A new Every Classroom Matters Episode In this episode, Dr. Brad Johnson joins Vicki to talk about improving teacher talents, proven ways to engage students and student leadership. Brad says if we follow this approach we can help teachers be six times more engaged in teaching and have a three times better quality of life. Important Takeaways Brad shares what you have to have from teachers before you can get students engaged. Students need a reason to want to come to school. ECM Awesome Educators - this is why YOU are so important in your classroom. YOU make all the difference in the lives of your students, but we need to know how to look at them differently, as Brad shares. I love Brad’s formula for student success! (I made it into a pinnable image for you at the bottom of the show notes.) Educator Resources Brad’s book What Schools Don’t Teach: 20 Ways to Help Students Excel in School and Life includes the compelling research he cites on the show. Gallup Poll About Student Engagement. This poll of more than 300,00 students included the statistic on student engagement that I shared in the show. Richard Spencer is the dancing science teacher I mentioned in our teacher strengths discussion. Interview Links @drbradjohnson Sponsor Staples. Staples has everything a teacher needs for Back to School. Remember to check out the Teacher Rewards Program. Join the Teacher Rewards program and check out my Top 10 School Supplies to buy at Staples. See Staples Back to School Deals What Teachers Say A listener from Maryland, Jeanne Mayo posted on Facebook about finding the strengths of teachers too: Great show… Not only will I try to discover the strengths of each student but staff member too. This can certainly apply to professional development. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or elsewhere, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above. Join the Every Classroom Matters Awesome Educators Network on Facebook Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored episode." The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. The sponsor does not influence or endorse the content of the show. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." The post What Schools Do Not Teach: 20 Ways to Help Students Excel appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

A Great Way to Fund Your Makerspace or Student Projects Students can change the future. You can be part of it.  Today, Staples pledged $10 million to Think It Up. Think It Up is a nonprofit supported by the Entertainment Industry, Donorschoose.org, and Staples. We can help our students create, invent, and share their projects — AND RECEIVE FUNDING! I’m so excited! If you can’t see this video in your RSS reader or email, then click here. According to the press release, Through Think It Up, students will be able to work with their teachers to identify passion projects for their classrooms. Through this collaborative learning process, student-powered, teacher-led projects will be crowdfunded on Thinkitup.org. Even cooler, the representative for Think It Up is Nick Jonas. He will be sharing the story of Think It Up in a series of public service announcements. Passion projects are going mainstream. This mechanism to help kids fund their projects is now in place. It has the support of many great organizations. This emphasis on students is exactly why I’m representing Staples as their Back to School Ambassador. Now, we need your support. There are two ways teachers can help. Plan to help your students create and propose their own passion projects to do in your classroom this fall. Put Think It Up in your lesson plans and passion projects for this year. You can donate at your local Staples store I love this promotion because it puts students in the driver’s seat of their own passion projects. This is where they belong. So, parents, friends, everyone you know, start talking to kids about their passions. Help them create projects. And let’s get these projects funded. Who knows what they’ll dream up? Want to know more? We’re hosting a Twitter party this Thursday 7/9/2015 at 7pm using the #StaplesForStudents RSVP at this link: http://vite.io/staplesforstudents Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to edit and post it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.) The post Think It Up: New Site to Fund Student Passion Projects, Receives $10 million pledge from Staples appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

