Learn Lead Grow

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you know that I focus on educational technology and Universal Design for Learning solutions. Recently I was contacted by Zebra Pens to try out a new product called the F-402 Ball Point Retractable pen. I have to admit that I was unsure; however, this is an amazing pen because this stainless steel pen has provided one of the most comfortable and smooth writing experiences I have ever had. I take it everywhere with me and won't use anything else. Check out some of the solid features: Stainless Steel Barrel 0.7m Point Size Black/Blue Ink Color Easy Glide Ink Performance Designer Metal Clip for Confident Clasp Designer metal clip provides an elegant yet confident clasp  Refillable with F-301 Refill I would highly recommend that you check the Zebra Pen out . You'll never want to use another pen! ​

I recently noticed that the badge count for Messages on my Dock was incorrect on my Macbook Air. I am currently running Yosemite and have noticed that this happens from time to time. It would not disappear however many times that I opened messages, then open and closed the application. Here is a quick way to fix the problem for any badge count issues: 1. Make sure that you close completely out of Messages (Apple Q). 2. Conduct a spotlight search (top-right corner of your screen) and type in Terminal . 3. Once the Terminal opens up, run the following command  killall Dock

If you are not familiar with Google Keep, it is a cloud-based way of keeping your thoughts, ideas, and to-do list organized across any device. As we help our students become more independent in their learning, this tool could help provide students with strategic ways to accumulate information and manage goals. Here are four things you should know about Google Keep: 1. Ideas Across Multiple Devices Google Keep can be used across multiple devices. Create a to-do list on your phone, add to it in the office, and make the finishing touches on your tablet. You may even want to consider using the Chrome Extension to make your browsing experience more efficient and effective. 2. Capture Your Ideas The Way That Works Best  Google Keep allows you to capture your thoughts and ideas in ways that works best for you. Organize your ideas by color coding, capture your thoughts via notes, lists, audio, and photos. Click and drag your notes to rearrange your ideas in a way that works best for

Towards the end of the year, we are always looking for creative ways to help our students learn. We often turn to projects as a way for students to demonstrate their understanding. Whenever I give a project in my classroom, I have always found that there are three types of students: The experts who wish you would go away and disappear.  The students who need you to hold their hand and guide them through (the students we should be working with) The frequently asked question students, who often feel bad for asking you questions.  How can you use Google to provide students with the scaffolds and supports they need? Why not turn to the table of contents feature in Google Docs to answer FAQ's or Frequently Asked Questions. Students will be able to click on a hyperlink, which will direct them to the resources they need to answer their questions. How do you do it?  Step 1: Develop Your Instructions After I have composed my instructions in a Google Document, I often develo

As our students gain more technological experience, how do we provide them with authentic opportunities to share their work with the world? Many elementary teachers would love to have a simple way for any student to share their work on a single web page. Many middle school and high school teachers would love a quick way for students to publish their work. Why not use a Google Doc? That's right - Google Doc! Many of my readers would love to have their students create a Google Site; however, there may not be enough time to teach how pages and subpages work. Using Google Docs, allows you to create a very simplistic single-page website. How does it work?  Step 1: Create a Doc Create your document using Google Docs and add pictures, text, hyperlinks, and other content! Step 2: Publish Visit the File Menu and choose Publish to Web. You will be prompted to give your permission to Publish. Any changes are automatically updated by default. You also have the option of embedding y

I love the collaborative nature of Google Slides (or Google's version of PowerPoint) because of the many ways it can be used in the classroom. I recently worked with a colleague, who wanted to embed an auto-advancing slideshow on his blog of his students learning about the digestive system of cows! There are many alternatives out there, but we found a way to do this via Google Slides. How To Create and Embed Your Own Auto-Advancing Slideshow: Step 1: Create Your Google Slide Presentation Add content to your slideshow in the form of pictures, text, etc. Step 2: Publish to the Web When you are finished with your presentation, go to the File Menu and choose Publish to the Web. This will make your presentation into an actual web document. Each time that you make a change to your presentation, make sure that you choose Publish to Web. Step 3: Customize and Publish  A dialog box will appear on your screen with several different options. Choose the Embed tab and customiz

In a wireless world, how do you project your wireless device without cords and connectors? Reflector 2 is an excellent tool that can be used to mirror multiple devices to your laptop, Macbook, Android device, or Fire TV. How does it Work? Reflector 2 works very much like the original Reflector. Simply mirror your wireless device over WiFi to connect to your computer. A mirror of your wireless device will appear on your computer screen. Connect your computer to a projector and you are ready to share! Why Reflector 2?  Here are 5 ways Reflector 2 is an unbelievable product: # 1: Project multiple devices at the same time!  You now have the ability to project two devices on your computer screen at the same time! The Smart layout feature will automatically find the best position for each device on your screen. Do you want to hide a device? It is now possible to do this without disconnecting it completely from Reflector 2. # 2: Reflect iOS and Android Devices! You have the ab

Have you looked around your classroom lately? No matter your population, there is a tremendous amount of variability or diversity that exists. Some differences are obvious and others are not so obvious; however, the one constant is that variability is the rule - not the exception. How can you design effective lesson plans that meet the needs of your students? I often incorporate a simple acronym called POP, which stands for Predict, Overcome, and Plan, to help guide me. Predict : When I start thinking about a lesson plan, I begin to predict the high-probability barriers that my students will face within the lesson. For example, I thought about the challenges my students would face in a simple reading assignment. Robert Marzano has stated that “the achievement gap is largely a vocabulary gap.” Many of my students struggle with understanding basic vocabulary terms, which makes it difficult to read a text. The physical text could pose problems because students with visual difficul