Art of Tek

  Discovery Education has come a long way since its inception. Unfortunately, it is not free, however, most districts I know do have a license to this amazing resource. This started out as just a way to watch Discovery videos at school, however, it now has so many more features. You can make Assessments from the videos you show, create PLCs and Educator Networks, classrooms to show content to certain classes, and create content by standards. You can also create Channels that align with your subject, content, and grade level. They have great historical and current events in their database. It is great for all ages and content areas. They even have an SEL section.  It also begins to make suggestions for you after a while from what you show in your class on your channel.  You can also create boards with content and quizzes you can share with students or educators. You search the database for the videos and then you make the questions to go with the videos.    ...

 In searching the Blog I follow Dangerously Irrelevant, I was lead down a bit of a rabbit hole this week. However, it lead me to a topic and a page I believe we are all facing right now, Compassion Fatigue. According to George Couros (2021),   at the heart of innovation are people, not stuff. If we always keep that truth at the forefront of our work, we are more likely to create an innovative culture.” What has come to the forefront of everything that is going on right now in and out of education is that people are at the heart of learning and innovation.   It isn’t technology. It isn’t a cool new program. It isn’t any initiative. It is people. People bring great ideas and learning to life and humanity to our schools. Being human, when we are so focused on digital tools, is more critical than ever.  This has always been true, but it is more apparent than ever. I know many schools across the world of education have emphasized social-emotional learning for th...

I know Flipgrid is not new to a lot of us, however, I am going to talk about how I use it in my classroom. I like to use Flipgrid as a tool for critiquing artwork. Students often feel shy to talk about their artwork. However, they love to make videos! I have found that if I assign Flipgrid critiques, they are all too excited to talk about their artwork. When we do critiques we use the model of two Glows and a Grow. After students do a critique of their own artwork, I then set the feature so students have to respond to two students' videos with the same criteria, much like a discussion board, but in video format. They love this style of critique in my class.  Here is an easy to follow infographic to get you started if you have not explored Flipgrid Another feature I really enjoy and my students love is the Mixtape tap feature.  Flipgrid has come a long way since the beginning and is always updating its features. It has been a great way to connect my in-person and virtual studen...

 I wanted to continue with this theme of so many of you returning to the classroom. While I have been in the classroom since August, I know returning after a year may seem overwhelming and somewhat futile for only two months. Mcleod notes, "i n the rush to serve children and families and create new modalities of learning and teaching during the coronavirus pandemic, I wonder how many school systems gravitated toward greater ‘command and control’ and how many embraced ‘a few key principles … with high levels of autonomy for individuals within that system.’ I also wonder about the organizational contexts and leadership mindsets that fostered one or the other, as well as which approach worked better"(2021). I feel my district rushed into decisions for our school year and did not give us time to fully bring new modalities to fruition. I have had a sense of learning with the students all year. We have been Hybrid, except for the first three weeks, everyone was virtual. I hope my d...

  Deadname Remover Extension This extension has been a great help for our LGBTQIA+ students who are virtual. We are using Google Meet and it forces the students to use their legal name. At the begging of the year, a lot of our Trans and Non-Binary students were not showing up to class because they did not want their deadname to be on the screen. At first, the principal was against this extension, but once I showed her that extension was safe, she got on board so that students would start coming to class.  It is a very simple extension to use. The user simply puts in the name that they want to use and clicks to hide their deadname when signed in to any application. I know Zoom will let you use any name. However, Google Meet in our district is set up so that you have to use the name associated with your school district email.  Here is an easy-to-use infographic of how to use the extension.  If you have been trying to find ways to be any Ally to your LGBTQIA+ student po...

Since a lot of you have been teaching virtual and will be returning to the classroom soon, I thought this conversation pertains to you and made some valid points. I have been teaching Hybrid myself since August and can say it is exhausting. However, once you figure out what works for you and your students, it is manageable. I have also found teaching Hybrid to be a gateway to Blended Learning. With my experience this year, I am looking forward to doing a Flipped Classroom next year. I do not think if this year had not happened, I would not be as open to this idea. Below is a video on how it works, the controversy, and how to build your HyFlex classroom. I feel like HyFlex and Hybrid are interchangeable and are being used as the same concept just in different regions.  The HyFlex course design is built upon four fundamental values: (1) Learner Choice, (2) Equivalency, (3) Reusability, and (4) Accessibility. Each of these pillars has a corresponding guiding, or universal, principle f...

  If you are using Google Meet and are struggling with keeping up with attendance, this is a must-have for attendance. I know for me teaching Hybrid, I have Four options that I can put into my attendance, so mistakes can be made easily! This extension has helped me be able to go back and correct my attendance later, without any questions on whether I the student was on campus, virtual, absent, or tardy. It is all there in the extension. For a much better explanation, watch the tutorial video below. And if you are not using this valuable extension or are about to go into Hybrid teaching, you must start using this! Since we all love data so much, this extension is just a great way to keep track of our kiddo's attendance. It also helps you when you are gathering information for IEPs, 504s, or RTI information. They are also constantly updating the extension with new features. The newest one is a ghost feature. It tells you how long the students have been idle on the meet. This tells me...

  We know from research that students can have more robust learning experiences when what happens in school is relevant to their lives, helps them connect to a larger purpose, and is grounded in a sense of belonging (Mcleod, 2020). Unfortunately this week there was not a new post. However, this was a very powerful statement, and one I thought was worth revisiting.  This harkens back to culturally responsive teaching. I know for my class when I introduce Art History that students can relate when they are seen and are more engaged with their learning. Also, when I do assignments that relate to their culture directly students want to complete their art, instead of pulling teeth. Currently, we are working on  Trompe l'oeil Food Sculptures. Trompe l'oeil means to trick the eye. Students have to create a piece of food art that is so realistic you question if it is real or made out of clay. To make this culturally responsive, I have students make food that they traditionall...