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When I started the, 8 Weeks of Summer Blog Challenge for educators, I found myself continuously thinking of insights and inspirations. As a result, I've condensed my reflections to one post. Week 2 :  Ponder your Professional Past -- What has contributed to the educator you are today? Listening to the students, and trying to meet their needs contributed the most to my being the educator I am today. Each and every student has different motivators and needs. Discover what works best, and continue to evolve. Week 3 : Leader & Follower -- How are you both a leader and a follower in your career? The best leaders are also followers, because we improve by learning from one another. We learn with our students, colleagues, administrators, staff, families, and communities. It reminds me of that quote, "The smartest person in the room, is the room." Week 4 : Lead Learner -- What are optimal conditions in which to learn, for you, and for students? When thinking throug...

“This post is week 1 of 8 in the 8 Weeks of Summer Blog Challenge for educators.” Goal: Reflection through Connection I've spent ample time reflecting, but haven't had the courage to connect and share.  Thus, with the encouragement of Sheri Edwards , I will partake in this summer blogging challenge .  One of the topics I'm passionate about is the importance of media literacy, with a spotlight on discerning valid and reliable sources. Goal: Squashing fake news The investment and value of informational literacy, such as using and teaching about reliable sources , should be prioritized. Strive to educate our students as well as our educators about the use of "educational technologies" as literacy, rather than something optional. In a world of fake news and alternative facts, it is crucial that people learn to use the Internet and other digital media sources effectively and reliably.  -- Julie Coiro Final thoughts While discerning fak...

I wonder how we might treat others if one of our deep beliefs holds that empathy isn't optional. Be humble and intent on monitoring our judgments We might not know the narrative of others -- strangers, family, friends, colleagues, staff, and students -- and we could miss an opportunity to be kind,  serve , and dignify another human being. Empathy  is not an occasional event like window-shopping, with multiple options to consider.  Empathy  is the marrow of relationships, that comes from humility, encouragement, and taking notice of humanity. Daily challenge Look for inspiration of empathy in action.  Take advantage of opportunities to make a difference. Ask, "Who might I need to be in order to treat others the way I wish to be treated?"  What might the world be like if we didn't approach empathy as an optional practice?  How might a commitment to empathy influence schools and classrooms?

Giving students a platform to exercise their voice, and listening to learn and understand, makes an impact on learning, academic discourse, class/school/district culture and climate. Some of the highlights and resources gained from learning with @JoeMarquez70 's at #CUE18 , includes: Digital Citizenship -- address this daily Invite a Guest Moderator to the backchannel  Back Channel Tools Today's Meet ZiteBoard AwwApp Class Hashtag Collaborating, Learning Artifacts, Annotating Tools Google Classroom in conjunction with qbbuzzer Google Sites Flipgrid Perusall Edji YouTube with Vialogues NearPod Connect with the world beyond the four walls: Note: I am sharing some resources and successes from Joe Marquez, and please understand that I have not vetted the privacy policies for AB 1584 compliance   yet .  What are some other success stories of amplifying student voice? How else might we promote academic discourse? 

Fake news is not accidental reporting with a few mistakes, it is intentional and designed to look real. According to Dr. Lesley Farmer , of California State University at Long Beach,  the motivation behind creating fake news is often to profit, gain influence, assert power, and sometimes to entertain. As critical consumers and responsible contributors, we should be skilled in  discerning validity and disseminating reliable information. Images, like all text, communicates a message. Hence, we are to "read" the visual and glean meaning grounded in evidence.  However, we might not retain the objectivity to critically evaluate the message when strong emotions skew our perception. When a communication reinforces or challenges our core beliefs, it might blind us from objectively stepping back to ask questions such as, "What's the narrative? Who is communicating it, and why?" California's ELA/ELD Framework explicitly draws attention to the broader topi...

