Technology for All Learners

What is the need?  When hearing the word "assessment," one thinks exams and that there are no do-overs if you make a mistake. For many, this is how we are taught as well as how it feels to take state-mandated achievement tests each. This is not the only data that sums up the student’s learning over the school year. Assessments are completely different from before and today is one of the most powerful tools to impact students, it allows us to think Where am I going? Where am I now? How can I close the gap?   I had connected James Yanuzzelli, a Schoology Representative and had the opportunity to talk with him about the use of assessments in Schoology. This platform allows educators to build amazing assessments, where teachers can manage quizzes and materials and review results. This promotes communication and enhances learning. The educator can attach a range of assessments such as discussions, quizzes, packets and much more that can be given b...

The global connection resource that I had discovered is so much more than just a pen pal, it is an exchange between classes that connects one another to build empathy between individuals, cultures, traditions and much more. Kind Healthy snack Founder and CEO mission were to create diversity, inclusion, and empathy to be an important character trait. He launched Empatico, a digital platform that has given classrooms the opportunity to learn from one another. I learned about this resource from Jacqui Murray, a technology teacher that has published hundreds of teacher’s resources on her blog What is the need?  What is needed for Empatico is a computer with a camera, engaged and excited students who are willing to participate and collaborate with other students to solve problems of today, tomorrow and the future. Using technology promotes teamwork and allows students to collaborate on projects linking each other’s ideas. A problem you are trying to solve Unfor...

            In this week’s blog, I had learned about a social media community platform from Mr. Tullock, a Twitter user, called GoBubble. In his classroom, he uses social media within the classroom community for students to learn from one another and to teach students digital citizenship. Schools can use GoBubble to communicate with other children around the world. We need to accept the fact that our kids love social media. For schools to provide students an opportunity to use safe alternative social media to collaborate on school projects and send messages on the app can help teach students the importance of safety on social media. The difference between GoBubble and Facebook is that schools sign students up, with parental approval rather than children signing themselves up. It puts an end to unwanted friend request; cyberbullying and it allows students to take advantage of the benefits of using social media without the negativity. This app was created b...

                  Subscribing to Carl Pullein's YouTube channel which is about productivity, time management, and self-development has helped me begin to explore how to organize my life and students’ lives. His motto is, “Coaching, for when you need that little extra help.” There are many practical teaching suggestions for using technology to organize one’s life. One particular app, Evernote, can be used by the teacher and student when organizing notes. Evernote maximizes an educational experience. Note taking and notebook sharing should feel more natural. In our lives, we share things all the time such as photos, recipes, lessons, videos, notes, and much more. Evernote allows educators to share notes to a classroom community. For many including myself, it can be difficult to focus on note-taking and learning from the teacher at the same time. I know many times I would pass out notes to students and at the end of a less...

                             Many teachers are constantly looking for ways to assess students effectively and efficiently. To ensure that the 21 st -century learner is comprehending the material using a variety of assessments to check for understanding, technology can make a huge impact. It is extremely difficult to hide from technology, it is everywhere and it has made its way into the classrooms all around the world. When searching for an app that allows teachers to collect and share student tutorials to a larger community, from the blog  The Educators Guide , I was interested in one particular post about Flipgrid. Flipgrid can be used to teach other classmates and one another through their responses. A teacher can  ask a question assessing a particular objective and have students record themselves and explain their thinking and reasoning. Flipgrid is a great way for students to take own...