Over the last few years, teachers have come to LOVE Google Jamboard!

But just when we settled into using it regularly, Google decided to take it away! BOO!

Have no fear! My friend, Tom Mullaney, is an expert on FigJam–your Jamboard alternative with endless possibilities!

Tom has been kind enough to share ideas from his TCEA conference presentation with us.

No TCEA FOMO for Shake Up Learning readers!

by guest author, Tom Mullaney

App Smashing with FigJam is going down RIGHT NOW at booth #2339 with @TomEMullaney He’s a Fig deal!! #FigmaEdu #FigJamFunhouse #FigJam #TCEA #TCEA24 pic.twitter.com/ws1EScGiRx

— Alex @ Figma Edu (@Alex_FigmaEdu) February 5, 2024

Google’s announcement that Jamboard is going away can cause teachers concern. All that work is gone, right? The good news is that one replacement option, FigJam, has an import from Jamboard feature. It also has App Smashing that solves a persistent problem: Students have too many tabs open on 11-inch Chromebooks.

App-Smashing with FigJam (YouTube Presentation by Tom Mullaney)

Say Hello to FigJam

FigJam is Figma’s collaborative whiteboard. Unlike Jamboard, it pairs with apps and websites teachers use. Students can use these apps directly in a FigJam, enabling one-tab learning instead of multiple-tab confusion.

Here are educational apps and websites students can use directly in FigJams.

Google Docs

Copy a Google Doc’s sharing URL and paste it into FigJam. Students can see the Doc in the FigJam and even edit it. Teachers can use this to have students enter responses to items in the FigJam.

Google Doc in a FigJam.

Google Slides

Teachers can add their Google Slides to a FigJam, allowing students to use sticky notes to answer a prompt related to the slides. Students can also edit a collaborative Slide presentation in a FigJam. 

A Google Slides presentation opened in FigJam.

YouTube

Copy a YouTube link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can watch it directly in the FigJam. Students can watch at their own pace and respond to a related prompt in sticky notes.

Two YouTube videos, a prompt, and blank sticky notes in a FigJam.

Google Books Ngram Viewer

Google Books Ngram Viewer compares the usage of terms in printed materials from 1500 to the present. It is a good resource for spurring student inquiry and questions about data and vocabulary terms. Copy an Ngram chart’s embed link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can interact with the chart directly in the FigJam. 

A Google Books Ngram viewer chart showing the use of “suffrage,” “nationalism,” “militarism,” “trench warfare,” and “shell shock” in books written from 1900 through 1930 is displayed in a FigJam.

NPR Audio

NPR audio segments cover a wide range of content teachers teach students. Copy any NPR audio file’s embed link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can play and replay audio and respond to prompts with sticky notes.

An NPR audio track, a prompt, and blank sticky notes in a FigJam.

ThingLink

ThingLink is a web-based app that allows students and teachers to add interactive “hotspots” to images. Copy a ThingLink’s sharing link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can click on hotspots in the ThingLink to see the link content, such as images, videos, and text.

A ThingLink displayed in a FigJam.

Felt Maps

Felt is a collaborative web-based mapping app similar to Google My Maps but with more features such as drawing, comments, text, YouTube videos, and hyperlinks. Copy a Felt map’s sharing link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can navigate the map and adjust the zoom right in the FigJam. Any maps students and teachers create can prompt collaborative activities in FigJam.

A Felt map displayed in a FigJam.

Other FigJams

One final edtech app smashes with FigJam: FigJam itself! Copy a FigJam’s sharing link and paste it into another FigJam. Collaborators can navigate the embedded FigJam and adjust the zoom. Students and teachers can embed FigJams to refer to prior learning and activities.

A FigJam embedded in a FigJam.

Conclusion

Students and teachers regularly use apps and websites for student creation and consumption. Accessing these in a collaborative file allows clarity instead of confusion. FigJam empowers collaboration and interaction with multiple files in one place. 

How will you App Smash with FigJam?

