Tools for Reflecting: Create a Thankful Garden with AnswerGarden

In the month of December, I want to continue sharing inspiring ideas in 140 words or less! 

I'm also continuing Clicks for a Cause because I want to help raise more money for Ayden and his family! 

I wanted to a moment to wish all of my readers a happy holiday season.  Many of us use this time of year to reflect and give thanks! Why not incorporate this theme into your lessons? Over the next few posts, I want to share some ideas to create an atmosphere of thanks and reflection. The rewards are amazing and can change an entire classroom environment.

Jamie teaches French and wanted to give her students a way of practice using the language (in a creative way) to share what they were thankful for. She used an online brainstorming / word cloud tool called AnswerGarden to engage hers students in a different way, inspiring them to share and brainstorm answers.

Not only did her kids enjoy the activity, it provided students with the “hook” needed to practice using the language. 

DECEMBER CONTINUES CLICK FOR A CAUSE!

Check out a recent article about Ayden!

Ayden Murray is from Wrightsville, PA and was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma. He is receiving treatment at Hershey Medical Center and needs your prayers and support. For every time someone visits my blog until the end of December, myself and several donors will donate to his medical fund "Prayers 4 Ayden." 

How can you get involved?

• Keeping doing what you do and read my blog! Every visit counts!
• Email me to become a Change Partner to donate a penny per click
• Learn more about Ayden Murray at facebook.com/Prayers4Ayden.
• Donations can be made at www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/prayers-for-ayden.
• Upcoming events will be posted on the Facebook page.

READ MORE ABOUT CLICKS FOR A CAUSE

140 or Less: Changing Action and Expression with Tellegami (Part 2)

The last five minutes of class can often a difficult time period to plan for because students often use this time to complete homework, pack up materials and socialize.

One teacher has artfully combined exit tickets with Tellegami to use this time more effectively. Students use this free App to record a 30 second Gami of the top three things they learned from class that day. Their Gami, a combination of a cartoon and voice recording, can be shared via email, social media, or embedding into a website.

Students email this Gami to their teacher as a way to check for understanding; however, the best part is that the “best” Gami is reused. This teacher embeds it on their website and shares with students who might have been absent, didn’t understand the topic, or just needed a brief reminder. 

NOVEMBER IS CLICK FOR A CAUSE MONTH!

Check out a recent article about Ayden!

Posts for the month of November are dedicated to a little boy named Ayden Murray from Wrightsville, PA.. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma and is at Hershey Medical Center receiving treatment. For every time someone visits my blog during the month of November,myself and several donors will donate a penny to his medical fund "Prayers 4 Ayden." 

How can you get involved?

• Click on this page! 
• Email me to become a Change Partner to donate a penny per click
• Learn more about Ayden Murray at facebook.com/Prayers4Ayden.
• Donations can be made at www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/prayers-for-ayden.
• Upcoming events will be posted on the Facebook page.

READ MORE ABOUT CLICKS FOR A CAUSE

#UDL + Del Val + LiveBinders = Creativity

It's always fun going back to your old stomping grounds. Tonight was especially fun because I got to meet a group of future teachers at my Alma Mater,  Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I quickly grew attached to this group of college juniors and seniors.

It was refreshing to see such a young group of adults, so passionate and willing to invest their own time to attend a free workshop designed to help all students learn. I applaud their efforts to impact their future students. So what did we do?

We played "chef" and cooked up some recipes on how to use LiveBinders to help all students learn. From reading assignments to providing supports, we looked at ways to eliminate barriers and provide students with access to learning. If you would like to see some of the recipes we "cooked" up, check out my website.

Do you have more ideas on how to use LiveBinders? Email me some of your ideas!

NOVEMBER IS CLICK FOR A CAUSE MONTH!

Check out a recent article about Ayden!

Posts for the month of November are dedicated to a little boy named Ayden Murray from Wrightsville, PA.. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma and is at Hershey Medical Center receiving treatment. For every time someone visits my blog during the month of November,myself and several donors will donate a penny to his medical fund "Prayers 4 Ayden." 

How can you get involved?

