Even though there is always a mind-boggling amount of invaluable info shared on the Discovery Educator Network (DEN), one of the best resources available is the Spotlight on Strategies (S.O.S) series, a must-see DEN favorite designed to provide teachers with simple yet effective instructional practices for using digital content to support student learning. To date, there are 70+ teacher tried and tested strategies featured on the DEN blog, and with permission from Discovery Education, I am now featuring some of these techniques on my space. So, enough of that. Let’s fast forward to the really good stuff… This week’s spotlight—The Question Is…—is a formative assessment strategy that can be utilized to guide instruction, intervention planning and delivery.  Background Formative assessment can help teachers better understand what students have learned as they progress through a unit of study. As a result, it’s important to find creative, effective and efficient ways to incorporate ongoing formative assessment. This strategy is easy to implement, requires no preparation, and uses materials commonly found in most classrooms. Yep, all you need is the answer to a pre-determined question and some sticky notes for student use. And best of all? It works in any classroom, with any age group! The Question Is… technique is also a good springboard for classroom discussion, if students are asked to justify the questions they are posting, and obviously, it affords students an opportunity to practice formulating questions as well. Now that I have your attention, all you have to do is click here to snag a PDF version of this super cool strategy which includes info related to materials needed and step-by-step instructions for utilizing the The Question Is… strategy in the classroom. There’s even a video overview you can check out here. Pretty cool, eh? And last, but certainly not least, here’s a visual to get those wheels turning… Better yet—click here to check out the entire S.O.S. series on the DEN blog! So, there you have it: Another S.O.S. trick to add to your edtech toolbox. Stay tuned for additional ways to activate learning in your classroom… Like what you see? Then take the digital integration challenge by trying to implement the Half the Story strategy and/or one of these additional ideas into a classroom lesson: » Reading Between the Lines » ABC Summary » 6-Word Stories » What Did They Say? » A-E-I-O-U » Snowball Fight » Whittle It Down » Concept Circles » The Envelope Please » Get Venn-y with It! » MVP » Partner Time » Half the Story

I’ve previously featured Tackk on this space, but I’m back again—this time to share another example of how this super cool tool can be used in education. Need a way to visually communicate important info, videos and links to your colleagues during a professional development session? Then Tackk just might be your answer! The Back Story: My District recently adopted the Class Messenger tool across the K-12 spectrum to communicate with parents and students about the happenings in the classroom and at school in general. Along with the elementary principal, yours truly was not only responsible for introducing the new initiative to our staff, but for training them to use the tool as well. That said, instead of distributing a traditional paper handout, I created the digital flyer shown below to use as a visual, a landing page for a video overview of the tool and a "cheat sheet" containing access to the site as well as other useful "quick links" for teachers to become familiar with the use of this new resource. View full version on Tackk Create your own customized Tackk page Click here to view a full screen version of this Tackk. In addition to including web links and inserting videos and images, Tackk pages can also accommodate all sorts of embeddable content, audio, maps, forms and there’s even an RSVP option. Users do not need to register for an account to create a Tackk; however, unregistered pages expire after seven days, so I would highly recommend creating an account—especially if you plan to use content you develop over an extensive period of time. Classroom Connection: In addition to utilizing Tackk for professional development purposes, the image shown below highlights a variety of ways Tackk can be incorporated into the classroom. And besides that, users can check out the education section of Tackk which includes examples and ideas for using this cool tool with students. Some of my favorite ways to incorporate Tackk into the classroom include the ability to develop digital assignments, flip classroom content and/or to blend learning lesson materials. Students can also create digital portfolios to showcase photo, video and/or audio projects. Imagine a Tackkboard filled with student-generated media! Oh, and there’s also a comment section automatically generated for each Tackk, so an instant discussion forum is available for you and your students!

As Quincy Jones once remarked, "I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain’t that the truth." That said, Edu-fun Friday is a series devoted to adding some humor to the lives of teachers who visit this blog. After all, there’s nothing better than ending the week on a positive note! Plus, do we have the best topics to provide us with some comic relief or what? The funniest thing is that a similar situation really did occur with a few of my students referring me to their social media pages when I asked them questions about their summer vacations. I tried not to laugh, but I did—alot! And so it begins: Another year and another edtech adventure, for sure!