About Tom Mullaney

Tom Mullaney (he/him) is a former teacher who uses his Special Education and Instructional Design background to help teachers design inclusive lessons with creativity, collaboration, and fun. Tom’s education experience includes Special Education, Social Studies, educational technology coaching, and digital design. Contact him on Twitter, @TomEMullaney, or via e-mail, mistermullaney@gmail.com.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post Say Hello to FigJam: Your Jamboard Alternative with Endless Possibilities appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

In this episode, Kasey shares a new tool from Screencast-O-Matic: ScreenPal! This Chrome extension is a very robust screen recording tool. You can quickly add a video anywhere you type.

This is a great tool for teachers to communicate, leave feedback, record lessons, and more. AND it integrates with many of your favorite tools!

Meet ScreenPal–Your New BFF!

A few episodes back, in 186, Susan Vincentz, shared her takeaways from the FETC conference. Susan mentioned the Chrome extension ScreenPal. The more Kasey learned all this extension could do, the more she considered the possibilities for teachers. To find this Chrome extension visit the Chrome web store and search for ScreenPal. 

Listen to this article.

What Does ScreenPal Do?

“Easily record videos from any text box or comment field in your favorite browser-based apps, then share. Less typing, fewer meetings, better communication. Say it with ScreenPal!”

This powerful tool allows comments to come alive.

Once it’s added to Chrome, you will find the ScreenPal icon just about everywhere you have a textbox, as well as an icon near the bottom left of your browser.

You can record your screen, add an embedded video of the speaker, and even markup the screen with the drawing tool.

There are also a few special effects to really jazz up your videos! Add fireworks or confetti to emphasize what you’re sharing. It also provides fun heart effect icons floating through your video. The best way to see how this can help is to try it! 

The extension works in any place your web browser takes you. Of course, it works with most Google apps, including Google Classroom, but Kasey shares that sometimes an overload of extensions can cause them to be glitchy. All extensions don’t play well together, so there might be some issues. Mote and ScreenPal may not play well together, so it may be necessary to uninstall Mote before using it. 

ScreenPal and Google Classroom

This may be a match made in heaven! Now it’s possible to make video announcements using ScreenPal. You can share specific information or point out important links all within your announcement. Don’t forget there’s the drawing tool to add emphasis or write in extra information to the video. 

Typically in other applications or extensions videos like this will post as a link. Not with ScreenPal! This extension actually posts a thumbnail of the video. When students or your audience hovers over the video it plays in that same browser window. There’s no opening a new page or taking you somewhere new. It’s ready to go right there! 

*Related: How to Leave Video Feedback in Google Classroom

Communication Options

ScreenPal videos are a great way to give your emails that personal touch. Think of how personal a video reminder for parent-teacher conferences could be, or a back-to-school welcome video. Imagine how much more comfortable parents might feel having seen your face prior to meeting you in person. 

In today’s world of social videos, our students are so used to communicating in this mode. This can become a very personal option to reach your students. Video allows for your tone and personality to be unambiguous. 

Blended Learning

Whether you record your lessons for distance learning or like to have a recording for absent students, ScreenPal can help make that happen. Feedback is also an important aspect to have captured on video. Whether it’s teacher or peer feedback, a video recording would take up less time and allow students to share greater detail if they don’t need to write. 

The drawing tool can also be incredibly helpful for pointing out specific areas or working through a problem. It may be awkward with a mouse, but many devices allow for a stylus or even a touch screen. 

20 Ways to Use Screencasting in the Classroom

Using a recording tool such as ScreenPal has been a topic here on Shake Up Learning in episode 162, so here are a few of the ideas revisited: 

1. Recording a lesson
2. Reflection
3. Voiceover a presentation
4. Explaining a problem, solution, etc.
5. Voiceover an ePortfolio
6. Teach others a skill
7. End-of-year memories
8. SEL check-ins
9. Goal Setting
10. Planning or Collaborating
11. Tech Tips
12. Parent Newsletters or Announcements
13. Class Announcements
14. Fluency Practice
15. Absent Work
16. Feedback: Teacher and Peer
17. Comment Bank Videos
18. Collaboration
19. Welcome and Good Morning videos
20. Classroom Systems

What do you think? Will you try ScreenPal? Let us know in the comments.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post ScreenPal–Your New BFF! – SULS0189 appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

In this episode, Kasey explores the Notion application and how teachers and students can use it.

The more she learns, the more she loves it!

Notion is a great tool for teachers and secondary students.