A New Every Classroom Matters Episode In this episode, Minecraft EDU creator Joel Levin talks with Vicki about Minecraft in schools. Want your school to use Minecraft? This is THE episode to share! Get those kids excited about learning! You can use Minecraft! Important Takeaways for Listeners Minecraft makes great student-centered student-led projects. Joel gives examples. How do you talk to kids about Minecraft in the classroom? What are the differences in Minecraft EDU in the classroom and the traditional Minecraft? How you can lead even when students know more about Minecraft than you do. Joel rants a bit. How machinima is changing. How to turn students from consumers into creators. If you listen to one show on Minecraft, this is it. Scroll down for 2 quotes for you listeners out there who love to pin them! ;-)  Educator Resources Minecraft Educator Summit - The first Minecraft educator summit was held in early 2015. Joel gives us the skinny on what happened. Minecraft EDU - Joel shares: ways teachers configure Minecraft, resources, and one group every Minecraft teacher should join. Minecraft Educator Portal -Microsoft bought Minecraft and unveiled this teacher portal. Minecraft Builder Bowl - Joel mentions the emergence of live gaming events. Here’s a Minecraft competition happening summer 2015. Interview Links @MinecraftTeachr Results come from fostering a great relationship with your students @MinecraftTeachrPowered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This What Teachers Say The conversation exploded about this show on the ECM Awesome Educators Network on Facebook. Some highlights. Listener Joli Barker Erwin says, "I use minecraft edu as an assessment tool and a project tool. I’ve used it for measurement, as a virtual lab, as a digital diorama for books, as environmental science exploration…sooo much. Students even created games for a global empathy project." See Theheartcode.wikispaces.com Listener Michelle Baldwin says, "My kids ask to use it to demonstrate something they’re curious about. One year, we were talking about how people organize themselves into different types of governments. One group wanted to learn about oligarchies and said they could share what they were learning by building a capital city in Minecraft. They could articulate a LOT about what they had learned as they shared their city (these were grade 3-5 kids): http://architectsofwonder.edublogs.org/…/our-capital…/" Teachers shared Zoe Branigan-Pipe‘s blog post "Proud to Be a Minecraft Teacher." Minecraft transformed Zoe’s classroom. Some people labeled her, though. (I wonder if people do that to excuse themselves from giving it a whirl?) You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or elsewhere, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above. Want to talk about Minecraft If you want to talk about the show, join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook. You’re invited! Join the Every Classroom Matters Awesome Educators Network on Facebook. The post 3 Ways Monsters and Minecraft Can Drive Great Teaching and Learning appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

