iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

We’ve all used Bitmojis to express our feelings or send birthday wishes to friends. But have you thought about building a virtual Bitmoji classroom? Lots of teachers are building out their classrooms. It’s fun, and helpful too! The interactive elements allow students to click through to see assignments, documents, and websites.

All those ‘90s kids who used to try sneaking their Game Boys into class and playing discreetly under their desks—to no avail, of course—may soon be feeling like they were born in the wrong decade.

The gaming devices aren’t being treated as contraband anymore, at least not in the 100 K-12 schools that have welcomed Nintendo products into their classrooms this year to help students develop collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The classroom program, which began in fall 2018 and runs through the spring, pairs Nintendo technology with a curriculum designed by the Institute of Play to create a STEM-focused, hands-on learning experience that combines digital and physical elements.

Andy Yung has been teaching Pre-K in New York City for the past six years, and he works thoughtfully to incorporate technology into his instruction in a developmentally appropriate way. “When you think of tech in the classroom, everyone thinks of iPads and SMART boards,” he says. “But with younger ages, they’re often too exposed to screens, so I had to figure out how tech would look different in a Pre-K classroom.”

The verdict: a Roomba.

It turns out the disc-shaped vacuum cleaner, which uses sensors to autonomously zip around homes is also a great tool to teach students about robotics and empathy.

That escalated quickly! My post on using Fortnite in the Classroom became my most popular article ever. I was also lucky enough to be asked to chime in on EdWeek’s article on Fortnite and video games in the classroom. Through all this, I received dozens of emails, mostly positive, with many readers asking how they can get started integrating video games into their classroom. I’ve been integrating video games into my classroom for the last six years and I’ve come up with some best practices I’m happy to share.

Today’s students are hard wired with innate abilities to network using technology. By far, their current ‘technology of choice’ is the mobile phone. According to Cell Phone City Advocacy, “on average, an American receives his/her first cell phone at the age of 12.1 years old, just as he/she is starting middle school. In addition, 73% of teens, roughly 14.3 million, own a smartphone.” A recent study by Young Canadians in a Wired World, reveals that not only do 25% of Grade 4 students have their own mobile phone, but also, more than one-third of teens and pre-teens even sleep with …

You might watch Netflix, HBO Go, or Hulu Plus for personal use on your iPad, but while these may not always be appropriate for students, there are many free iPad apps for streaming video that will work great in your classroom. The days of running to the VCR to record a clip from a television program are long gone. If you want to hook students with a film clip, to connect your classwork to reality television, or to inspire children’s interest in a topic through educational programming, there are many apps that can be used to stream content on your iPad.

As educators, we hold a captive audience with our students. Our fear becomes our students’ fear, and our calm becomes their calm. Of course this is a burden that we have to carry. When most of us signed up to be teachers or administrators, we didn’t think that we would have to lead our students through events like 9/11, natural disasters, school shootings, and pandemics. But we do, and the reality is that this a burden we have to carry. We hold captive audiences whether we like it or not.

We love pool noodles! They’re bright, colorful, and make great manipulatives for reading, math, and beyond. Plus, this time of year, they’re so inexpensive to buy (you can even get them in bulk and shipped for free). Here are some of our favorite pool noodle uses for the classroom.

I am currently working in a Section 23 Kindergarten & Primary classroom in the Toronto District School Board, supporting students who have one or more exceptionalities.  In partnership with a multidisciplinary team, we develop an intensive program for our classes, which typically have up to seven students. I have found that one of the best ways to truly engage my students is by providing them with multiple rich, hands-on, STEAM experiences to develop their computational thinking and to help close achievement gaps. Our end-goal is to prepare the children for a smooth transition back into an inclusive classroom setting.

Comic books and graphic novels belong in every teacher's toolkit, says cartoonist and educator Gene Luen Yang. Set against the backdrop of his own witty, colorful drawings, Yang explores the history of comics in American education -- and reveals some unexpected insights about their potential for helping kids learn.

One of the best ways to effectively incorporate coding into your daily routine is to ensure students feel that it is an authentic and meaningful learning experience.

 

In this task, we suggest having students code the Olympic rings.  The Olympic Games provide us with many opportunities to discuss the science/psychology/love of sport, culture, geography, goal setting, marketing…. there really is no end to the cross-curricular connections that can be made.

 

For this particular task, we provide you with guided materials (see below) to get students started and also some challenges to raise the ceiling for those who are ready. 

We’ve all heard it before: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” That famous idiom (or is it a cliche?) first appeared in a 1911 newspaper and has been widely used since. In today’s society, however, the phrase has taken on a whole new meaning. Using images instead of text to convey ideas—known as “picting”—is becoming the norm among today’s digital-first students.