Create a hub for your day, your class, your tasks, and link everything on one wiki.

Oh, and connect Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and even IFTTT.

This system will blow your mind!

Listen to this article.

Notion: a Great Tool for Teachers and Students

Notion is an app that acts as a workspace providing you with an all-in-one service for notes, organization, tasks, calendars, and so much more! Many refer to this app as their “second brain.”

When working on any digital project or content, there’s likely an abundance of tabs and open files crowding your desktop. It can be overwhelming to navigate all of those and feel productive. Notion helps to keep everything organized and in one place.

Get Started with Notion

To start, click here and set up a free education account. It’s also possible to create a group for students, however, they are only given 1,000 blocks which Vicki Davis says can be used up quickly. 

Notion works as a web-based app, mobile app, or you can download the desktop version.

The platform and templates shared in Notion are definitely geared toward higher education students. However, there is great potential for secondary students to utilize this platform. Notion works in the same way Wikis would work. If that’s not a familiar concept a wiki is basically an editable workspace. Notion is your canvas!

Notion uses blocks for organizing text, images, videos, links, tables, and databases. It’s possible to embed anything! An added YouTube video link will show an embedded video without needing to grab the embed code, although it’s possible to add those. 

(credit: Notion.so)

*Related: Productivity Tips and Tools for Teachers and Students

The menu on the left of the page is fully customizable and there are several template options to help get you started. It is possible to find user-created templates, some are free, and some come with a cost.

To help provide a visual next to the title, pages can show an emoji image.

That image is customizable to change the emoji or add an uploaded image. A cover image is also a possibility so that it looks more like a website than a document. Photos can also be pulled from Unsplash. 

Fonts are limited but hopefully, that’s not a deal breaker. The collaborative option can certainly make up for it. It’s possible to add comments for a space to work with a team or department. Students could use the space for collaborating on a group project or allow for a space to ask and answer questions.  

Templates in Notion

Notions shares a section of education-specific templates, which is a great place to start. Taking a look at the Teacher Home template is dynamic in that it consolidates everything onto one page. This hub provides a link to lesson plans, units, rosters, sub-plans, and standards. This page could be the place for all the places you visit frequently; it’s like a second brain. 

Another great template worth taking a look at is the lesson plan database. This is not just a table, it’s a way to track each lesson plan. Those lessons can link back to a Google Doc or Slide Deck, wherever your lessons are made the links can all be housed in the Notion page. It’s also possible to upload files. The table in this template also provides space to mark the date, status, type of lesson, and when it was created. Think back to how chips are used in the Google apps those are similar to how this template is set up. 

The Classroom Home template is set up to include introductory information about the teacher and course at the top. The next section provides links to important documents or pages such as a syllabus and class schedule. It even shows a section for classroom announcements. Of course, this is similar to any LMS that teachers might already be using.

*Related: Gmail Template in Google Docs!

What’s Possible in Notion

In other applications, handwritten digital notes from an iPad or tablet must be converted or saved as an image. With Notion those notes are easily imported without converting or taking extra steps to add them. 

As pages are created in Notion it’s possible to link those pages. There’s no need to open menus and click around looking for other documents. The super cool part of this is that within each of those links, it will produce backlinks. It’s also possible to link from other platforms such as Google. In a similar fashion to Google with the at symbol for calling up links, Notion uses a forward slash to call up a menu. There are integrations for OneDrive, Dropbox, and even IFTTT.  

Perhaps you’d like to see how Notion compares to Evernote or Onenote, check out this video. Another excellent source for an inside look at this app is to listen to Vicki Davis’ podcast episode on 10 Minute Teacher.

Notion AI

After the recording of this episode, Notion released an update that included some new AI functionality.

Here are a few tasks Notion AI can help you with right away:

• Generate summaries, action items & key insights from your notes
• Rewrite a doc to be more concise, or translate it to another language
• Brainstorm new ideas and first drafts when you’re writing something new

Learn more about Notion AI with this guide.

* This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase the paid version of Notion, we will receive a small commission.

Will you try Notion? Let us know what you think!

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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In this episode, Kasey chats with Shake Up Learning Team member Susan Vincentz about her favorite takeaways from the FETC conference.

