CUE 2016: Top FIVE… for now

Almost the End of CUE and here is what made my short list!

  1. Slack– a communication platform for teams and collaboration. Allows separate channels with different audiences and very useful search features. Great video-worth the 2 minutes!
  2. Drawp for School: Student friendly way to draw, type, record BUT what makes this program unique is the seamless method of sharing and the ability for teachers to assign work.
  3. Custom Search Engine by Google– Create your very own search engine with websites or domains that you approve! MY SAMPLE 
  4. Search for a Primary Source with Google Newspaper Archives It shows images of newspapers from a specific day- so many primary resources at your fingertips!
  5. Discovery Education STEM resources-Free curriculum and professional development for STEM

Hope you will have a chance to check these out.

Applying Teaching Strategies in the TECH classroom

This week I attended a training that taught the Reader’s Workshop strategies as developed at Columbia University. The trainer was modeling a lesson on how to use “Think Alouds” when reading a book to your class. It was a strategy I had learned in my Master’s program and it made me miss my days of teaching reading!

But what really struck me was how much this strategy needs to be utilized when teaching technology. I have always known that in order for reader’s to understand how to read, they have to be guided with modeling and given SEVERAL opportunities to practice this SKILL.

This week when I was teaching the beginning research skills I took this to heart. As I designed the lesson I asked myself the following questions: How can I model what I am thinking as I research/search the internet? How can I give the students an opportunity to practice this skill? How can I apply the reading strategies they are learning to this different format of “reading”?

To develop students use of technology, sometimes we need to think less about the technology and more about the thinking, strategies, and practice we are giving students to build they SKILLS they will need for the 21st Century.