July 16-20, 2015 (Live and Video Recordings Available) Join the best PD experience of the summer! Teachers Leading Teachers Conference begins on Thursday. I will present Differentiating Instruction with Technology, at 9:30 am EDT Friday. Many amazing educators will be presenting: Kathy Cassidy, Jackie Gerstein, Pernille Ripp, Beth Hammett, Trevor Muir, Diana Gettman Flores, Erin Klein, Nick Provenzano, Starr Stackstein, Michelle Baldwin, and more!! (See schedule below.) Do you want to MOTIVATE and ENGAGE students? Are you trying to get ready for school  and wish someone would just give you step-by-step how-tos? Are you tired of hearing presenters who haven’t been in the classroom and you just want practical advice that you can use immediately? The Teachers Leading Teachers Summit will share strategies and play-by-play advice to start your classroom right from day one. If you’re willing to do the work, this online conference will be a GAME CHANGER for you and your classroom. You can start the school year with momentum and get better results. Register now to save your place. Who is speaking? These live events will be recorded so you can view them later. (Times shown in EDT.) Thursday, July 16 1-4 pm Registration and Opening Friday, July 17, 2015 8:30 am - 9:30 am Pernille Ripp — Creating Passionate Readers Workshop 9:30 am - 10:30 am Vicki Davis - Differentiating Instruction with Technology 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Beth Hammett - The Future of Education: Adaptive Learning in the 21st Century Classroom 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Royan Lee - Sketchnoting Like It’s 2015 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Trevor Muir - School in the Real World: Authentic Ed and PBL 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Diana Gettman Flores - Using Rubik’s Cubes as Math Manipulatives and Motivators in the Classroom Saturday, July 18, 2015 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Michele Daniel-Shenk & Diana Hewitt - Science Sparks Design Challenge 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Tim Twynn - Lights, Camera, Broadcast: Lessons Learned from a Student Run News Broadcast 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Dr. Jackie Gerstein - Are You an Educator With a Growth Mindset? 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Rebecca Leech - Personalized Learning to Improve Graduation Outcomes for Students with Disabilities Sunday, July 19, 2015 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm - Jessica Alessio - 1,2,3 Magic: Getting Rid of Gimmicks and Getting Back to Instruction 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Amanda Dykes - STEM Across the Curriculum 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Diana Hale - Creating and Environment conducive to Creativity 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Shira Loewenstein & Melanie Eisen - Growing as a Teacher Leader 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm Erin Klein - Personalize Instruction for All Learners and Create a Brain-Friendly, Blended Learning Space that is Student Centric 10:00 pm - 11:00 pm Nick Provenzano - Creating a Genius Every Hour: 20 Time in Education Monday, July 20, 2015 9:00 am - 10:00 am Elisa Waingort - Engaging Readers not Leveling Lives 10:00 am - 11:00 am Kathy Cassidy - The World Really is Watching: The Importance of Audience in Learning 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Starr Stackstein - Getting Rid of Grades for Better Student Learning 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Meenoo Rami - Teacher Practice in a Connected World 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Michelle Baldwin - The Connected Classroom: Amplifying Student Voice What does it cost? $149.00 plus a processing fee of $9.19. How do I sign up? Click here to register. Here’s a Rundown of What You’ll Be Learning Creating Passionate Reading Environments How to Differentiate and Reach Every Learner Using Adaptive Learning Environments to Promote Student Success Sketchnoting Your Thinking to Explain Concepts Concrete Tools and Tips for Dynamic Project Based Learning that Engage Learners Creating Engineering Design Challenges with Literature Mastering Your Growth Mindset Personalizing Learning to Improve Graduation Outcomes for Students with Disabilities How to Decrease Undesirable Behaviors, Rules and Routines without Gimmicks How to Create Membership Loops and an Innovative Classroom Architecture A Game Plan for Integrating STEM Across the Curriculum Creating a Classroom Community that will Supercharge Creativity 4 Powerful Pathways for Teacher-Leaders Unleashing Brain-Friendly Blended Learning Spaces Creating a Student-Centric Classroom A Slam Dunk Way to Engage Reluctant Readers without Leveling Creating a Worldwide Audience for Student Work Helping Students Become Effective Digital Citizens How to Connect Students and Supercharge Student Voice Sign me up! No travel required. Just sign up and join online. It is going to be a fantastic conference. Hat tip to John Spencer and AJ Juliani for putting this stellar cast together. Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." The post DON’T MISS IT: Teachers Leading Teachers Online Conference Starts Thursday appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Four and a half years I lived bullying. I cried every day after school when I made it to the respite of my room at home. I often ask myself what I would have done if my bedroom weren’t my solitude? What if I couldn’t get away? Even if bullying "goes away" the scars don’t. How can I be in my forties and still be feeling the aftershock of when I was 14? "What are several real ways you’ve seen bullying reduced?" This month’s question as part of Cathy Rubin’s Global Search for Education is hard. I’ll share three things that worked with a disclaimer. I am sharing what I’ve seen WORK. Consult with a counselor (like I have) if you’re helping your children through bullying. Every situation is different. If your child is depressed or suicidal GET HELP IMMEDIATELY. Bullying is serious. Don’t ignore it. These are three things I’ve seen work. They may not work in your situation. In today’s challenge, Cathy Rubin has asked for several real ways I’ve seen bullying reduced. 