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"Here is a list of some useful iPad apps students can use to unleash their creative thinking and engage in hand-son learning activities. The apps, curated from iTunes App Store's collection called 'Explore Your Creativity', will enable students to create short movies, edit and share visuals and photos, tell stories using a wide variety of multimedia materials, create and learn about music, and draw beautiful sketches to share with others."

"A matchbox-sized, programmable device launches in the US and Canada today, aimed at offering children a gentle introduction to the world of computers. Already used in schools across the UK, the BBC micro:bit is designed to make it easy for kids to write simple programs to control the board's hardware, with creations to date including basic games and animations. The device packs a 25 LED matrix display, a motion sensor, accelerometer and two buttons onto a tiny 4cmx5cm board. It can be programmed using easy-to-grasp tools, such as the drag-and-drop programming environment Scratch, or if the user is more confident, by coding in a variety of languages, including JavaScript or MicroPython."

"Earlier in the school year my students created whole-class videos using our large green screen studio. While I assigned students a variety of tasks (director, camera operator, acting coach), my students spent the majority of their time on the carpet as an audience member. At the end of these units I wondered how we could increase student ownership of the production. Could I have my students create a green screen movie without having to play the audience member for large portions of the time? Could they be empowered to create a movie independently of the teacher? Could this be done by kindergartners and first graders? For most of the school year I struggled with these questions. That was until I met Brenda Windsor and Mary O'Neil of Trumbull, CT at the Fairfield University "Education Technology Collaboration Day" in March.  Brenda and Mary presented on how they have incorporated green screens in the classroom, and shared the idea of using a pizza box to make a miniature portable studio. Here is a link to the video they created.  From that moment, I was on a mission to have my K-2 students write, direct, film & star in their own collaborative group mini green screen movies. "

"Michael Fullan (2013) describes critical thinking as the "ability to design and manage projects, solve problems, and make effective decisions using a variety of tools and resources" (p. 9).  Papert (1980) supports exercises that "open intellectual doors" (p. 63).  Minecraft tasks can be used to create experiences that can be otherwise challenging to design, which according to Drake (2014), should address real-world problems that may not necessarily have one clear answer.  Digital tools such as Minecraft demand higher order thinking skills, which include "the ability to think logically, and to solve ill-defined problems" and "formulating creative solutions and taking action" (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016, p. 12)."

"Below are three interesting science resources selected specifically for elementary teachers. These websites provide teachers with a wide variety of educational materials to help young kids enjoy science learning. These include lesson plans, video tutorials, animated explanations, presentations, graphic organizers, interactive games and many more."

"Learning to code without a computer may seem illogical, but it makes perfect sense.  Unplugging the computer and teaching coding through more familiar mediums such as hands-on activities, can make the subject less intimidating and more interactive. In the grand scheme of things, the basic principles of coding teach metacognition, problem-solving, and abstract thinking.  These are valuable skills to have even if a career in computer programming isn't in the immediate future.  We've compiled a list of our favorite hands-on coding activities from our Pinterest Board, Coding Unplugged, so you can have fun coding in a variety of ways!"

"The power of Google search engine lies in its hidden features. Getting precise search results requires much more than simply comping up with a random search query and hitting  'I am feeling lucky' button. Google search is a skill that needs to be explicitly taught to students. To this end we are sharing with you this handy visual that features some practical tips to hone in your Google search skills and enable you to effectively search for and find digital content using a wide variety of specific symbols and words. "

"It's time we considered the increasing impact of AI in education. Educators have already previewed examples of the changes coming their way. Automation technology has been introduced for a variety of basic teaching tasks."

This week, I began using Educaplay to make fun classroom learning games for my students. In addition to easy game creation, sending the games to Google Classroom was easy, as was student work, automatic grading, and engagement. Many of us who have been teaching online need some variety. Presently, the site has many different types of activities and games: memory games, video quizzes, crossword puzzles, word search, fill in the blanks, diagram completion (they call these map quizzes), quizzes, word search, and more.