Susan shares some awesome feedback tools from her own presentation, a little inspiration from the opening keynote, a new novel app, and some important AI thoughts. Come learn with us and get FETC takeaways!

Susan Vincentz is a technology integration specialist from Kentucky. She is also a part of the Shake Up Learning team. This was Susan’s first year presenting at FETC, the Future of Education Technology Conference. She shared several great technology tools for giving effective feedback. 

Listen to this article.

13 Awesome Feedback Tools for the Classroom

To begin her session, Susan asked the 25 teachers who joined her to discuss how it feels as a student to receive feedback, and then how, as a teacher, it feels when we hear feedback from an administrator. Often if that feedback is written, it can be misinterpreted. Hearing the tone along with the input can make a big difference. Susan shares 13 different options for teachers to share and differentiate student feedback. 

Here’s a link to Susan’s presentation (also embedded below).

1. Google Comments
2. Mote
3. ScreenPal
4. Edulastic
5. Flip
6. Voicethread
7. Talk & Comment
8. Padlet
9. Taut
10. Floop
11. Kami
12. Parlay
13. BoomCards

Within any of the G Suite apps, it’s possible to leave a comment feedback, but rather than just typing a message share a video, slide deck, or any information that helps them to make an improvement. If audio feedback sounds like an even better option, try using Mote. Better yet might be video feedback. ScreenPal, as a Chrome extension, integrates nicely with all the major LMS platforms. Susan even takes it a step further by suggesting that teachers use ScreenPal for creating video instructions inside Google Classroom rather than typing all the directions.  

Susan is happy to share her presentation slide deck where she’s added a few tutorial videos. The presentation includes several other common standbys, but one tool art teachers in her seminar were excited to learn about was VoiceThread. While it’s possible to use audio and video feedback, VoiceThread also includes images. Susan mentions this may be the right tool for students or teachers who need to reference a physical item like a book, notebook, or model. 

FETC Keynote 

Susan shares her takeaways from keynote speaker Daniel Burrus, who is a technology consultant for future innovation. His message focused on living a significant life rather than being focused on success. Success is more about self, whereas significance focuses on others. 

Burrus pointed out that education is in a state of change, and as educators, it’s essential to use the current trends to generate positive impacts and encourage forward thinking.  

Tools For Tomorrow

The Novel Effect

Leslie Fisher once again brought great tools to share at FETC. One great new tool that Susan learned about was an app called The Novel Effect. It can also be added to Chromebooks! It is a Freemium app, so what does it do? The library within the app includes many children’s books, so elementary teachers will really like this. Start by choosing the book you’ll read aloud to your class. Have the app open with the speakers and microphone turned on while you read. As you read the story, the app will provide sound effects to the action happening in the story. 

The free version of the app will allow you to read five books each month. To access unlimited reads of the 1,000+ books in their library, the cost is $39.99. 

More AI Conversation

Merlyn Mind

Susan attended a session from Merlyn Mind, a company that provides productivity AI technologies. They started the session by reminding the audience of all the places we are already using and loving AI in our life. From predictive typing to predicting your next favorite movie. Susan and Kasey discuss how often AI crosses our paths in a day, reminding us that AI is not going anywhere. As educators, it’s important that we continue to educate ourselves and consider how we can use technology for good. 

Susan reminds us how important it is to evaluate our questioning and assessments for students in relation to the possibility of copying an answer. Using AI as a tool is different than using it to provide answers. 

Kasey shares that Bill Gates has provided heavy financial support in ChatGPT and Microsoft is adding this technology to their search engine, Bing. Utilizing AI to summon answers to inquiries has become part of everyday life. It’s not going away! Blocking or locking this technology down is not what’s best to prepare students for the future. 

Consider the ways in which other technologies have evolved over the years. The current systems today will become better and change. One version of ChatGPT has already evolved into a new premium version. The cost is likely to keep some of these programs out of schools, but the greatest takeaway from what we’ve seen with other tech is to stay informed and educated on what’s coming.   

Which tool will you try first?

It’s always great to hear about cool tools for the classroom. Remember to stay focused on your learning goals!

Learn more about the FETC conference and organization here.