• Click on this page! 
• Email me to become a Change Partner to donate a penny per click
• Learn more about Ayden Murray at facebook.com/Prayers4Ayden.
• Donations can be made at www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/prayers-for-ayden.
• Upcoming events will be posted on the Facebook page.

READ MORE ABOUT CLICKS FOR A CAUSE

140 or Less: Changing Action and Expression with Tellegami (Part 1)

 

I love getting ideas with other like-minded educators, who are passionate about UDL and technology. Earlier today I was emailed by Scott, a principal from Minnesota, who told me about an App called Tellegami. Over the next few posts, I will share with you some ideas on how you can incorporate this cool App into your classroom. In 140 words or less, of course!

 What is it?

Tellegami is a way to share animated messages (called Gamis) through your Smart device through Facebook, Twitter, Email, or texting. You can customize your character, change their mood, customize the background, type a message, and record up to 30 seconds of your voice with just a few swipes.

 Hmm… 

To show you how easy this is to use, I created my own Gami (below)! Check out my future posts! Thanks Scott!

 

NOVEMBER IS CLICK FOR A CAUSE MONTH!

Posts for the month of November are dedicated to a little boy named Ayden. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and is at Hershey Medical Center receiving treatment. For every time someone visits my blog during the month of November, I am going to donate a penny to his medical fund. 

Several donors have agreed to match this amount. 

READ MORE ABOUT CLICKS FOR A CAUSE

140 or Less: Collaborative Note Taking Through PowToon (Part 3)

Collaboration is a buzzword in education and with good reason. It helps our students prepare for tomorrow! In the past, I have created collaborative note taking experiences through Google Presentations. I assigned each group a slide containing a particular set of questions and they were supposed to add to the slide.

Due to permission difficulties within my school, this experience is no longer a possible. With this same idea in mind, I creatively substitute PowToon as a way for my students to collaborate. 

I broke students into groups and assigned each trio the task of creating a brief presentation on a section of our outline. They shared their link on Edmodo and presented their material to the class. Their classmates filled out their note outlines and I acted as a facilitator, asking questions, and highlighting major topics. 

140 or Less: How Fox Sports 1 Changed How I Use PowToon (Part 2)

If you ever watched Fox Sports 1, you may notice that they have a news feed that is titled “3 Things You Should Know,” which communicates a brief summary of the 3 most important sports happenings of the day.

It made me think some ways to use PowToon and the “3 Things You Should Know” idea in my class:

• Create a PowToon about 3 current events currently happening in your subject area. Play it at the beginning of class as students begin taking their seats. You will be amazed by the engagement!
• From getting a pencil out to handing in homework, communicate beginning of class instructions through PowToon! 
• Have your students create their own “3 Things You Should Know” about the topic covered in class that day. It is a great way to gauge understanding!

NOVEMBER IS CLICK FOR A CAUSE MONTH!

Posts for the month of November are dedicated to a little boy named Ayden. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and is at Hershey Medical Center receiving treatment. For every time someone visits my blog during the month of November, I am going to donate a penny to his medical fund. 

Several donors have agreed to match this amount. 

READ MORE ABOUT CLICKS FOR A CAUSE

140 or Less: #PowToon (Part 1)

For my next couple of series, I plan on inspiring you to use new technologies in 140 words or less, because I want to challenge myself to say more with less. Start counting now!

A few weeks ago, I had discussed putting together a toolbox of UDL friendly tools for students to use. Powtoon is a new presentation tool I plan on adding to my toolbox. 

What Is It?

Think of Powtoon as a completely online cross between PowerPoint and Movie Maker, where you can add many of the same presentation elements (text, pictures, animations, sounds, etc.) into your presentation.

A New Way of Engagement

Several weeks ago, I had given my students and assignment. Create a presentation using any medium of your choice. One of my students created a knock out presentation using this free program. Not only is it easy to use, but it engages students in a new way. Now everyone wants to try it!

How can you use it? Stay tuned! 

NOVEMBER IS CLICK FOR A CAUSE MONTH!

Posts for the month of November are dedicated to a little boy named Ayden. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and is at Hershey Medical Center receiving treatment. For every time someone visits my blog during the month of November, I am going to donate a penny to his medical fund. 

Several donors have agreed to match this amount. 

READ MORE ABOUT CLICKS FOR A CAUSE