Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Christian Miraglia, former teacher and now education consultant, has suggestions for apps to help the history class:

Essential Tech Tools for the History Class

The school year begins in a couple of weeks, and you are excited about using the trending application that your colleagues have suggested will work with your students. Social media has over a thousand posts on how awesome it is. However, you have seen another program that you think will work better with your students. Confusion sets in. What does one do? As a history teacher, I used the summertime to experiment and attend online professional development technology sessions and tech camps. No matter what, I  constantly faced decisions on what applications I would use in the upcoming year. On a few occasions, I made changes during the years as a fellow educator introduced me to a new exciting application that I thought might benefit my students. Still, I traditionally stuck with a set of programs so my students would not be confused. This post will focus on three programs that worked well in my 8th-grade history classroom. 

Pear Deck

I have been on the Pear Deck train for the past five years. I was introduced to it via my history teacher network on Twitter (a plug for using Twitter for professional purposes). I immediately was attracted to the interactive model of Pear Deck, which integrated with  Google Slides or PowerPoint with a simple add-on. As with most applications, there is a basic and premium platform. The selling point for me as a history teacher was that I could present information on the slides. At the same time, students would interact by answering questions on the slides, taking a short quiz, drawing a representation of their learning, or even annotating primary source text with a prompt from the teacher. I then could view the students’ work as it occurred in real-time using the dashboard feature, a premium function. As a history teacher, this was valuable as there was an ongoing check for understanding. Moreover, Pear Deck integrates with many quiz platforms and web pages so students can navigate at their own pace if it is decided to keep the learning self-paced.  For those teachers who use Google Classroom Pear Deck just announced an integration with the platform that will mirror the functions of slide presentations. If one is looking for an interactive tool that provides feedback and is engaging, consider Pear Deck. 

Flipgrid

This free video tool which originated at the higher ed level as a platform for discussion is now a mainstay for many educators.  Under the Microsoft domain, Flipgrid, now known as just Flip, provides an avenue for students to post their learning with various customizations. In the history classroom, it can be used for students to explain a primary source recording their interpretation with annotations by uploading an image of the historical source and then using text tools or annotative tools to demonstrate their understanding. Flip has many other capabilities as well. For example, it is an excellent tool for students to introduce themselves to their classmates by creating a biographical recording or showing what they like about the subject. The platform also has a library of over 45,000 topics teachers can access when looking for a content lesson or idea. If a teacher uses an LMS, Flip can integrate directly with the platform, so the instructor does not have to navigate outside the LMS to create lessons. During the pandemic, some of my students would record historical prompt responses using the mobile Flip app. 

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Every month or so, we share themed posters you can re-share on your website (with attribution), post on your walls, or simply be inspired.

This month: Keyboarding

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There are great notetaking apps and suggestions out there for students. Check out this article from The Tech Edvocate with a list of six ideas, including:

• Google Keep
• Notes
• ClickUp (not familiar to me)

Note-taking and Study Apps

Taking notes from discussions helps greatly in remembering important points raised and in aiding you to study for exams and other assessment activities. These apps can help you do that.

Read on…

We’ve written on this topic a few times. Check out these articles for more ideas:

• OneNote–the all-in-one digital notetaking, classroom app for educators
• What is Google Keep and Why Use it in Your Classroom?
• 5 Programs That Make Digital Note-taking Easy

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Four to six hours in front of a computer for instruction. Unaccounted time for social media and gaming usage. Sounds like too much screen time? Some parents are beginning to see the fatigue in their children. School administrators and teachers are feeling the fatigue, as well as their jobs become increasingly dependent on computer and phone usage. So what gives in the post-pandemic world? 

Years ago, I took the lead in writing a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for my school site, which was later adopted by my district. At the time, I thought this was a novel approach to address the lack of technology for students. It worked until our site eventually became one of the first sites to roll out a one-to-one policy with Chromebooks. While already aware of the effects smartphones had on students’ attention, I tried to keep a balanced approach to using technology in my classroom. However, being a techie, I continually experimented with new applications and, later, the Canvas LMS. I found that students were happy using the technology, but some would rather complete work pen to paper or do an assessment/project without the technology. 

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Too often, we think ‘taking a class’ requires a commitment of weeks–or months–to master the topic. Sometimes, you don’t have that much time, they’re too expensive, you aren’t ready to commit to college level courses, or you aren’t sure about investing so much time in a topic you might not enjoy. Thankfully, in today’s learning environment, lots of learning is available via short courses–dedicated classes that are completed quickly. Here’s a great article by the Ask a Tech Teacher crew discussing :

• why take one
• their flexibility
• where to take them
• what to do if you’re ready to get started (especially for those of you who live in Australia)

Amazing Benefits of Taking a Short Course

A short course means learning both academic and physical skills. It gives opportunities to students to learn more about their specific course in a short period. The purpose of short courses is to help students grow their current set of skills. It teaches the basic skills needed for students to become a professional.

