In this brief review, I talk about a recent podcast I listened to by Carol Nelson! I highly recommend this podcast for anyone interested in integrating the use of mobile devices into their classroom.
Engaging Students Using QR Codes Podcast
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Recently I watched a webinar from Education Elements on the changing landscape of education. Throughout the webinar a plethora of education issues were addressed from the teacher shortage, to the live-streamed classrooms during the pandemic, and even challenges district’s are facing in writing new curriculum. While many “band-aid” solutions have been put in place, this webinar examines how long-term sustainable solutions can be found. Watching this webinar provided me with insight on how to make my classroom equitable, fair, and dynamic. Moreover, it helps put district issues into perspective on a large. This webinar is perfect for those who wish to find answers to the complex issues presented in education today.
The average class uses 833 pieces of paper per student per year. If a school was to have 100 teachers, this would almost to 250,000 sheets of paper. The result of this? Thousands of dollars spent on just paper, not including the cost of printers, ink, toner and everything that comes along with the cost of handing out paper. If the sheer amount of paper being used isn’t enough to make you think in a more eco-friendly way, the electricity saved, CO2 emissions not given off might help you think otherwise. Educators that have taught through the pandemic know this is completely possible. If nothing else, the children we teach will be in an almost completely paperless and tech-driven world when they enter the work force. It is our responsibility to have them prepared for the future as best possible. In this video review, youtube and educator joyceclp breaks down how she has created a paperless classroom from scratch.
In 2022, there is almost no way of escaping the technological changes that are shaping our classrooms. One of the best tools to help embrace this is Google Classroom. This google app is essentially an online classroom that allows students and teachers to communicate instantly from the comfort of their home, among many other things. Using this app, students can communicate on homework, watch lecture slides, view the day’s powerpoint and work on projects. Not only does it help student’s communicate with each other, but it allows educators the ability to post in-class topics and save them to the app, so the material can be used whenever (it also features some automatic grading! In this video Michelle Ferrè gives an overview of some of the ways in which Google Classroom can be used. She is her school’s E-coach, and a 4th grade teacher. Having an E-coach is a great way for schools to have a leader in integrating technology into their curriculum. This video will be of great help to those who don’t have experience using Google Classroom!
On May 19th, Dr. Eric Carbaugh held a webinar on differentiated instruction. Throughout the hour long webinar, Dr. Carbaugh showcased a variety of strategies, techniques and approaches, all of which allow educators to integrate differentiated instruction seamlessly into their practice. One of the most memorable quotes from Dr. Carbaugh’s webinar centered around differentiated instruction as way to reach all students, not simply targeting learners with special needs. Dr. Carbaugh stated that “Instead of teaching to the ‘hypothetical average’ within the class, focus designing your classroom around the edges”. In order to accomplish this educators must first recognize that all students are different, and then respond to these differences in a thoughtful way. Participating in Dr. Carbaugh’s webinar was a treat, as it allowed me to reflect on my own instruction and how differentiation needs to be a crucial part of it.
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