Embedded Files
There are a ton of cool resources that fit in more than one place this is where I will put all my favs and a few that people have talked about a ton.
This button will give a very rough idea of the state standards at every level for each tested subject and computer science.
This is a HUUUUGGGEEE resource with tons of links to tech tools. (NOT MY RESOURCE)
PechaKucha
PechaKucha
I was so tired of students copy and pasting information and never really knowing what they were talking about. With PechaKucha you can have your students make presentations without words, each slide is only 20 seconds and it automatically advances. There are options for different amounts of times and number of slides.
Cricut
Cricut
One piece of equipment I enjoy having multiple of in my classroom and I look forward to pushing limits with is a Cricut Joy. I bought six of the first model Cricut Joys to have in my classroom and all of the students create an account and log in to Cricut and can create in there. This is where they created flowers for a garden, learned how to make a Christmas card, design, write and cut a postcard, and where eventually I will have them making obstacles, and create designs for a variety of things. I plan to push the limits further with circuits. With this I found I needed more machines for less waiting and for the price I chose the joys, recently however one of the bigger machines was on sale for $169. The joy was still the right choice for the space I have. The postcard above was made using a recycled food box. TIP on this one the size needs to be bigger and leave a place for the postoffice label spot. I don't think it will get there without something white to make it easily readable.
TikTok: Okay before you come for me hear me out! I totally understand not opening your classroom up to a TikTok account for a multitude of reasons, BUT you can leverage TikTok to help you out. First, you can learn so much if you are looking in the right places. I have learned more from kinder teachers I do not know about classroom hacks than I ever thought possible. Did you know there is a STEM button on TikTok? You can search for STEM/STEAM as well and even if you don't take that idea you can use it as a springboard for other awesome ideas! I do have caution though make sure you are not falling prey to the negativity around teaching. We have enough to do with out bringing that into your world.
thinglink.com : I ❤️ ❤️ this site. It has changed from free to $60 a year. However, if you had an account prior to now you can get a discounted rate of $30 with the discount code LEGACY50. This site is really cool as you can link things you find to a lot of different images. Below you see how I use it to record questions students have about our cup phenomena. BUT wait there's more! All of the upgrades can take it to a whole new level. Take a 360 tour and add your own questions, build scenarios, and take tours.
At this link I had the AI program generate a few tags. https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1797067097839239845
This site looks overwhelming but it is used to make 3D images. Even if you do not have a 3D printer you can definitely use this! Not only can you build 3D models, but you can also set up a classroom, circuits, and do coding as well.
https://www.thingiverse.com/ https://thangs.com/ https://www.printables.com/ https://cults3d.com/ https://www.sketchup.com/
3D Printing
3D printing can be a really fun thing to do. You may not want to design something yourself that's where sites like these come in handy. I recently had my son print pen adapters for my Cricut Joys so I can use non-cricut brand markers with it. I also had him print me materials to make geodesic domes. I know you can make knock-off legos and Kinex. I plan on making snappable molecules. A 3D printer can cost as little as $169 however if your classroom varies in temperature, I would suggest an enclosed printer like a Flash Forge. Flash forge is considerably more expensive but I think you will have a better experience without temperature changes.
Build a website: Google Sites like this site, Wix, and Weebly are just a few sites that allow you to build a site. Here is an example that a student did 5 years ago. I did not assist him in any way shape or form, and I have no idea if his information is correct anymore. https://loganjackson82.wixsite.com/website
https://flippity.net/ I know very little about this site. It looks like you can turn sheets into other kinds of cool resources. not just flash cards.
Digital Note taking/annotating: GoodNotes, Notability, Evernote
What I love about digital note-taking is the power of deciding if I want to write or type, what color to use, the thickness of my pen, the ability to write all over any file I upload, and when I want to look at their work they hand in a digital file in Canvas or can share it to google. I can walk anywhere in the room while projecting it from my iPad to my Apple TV. That means the naughty kid is out of luck!
The only downside is a lack of a stylus makes things tough. I have a class set of Logitech crayons. HOWEVER very cheap and inexpensive stylus can be bought to be used.
GoodNotes App: I personally use GoodNotes and have NEVER strayed. We have the entire middle school on Goodnotes. I use Canvas to store all my PDF files, and anything digital that the students need. When I am ready they pull up the file and drop it in good notes. This takes equal to less time than handing out paper copies and it is much harder for them to lose. They can not say they didn't get the paper as well.
Logitech crayon: https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/ipad-accessories/ipad-digital-pencil-crayon.914-000070.html
Cheap stylus: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PPBZH7K?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k0_1_5&=&crid=2H0I5WA76DRRI&=&sprefix=stylu
https://www.make.do/ This site is a sales site for kid-friendly tools! I recently found out that if you need more scrus you can 3D print your own.
Screen record with goodnotes/ notetaking app
I loved the idea behind flip grid, but with the internet and the filters it was constantly kicking kids out causing them to lose work. I stumbled upon this idea of using the screen record. On the iPad you have a little button that says turn on mic. This allows for students to draw and explain what they are drawing at the same time. I have found sometimes they can explain it better this way and it leaves less to interpretation. Check this out! This video was made by a 6th grade student.
Magic School AI
This site is SUPER cool. Let AI take a few things off your plate. The thing I used this for was for translating Karen Language. The language is not on google translate but it is here!
https://www.magicschool.ai/
Google Quick Draw:
This is a great brain break. AI tries to guess what you are drawing and it is getting better at it each time!
canva.com
I am constantly surprised by the number of teachers who have not heard of or used this site for designing pretty much anything! This site allows you to make worksheets, bookmarks, presentations, and so much more. Bonus! If you sign up for a teacher account the Premium version is FREE! Plus with the new AI feature, you can ask it to generate very specific pictures. Here are a few I asked for. Every Once in a while I will get some really strange looking pictures which actually ends up being quite fun.
I am a big fan of Jeopardy. This lets you build or browse through different Jeopardy categories.
CANVAS/ GOOGLE CLASSROOM
I am a Canvas user. It took time to figure out how to make Canvas work for me.
How mine is set up
Every unit is a button and each lesson is listed with the files below. Sometimes some videos go in the lesson and I put them in as well. Some people prefer modules and others prefer to upload files. I find that a one-stop shop is the way to go. Whatever floats your boat just make sure your students know where to find what they need.
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