About Susan Vincentz

Born and raised in Kentucky, I have been an educator for over 20 years as a classroom teacher in grades 4-8, library media specialist, and Tech Coach. Currently, I am a Technology Integration Specialist at the Christian Academy School System. I serve grades K-12 on four campuses in Louisville and Southern Indiana. I love instructional technology and learning about new tools. I am passionate about helping other educators effectively use these tools in their classrooms and seeing them realize how much time they can save to become more efficient and organized.

Personally, I enjoy our family time with my husband, thirteen-year-old son, and sixteen-year-old niece working on our property, taking care of our garden, as well as traveling to and discovering new places. My husband, David, and I also serve on our church’s production team, where I am also the Director of Communications.

• Susan’s YouTube Channel
• Susan’s Podcast, Ask a Tech Coach
• Shake Up Learning Trainer
• Training Request Form
• Google for Education Certified Trainer
• BreakoutEDU Authorized Trainer

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post Awesome Feedback Tools, AI, and a Little Inspiration from FETC – SULS0186 appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

It’s no secret that I love Google tools, but Google is not the only option for your classroom. There are hundreds of fantastic collaborative learning tools!

Collaboration is a critical twenty-first-century skill for our students. Finding ways to facilitate and support collaboration in the classroom is not always easy.

Keep in mind that digital tools are not inherently collaborative, it is how you use them to facilitate collaboration in your classroom.

All of the tools below have the capability but may support collaboration in different ways.

I’ve included an overview video for each of the fifteen tools listed below.

Many of these tools also tap into other C’s like creativity, critical thinking, and communication! (Looking for other ideas to support the 4 C’s, check out the 4 C’s Learning Menu.)

Another important thing to note is that many of these tools work together, like InsertLearning and Flip, as well as offer integration with Google tools.

Did your favorites make the list? If not, leave a comment and share your top collaboration!

This post contains 20 collaborative tools for your classroom that are NOT Google.

Listen to the episodes:

This episode is sponsored by Konica-Minolta.

Over 1.4 million violent incidents occur in schools every year. What if technology could bring peace-of-mind for parents, students and educators? Konica Minolta’s intelligent video security solutions allow you to easily sign in guests, track visitors, and monitor your entire campus to keep unwanted visitors out. Visit rethinkschoolsecurity.com to check out their visitor management system, door barriers, and smart security cameras. While you’re there, you can also take a quiz to determine the level of security your school currently has. It’s time to rethink school security.

20 Collaborative Tools for Your Classroom That Are NOT Google

in no particular order…

1. Pear Deck

Pear Deck is an active learning and formative assessment tool that makes your presentations completely interactive! Pear Deck is fully loaded with templates for each stage of the assessment process, vocabulary games, Google tool integration, and helps teachers engage students and create collaborative conversations.

Pear Deck also offers ISTE Aligned, digital citizenship curriculum in partnership with Google’s, “Be Internet Awesome,” program. And Pear Deck has also introduced critical thinking slides!

Pear Deck is a freemium tool, meaning that some features are completely free, but premium features require a paid account.

Related: 27 Formative Assessment Tools for Your Classroom

Learn more about Pear Deck.

2. Flip

Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion tool that allows teachers to create “grids,” of discussion topics. Students share their responses through recorded videos. Flip is a great way to encourage student voice and engage students. You can also connect and collaborate globally through their #GridPals program.

Flip is jam-packed with a ton of other features like video downloads, stickers & drawings, custom assessment rubrics, video feedback, MixTapes, Topic invites, private share links, Vibes, and more! There is also an amazing community to support you!

Flipgrid is owned by Microsoft and is completely free!

Learn more about Flipgrid.

Related: Flipgrid: The Go-To Remote Learning Tool

Related: 10 Awesome Ways to Use Flipgrid in the Classroom

3. Padlet

Padlet is a digital tool that allows you to create collaborative “walls.” I like to think of it like a digital bulletin board with digital sticky notes, but way better. Students can post just about anything–images, videos, documents, and text–from anywhere, and from any device (pcs, tablets, phones).

I have used Padlet for many years and it is a great way to get students (and teachers) sharing, collaborating, and creating. Padlet is no longer a free tool, but it is still used and recommended by many teachers.

Learn more about Padlet.