In order to prepare students to apply rigorous learning to new and real-world situations, educators must provide opportunities that foster critical and creative thinking, communication and collaboration. Importance of Global Collaborations Common Core State Standards demand students to collaborate with diverse partners , thereby expanding students' global awareness . Some of the benefits of collaboration might include: Developing interpersonal skills of working together as a team. Fostering critical thinking skills while working towards a collaborative goal. Increasing comprehension while partaking in conversations and exploring ideas from different perspectives. "Collaborative learning promotes communication among students; it is particularly beneficial for English Learners (ELs) because peer interaction contributes to the development of language," ( CA ELA ELD Framework, Chapter 2 ). New 2016 ISTE Standards for Students I recently attended th...

I've heard Anne Jenks share numerous times the importance of teaching coding in school, especially with so many STEM professions available . If computer science careers are the number one source of jobs in the US, then we should have more computer science graduates, and therefore more coding/programming opportunities in K-12 classrooms. Urgency with coding in classrooms now for jobs in the future #cue16 #gccue pic.twitter.com/oDGiOX7M7d — Tracy Watanabe (@tracywatanabe) March 17, 2016 The time is now to start teaching digital fluency and coding as part of literacy. Being literate in today's world, includes computer literacy. Luckily, there are organizations, such as Code.org , dedicated to giving students opportunities to learn computer science. How do you get started? Below are a few places for getting started: Device Elementary Secondary iPad Daisy the Dinosaur Tickle  (older app) Hopscotch Scratch Jr. Cargo-Bot Tickle Laptop/Desktop Scra...

Google Classroom integrates Google Apps for Education (GAFE) tools such as  Google Docs, Gmail, and Google Calendar to name a few. It then allows the teacher to distribute and collect assignments paperlessly. Google Classroom with iPads too Google Classroom is not just for Chromebooks, it's a useful management tool for other platforms such as iPads as well. For instance, one great way to collect student creations and manage the workflow on iPads is through Google Classroom. What is Google Classroom and how does it work? Why should I consider Google Classroom? Here are a few reasons why Google Classroom should be considered: It helps organize discussions, assignments, projects, or assessments online. Classroom helps students organize their projects, assignments, tasks, etc. and keep track of upcoming assignments, or assignments already turned in and teacher feedback or grades. Classroom could foster communication. Classroom saves time, especially when working with Go...

QR (Quick Reader) Codes are like bar codes to quickly connect you to text, websites, audio clips, videos, etc. QR Code Reader The device will need a QR Code Reader. My current favorite is still i-Nigma   because I've found that audiences typically do not need to leave their seats to scan the QR Code from the screen I'm presenting from, while other readers have not been as reliable. i-Nigma Available on IOS Available for Android Available on Blackberry Available for Windows   There are also QR Code Readers for Chromebooks and other devices that have cameras. QR Code Generator There are several ways to create QR Codes, however my current favorite is GOQR.me . Below are the instructions for two different ways to use it: Using QR Codes in the Classroom There are many ways QR Codes can be used in the classroom beyond quickly viewing a website. Some ideas and more resouces are listed below: From Tom Barrett's work,  40 Interesting Ways to use QR ...

About a year or two ago, I noticed my DOK Flowchart floating around Pinterest . I didn't think much of it because the thought process behind the flowchart was documented on my post titled, Striving for Higher-Order Thinking and Depth of Knowledge . This flowchart was created to help teachers in my former district categorize their own questions by DOK level, to look for patterns and trends, in order to set goals regarding their quest for deeper thinking. It was a flowchart that worked with many question patterns we commonly saw, but was not intended to be definitive. For example, when it came to a question in math, we knew there was a right and wrong answer -- for example, 3X4=12. However, we considered how there were multiple approaches to get to that correct answer. While, that was a discussion we had face-to-face, my original flowchart did not reflect those conversations. Therefore, I revised the flowchart to help clarify: Click here to download as PDF. Below are ...

