Friday, August 28, 2020

Friday Matinee: Two Fun Ideas to Try!


It's been a long week . . . no, make that a long couple of weeks, and the month of August is almost over.  It's time to relax a bit, so we've come up with 2 fun ideas.


First: (drum roll please . . .)

Create a Bitmoji Classroom for your students!

Here's a video on how to do this from the inventor of the Bitmoji craze:


and a blog post with lots of information.

You will do this in Google Slides and add images (search for transparent PNG files) and links.  When searching for Bitmojis that will work in your classroom, use the term POSE.  We'll be glad to help if needed.  There are TONS of examples online, just do a search for "bitmoji classroom."

Want to engage your students?  Have them create a Bitmoji scene with links to information about what they are learning.

Turn in your Bitmoji Classroom for the chance to win a PRIZE!

Second:

I'm sure you've heard of Flat Stanley, an activity that is done in many elementary classrooms.  As a fun project, have your students (you can do this too) take photos (could be on campus or of what they did on Labor Day, or their trip to Walmart) and put them into a Google Slides journal (you can change the "paper" size by going to FILE>PAGE SETUP) and add a Bitmoji into the scene and telling about what they were doing.  

Friday, August 21, 2020

Friday Matinee: Collaboration Ideas for Remote Learning



Take a big sigh of relief!  The first week of classes is over.  As you start to think about next week, you might try adding an activity where your students can collaborate digitally.  On our website on Remote Learning Resources, we have added several ways to have your students collaborate during class time (or after) using several digital tools.

One of the easiest to try is Padlet.  You can join with your MSU (Google) account and sign up for a free account and quickly set up a discussion wall.  I love using Padlet with inservice teachers to get their ideas or feedback during professional development sessions.  

Another is Wakelet.  Divide your students into groups and let them create a Wakelet on what they've learned, adding resources from various sources on the topic to share with their classmates.  It will take them less than 30 minutes to put together a great Wakelet (or wake) on a given topic.

Friday, August 7, 2020

Friday Matinee: Remote Teaching & Learning Resources



As the start of the new semester draws near, many of you are rethinking how you are going to be teaching your classes.  Having students online as well as in the classroom means that you may need to find new digital resources for collaboration, discussion, and to engage your students during your class time.

We have started to build a website of curated resources that may be beneficial to you.  This site is a work in progress and we will be adding to it during the upcoming weeks and beyond.  If any of you have resources or ideas that you would like us to add to the site, let us know.  Please email me with links, videos, and any details that I would need to add the information.


Remote learning requires us to rethink the way we engage our students and interact with content. Digital resources can assist in the facilitation of small or large group discussions, support collaboration activities, or make presentations more interactive. The purpose of this site is to bring together resources that could be useful in a remote learning setting. If you have any questions, feel free to contact any member of the KATE team.
Check out Torrey Trust's website that includes Online/Remote Teaching Resources.  Torrey is an associate professor of Learning Technology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  On her site is an infographic on Rethinking Teaching 2020.  Be sure to check out her "Instead of this, try THIS!" section.  There are so many great ideas on this site.
Another great resource is a blog post from Dr. Catlin Tucker entitled, "Enhance Student Engagement with Virtual Social Learning Spaces" where she shares that by providing virtual places for students to interact helps them learn from each other. Catlin shares ideas for creating these spaces in breakout rooms, by using the Google apps, for Jamboard and Padlet, as well as Flipgrid and Wakelet.  Most of the apps are mentioned here in this site and how-to videos are available.  Catlin's blog has great posts with practical learning strategies that work online, blended, or in person.

Remember that KATE is available to help.  Need to brainstorm an idea for a class?  We can help!