"Pick a color, literally any color. Search engines come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Now there's one for those of us who are lovers (or seekers) of color. Simple and elegant and particularly speedy, Picular returns results in swatches. a palette of colors associated with your search terms. Select one of the swatches and you immediately copy the RGB color code to your clipboard."

An important part of the role of any educator is that of planning learning sequences. Perhaps you are tasked with designing curriculum or more likely you are translating a mandatory curriculum into workable units of learning. The task is complex and there are multiple arrangements. The goal is to design units that connect students with learning in ways that are meaningful and relevant. A well-designed unit of learning fits seamlessly alongside other learning opportunities and the overall sequence of learning should match the learners developing expertise. As we plan units of learning we must consider a great variety of factors which impact the learning we design. Our knowledge of our students and where they are with their learning is crucial and a strong place to start. We also need to know what it is we are required to teach and have a grab bag of pedagogical moves that bring this content alive.

"You may have heard of play. It's that thing children do - the diverse range of unstructured, spontaneous activities and behaviours. Children play in many ways, including by exploring movements, constructing with equipment, creating games, using imagination and chasing others around a playground. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises play as every child's basic right. But play is becoming extinct. Global studies, across generations, have confirmed outdoor children's play has been declining, across all age groups, for decades. Play is every child's basic right. from shutterstock.com Unstructured play improves learning and social and physical development. Providing a variety of play options, improved play access and fewer restrictions can encourage children to engage in physical activity with peers in line with their imaginations."

"In today's post I am sharing with you two interesting resources where you can access a wide variety of educational materials to use in your classroom including graphic organizers, infographics, posters, lesson plans, templates, and many more.  "

"We are living in an age of Gen Z-ers who, as digital natives, are in tune with technological advances in communication such as social media, gaming, and conducting research almost exclusively using the internet. Their avenues for engagement are changing and teachers who are increasing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) instruction in their classrooms are exploring ways to incorporate more hands-on, immersive learning experiences that combine innovative technology with real-world connections. The motivation for doing so? To see their students' active participation in experiments and projects, as well as strengthening the four Cs to 21st-century skills: Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity.  Teachers have a variety of ways to help them expand what they already do with STEM. More teachers are including the study of robotics in their STEM curriculum because it introduces students to coding and programming. As students work through these key tech skills for building their robots and directing their movements, they're also growing their "4 Cs" skills. Let's look at how. "

Buy Facebook Followers Introduction One of the most popular social networking sites is Facebook. Users can engage with one another using a variety of tools on Facebook. The capability of following other users is one of these capabilities. You will see someone's updates in your news feed on Facebook if you follow them. You can keep up with someone's activities by following them on Facebook. Buy Facebook Followers What Is a Facebook Followers? Facebook is among the most popular social networking sites. Users can engage with one another using a variety of tools on Facebook. The capability of following other users is one of these capabilities. You will see someone's updates in your news feed on Facebook if you follow them. You can keep up with someone's activities by following them on Facebook. Buy Facebook Followers

"Between school closures, learning loss, intensified educator burnout, widespread staff shortages and increased stressors at home, it's been hard not to focus on the negatives in education this year. In fact, it's human nature to get caught up in what went wrong-an innate survival mechanism called "negativity bias" vigilantly draws our attention to worries and risks so we can better remember and avoid threats. While I'm appreciative that my ancestors were wary folks, in 2021, I often saw myself and others trapped in this negative mindset, always tallying the losses and waiting for the next bad thing to happen. However, in my work with educators this year, I began to notice that some were able to metabolize this negativity and keep themselves and their classrooms positive and adaptive despite the obvious hindrances. Interviews with elementary classroom teachers spanning a variety of settings and grade levels revealed that these resilient educators utilized a common strategy: they practiced gratitude in their everyday lives."

"What If School Was More Like Twitter?"