Literacy with ICT

"Over the summer of 2021, I collaborated with our 6th grade science teacher as part of a grant to find ways to incorporate makerspace activities into the curriculum. (Look for posts coming soon about some of the projects we did).  Part of our work was reading the book, Making Science: Reimagining STEM Education in Middle School and Beyond.  I found it to be a fantastic, practical resource for bringing hands-on maker learning into the classroom.  Reading this book as a maker librarian gave me a ton of ideas for new ways to collaborate with our STEM classes.   And it's an excellent resource for classroom teachers as well."

"The YouTube site can be messy. Did you know it's possible to watch YouTube videos without going to YouTube?"

"When it comes to optimizing learning, we don't value breaks enough, neuroscientists suggest in a new study."

"Here's how to double your search outputs using half the time and energy"

"Considering the ongoing traumatic upheaval on school communities in recent years, and the unrelenting pressure on educators to work under difficult, uncertain and constantly vacillating circumstances, it is not a matter of if educators will experience the corrosive effects of prolonged and extreme stress, but rather when. The question is, what can schools do to prioritize and support the mental health and well-being of the invaluable educators at the heart of their school communities?"

"To reap the benefits of music on learning, kids need consistent and abundant musical practice, according to the latest cognitive research."

"Our series explores the many facets that technology can bring to a school to help them be as digitally effective as possible through the eyes of educational experts who have already been through it. The areas we covered, which of course is never exhaustive, covered some of the most important areas that schools could and should be exploring. "

"There are many ways to share files between people and devices. With these 15 tools, you can share files quickly without app downloads, account registrations, or any cloud storage setups."

"Content curation is nothing new and has always been a coveted skill. It has been this way for hundreds of years - think of art galleries, museums, or newspapers.  Educators, too, have always been curators- bringing together the most valuable materials to help their learners learn. However, in the past, this might have been limited to books, posters, concrete materials, guest speakers, etc. However, as of now, we are in a world of information overload. So, to help you hone your digital content curation skills, we decided to list some tips."

"Automation technology can help you boost efficiency and productivity in your everyday tasks. Here are some automation tools to make your life easier."

"Which Raspberry Pi project should you start with? Here's our roundup of the best Raspberry Pi uses and projects around!"

"Being a tech coach these days can be a bit daunting. Teachers were thrown into the deep end last year, and they're still overwhelmed. Yet we know as coaches that we have to keep moving our teachers forward to help them find confidence and success with technology integration. In this blog, I'll share ten fun ways that my team and I help our teachers grow."

"When students begin to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning, they develop self-regulation and can set more ambitious goals."

"When Thanksgiving break rolled around last month, teachers all over the country breathed a collective sigh of relief. This school year hasn't exactly been a cakewalk, and, like most teachers, I was delighted to finally be getting a few days off and some quality time with my children. I was looking forward to big meals, cozy nights at home with my family, and lots of love, laughter, and relaxation. Unfortunately, I know that this kind of fun and fulfilling break is not a reality for many of my students. And a couple of days into the break I couldn't resist texting my co-teacher to chat about the same worries that plague us day in and day out. "Do you think Jake's parents are leaving him at home alone all day?" "Mia complained of an earache Friday. I hope her grandmother will take her to the doctor if it gets worse." "Did Kira say she was going to her dad's over Thanksgiving? She's always so emotional after she visits him, and she's allergic to his dog.""

"Select one of our funny pictures and swap the faces with your photo or the face of someone else. Make a selfie or upload a photo and create your own face swap. Add bubbles and text to finish your creation. Save the result on your computer or save and share it online. Changefaces.com is a free and online tool."

"Teaching literacy and math at once helps make the most of class time while deepening young students' understanding in both subjects."

"A four-stage framework can help teachers understand the burnout process-and what they can do to protect their well-being and career."

"Animation Desk is a creative app for creating frame-to-frame animations and storyboards."

"So, why might silent reading need 'sorting out'? Along with the benefits that come along with silent reading, there is evidence that it may not be so effective as we may assume."