A Blog For Education

Collaborating in the classroom leads to great ideas. Being able to hear what others are thinking can really open a pathway to better learning. Thankfully, there are tools that allow teachers to create a learning space full of great ideas. Padlet is just one of the tools that allows teachers to turn the classroom into a collaborative and creative learning space.

With Padlet, a teacher can open a wall. On this wall, students can reply to questions in real time. The student would type a reply or an idea and it would post to the wall. This is a tool that is used in one of my classes and it allows us to work in small groups, post our reply on the wall, and share in an effective time limit. Students are able to be as creative as they want or the teacher can use Padlet for a simple Q&A session. Either way it allows students in the classroom to collaborate and create.

Check out these students using Padlet in their classroom!

This lesson plan I found shows a great multi-step way to incorporate Padlet. Teaching the lesson and then using Padlet to create a dialogue is a way to include all students, collaborate, and identify that students are following the lesson. This lesson plan requires students to work together to discuss what they expect from their peers as well as how they feel they should act. It is a great way to include the students and then hold them accountable for how they feel the classroom should behave.

Have you ever used Padlet? What other ways could this tool be used to create a collaborative learning environment?

There are so many ways Technology helps us. We have a world of knowledge right at our fingertips. However, there are circumstances we should put the phone down. Twitter does not need to know about all of the negative events that happen in the classroom. These posts are permanent and could be viewed as a reason for termination.

Making negative comments or “trash talking” is not a good look. Yes, sometimes the days can be long and sometimes your boss or even students may make it rough. However, social media is not the place to vent. Remember, it is your job to encourage and help your students grow. Bashing them on a public forum is not doing either of those things.

Sometimes we need a break. We are human, it happens! Sometimes, we even tell a white lie to take these breaks. However, taking a sick day and posting anything but being sick is not okay. I live by the beach, it is often calling my name, I get it. Posting a picture of your toes in the sand is not going to make an employer happy when you called out sick. Use a vacation day for that or don’t post about it!

There are occasions where your current employer isn’t cutting it. Whether it be for differences with staff or just the need for personal growth, at some point we move on. Looking for a new job while on the clock is not a great idea. Not only could this get you fired, but it could essentially get you a bad reference for a future employer. There is a time and place for everything, that applies to job searching as well.

Click here if you would like to learn more ways technology can get you fired.

Do you know someone who has been fired due to technology?

Hello! Welcome to my first blog post. As someone who prepares to enter the Education field, I think it is really important to keep up with the ever changing tools available. After searching Twitter using the hashtag educationaltechnology, I found an article that really stuck out to me. The article titled: Education technology makes waves in Silicon Valley, Bay Area by Natasha Singh talks about three apps that have recently been trending in the Education field.

The first app Singh discusses is the Remind app. This is an app I have used for my own children as well as in the classroom. It allows teachers and students or teachers and parents to communicate in real time. It can send pictures, texts, reminders, etc. It not only helps the students, but it also helps keep teachers on track.

The next app Natasha talks about is Edmodo. This was one I have not heard about, so I did a little research. It is a tool that allows teachers to analyze what tools will improve their students learning. It also allows the students to engage through the app and essentially learn more interactively.

Khan Academy is the last app Natasha Singh talks about. This is an online classroom that has been proven successful. Khan Academy takes the traditional ways of learning and puts a spin in order to provide for those who may not learn in traditional settings. They are constantly developing and reimagining the tools used in education.

Check out this video to see how Remind works!

Thank you for checking out my first blog post! Let me know if you have used any of these apps or if there are any you think are awesome!