Get Your Very Own Frayer Model Template on Jamboard

 The Frayer model is one of my favorite tools for building student vocabulary. Whether you are face-to-face or in an online environment, building student vocabulary is an important aspect of learning. The Frayer model provides students with four quadrants to fill in with definitions, characteristics, and examples of a term. 

Why I Love the Frayer Model

I like this tool because it provides students with multiple ways to represent a term. There are many different variations of the Frayer model; however, I created the following variation to provide students with an opportunity to write, draw, and supply background knowledge. Plus, students can draw their own Frayer model on paper or use an electronic version.

Get a Copy of My Jamboard Template

If you are working virtually, I wanted to share with you the following Jamboard template, which students can use in remote, hybrid, or face-to-face learning situations! Jamboard provides the perfect platform for students to 

• Use the textbox to enter in their definition
• Sticky-Notes to gather and organize their ideas
• Upload images to provide helpful examples and illustrations
• Drawing tools for students to illustrate content and ideas

Custom Background Feature

Jamboard just recently released a new feature, which allows you to create a custom background. This helps with keeping your template in place if students need to clear the frame! In the past, if you cleared the frame, you would lose everything! 

Having the custom background also prevents students from tampering or inadvertently deleting your template. 

Use Jamboard to Create Sketch Notes

 Did you know that you could use Jamboard to create sketch notes? If you are not familiar with the term sketch notes, it refers to a visual way to take notes by including text, images, concept maps, etc. 

Sketch notes are a powerful strategy in helping students understand content, make connections, demonstrate understanding, and reflect on the learning.  In a virtual learning environment, Jamboard provides an excellent way for students to use a device to create notes because it contains a variety of flexible tools to express their knowledge. However, you can use a variety of other tools to do the same thing! The idea is to get students to share what they have learned! 

Jamboard also provides students with a way to collaborate with other classmates on a Sketch Note, share a view-only copy of their notes, or download a PDF or PNG copy of their notes. 

How do you get started? Students can create their own notes by visiting Jamboard or you could create and share a template of a Jamboard with students on Google Classroom! Check out my video for how to do this in the classroom! 

Phonics Practice with Jamboard

 Jamboard recently developed a new option for adding custom backgrounds to your frames. A colleague and I decided to put this to the test by developing an interactive phonics practice activity using Jamboard, Google Drawings, and Google Classroom. 

Even if you are not a Language Arts or elementary school teacher, you might find this activity helpful.

How Did We Do It? 

First, we created a brand new Jamboard. 

Next, we created a few custom backgrounds using Google Drawings. After we were finished designing our backgrounds, we saved them as a JPG (File > Download > JPG) and then uploaded them to Jamboard. You can upload your custom background to Jamboard by visiting Set Background. 

After we set our custom background, we designed a few interactive "chip" pieces that would be placed on this frame. We created the "chips" using Google Drawings and downloaded them as a JPG; however, we chose the add image button in Jamboard to upload our "chips." We also used the duplicate image feature by clicking on the 3 dots in the top-right corner of our image. 

Then, we put together additional frames. The image below is an example of using the Sticky note feature of Jamboard. This provided students with a way to move predetermined words and classify them into prefixes and suffixes. 

Finally, we placed everything on Google Classroom and made a copy for each student! This was helpful for individual practice, but it also allowed the teacher to monitor student progress by checking the assignments directly in Google Classroom. 

Want to see a video of how to do this? Check out my video below: 

5 Ways You Can Use Flipgrid's New Mic Only Feature

 Flipgrid just launched a new feature to record with the Mic Only feature! This is a great tool for students who may be camera shy, need to practice their reading, or might be distracted by the camera. 

How might you use this feature? 

• Have students use this feature to respond to discussion questions. They could very easily put their ideas into a Google Doc or on the Sticky Note tool!

• Students could create their own podcasts. For example, perhaps students develop a podcast to discuss the causes of the Revolutionary War with on-the-scene "interviews" of historical figures. 

• The Mic Only feature could be a great way for students to practice their reading fluency in the elementary or middle school reading classroom! Simply have students pull out a book or piece of text and record their voice. Have students practice reading this text multiple times throughout the year to show progress monitoring.

•  Did you know that students can still use all of the tools in Flipgrid? Use the whiteboard feature and have students show their work and discuss how they are solving math problems!

• Use the Mic feature in Flipgrid as an editing tool! After students have completed a writing assignment, have them read it aloud on Flipgrid, not only as "proof" that they did read their writing aloud but also as a way to listen for potential revisions that need to occur. 

How does it work? Check out my video below. 

Make Mind-Mapping Easy with Gitmind

Visualization tools like mindmaps are extremely helpful for students to visualize concepts, see connections, and express their understanding in tangible ways. Gitmind is a free web-based tool that makes creating mindmaps and flowcharts easy to do. 

Check out my video on how to use this great tool! 

Getting the Most Out of Zoom During Virtual Learning

 With many schools turning to virtual learning, it can be difficult to keep up! Although Zoom is an amazing platform that many teachers are using to conduct virtual learning, many teachers are becoming stressed and overwhelmed. Why? Classroom management changes when you are conducting online learning. 

I developed the following video to help provide teachers with tips and tricks for teaching with Zoom. The following video will provide you with an overview of:

• Screen sharing
• Managing student participation
• How to use the whiteboard feature
• Creating Breakout Rooms
• Tips and tricks for managing disruptions
• Helpful security features
• Tips for using Zoom with an iPad

Make Learning Fun Again with Baamboozle!

 I am always looking for fun and engaging ways to help students learn! I recently came across Baamboozle, which is a free tool for students to study, self-assess, or play a Jeopardy-like group game! Whether you want students to study, provide direct instruction, or play a group review game, Baamboozle has a feature for you. 

Some of my favorite features of this tool are:

• No two games are the same! Questions are never in the same order and are pulled from a bank of questions created by the creator of the game. 

• You can customize your game to your student's needs! Need a timer? Want to give students a chance to pass on a question they don't know? Do you want to change your team names? 

• There is no need to prepare! There are thousands of games created by other educators available to play at your fingertips.

• Limited on student devices? No worries. You can easily project this game on your Smartboard

• Students do not need accounts or codes to play!

• I can easily create my own games within minutes!

If you want to check out how to play and create your own games on Baamboozle, check out my video below!