Learn Lead Grow

PSSA Time? Educational Game Time?

Take a walk outside and you will see spring flowers, birds singing, blue skies, and kids on their way to take Pennsylvania's PSSA Test. It's often during this time of year when everything else shuts down, schedules become modified, and teachers are scrambling on what to do.

I came across some educational game ideas that you may want to try out.

Flash Hangman for ESL Students has many different categories of words for ESL and English speakers alike. This may be a great game for the class, to "guess" the word and then have a discussion or activity to define it.
Prongo is a good site for kids ages 6 to 12. It has a variety of games for learning science, math, and vocabulary.
The Problem Site contains games that require strategy and thinking for our students. This is a great way to develop our students' logical thinking during this "testing-overload" time period. I like the game called Entrapment, which involves strategically placing checkers in different spots.
Want to have your kids complete an interactive crossword puzzle on The 50 States? Infoplease.com has a way for your students to learn about all 50 states in this interactive puzzle!
US Geography Games contains over 100 quizzes for students to learn more about US Presidents, States, and the United States.
Who Wants a $1,000,000 for Science Trivia is a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" type of game with trivia about chemistry, biology, and physical science.

Even if you don't use these games during this onslaught of testing, you can easily incorporate them as an activating strategy or end of the class activity. You don't need laptops for every student. The great thing about these games is the fact that all you need is a laptop and projector.

POST # 100 - I'm "Flipping" Out!

Have you ever felt like you were a broken record? That may be an expression that our kids have no idea what it means! Maybe we should say "like an iPod stuck in repeat."

That is how I felt a few months ago. I was becoming very frustrated and felt like I was constantly repeating myself over and over again. I was assigning chapters, but my students weren't really "getting it." I was showing my kids how to do the work and they couldn't connect the dots. I was explaining the same things over and over, but not really helping my kids learn anything more. We were stuck and not moving very far.

I decided to take the idea of the "Flipped Classroom" and apply it to my situation. In the past, I have mentioned Khan Academy where students watch a lecture at home and complete the work at school. The teacher then turns into a support rather than a broken record!

I took a different approach with my one Accounting course. Each week, I record myself instructing my students how to do a problem through Screencast-o-Matic, which allows you to teach and record what is on your computer screen through a screencast. Everyday, my students come in, put on headphones, and complete the lesson at their own pace. My role then switches to that of a support / guide. I can now actually "teach" my students to use higher-level thinking skills, rather than repeat information.

My students are performing much better on their tests and assignments, all because they are able to learn at their own pace. We are covering chapters at a faster clip than in the past, because we are able to learn more efficiently and effectively. If my students have a basic question, they can rewind the video. If they have a higher-level thinking question, then I can help them find the answer. This has really worked well with my students, who have appreciated the adjustment. I am still working as hard as I did when lecturing to the class the entire period, because there is more leg-work outside of class. I am constantly checking in with my students during class, which helps me put on a few extra hundred steps on the pedometer! In all seriousness, I really enjoy this new approach! It has changed my teaching style, allowing me to focus on developing a better understanding of content and higher level thinking skills.

Questions to Ponder for Effective Lesson Plans

Universal Design for Learning or UDL is not a new concept. In fact it's been around for quite awhile. Developed by CAST , it evolved out of the idea developed by the late Ron Mace from North Carolina State University. Mace pioneered the idea of Universal Design in architecture. Instead of making accommodations for disabled individuals after the fact, why not design a building from the beginning with these considerations already made? It's cheaper and makes more sense. For instance, if you take a trip to your local mall, you walk through automatic doors, which are helpful to people who don't want to open doors, pushing strollers, or navigating a wheelchair.

In the same way, accommodations should be made to our curriculum before students with or without different learning challenges enter our classrooms. According the UDL, curriculum should be flexible, so that students can access it and it does not become a barrier. What makes it even more challenging is, that the way we learn is as different as our DNA, finger prints, and social security numbers!

"UDL focuses educators on developing flexible curricula that provide students with multiple ways of accessing content, multiple means for expressing what they learn, and multiple pathways for engaging their interest and motivation. This, in turn, allows teachers a multidimensional view of their students as learners, and offers teachers unique insights into assessing student’s knowledge, interest, and understanding (Howard, 2004)."