I've lived in California for almost a year now, and am becoming very familiar with the California English Language Development Standards . My goal for this post is to share a few of the big ideas I've learned about the CA ELD Standards through the use of two tools: Canva and Tackk . View full version on Tackk Create your own customized Tackk page Tackk I learned about Tackk through +Lisa Johnson (TechChef4u)  when I stumbled upon her post about Tackk . I quickly realized that it was a useful tool to create and curate content. I think of it as an online poster or magazine article. It seems like an easy tool to use because you can just drag and drop content into it. Headlines, text, images, graphics, vidoes, audio and playlists, GIFs and media, Google Maps, PayPal, contact forms and RSVPs can be added. I've downloaded Tackk on my iPad, use it on my desktop, and can install it on my Chrome Browser . There are also several templates for educational u...

Digital storytelling is an art form conveying a message. It uses images and voice narration to convey emotion with the message, and to ignite empathy from the audience. It incorporates storyboarding and writing a script. It is created with digital tools and published on the Internet. I often think of digital storytelling as something done in first person because it creates that personal connection. Whereas, I think of a digital story as an anecdote or story typed or narrated in third person. Image attribution: Lyn Hilt's Slideshare , used with permission. Original work: "Writing- Pen & Paper" CC-by Laurie Richie Benefits Here are some of the many benefits of digital storytelling and digital stories: The 21st century skills and ISTE's Standards  applied are critical and creative thinking; written, oral, and digital communication; collaboration; authentic learning; digital fluency;...

ELA Text Complexity Readability levels are an important ingredient for figuring out text complexity . Reading Standard 10 specifically states that students must read complex text, "Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently." Text complexity reminds me of a s'more. It contains three main parts, and while you can talk about each ingredient separately, it's not really a s'more until you put them all together. Tools for readability Have you ever wondered if the text on a website is the appropriate reading level for your students? Here are some tools for assessing the quantitative measures of readability: Online-Utility.org : Determines the Flesh-Kincade Reading Level by copying and pasting the text into the box. Lexile Analyzer : You can scan your text (or type it in) to see the complexity of what you've written (or text in any website). Note, you'll have to register to use this site. ATO...

Educreations received a slight makeover, and it now has a few new features that allows teachers to push lessons out to student accounts, while also being able to see published student work for those enrolled in her/his classes. What is Educreations? Educreations is an interactive whiteboard and screencasting tool for both the iPad and desktop computer. Its features include drawing, annotation, and narration. You can insert photos straight from your camera, photo album, Dropbox, Google Drive, and from the Internet. Benefits Students can use Educreations to investigate ideas , and create videos to share their thinking and learning. Teachers can use student artifacts as formative assessments as evidence of learning or misconceptions/gaps in understanding.   Teachers can use Educreations to send presentations to students as well. How do you use it? How do Teachers sign up and create a Class account? How do students sign up and connect with the Class...

According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, happiness and genuine satisfaction comes from a state of consciousness called flow . To achieve flow, one must be completely absorbed in an activity, a mindful challenge, involving creativity. Those mindful challenges can not be too demanding, nor too easy. This "mindful challenge" reminds me of a volleyball net. If it is set too high, it is too difficult to hit the ball over the net, resulting in giving up the game out. Likewise, if the net is too low, there's not enough challenge to keep my attention, leading to the same outcome of giving up the game. Thus, we need to set the net at the appropriate height, and then we'll start learning how to make changes to improve, which is when we'll become intrinsically motivated by the act. “Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide feedback to the person's skills, i...

There's not a doubt in my mind that technology has changed our world. Information is created, shared, and evaluated differently. People connect, communicate, and go about their daily lives in new ways with the use of technology. Think about the impact of technology on industries like newspapers, publishers, movies, travel agencies, etc. I go online to read the news, view books, and watch movies. I plan vacations, make travel arrangements, and purchase tickets online. I find new recipes and share them with friends through social media. We are in an information revolution. It's changing and disrupting how things are done, and requires new skills to be successful. Therefore, it impacts what it means to be literate, moving beyond reading and writing and into information and digital literacies. New literacies Today, students need to be taught information and research fluency , along with digital citizenship and technology operations and concepts . Click here to ...