Welcome to Teaching w/ Tech! Below are links to my blog entries, as well as my conference presentations.
Teaching w/ Tech is my personal blog site. The posts below represent me and my opinions.
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Being Purposeful with Teacher Clarity
Being Purposeful with Teacher Clarity
To be a responsive and productive PLC, we know we have to clearly define what students need to know . We've gone through and will continually go through the process of defining essential standards and prerequisite skills to ground our PLC work. How can we take that work, not only utilizing it for collaborative PLC time, but for daily in our classrooms for student success? Read More
To be a responsive and productive PLC, we know we have to clearly define what students need to know . We've gone through and will continually go through the process of defining essential standards and prerequisite skills to ground our PLC work. How can we take that work, not only utilizing it for collaborative PLC time, but for daily in our classrooms for student success? Read More
Collaborative and Formative Assessment Tools...From a Distance
Collaborative and Formative Assessment Tools...From a Distance
This blog isn't about middle school dance songs, it's about identifying tools that you can use in your classroom with your students, from a distance. Read More
The Recipe for Remote Learning Engagement
The Recipe for Remote Learning Engagement
Engaging or re-engaging disconnected learners isn't an easy task. Adding in the element of remote learning has increased our numbers of disengaged learners. So what do we do? Read More
What's in Your Blended & Remote Learning Toolbox?
What's in Your Blended & Remote Learning Toolbox?
Blended...Virtual....Cohorts...Remote...Synchronous....Asynchronous...can all be a bit overwhelming these days. The goal of this edition of Teaching w/ Tech is to highlight some updates and tools that hopefully add to your blended and remote learning toolbox. Read More
Increasing Parent Communication with Google Classroom
Increasing Parent Communication with Google Classroom
With our continued use of Google Classroom, a common area of need tends to deal with parent communication. Google Classroom is an ever-growing tool that is intended as a student landing page, not really for parents. However, that doesn't mean there aren't ways for us to increase parent communication with Google Classroom. Read More
Increasing Student Engagement During this Pandemic
Increasing Student Engagement During this Pandemic
As we enter week seven of COVID-19 Remote Learning, many of us (educators) are struggling with student engagement/participation. This post hopefully will share some solutions. Read More
Goodbye Hangouts, Hello Google Meet, Heck Yes...Meet within Classroom!
Goodbye Hangouts, Hello Google Meet, Heck Yes...Meet within Classroom!
With everything lately, what was normal yesterday is no longer today. This past week Google contributed to our changing times with some re-branding and a really great feature release.
Using Tech to De-Clutter Your Classroom Perimeter
Using Tech to De-Clutter Your Classroom Perimeter
As we approach Spring time and Spring Cleaning, I want to share some research and some tools to help de-clutter your classroom walls. Before we get to all of that, let’s start by doing a perimeter walk around your classroom. What do you see? I’m guessing you all sorts of posters and displays, in the form of anchor charts, student work, inspirational quotes, class pictures, etc.
A Purposeful Day at IMTS
A Purposeful Day at IMTS
Having been an educator my entire employed life, attending North America’s largest manufacturing trade show was a bit of a “fish out of water” experience for me. The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) is enormous, encompassing all of McCormick Place in Chicago with 115,000+ in attendance over the length of the five day show. The reason for the bus full of teachers and students was clear, we were setting an educational purpose.
Mindfulness with Tech
Mindfulness with Tech
As we embark on the end of the school year, managing the stress levels of ourselves and our students can be challenging. Mindfulness activities are a fantastic way to create a comfortable, relaxed, and calm classroom.
Take a Spring 'Tech' Break
Take a Spring 'Tech' Break
I understand that writing a tech blog about de-teching is pretty hypocritical. I'm like a dentist handing out candy! However, with Spring Break upon us, my hope is that you read this blog and it inspires you to have a tech-free or a less-tech Spring Break! In this version of Teaching w/ Tech, I will be sharing a simple 3 step plan to have "Spring 'Tech' Break". READ MORE
Entertainment to Engagement
Entertainment to Engagement
As we talk about best practices with technology use in the classroom, I love bringing up the SAMR model. If you are not familiar with this model, it basically looks at how/if the technology improved the learning....As we have these discussions around tech use, the number one word I hear is engagement.
