Author: Jacqui

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, an Amazon Vine Voice, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Subscriber Special: October New Teacher Survival Kit

Every month, subscribers to our newsletter get a free/discounted resource to help their tech teaching.

K-5 New Teacher Survival Kit

9 ebooks, 65 digital posters

$222.95 Marked down to $178.95

ends October 7, 2024

K-5 tech curriculum textbooks (Common Core aligned)–a year’s worth of skills-based, project-based learning that ties into class units.
Ultimate Guide to Keyboarding: K-5–K-5 keyboard curriculum–essentials of keyboarding in 45-minutes a week
K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum–click for more information
169 Real-World Ways to Put Tech into Your Class you’ll be expected to know how to solve common computer problems. Click for more information
65 ePosters to share most-important tech details with students

Click here to purchase (more…)

What You Might Have Missed in September–What’s up in October

Here are the most-read posts for the past month:

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up:

Warm Ups–watch the video
6 Online Resources About Letters
Subscriber Special
Tech Tips
Online Resources About Gamified Education
Digital Citizenship
Google Street View
Speaking and Listening Skills
Canva in Your Classroom
Tips on Internet Research

–image credit to Deposit Photo (more…)

Autumn Websites

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Click for an updated list (more…)

America, We Remember

9-11 Day has become Patriot Day here in America, but it doesn’t change its purpose: to show how much we love our country.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvsN0Id4LEg?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwcWVs4Eejg?si=nfBd6Unur6CmgiUH&start=35]

If you aren’t familiar with this terrorist attack, here’s a 2-minute overview:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uOn7xLYPbc?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9oPmD6XJD0?si=LBKrjDQzQnYmLey2] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TPgJSZf5Vw&w=420&h=315]

–Comments are closed to enjoy the day more completely.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

“The content presented in this blog are the result of creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Tech Tip #139: 9 Reasons to Use Digital Books

In these 169 tech-centric situations, you get an overview of pedagogy—the tech topics most important to your teaching—as well as practical strategies to address most classroom tech situations, how to scaffold these to learning, and where they provide the subtext to daily tech-infused education.

Today’s tip: Using digital books

Category: Problem-solving

As you discuss reading and the technology tools that inspire students in this activity, here’s a poster with nine reasons why students will love digital books:

They’re light-weight, easy to transport, provide links for deeper learning, differentiate for student needs (like zoom to see better or a change of font), allow for the addition of notes that can be erased, and pages never rip. What more could you ask?

What’s your favorite tech tip in your classroom? Share it in the comments below.

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What You Might Have Missed in August–What’s up in September

Here are the most-read posts for the past month:

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up:

mBot2: An Educational AI Robot for Coding
18 Digital Tool Musts–a video
I’m traveling most of September–see you in October!

–image credit to Deposit Photo (more…)

Happy Labor Day! Now Get to Work

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Monday, September 2nd, is America’s Labor Day. It was originally organized to celebrate labor association strengths and contributions to the United States economy. Now, it has become a day of rest, the traditional end of the summer, and a last chance to make trips or hold outdoor events.

Here are some wonderful websites that will generate organic conversations about The Day:

Child Labor
Cybraryman’s Labor Day page--comprehensive as is his way
History of Labor Day–Movie
Labor Day activities, games, drawings for kids
Labor Day infographic
Labor Day for Kids: Read-aloud book
Labor Day’s Violent Beginnings
PBS Kids: Labor Day
Ten Labor Day Facts (from Forbes)
Today in History (Labor Day)–from Library of Congress
Why Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day–YT video
Why do we celebrate Labor Day (from How Stuff Works)

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Tech Ed Resources–Mentoring and Coaching

I get a lot of questions from readers about what tech ed resources I use in my classroom so I’ll take a few days this summer to review them with you. Some are edited and/or written by members of the Ask a Tech Teacher crew. Others, by tech teachers who work with the same publisher I do. All of them, I’ve found well-suited to the task of scaling and differentiating tech skills for age groups, scaffolding learning year-to-year, taking into account the perspectives and norms of all stakeholders, with appropriate metrics to know learning is organic and granular.

Today: Mentoring and Coaching

Tech coaching/mentoring is available from experts who work with you via email or virtual meetings to prepare lesson plans, teach to standards, integrate tech into core classroom time. If you’re new to tech education and wonder how to teach kindergartners to use the mouse, first graders to keyboard, third graders to sagely search the internet, pick the brains of our seasoned team of technology teachers.

Note: If your District has purchased a license, you get some coaching for free. Check on that before signing up.

How do you start kindergartners who don’t know what ‘enter’, ‘spacebar’, ‘click’ or any of those other techie words mean?
What do you do with third graders who join your class and haven’t had formal technology classes before?
You’ve been thrown into the technology teacher position and you’ve never done it before. How do you start? What do you introduce when?
You’ve been teaching for twenty years, but now your Principal wants technology integrated into your classroom. Where do you start?
How do you differentiate instruction between student geeks and students who wonder what the right mouse button is for?
How do you create a Technology Use Plan for your school?
How do you create a Curriculum Map?
As an edtech professional, what’s your career path?

For more information on coaching, mentoring, PD, online classes, and consulting, click here.

For a start-up discount on Coaching-Mentoring, use this code: FK5SZM2A Sept. 1-10th.

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