4. Nearpod

Nearpod is an interactive presentation and assessment tool. Teachers can use it to create interactive lessons that contain quizzes, polls, videos, images, drawing-boards, web content and more, as well as use their “Nearpod Collaborate!” tool.

Nearpod is free for a class size up to 30.

Learn more about Nearpod.

5. Microsoft Teams

Get Classes, Meetings, Assignments, Files And Collaboration All In One Place With Teams.

Engage students with virtual face-to-face connections and activities, or set up a remote lunch to keep classrooms connected and having fun and it’s free for students and teachers with a valid school email address.

Learn more about Microsoft Teams.

6. Seesaw

Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio tool. Teachers can empower students to create, reflect, share, and collaborate. Students “show what they know” using photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs, and links.

Seesaw is a freemium tool, meaning that some features are completely free, but premium features require a paid account.

Learn more about Seesaw.

7. Kahoot

Kahoot! is a game-based learning and trivia platform for your classroom. Teachers can create Kahoots, or collaboratively create with students.

Kahoot is free for teachers.

Learn more about Kahoot.

8. Book Creator

Book Creator is the simple way to make ebooks using the Chrome App or iOS App. Book Creator has real-time collaboration and is ideal for making all kinds of books, portfolios, comic books, photo books, journals, textbooks and more.

Book Creator is free for up to 40 books.

Learn more about Book Creator. 

9. Cospaces Edu

CoSpaces Edu is an application that allows students and teachers to easily build their own 3D creations, animate them with code and explore them in Virtual or Augmented Reality.

CoSpaces is free for up to 30 seats.

Learn more about CoSpaces. 

10. Buncee

Buncee allows students and teachers to create engaging multimedia projects and presentations.

Buncee is a freemium tool, meaning that some features are completely free, but premium features require a paid account.

Learn more about Buncee.

11. OneNote

OneNote is a Microsoft Office product that is like a digital version of a physical notebook. This means you can capture digital notes and keep them organized, as well as collaborate and share. It also means you can add images, diagrams, audio, video, and more.

Access to OneNote requires an Office 365 subscription.

Learn more about OneNote.

12. WeVideo

WeVideo is an online and collaborative video editing tool. Students can easily edit and collaborate on videos on desktops, iOS, and Android. And, it’s Chromebook compatible!

WeVideo is a freemium tool, meaning that some features are completely free, but premium features require a paid account.

Learn more about WeVideo.

13. Classcraft

Classcraft is a game-based approach to teaching and behavior management. It’s designed to encourage participation, good behavior, and 21st-century skills like collaboration.

Learn more about Classcraft.

14. InsertLearning

InsertLearning is a Chrome extension that lets you turn any website into an interactive lesson. You can highlight text, add sticky notes, insert questions, videos, or even a discussion all inside the webpage!

Learn more by reading 4 Ways to Blend Learning with InsertLearning.

This tool was also part of the 18 Challenges for Teachers in 2018 FREE ebook.

Teachers can create up to 5 lessons with a FREE account.

Learn more about InsertLearning.

15. Soundtrap Edu

Soundtrap Edu is an online music studio where students can create together by recording and using loops.

Learn more about Soundtrap Edu.

16. Lumio by Smart

Lumio is a digital learning tool that will transform your lessons into active, collaborative learning experiences. Every day more schools and districts are switching to Lumio – it’s truly a flexible, time-saving tool that makes it easy to turn your PDFs, Google Slides, PowerPoint, and Notebook files into engaging lessons with interactive activities, games, group workspaces, and formative assessment ALL built right in.

*Related: Engaging Lessons for Next-Gen Connected Creators

17. Canva for Education

Canva for Education is 100% free for K-12 (primary and secondary) teachers and their students, powering creation and collaboration in every classroom.

You and your students can create and personalize your own designs from scratch, or choose from thousands of high-quality, educational templates. From presentations to posters, and infographics, to worksheets, project-based learning, and lesson plans, the possibilities are endless.

*Related: 4+ Things You Didn’t Know Canva Could Do!