1 - Learn to Defend Yourself When bullied between fifth and ninth grades, no one came to my rescue. I came to my rescue. I remember the day it happened. I bounded into homeroom in ninth grade. "Miss Mean Girl" made a cutting remark about my outfit as she did every day. I looked at her and said, "You know what - I don’t care. I honestly don’t care what you think anymore." And I didn’t. And that was it - I was free. I don’t know where the ability to no longer care appeared. Was it the self-confidence my parents instilled in me? Was it prayer? Was it maturity?  When dealing with mean taunts - bullies often select people who care what they think. When you stop caring, they may stop bullying you. For me, it stopped when I stopped caring. We let my son take Tae Kwon Do lessons. His bullying ended the day he stood up for himself. Again, this is controversial and doesn’t work for everyone but it helped him. They stopped hitting him when he hit back one time. 2 - Empower Bystanders The research-based Olweus Method relies on empowering bystanders. Sadly, telling adults about the bullying often makes it worse. Once a boy was physically hurting his classmates. He pretended to be joking, but he wouldn’t stop. He left bruises. The girls talked to adults. The adults told them the behavior was unacceptable. The girls took it to heart. It happened again. Three of the girls went to the principal and told him what happened. They stood up for their friend. The bullying stopped. Another time, a student saw bullying on Facebook against a classmate. She took a screenshot.  It was stopped. Empowering bystanders is hard. Because the person being bullied isn’t the one telling, it can help. 3 - Set Expectations I remember an anti-bullying rally held by a school counselor. It opened up conversations about how children should expect to be treated. Several issues came to light that had been going on that could then be handled. Often rallies, assemblies, or conversations about the treating each other with respect- helps. In this case, a rally started conversations that stopped several instances of bullying before they escalated. Bullying is Never OK But even as I share these three things I’ve seen work, scars remain. Even if bullying is "handled" doesn’t make it ok. Bullying is one of those things that hurts everyone involved. The "victim" must forgive and move on. Those who bully, if not helped, often become criminals. Every single person matters and deserves respect. That respect starts with having conversations about things that matter. Eradicating bullying matters. Creating a positive school culture free of fear matters. Just because something is hard to handle doesn’t mean we have an excuse to stop making progress. The post 3 Ways I’ve Seen Bullying Stopped appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Staples Back to School Council Students should be involved in their education. They can also change their world. I’m excited about filling my son’s locker with items from Staples because they are PRACTICAL. (The Designed by Students locker shelf below is so unique, I was like — why didn’t some adult think of that?) Staples worked with Ron Clark’s students (pictured above) and others around the country during this past school year. The result is a new line of back-to-school products designed by kids. It is great to see companies empower students to think and contribute to the world. Two of my favorite items are the floating locker shelves and the Big Pen Pencil Case. (Both are pictured at the bottom of this post.) Watch the Students Pitch Their Products The video from launch day is inspirational. (Embedded below.) Some of the key points he mentioned: The proposal and prototyping process. This is an essential part of design. The authentic audience. How can we help students work with local companies in this way to bring designs to the marketplace. When Staples did this, they are showing other businesses and leading with their actions that students can be partners in the design process. Talk about empowering students! When you take your ideas to local or large companies - share this. The pitch. In the video, you’ll see students pitching the products they designed. The art of the "elevator pitch" and proposing the awesome lap desk, the Big Pen, binders without rings, the cool locker shelf, and a redesigned backpack. (Watch the video!) If you can’t see this video in your RSS reader or email, then click here. The Floating Locker Shelves These floating locker shelves are going in my 8th graders locker. The Big Pen Pencil Case You can get all kinds of pens to go in this pencil case, but here’s the thing - the pencil case IS a pen and IS a pencil sharpener. For the kids who forget things, this is a HUGE step forward. Another must-have for my son. Check out the whole Staples Back to School Line at: www.staples.com/backtoschool See my favorite office supplies and how I use them in my classroom at: Top 10 Cool Things to Buy at Staples Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to edit and post it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.)  The post Students Help Design School Supplies for Staples: Let’s Get Students Involved appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

May, 2015 In response to requests from some of our readers here in EdTech & mLearning, we have curated this list featuring 10 Android apps for taking notes.  The titles included here are... ....read more

May 9, 2015 Google Goggles is one of the best Android apps for image search. Google Goggles allows you to conduct an extensive search on any physical item you point your mobile phone camera at... ....read more

May 10, 2015 Google’s advanced OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology allows Drive users to easily convert text in images and PDF documents into searchable documents with the ability to... ....read more

May 10, 2015 Chrome store is teeming with all kinds  of educational apps to use on your Chromebook. However, searching for relevant apps can be a real arduous and time-consuming task. For those... ....read more