In other words, we should think about the way that we represent material within our lessons. By tapping into our student's senses and learning styles, we create authentic learning experiences. We should also think about the way we have our students express what they have learned, which often motivates and recruits the interests of our students. Although not always possible, it may be plausible.

So what do I want to leave you with? Well, as you are designing your lessons, think about the following questions as stated by Howard (2004):

1. What is the basic idea that the students need to learn?
2. What are different ways to learn this idea: demonstration? games? shared experience?
3. If there is reading involved, do they have to read it by themselves, or can they use other tools and strategies to get the information?

When you think about assessing your students:

4. Is a test the best way to find out whether students learned the information?
5. In what different ways can students show their understanding? Which will be meaningful for them?

For more information on Universal Design for Learning, check out:

Get Rid of All the Junk and Get What You Need

How do you get the information that you need? Do you turn to a Google search? Do you go to YouTube? When we do, we often have to search and sift through information for meaning. Sometimes information is easy to find and other times it's very difficult. If there was just something that could piece related videos together and give me what I need!

One of my colleagues recently shared a site called MentorMob that does all of this. Say you want to learn something, you can create a playlist of related websites or videos on this subject area. There are tons of already created playlists to search through as well. Below is a quick video on what this site does:

Excellent Guide to Digital Learning

We are bombarded with digital learning each day that we walk into our classrooms. Think about how school was when you were is school. Having a computer was probably a privilege and having the Internet meant your district was rich! But now the field is changing.

After reading Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, I can most understandably understand why. Technology and the ability to connect to the Internet are becoming cheaper and cheaper each day.

With the decrease in price, comes a simple (sorry for using an Economics term) increase in demand for use. iPads, Moodle, Edmodo, Schoology, Flip Cams, iMovie, iPod, iPhone, Aps, YouTube, Google Docs....ugh! This list goes on and on.

Here is an excellent resource to keep it all straight and help you better understand the technologies that our digital natives are using! It's the 60-Second Guide to Digital Classrooms found on Edudemic's website.

It is a great tool to help you keep things straight! You also have easy access to download this picture in PDF format. Even if you don't use this for yourself, it may be a valuable professional development topic.

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Failing the Social Media Test? Need a Cheat Sheet?

Social media is everywhere isn't it? For many of us, it is a little intimidating to see all of these social networks all around us. What's the difference between Facebook and Google+? Is a hash tag an illegal substance? Why would anyone want to Tweet?

For our students, these terms and concepts are as common as the Dewey Decimal System and PB&J were to us, while we were in school! Many teachers are using social media in their classrooms to help students learn. Brain research has shown that when kids are engaged with something that interests them, they express considerable effort and attention to learning. Social media is way that gives students a chance to express themselves.

The fact is, social media is here to stay and is connecting people worldwide. You are reading this blog, right? Well, then you are connected with a group of people who are interested in educating kids. But how do you keep on top of things? I mean...the world of social media is constantly changing. How do you keep up with the lingo? The symbols? The purpose?

The Search Engine Journal recently ran a post (January 31) on a Social Media Cheat Sheet designed by Flowtown. Although directed to small businesses, it can help us as teachers. Each of the major social media platforms are listed with brief definitions, pro's and con's. Confused on how to begin using Facebook or Twitter? A brief description is listed, as well as key "lingo" you may need to know. I really enjoyed looking at the info-graphic on the number of people who use each social network. What a great discussion tool for your students!

You may also want to check out these resources:

Happy Safer Internet Day!

February 7th marks Safer Internet Day, which is a worldwide event organized each February to increase global awareness of Internet safety. This year's theme is "Connecting generations and educating each other." Countries all over the world are participating in this worthy cause.

One of the sponsors iSafe has provided video clips, documents, and lesson plans for teachers, parents, and other community members. iSafe is one of the leading publishers of digital citizenship educational materials in the world. Check out their site here.

There is an expression "it takes a village to raise a child." Unfortunately many of the people in that village are not around or aware of what is really going on in the "digital realm." From cyberbullying to texting dangers, we need to share with our kids the proper ways of using technology. So on this Safer Internet Day, what are you doing to be as Ghandi said "the change that you wish to see in the world" (or Internet)?

Check out these surprising statistics from Safer Internet Day.

If you are interested in more Internet safety resources, check some of these out:

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