy-in-action-7323704e469b

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On Twitter, under the hashtag #pstpln, I found the amazing resource Nearpod. Nearpod has their own twitter account, where they interact with teachers about how to connect with students. Nearpod is a useful tool to help students understand what they're learning in a technology-based way. #GoBoro #SEDU183 #pstpln #nearpod #edtech
https://nearpod.com/

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I don't know if anyone else ever heard of Ron Clark or the Ron Clark movie, but he is someone you should look into following! He was a teacher I looked up to growing up! He helped change the future of many kids who were struggling, and with extra care an attention, and not giving up on them, he truly made a difference!

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I wanted to share this website I found that has some get tools to use in a classroom! https://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/trending-tools-teachers/

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I came across a fantastic translator called Word Reference. It has all of the same languages as Google Translate and I found it was a little more reliable than Google Translate. This would be fantastic for a language class or any cultural assignment.

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English to French, Italian, German & Spanish Dictionary - WordReference.com

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Free online dictionaries - Spanish, French, Italian, German and more. Conjugations, audio pronunciations and forums for your questions.

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Hi everyone! I wanted to share one of my great resources I have found using the twitter teacher challenge! This is a great resource for teachers because it includes lesson plans, materials, and communications to help teachers explore! There are different links included in the website that include a lot of helpful information! https://www.earlychildhoodteacher.org/teacher-tools/ #SEDU183 #PSTPLN #EarlyChildhoodTeachers

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Check out this app called paper! it allows users to take seamless notes in little digital notebooks. Each notebook can be labeled and distinguished, and it's easy to erase and delete pages if necessary. This could be really helpful for middle and secondary education, as it keeps everything in one place.

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Paper by FiftyThree is a digital sketchbook full of powerful tools to create beautiful illustrations. Begin with a brief tutorial and get started drawing. There are no buttons, and the emphasis on touch features makes for an intuitive design. Sketches are stored in sketchbooks that sit neatly on a shelf. Once your book is full, you can start a new one. Share your creations via Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, or email, or save them to your camera roll. Paper is completely free, including the additional tools (mixer, color, write, outline, and sketch), which formerly were in-app purchases. Although all the creating can be done with your finger, there is the option to purchase Paper's aptly named stylus, Pencil($99).

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Paper by FiftyThree Review for Teachers | Common Sense Education

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Paper by FiftyThree is a digital sketchbook full of powerful tools to create beautiful illustrations. Begin with a brief tutorial and get started drawing. There are no buttons, and the emphasis on touch features makes for an intuitive design. Sketches are stored in sketchbooks that sit neatly on a shelf.

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Hi all!  I thought I would share this article because it can benefit all of us.  This article highlights resources for preservice teachers.  It covers everything from designing a learning environment, to lesson and curriculum planning, to even working with parents.  I hope this will help!

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From classroom management to working with parents, lesson planning to learning environments, this compilation of blogs, videos, and other resources provides an array of tips and advice for teachers just starting out.

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The Twitter Chat on Saturday morning is a great place to discuss technology in the classroom! There's lots of experienced educators to learn from. It's open at 9 AM.

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EU Women’s Basketball Team Cleans Up #GoBoro

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EU Women’s Basketball Team Cleans Up #GoBoro

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Hello all!
I just found this AWESOME link about how Edinboro Women’s Basketball Team was assisting in community clean up. This is a great thing for athletes, students, faculty, and more to do. Maybe this will influence other young leaders to eat out and clean up too! #GoBoro #SEDU183 #PSTPLN https://gofightingscots.com/news/2019/9/20/womens-basketball-assists-with-fall-cleanup-at-st-anthonys-church.aspx

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Hi guys! I know that I've already shared this on my Twitter but I thought I would make it more available. StartSole is an awesome app that allows students to collaborate and think critically all while working toward finding the answer to a question. As educators, we have the mentality that we need to lead all lessons in our class. With StartSole, we are able to watch our students lead themselves to an answer. I will definitely be using this in my future classroom!

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StartSOLE - Self Organized Learning Environments in your Classroom

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StartSOLE is a free iOS app & website for teachers to implement Self Organized Learning Environments in their classrooms.

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Hello everyone, I am so excited to share a chat on Twitter named "#Shiftthis" that is made up of educators, students and parents all expressing ideas on to how to better classrooms. They talk about progressive ideas and how to integrate technology and other resources into their classes. I find this type of communication to be simple and casual. Everyone is very open and honest. There are funny posts, more controversial and serious posts and more. This chat provides all learners/ educators with support and acceptance when they bring ideas to the conversation. I will definitely use this resource as a teacher. I will provide the link in a separate padlet as well as other chats that may be interesting to join.

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Hi all! I thought I would include a link to an article I found really helpful on Twitter Ed Chat groups. There are tons of different chat options based on what type of teaching/ grade level you are entering. Let me know if you have found any other good ones!

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For educators who thrive on connections, Twitter chats may be the perfect form of professional development. They're free. They focus on just the topic you need. They happen regularly. And they give you access to an instant community, complete with networking opportunities, emotional support and the chance to give back.

Participating in chats even aligns with the ISTE Standards for Educators because they allow you to improve your practice by learning from and with others to explore proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning.

"The collective intelligence of a chat can provide educators with classroom-tested lessons, a variety of perspectives on specific problems or an introduction to emerging technologies," says Daniel Krutka (@dankrutka), who uses Twitter to connect to his students and the rest of the education community. "Chats also offer leaders opportunities to expand their audiences and influence, and they give voice to teachers who might not otherwise have the chance to exercise leadership outside their classrooms or schools."

