Category: Teaching Strategies
Invention Convention is coming
Invention Convention Worldwide is a global K-12 invention education curricular program mapped to national and state educational standards that teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and creativity skills and builds confidence in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for life.
Here are websites to help you and your students learn about the excitement of inventions:
- A Guide to Inventions
- Famous Inventors
- How Inventions Change History (video)
- How the popsicle was invented (a TEDEd video)
- Invented by accident I
- Invented by accident II
- Inventions from the Military –crazy ones
- Inventors and Inventions
Check back here for updates on this list.
Share this:
Practices of Tech-savvy Teachers
Are you struggling with all the tech required for remote and hybrid teaching? Education Week shares what tech-savvy educators are using to make this work:
5 Practices of Truly Tech-Savvy Teachers
Education Week caught up with select teachers and instructional coaches who shared their thoughts on some essential practices to effectively implement technology into the practice of teaching. Some were discovered or honed during the pandemic. All offer lessons for job seekers wanting to present in-demand knowledge and skills, as well as districts and schools that are seeking truly tech-savvy teachers.
Ask a Tech Teacher has reviewed a list of easy-to-use, intuitive tech tools we think will make your teaching job easier. Check otu these articles:
How to Evaluate Programs You’ve Never Used in Less Than Seven Minutes
Share this:
What You Might Have Missed in December
Here are the most-read posts for the month of December
- Hour of Code? Here’s why to participate
- Coding Websites/Webtools by Grade
- 15 Unusual Projects for Hour of Code
- The Easiest No-coding Way to Build an Education App
- What is ‘Technical Math’?
- 11 Ways to Update Your Online Presence
- Have Santa Call Your Kids!
- 14 Holiday Websites and 9+ Projects
- Holiday Activities To Keep the Learning Going
- The Return to Rigorous Mathematics
Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:
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, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
Share this:
What You Might Have Missed in October
Here are the most-read posts for the month of October
- National Bullying Prevention Month
- October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
- Tech to Help With Masks
- Digital Citizenship Week–Oct. 18-22–Here’s What You Need
- Artificial Intelligence in Education: Anecdotal Evidence
- Remote Learning Varies Around the Country
- Halloween Projects, Websites, Apps, Books, and a Costume
- Getting up to Speed: Teacher Prep and Technology Integration
Share this:
Here’s a Preview of November
Here’s a preview of what’s coming up on Ask a Tech Teacher in November:
- Tracts and Genius Hour: A Great Combination
- Halloween projects, lesson plans, apps, and a costume
- Digital Storytelling
- Civics in Schools
- College or Career
- Google Earth Lesson Plans
- Geography Awareness Week
- Digital Citizenship
- Managing Difficult Parents
- Rigorous Mathematics
Share this:
Getting up to Speed: Teacher Prep and Technology Integration
We know technology is a challenge for veteran teachers. It wasn’t part of their teacher training program so they rely on school PD to fill the many holes in blending tech with education. What is surprising is that many teacher programs don’t prepare their graduates well for the rigors of using technology to meet current educational requirements. That is made worse by the demands of a post-pandemic classroom that often operates online, remotely, or a hybrid. Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Christian Miraglia, 35 years as a teacher and now an educational consultant for T4Edtech, has a good discussion on that:
For many years I served as a master-teacher for prospective teachers from various universities in my area. In my interactions with the candidates, I found that although their coursework focused on methodology and practice, it invariably lacked a technology integration component. It was clear that as I worked with these up-and-coming teachers, their first exposure to the integration of technology was in my classroom. I can only imagine a teacher entering the workforce now who has to contend with the basics of teaching and then realizes that there is a whole other component of the equation that they were inadequately prepared.
In the report, Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education, published in 2017, the Office of Technology Education recommended that:
“Institutions responsible for pre-service and in-service professional development for educators should focus explicitly on ensuring all educators are capable of selecting, evaluating, and using appropriate technologies and resources to create experiences that advance student engagement and learning. They also should pay special care to ensure that educators understand the privacy and security concerns associated with technology. Institutions cannot achieve the goal without incorporating technology-based learning into the programs themselves.”
And here lies the problem. The pandemic affected every school district in the nation, yet many of the university programs still lack the technology component in their programs three years later. Exposed now are deficiencies of utilizing online learning management systems that school districts face. There should be a concerted effort to focus on this area.
