Technology Teacher

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Breakout Edu

What do you get when you mix technology, critical thinking and gamification? #breakoutedu!! Breakout is a critical thinking game that locks (mentally) students into a room, where they have to work together and solve puzzles to breakout. The topics are many. Being a technology teacher myself this type of learning fits perfectly in my lab. An online Facebook community of super creative teachers have been publishing these breakout games in drones! I started by using one created by Patti Harju and it was just for fun for our Halloween celebration. The students were using technology, think QR codes, online puzzles, Webquests and Magic Forms. You set out the clues, you give your safety guidelines (make sure to include no prying open the box), you set the timer, and you watch collaborative critical thinking insue! I'm hooked!

PBL Cartoon Public Service Announcement!

Students have to research a social problem. Next, they have to create a #powtoon public service announcement teaching me a lesson. Some topics they've choosen are bullying and saving pandas. I like AJ's a lot because he's trying to convince me to buy my son an ATV. He's teaching me all the different specifications so I can make an informed choice!

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Have you thought about using Google Classroom?

So... Google classroom. What is it? What does it look like? Why should I use it?

Google classroom is in essence a Moodle, Blackboard, or any other classroom learning platform. It is super easy to use and is already connected to your educational email address. It's a place to push out assignments, share links, and provide digital materials. My favorite thing about Google Classroom is its ability to collect assignments and organize online materials. Another great feature, when you have 600+ students like me, is its ability to organize emails and quickly send communication.

How do I start a class?

Easy. Log into your educational email and click on the box of apps. Go to even more and your google classroom should appear (if you don't see it do a search on google for google classroom)

Once you open the icon you should see a PLUS up in the corner to start a class.

Add a name and description. You'll also see a code that you'll need to provide the students you would like to join your class. They will find Google classroom in the same spot you do. Remember to tell them they MUST be in the MAIL section for them to see the classroom icon in the box of apps.

I only have each class for a 45 minute period, so this tool is incredibly useful. I can see who has completed the assignment at a quick glance and if I click on the assignment I'm able to see a list of students and the view of the assignment they turned in. One quick once over will give me some insight on the quality of work.

As a teacher of 600+ students, I love the organization Google Classroom provides me. I can see the sessions very easily and find the students email. If I need to send a quick email, note, or a reminder, this is the easiest place to do it. I find creating groups in the email component of google quite cumbersome. This is much more streamlined, AND the kids did all the work!