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest web tools that can be added to your edtech toolbox for the upcoming school year! » Long Div An excellent interactive math site which helps students learn and practice long division. » Craftyy A fun site in which users can create or remix games to make their own adventures. Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Hey, tech gurus! It’s Tuesday, which means I’m back and ready to get this school year rolling with new segments of "Tech It Up Tuesday", a series devoted to sharing an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the classroom setting. So, here’s the first feature of our 2015-16 adventure: Wordmark.it, a web utility that allows users to preview a word of their choice with the fonts installed on their computer. OK, so if you’re like me, you might just have an addiction to fonts. I download them more than music from the iTunes Store, which is saying a lot of a lot. The only problem with all that is trying to remember the crazy font names as well as what each one looks like when you want to utilize one of them. No matter what the project, I sometimes spend more time browsing through my font list to find the perfect style of lettering as opposed to the content itself—sigh! Well, thanks to Wordmark.it, gone are those days of wasting hours of your life trying to locate that one typeface. Yep, this nifty tool takes the guess work out of designing your next project—a classroom newsletter, directions for an activity, a presentation or even a new logo. And it’s as simple as this: Access the site, type in a sample word or phrase, click the "load fonts" button and bang! You’ll get a preview that looks like the one shown below. After the computer loads a preview of all fonts installed on your machine, you can click on those you like followed by the "filter selected" button at the top of the page to show a side by side comparison of your choices. Other features include the "negative" option, which provides users with a glimpse of what the fonts look like in reverse—meaning white lettering with a black background. You can also select to view your fonts in different sizes as well. And lastly, if you need some advice from some of your font obsessed friends, you can also share and solicit feedback about your selected typefaces from others, save the list or even print a copy of it. Of course, you’ll need to register for an account if you want to resort to these drastic measures. Classroom Connection: You and your students can save time when creating documents, presentation and/or graphics by using Wordmark.it to preview exactly what your words will look like when using certain fonts. In addition, art or graphic design teachers could even utilize this site to demonstrate design aspects of different fonts. I personally think it’s pretty cool and useful to be able to view all of my fonts laid out in a grid-like format on one screen as opposed to messing around with a bunch of annoying drop-down menus to see what my projects might look like in print. OK, maybe it’s because I’m a font junkie. If you’re not, be sure to check back later this week… I’ll have another tech gem waiting just for you!

Whether you choose to focus on the events that occurred in our country on September 11, 2001 for one class period, or maybe you’re planning to incorporate a special project in honor of the countless American heroes that emerged on that day… Either way, utilize the resources located within the interactive image shown below to connect classroom curriculum to a day Americans will never forget. Be sure to hover over the image to reveal a variety of "hotspots" containing 9/11 lesson plans and activities. Click here to access a full-screen version of this image. Also, if you’re a Flocabulary fan, they just released a new video, Week in Rap Extra: 9/11, which explains what happened on September 11 and why, the terrorist group responsible for the attack, how the U.S. responded and how the country and world continue to remember the lives lost that day. Check it out here! Classroom Connection: Most of our students were too young to fully understand what occurred on September 11. The resources—videos, primary source documents, images, timelines and maps—can provide some background information that can lead to classroom discussions, writing activities, projects and/or research about this event in American history.

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest web tools that can be added to your edtech toolbox for the 2015-16 school year! » Classroom Authors Students can become published authors with this free online writing platform. » Riddle A web tool that can be utilized to create interactive content such as quizzes, lists, polls and more under 60 seconds or less! Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Time for the next tech-isode in my "Tech It Up Tuesday" series in which I will share an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the educational setting. This week the focus is on Knoword, an online word game that can help boost vocabulary, spelling, and speed of thought while increasing analytical, observational and typing skills as well. Knoword is a pretty simple and straightforward web resource to use. Begin by selecting the level of difficulty from the menu at the top of the home page—Novice, Hotshot or Wizard, click the big blue "Let’s Go!" button, and let the fast-paced fun begin! When users begin a new game, they are given one randomly generated dictionary definition along with the first letter of its corresponding word and one minute to solve the problem. The object of the game is to fill in the remainder of the word as fast as possible. Points and and additional time is earned based on how accurately and quickly the answers are provided. Don’t know the word? No problem! Just hit the skip button and a new definition will appear. The initial screen looks something like this: Since I entered the correct answer (Boom!), here’s what happens next: At the end of a game, users receive the following data: Perfect! Of course, I don’t hear that word very often so I was more than happy to receive these results—even if it was after only one round of play! Anyway, users do not need to register for an account to play Knoword, but creating one provides users with the option of keeping track of game statistics. Registered users can also earn badges based on their performances. Classroom Connection: Whether this site is used independently, in small groups or as a competition in a whole class setting, Knoword is a fun yet challenging game that can be used to reinforce students’ vocabulary, spelling and keyboarding skills. It would also be a great resource for students preparing to take the SATs. FYI: Based on the difficulty of the words I’ve encountered while experimenting with this resource, I would recommend that Knoword be utilized with middle and high school students.