Moreover, sending teachers into the workforce without adequate training is equivalent to sending doctors out to practice without learning to treat specific ailments. The student today learns much differently than students did five years ago. Moreover, the general use of technology has changed. There is an increased movement towards personalizing the educational experience, practiced with student agency and choice on assessments. For a teacher, this translates into knowing what students use and understanding these platforms themselves.
Share this:
What You Might Have Missed in September
Here are the most-read posts for the month of September
- Lesson Plan: Online Art Sites
- 19 Ed Websites to Fill Spare Classroom Time
- Creative Options for Remote Learning
- 9/11… We Remember
- Does Mindfulness Make Your Class Better?
- 16 Websites and 5 Posters to Teach Mouse Skills
- Technology and Teaching: A Conversation with Teachers
- 16+ Websites on Assessments
- SEL in Your Classroom
- Do you need a career coach?
Share this:
Does Mindfulness Make Your Class Better?
District Administration recently published an interesting article on how mindfulness creates kinder classrooms and reduces problematic behaviors by 18%. Click the link and check out their thoughts.
If you’d like background on Mindfulness, check our article published earlier on
How to Incorporate Mindfulness into Your Class
Students learn best when they are relaxed, happy, and feeling loved. It is challenging to include those characteristics in classes when you are concurrently trying to achieve school goals, comply with curriculum timelines, juggle parent concerns, and blend your lessons with those of colleagues.
This is where mindfulness becomes important. It reminds teachers that the fulcrum for learning is the student’s emotional well-being.
Let’s back up a moment: What is mindfulness? Buddha said:
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
If that’s the plan, mindfulness is the path. It teaches students how to quiet themselves — get to a place where their mind is settled sufficiently to pay full attention to the task at hand. Experts offer many suggestions for incorporating mindfulness into your classroom experience. Consider:
- pause and take a deep breath before beginning an activity or in the middle of performing it
- reflect on an activity as a group
- reflect on the student’s own experiences and background and how that relates to the topic
Delving into these rudimentary steps isn’t the goal of this article. Today, I’ll share five ideas on taking mindfulness to the next level in your classes:
Share this:
Equipment You Need for Online Tutoring
Teaching during the pandemic has turned the iconic job of education on its head. Should you teach at home or in school–or with a hybrid approach? How can you be effective with the new rules required to ensure safety while maximizing the students’ educational journey? Is it safe to enter the classroom? You’ve never taught remotely before–how do you do that and still meet your school’s education standards and curricula?
Many teachers are turning to homeschool co-ops or tutoring programs as reasonable approaches to pursuing a job they love in a way that allows students to succeed. If this is a choice you are making, here are suggestions from one of our Ask a Tech Teacher contributors for equipment you’ll need to succeed in this new approach:
8 Props and Pieces of Equipment for Tutoring Students Online
The equipment and props you use when teaching your students online can make all the difference when it comes to how successful you are.
They can affect how engaging your lessons are, how much your students enjoy them, and even how professional you appear.
Choosing the right equipment and teaching tools is not just essential – your decisions can make or break your online teaching career.
Most online teaching platforms have basic requirements, like a high-quality headset, web tools, and a reliable internet connection, but there are other things you need to take into account before you start teaching online – things like good lighting and visual teaching aids can go a long way.
Here are eight things you’ll need to become a successful online teacher.
1. A Background
Most online teaching centers require their tutors to have some kind of professional backdrop behind them – this can be a blank wall that you’ve decorated with relevant classroom posters.
You can also set up a bulletin board behind you with your name and some interesting items that say something about your personality, like trinkets and souvenirs that relate to your hobbies. Setting up your virtual classroom can also be a great way to unleash your creativity!
You can also incorporate flags, ABCs, or a reward system into your bulletin board to keep your students more engaged.
Share this:
What You Might Have Missed in July
Here are the most-read posts for the month of July
- Tech Tip #63: Reset Default Font
- Tech Ed Resources–Mentoring and Coaching
- A Year to Remember, A Year to Reflect: Pandemic Instruction
- 11 Websites for Thinking and Learning
- We Landed on the Moon July 20 1969
- 5 (free) Posters on Teaching I
- Tech Ed Resources–Lesson Plans
- Tech Tip #44: Computer Safety
- 9 Websites for Comics in Teaching
- Revealed: The Secrets to Studying Success