"When using technology, the students seem more engaged" -A lot of people
The technology isn't engaging, it's entertaining. The engagement is in the INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE. READ MORE
Focused Time!
Focused Time!
Two weeks ago I hosted the third annual Tundra EdTech Tool Slam. For those of you who don't know about the event, it features a format where 10 presenters are given 4 minutes each to share an exciting new educational technology tool to use in the classroom. We always collect exit tickets from our attendees and the feedback is very positive, specifically around the amount of purposeful information that can be shared in such a short time.
As I reflected on this, I wondered how this could be replicated in daily lesson plans. READ MORE
Teach As A Coach
Teach As A Coach
I’ve spent the last 17 years as both an educator and as a basketball coach. In this edition of T w/ T, I’m going to break down what is best practice in basketball coaching and how that mirrors to the classroom. I’m really just describing best practices in instruction, but why is it easier to do on the basketball court compared to the classroom?
Let's Blend
Let's Blend
Blended learning is an educational buzzword that gets thrown around quite a bit. In this edition of Teaching w/ Tech, we will define what it is, what it isn't, and share some tools and resources around blended learning.
READ MORE
Memes, GIFs, and Emojis...Oh My!
Memes, GIFs, and Emojis...Oh My!
We live in a world that is both very digital and visual. Instead of written letters, many of my communications with my friends and family use images and animations. If we know that students are engaged in this type of communication, then why not tap into it.
'Tis the Season For A Holiday Security Check
'Tis the Season For A Holiday Security Check
As 2017 comes to an end, let's talk cybersecurity. Data breaches and cybersecurity attacks unfortunately were a popular topic this past year. In this edition of Teaching w/ Tech, I will share some scary cybersecurity statistics and ways you can protect yourself from becoming a statistic!
So now that we have all of this data, What's Next?
So now that we have all of this data, What's Next?
With the adoption of district screening tools (MAP, Star) and data warehouses (eduCLIMBER), summative assessment data has never been easier to access. In addition, online formative assessment tools (highlighted below) are growing in number and functionality. So now that we have all of this data, what's next?
Providing and Receiving Student Feedback
Providing and Receiving Student Feedback
According to researcher John Hattie, feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement. Hattie states that feedback given from the student to the teacher not only gives students a voice in their learning, but also makes the learning visible.
I’ve been creating my own Google Expeditions with Metaverse
I’ve been creating my own Google Expeditions with Metaverse
With the introduction of Google Expeditions in early 2015, many educators were excited to harness the power of virtual reality in the classroom. After all, who can question the power of 5th grade students being able to experience the battlefields of Gettysburg? Or high school biology students being able to visit the Great Barrier Reef? VR Expeditions can help create memorable, visual impressions and exploration. To me, however, the biggest thing missing from Expeditions was the ability to create my own content
Google Resources
Google Resources
The October '17 edition of Teaching with Tech includes Google Sites resources, going and staying Google help, video in the classroom best practices, and information on the instructional planning report in STAR.
Time for a Tech Check
Time for a Tech Check
As we continue to focus our work around student achievement, it’s important that our technology use supports our cause. I’ve used this space to reference the SAMR model in the past and you will see a similar message in my “Tech Check”list below.
Supporting Standards w/ SAMR
Supporting Standards w/ SAMR
When we dig into our grade level or discipline standards (Common Core, NGSS, etc.) and identify what it is our students are expected to master, one of the next logical steps is to develop activities that support the mastery of the content. As these activities are created, this is where differentiation has to be present.
Playing in the Positive
Playing in the Positive
This is a step away from my normal Ed Tech blog...Today's topic: Youth Basketball. After a weekend of watching 4th and 5th graders play in a state basketball tournament, I was inspired to share some of my observations.
Presentations and Projects
Presentations and Projects
A+ Integration (Slides to the Right)
A+ Integration (Slides to the Right)
Google Sites
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