OK, so here it is… Technology is everywhere. It’s basically twisted and tangled into every part of our lives in some sort of way. It impacts how we work, socialize, shop, play, and most significantly, how we learn. With devices, tools and apps increasing their presence in our lives, it only makes sense for educators to influence the learning process with relevant and real world technologies. Check out the nifty infographic shown below, one that illustrates ten ways in which going digital can create more meaningful classroom experiences for students. A shout out to Sylvia Duckworth for creating and sharing this very useful visual. Click here to view a full screen version of this sketch note. Classroom Connection: Use the infographic as a reminder regarding how technology can be used effectively in the classroom.

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest web tools that can be added to your edtech toolbox for the 2015-16 school year! » Portfoliogen Educators, teachers and students can showcase their skills and achievements with this free digital portfolio tool. » Kahrds An interactive learning website that allows users to create study sets that are transformed into games, flash cards and tests. Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Here it is: Tuesday again—which means it’s time for the next installment of "Tech It Up Tuesday", a series devoted to sharing an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the classroom setting. This week’s tech-isode features Kahrds, a free online interactive tool based on creating study sets, or flashcards. Here’s how it works: After creating an account, users have the option of generating a new set—which includes selecting a category, providing a name for the set, choosing the language and setting the visibility options: Private (access is restricted to the creator), Public (the set is listed in the Community Section) or Limited (only users with the direct link to the set have access). Once this section is complete, data can be entered into a new set by utilizing one of two methods: Typing each word and definition into the set or by using the "Import Kahrds" feature—which essentially allows the user to copy and paste info from another source. Besides generating "Flash Kahrds", this tool also automatically produces a variety of related activities that can be used to study the sets including Hangman, Crossword Puzzle, Pop Quiz, Quick Type and more! Just as an FYI: Most games require a minimum of ten cards to play. Kahrds will work on any device that can access the Internet—desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. and is available 24/7; however, there is currently no mobile app offered for this tool. Classroom Connection: Flashcards are one of the simplest and most common ways to introduce a concept, practice a concept or study for a quiz/test. That said, Kahrds can be used at any grade level in any content area to review topics both in and outside of the classroom setting.

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest "Cool Tools" and/or web resources that can be integrated into your classroom! » Meograph Create four-dimensional interactive stories using maps, videos, audio, images and links. » ExamTime Preparing for a test or just learning new concepts? This site has a group of tools to help you, including mindmapping, flashcards, multimedia notes and quiz generators. What a great assessment resource for teachers and students! Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

It’s just what every computer lab needs—a cool poster (like the one shown below) containing some general guidelines to help students make the most of their time tech-ing it up! Of course, all of these rules may not apply to your specific circumstances, but it’s a pretty good list to kick start your very own checklist of do’s and don’ts for your school’s (or your classroom’s) digital space. A shout out to B.E. Publishing for creating and sharing this useful visual! Purchase your very own copy here.

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for a few really cool tools and mobile apps that can be integrated into all sort of classroom activities! » Duolingo A fun, addictive and free way to learn one or more languages—Spanish, French, German, Italian and many others—anytime, anywhere on any desktop, laptop or mobile device. » iFunFace An iOS app that allows users to create funny videos of themselves and others by using a static image and a recorded message. Creating a funny video has never been so easy and so much fun! Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Now that you’ve had a chance to settle back into another year, it might be time for you to take the (unofficial) tech challenge. Yep, just check out the infographic shown below to read about a few really swell ways you and your colleagues can shake things up in your classroom(s) for the remainder of the school year. No matter how big or small your students may be, here are some excellent edtech ideas that can promote 21st Century change in any learning environment. Thanks to edtech-er Austin Gagnier for creating and sharing this useful visual—one that was found by sketchnote guru Sylvia Duckworth and transformed into this awesome image: Click here to view a full screen version of this sketchnote. Classroom Connection: Regardless of which version of the graphic you choose to read, post, share—use it to inspire change in your classroom, school and/or district! Just remember: The more we expose our students to real-world tools while completing relevant activities, the better we prepare them for life beyond our walls. You’ve got this!