But with hundreds of ed-related chats, how do you know which ones are worth giving up an hour of your day?

First, pick your angle. Some chats, such as#edchat, tackle a broad range of education issues, while others are based on shared interests in a particular topic, content area, grade level, job type or geographical region. Next, try out a couple that fit your criteria and see which community you feel most at home in.

To get you started, check out this list of 41 education chats curated by the ISTE community, organized by chat type. If you don't find something for you on this list, check out Participate.com, which hosts an easy to use list of chats organized by topic and even highlights happening each day.

General education chats

#engchat (Monday, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET)
Where English teachers share ideas, resources and inspiration.

#nt2t (Saturdays, 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET)
For educators who are new to Twitter.

#OK2Ask (every other Thursday, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Friendly chat with lots of classroom resources shared.

#satchat (Saturdays, 4:30 a.m. PT/7:30 a.m. ET)
For current and emerging school leaders, #satchat became so popular it spawned two geographically specific offshoot chats:#SatchatWC for West Coasters and #SatchatOC for educators living in Oceania (Indonesia, Polynesia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, etc.).

Job role chats

#1stchat (Sunday, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Chat about first grade teaching.

#kinderchat (Mondays, 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET)
For anyone interested in kindergarten and early-childhood education.

#mschat (Thursdays at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
For middle school teachers.

Topical chats

#AppleEDUchat (Tuesdays, noon and 6 p.m. PT/3 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET)

#AR4Learning (Thursdays, 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET)
Focused on augmented reality in the classrooms.

#ARVRinEDU (Wednesdays, 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m.ET)
Discussion about augmented and virtual reality in education.

#BookCreator chat (Last Thursday of the month, 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET)
Over the course of the chat, participants collaborate on a book and publish it online.

#EdTechChat (Mondays, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Focuses on topics related to edtech.

#FlipClass (Mondays, 5 p.m. PT/8p.m. ET)
For those interested in the flipped classroom model.

#formativechat (Mondays, 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET)
Discussion of topics related to formative assessment, from giving effective feedback to giving students more ownership of their learning.

#Games4Ed (Thursdays, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET; Sundays, noon PT/3 p.m. ET)
For those interested in game-based learning and gamification.

#iteachphysics (Saturdays, 6 a.m. PT/ 9 a.m. ET)
Bi-weekly chat for physics teachers.

#kidscancode (Tuesdays, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
For educators interested in helping students learn to program.

#LearnLAP (Mondays, 5 p.m, PT/ 8 p.m. ET)
Focuses on strategies for creating a student-led classroom.

#pblchat (Tuesdays, 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET)
For project-based learning fans.

#PersonalizedPD (Tuesdays, 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET)
For those interested in customizing professional development to meet the needs of each educator.

#plearnchat (Mondays, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m.ET)

Topics focus on personalized learning, learner agency, changing culture, voice and choice, and strategies to transform teaching and learning.

#Read4fun (Every other Sunday, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET)
Connects passionate educators with books, and with each other.

#Shiftthis (Tuesdays, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Focuses on implementing gradual change for massive impact in the classroom.

#sschat (Mondays, 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. ET)
For social studies educators.

#TLAP (Mondays, 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET)
For educators who embrace David Burgess' approach of teaching like a pirate.

#WeirdEd (Wednesdays, 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET)
Focuses on positive issues, taking action and the kids.

#whatisschool (Thursdays, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Educators discuss shaping the future of school.

#XPLAP (Tuesdays, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Based on Explore Like a Pirate, chat focuses on gamification.

Regional chats

#CAedchat (Sundays, 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET)
California educators discuss education topics relevant to the West Coast.

#NCed (Tuesdays, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
For North Carolina educators.

#UrbanEdChat (Thursdays, 7 p.m. PT/ 10 p.m. ET)
For educators who want to discuss urban education.

#UTedChat (Wednesdays, 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET)
Focuses on education topics relevant to Utah and the general education landscape.
This post is an updated version of an article originally published on May 19, 2015.

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40 education Twitter chats worth your time

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For educators who thrive on connections, Twitter chats may be the perfect form of professional development. They're free. They focus on just the topic you need. They happen regularly. And they give you access to an instant community, complete with networking opportunities, emotional support and the chance to give back.

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I'm honestly in awe of the power of social media.  I have no doubt that we'll be using this event to teach students just how important tech is.  Twitter is documenting this event pretty closely, and I suggest you take a look.  Since my interest is civics and government this fascinates me!
--Elias Buhl

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So, I know that some of you may be thinking I heard of a PLN before and thought to yourself, "I won't need that until I have my first teaching job." That is what a lot of teachers in training think, but you are WRONG! A PLN is a powerful tool in every teacher toolbag. Show notes can be found here https://tinyurl.com/sfecich13

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3 lies future teachers believe about Twitter 13 - EduMagic

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So, I know that some of you may be thinking I heard of a PLN before and thought to yourself, "I won't need that until I have my first teaching job." That is what a lot of teachers in training think, but you are WRONG! A PLN is a powerful tool in every teacher toolbag.

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This article is filled with information of the different apps you can use at the Elementary School level that kids will enjoy!

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8 Must-Have Elementary School Apps and Tools

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Spread the loveIntroducing elementary students to technology can be a great way to bring some fun into the classroom. With the right apps and tools, educational technology can help elementary students learn basic skills or practice math and reading. These are our 8 must-have elementary school apps and tools.

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This is a fabulous easy read filled with solid advice for preservice teachers https://www.amazon.com/EduMagic-Preservice-Teachers-Samantha-Fecich/dp/1732248745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537990776&sr=8-1&keywords=EDUMAGIC