Boost Current Skill

Short courses are a great thing to add to each person’s  CV, but there is more reason why taking short courses has great benefits. A short course helps students to reach the other set of skills that they need. It also gives little commitment to refresh the things students might need to work on.

AU short courses give professional recognition and a certificate that can add to each person’s CV. It also has many providers that allow students to find courses they need to enhance easily. 

Flexibility

People may worry that short courses may take too much of their time,

or maybe it is not worth it. But here is some things that you need to know about the short course:

• All study materials are delivered online
• Students can study anywhere and anytime they want
• Students manage their time studying

A short course is very flexible because it is an online school where every student manages their time of study. It also gives certificates of completion which can add to each person’s portfolio.

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For over two years, many schools, parents, students, and teachers have struggled with how to teach remotely, and then–when can we go back to in-person learning. The education system is comfortable with teaching students face-to-face. For hundreds of years, that’s how it’s been done, but done right, remote learning is a winner. Here’s EdTech’s take on using classroom tech to elevate remote learning:

Classroom tech investments elevate remote learning

Many school districts are enriching their remote learning programs by stocking educators’ physical classrooms with remote- and hybrid-appropriate teaching technology. To facilitate remote students, schools are equipping classrooms with digital whiteboards, green screens, headsets, body cams and other tools to create an engaging virtual learning.

Read on…

More from Ask a Tech Teacher on remote and hybrid learning

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I found this article in my mailbox the other day, from The Tech Edvocate. This has been such a trying time for parents, students, and our teachers. Check out these great ways to say thank you that anyone can do:

HOW TO SAY THANK YOU TO TEACHERS

No matter what you do for a career or how successful you are, chances are you would not be where you are today if you had not obtained a K-12 education. Without a question, great educators are important. However, in the last year or two, educators around the country have gone on strike and protested for better salaries and working conditions.

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If none of these resonate with you, check out these ideas on Ask a Tech Teacher:

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I get a lot of questions from readers about what tech ed resources I use in my classroom so I’m going to 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: Classes

Ask a Tech Teacher offers a variety of classes throughout the year. These can be taught individually (through coaching or mentoring), in small groups (of at least five), or as school PD. Some are for certificates; others for college credit. All are online, hands-on, with an authentic use of tools you’ll want for your class.

Click the course titles for more information.

The Tech-infused Teacher

Certificate

Group enrollment

The 21^st Century teacher blends technology with teaching to build a collaborative, differentiated, and shared learning environment. In this course, you will use a suite of digital tools while addressing overarching concepts like digital citizenship, internet search and research, authentic assessment, digital publishing, and immersive keyboarding. You will actively collaborate, share knowledge, provide constructive feedback to classmates, publish digitally, and differentiate for unique needs. Classmates will become the core of your ongoing Personal Learning Network.

Assessment is project-based so be prepared to be fully-involved and an eager risk-taker.

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This article is for recent graduates, either from high school or college, ready to look for a first job. Here are some great tips on preparing your resume and spotlighting skills that will make you interesting to employers:

You’ve been in school for the longest time, but you are now done with college, and it’s time to look for a new job. Unfortunately, with so many candidates in search of the same job as you, you’re so anxious, wondering if you will ever get a working opportunity. Again, when looking for a new job, you are very likely to encounter job descriptions that you fear might not have the needed requirements. But the good thing is that employers might consider some skills over others.

If we are being completely honest with ourselves, your skills and potential can land you the job you want, rather than your specific background or the degree you’re holding. Employers these days are valuing soft skills. They are also willing to invest in developing their employees’ technical or hard skills after hiring them.

This is why you need to know how to showcase your skills when applying for a new job. This will help you be considered over other candidates in the same boat as you are and get offered a chance to work.

Consider going through the following points on how to showcase your skills when you are applying for a first-time job:

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Here are the most-read posts for the month of July:

1. 9 Ways to Add Tech to your Lessons Without Adding Time to Your Day
2. Tech Ed Resources–Lesson Plans
3. 25 Websites for Lesson Planning
4. Tech Ed Resources for your Class–K-8 Keyboard Curriculum
5. 40 Websites to Teach Keyboarding
6. EdTech’s Top Blogs to Follow–Yep, We’re On It
7. Tech Ed Resources for your Class–Digital Citizenship
8. We Landed on the Moon July 20 1969
9. HS Financial Training Classes
10. Here’s How to Get Started with Ask a Tech Teacher
11. The Case for PDFs in Class Revisited

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up in August:

• What to know before studying abroad in the US
• How to showcase your skills when applying for your first job
• Tech Ed Resources–online classes
• Tech Ed Resources–Mentoring and coaching
• Free posters
• Habits of Mind

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