Hey, edtech gurus! It’s Tuesday again and time to focus on another resource that can be utilized to tech out your classroom. This week’s focus is on fun and free educational games for students in Grades 1-6. In case you’ve never met before, here’s introducing Arcademic Skill Builders—a web site that can be used to boost basic math, language arts, vocabulary and thinking skills via research-based and standards-aligned arcade style games. The basic games located within the Arcademic Skill Builders resource are free to play without the need to login or create an account. However, a Plus package—which includes data reports, custom game content and video lessons—is also available for purchase. Of the 60+ activities available for use, the majority of them are multiplayer games, although some are geared toward single players as well. Several of the games are even enabled for play using a Nintendo Wii remote. How ’bout that as an option! Here’s a screenshot of the interface to pique your interest: Classroom Connection: As the tagline suggests Academics + Arcade = Fun. Hence, the name of the site: Arcademics. That said, use this really cool blend of online games and key educational skills to engage, motivate and teach students math and language arts skills.

As Quincy Jones once remarked, "I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain’t that the truth." That said, Edu-fun Friday is a series devoted to adding some humor to the lives of teachers who visit this blog. After all, there’s nothing better than ending the week on a positive note! Plus, do we have the best topics to provide us with some comic relief or what? I’m also old enough to remember playing tic-tac-toe with all that! xoxox

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest "Cool Tools" and/or web resources that can be integrated into your classroom! » Image After A free online photo collection that includes images and textures that can be utilized for personal, educational or commercial purposes. » MasterMath A website that offers a variety of math resources for middle school students including video lessons, practice worksheets, self-grading quizzes, downloadable worksheets and many more! » Flipbook Deluxe A web application that allows users to draw simple frame by frame animations that can be saved, exported to PDF and/or shared with others. Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Are you ready for another round of Tech It Up Tuesday, a series devoted to sharing an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the classroom setting? This week’s shout out goes to the LIFE Photo Archive powered by Google, a collection of unpublished historical images from LIFE Magazine that span from the 1750’s to present-day. This database containing millions of images—a joint venture between LIFE Magazine and Google—is completely free and very simple to use. Just access the site and then select a category of photos to browse (decades, people, places, events, etc.) or use the search option to locate the desired image. Once a photo is found, it can be downloaded to your device and utilized in multimedia projects, documents, presentations, etc.—so long as it has an educational/non-commercial use. Here’s an example of one of the really cool never seen before images I found after conducting a search using the key words John F. Kennedy. If you would just prefer to use the Google Images search engine to locate photos from the LIFE Photo Archive, then you can bypass the actual site by simply adding "source:life" to any search. The result? Only images located within the LIFE Photo Archive will be returned. (i.e. John F. Kennedy source:life). Give this advance search option a test drive! Classroom Connection: The LIFE Photo Archive is a great place to snag images that can be used for a variety of purposes: To introduce a historical topic and/or to spark a conversation about an event in history. These photos (or any photo as well as other media types) could also be utilized in conjunction with document analysis worksheets. Besides strengthening visual literacy, this concept is a great tool for use as bell ringers, pair share activities and exit tickets—all of which help to ensure that students are actively engaged with lesson content. Examples of Document Analysis Worksheets: Written Document (PDF) (HTML version) Photograph (PDF) (HTML version) Cartoon (PDF) (HTML version) Poster (PDF) (HTML version) Map (PDF) (HTML version) Artifact (PDF) (HTML version) Motion Picture (PDF) (HTML version) Sound Recording (PDF) (HTML version) The document analysis worksheets listed above were designed and developed by the Education Staff of the National Archives and Records Administration. You may find these resources to be valuable classroom tools as the use of images combined with instructional strategies and/or technology can… Spark interest and enthusiasm Engage the learner Provoke thought Provide clarity Encourage interaction Stimulate discussion Make connections to learning Address the four lenses of learning (meaning-centered, language-based, human, social) Enhance critical thinking skills Inspire creativity Strengthen literacy, including information and visual Promote a variety of 21st Century skills And the best part: Lessons, activities and projects using images can be designed and utilized in all content areas across the K-12 curriculum!

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest "Cool Tools" and/or web resources that can be integrated into your classroom! » Openclipart.org High quality, free for commercial and non-commercial use on cards, books, crafts, fashion, merchandise, and services. Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Hey, tech gurus! It’s "Tech It Up Tuesday", so hopefully you’re ready to learn about another resource that can be utilized in your classroom. This week’s feature, Resize Your Image, is not a new web app, but it’s definitely a very simple yet useful one that should be added to your tech toolbox. Whenever you need a quick and easy way to resize an image without having to use a full-size image editing tool like Gimp or Photoshop, then be sure to check out Resize Your Image. This utility allows users to upload an image, specify the desired dimensions and then download the resized image. Resize Your Image also provides users with rotation and zooming tools as well as the option to save in one of three file formats: jpg, png and gif. Not only does Resize Your Image allow users to modify the size of an image (in pixels), the tool also reduces the size of the actual file itself. Classroom Connection: Use Resize Your Image when you (or your students) want to reduce the pixels and/or overall size of an image for print, email and/or use in web sites, wikis and blogs. My Multimedia Journalism students and I love, love this tool! We utilize it frequently when preparing pictures for upload on our online school newspaper site. Be sure to check out The B-A BluePrint sometime!

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest "Cool Tools" and/or web resources that can be integrated into your classroom! » Flipgrid A web tool and iOs and Android app that allows teachers to create grids of short discussion-style questions that students respond to through recorded videos. A fun and engaging way to foster student creativity! Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Halloween and a full moon occurring during the same week—seriously? Is someone really messin’ with teachers this year or what! Well, this "perfect storm" is upon us so how about trying to preserve what might be left of your sanity by checking out some really spook-tacular collections of Halloween-themed resources that are sure to creep out all of those ghosts and goblins that live in your classrooms—in a good way, of course! Whether it’s writing prompts, science experiments, Halloween candy math, Edgar Allan Poe videos or haunted vocabulary, there’s something wicked cool awaiting you below on my recently updated Trick or Tweet greatest hits list: » The History Channel: The History of Halloween Bet you didn’t know Halloween is one of America’s favorite holidays, but what’s the real story behind the tricks and treats of Halloween? Find out by exploring this site filled with cool facts, figures, videos and interactives. » Scholastic: Halloween Trick or Treat for Facts and Fun Get your classroom in the Halloween spirit with these math and science activities, writing ideas, and crafts. Plus, use the Halloween-themed book lists to find a perfect read-aloud title or scary stories to share with your students for independent reading. » 7 Halloween Themed Educational Activities A collection of Halloween-themed games and activities curated by Richard Byrne, author of Free Technology for Teachers—apps, math adventures, safety games, typing activities, a web hunt and more! » It’s Halloween! A Pinterest board containing 90+ Halloween sites to celebrate Halloween by Edutopia. » The Best Sites for Learning About Halloween An assortment of all things Halloween by Larry Ferlazzo—A visual history, slideshows, vocabulary and spelling games, close activities, Halloween Around the World and Mia Cadaver’s Tombstone Timeout, one of the most favorite games found on the BBC site and more! » Halloween Activities A variety of educational sites for Halloween by 19 Pencils. » Fractus Learning 6 Spooky EdTech Tools for Halloween. » The JCISD EdTech Team A compilation of fun Halloween and fall web links and iOS apps for educators and students curated by a group of edtech-ers from the Jackson County Intermediate School District.  » Harry Kindergarten Music Check out my colleagues’s YouTube Channel for all sorts of original cool music videos for the elementary classroom, including the one shown below about October holidays. Classroom Connection: Use these resources to teach and learn about the Halloween holiday.

Time for the next tech-isode in my "Tech It Up Tuesday" series in which I will share an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the educational setting. And here it is… Looking for a way to watch YouTube videos with your students minus the distracting and sometimes inappropriate advertisements, comments, and other extraneous information that is included on the page? If so, ViewPure is the perfect tool for you! ViewPure allows users to copy the URL of a video into the "purifier". Once this link is inserted, the "Purify" button can be selected and bang! Your video is displayed on a clutter-free background. Videos can also be "purified" through the use of the ViewPure bookmarklet. Simply install the applet to your favorites toolbar, then click the "purify" button while on the YouTube page of the video you wish to filter and voila! Check out the example below showing how ViewPure works: » An Ancient Egyptian video from YouTube before using ViewPure: FYI: The actual URL for this video lives here. » The same Ancient Egyptian video from YouTube after using ViewPure: Click here to view the unique URL ViewPure generates for each video that is "purified". Classroom Connection: Use ViewPure to eliminate unnecessary distractions from YouTube videos so students can better focus on the content at hand.