18. Bookwidgets

Transform your old worksheets into interactive quizzes and assignments rich with multimedia. With BookWidgets, all teachers from all courses can create interactive exercises and auto-graded assignments with over 30 different question types. Teachers can easily integrate BookWidgets inside their trusted learning environment (Google Classroom, Teams, Canvas, Schoology, and more). The integration allows you to follow student progress in realtime when student are working on a BookWidgets assignment. This way, you can quickly guide your students in the right direction when they need help.

*Related: Google Classroom + BookWidgets = Superpowered Digital Classroom 

19. Wakelet

Save, organize and share content from across the web with Wakelet. Save articles, videos, images, Tweets and more, organize them into stunning collections.

20. Notion for Education

Your notes, research, tasks, and more — all in one place. Free for students and teachers, with discounts for teams and schools.

Did your favorite collaborative tool make the list? If not, leave a comment and share!

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post 20 Collaborative Tools for Your Classroom That Are NOT Google appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

I’ve been learning how to use Book Creator…and LOVING it!

More specifically, I am experimenting with ways Book Creator can be used to create and implement choice boards in the classroom.

Book Creator is very intuitive and is loaded with student engagement tools.

And I have a brand new idea to share in this post: Weekly Choice Board Books! (Keep reading and watch the video below.)

This post is sponsored by Book Creator.

Creating Choice Boards with Book Creator

Y’all know I love choice boards.

Until now, I have kept things simple and used Google tools. But I am expanding my toolbox and exploring other tools that can offer more for teachers and students.

Book Creator is a content creation tool. Teachers and students can create a library of “books” filled with multimedia content.

So how can we use a book for choice boards?

Let me show you!

We can easily use a page in Book Creator to create a choice board and even use additional pages for templates or include details for the assignment choices.

But I wanted to try something new.

Weekly Choice Board Books

I wanted to create a Weekly Choice Board Book–a book with several choice boards we will use throughout the week.

First, I created my book using one of the comic templates. It already has sections divided, so it seemed perfect for a choice board!

Next, I created a cover using Canva. You can connect apps like Canva to Book Creator, and they already have book cover templates specifically for Book Creator. This was super easy!

Then I started adding pages and creating different types of choice boards.

Bell Ringer Choice Boards

Many teachers like to use bell ringers to get kids settled as class begins.

What if we give them a few choices for their bell ringer activity and reuse this choice board throughout the week?

It doesn’t have to be complicated; I created a bell ringer choice board with six choices. By the end of the week, students will complete all but one, but they can choose which one they want to do each day.

Pick 2 Choice Board

Next, I created what I call the Pick 2 Choice Board. You can easily create a pick 2, 3, 4, etc. The intention on this one is to select one choice from the top row (template-driven activities) and one from the bottom row (videos).

It’s really easy to embed videos in Book Creator, and students can watch them without leaving the app.

Thanks to Shake Up Learning Team member Sarah Kiefer for sharing her history choice board and letting me use her content for this one!

There are two other features that I wanted to try on this page, inserting a voice recording of the directions and linking text to outside resources. Both features are very easy to use and easily found in the menu when you click on the plus sign.

Using the voice recorder to read the directions aloud to students can help all students better understand the expectations and give the teacher extra “room” to elaborate.

Tic-Tac-Toe Choice Board

Last but not least, I had to test out my favorite choice board style, the tic-tac-toe. Since there wasn’t a comic template with nine squares, I just used the shape tool to build it.

The novel study tic-tac-toe is a choice board I created many years ago, and I just copied and pasted the content over from Google Docs (a Book Creator makeover).

Students Creating with Book Creator

Now that you have seen how the teacher can use Book Creator to create, I want to show you the power of having students create with it.

My last page demonstrates different types of student choice activities you could use in Book Creator.

Here’s a quick list of some of the features you can try with students:

• voice response
• embed code: embed videos or any other content with embed code
• use paper backgrounds like graph paper
• draw and auto-draw (AI tool that predicts what you are trying to draw)
• comic strip
• import files from a computer or Google Drive
• text response (Voice typing option is great for all learners.)
• webcam response: take a still photo or video
• create and import from Canva
• image response (search from a copyright-friendly database)
• use comments, emojis, and more!

The possibilities are endless. I have only scratched the surface!

Be sure to watch the video below to see these ideas come to life.

Sign Up for Book Creator

Get started today with a free Book Creator account! You can upgrade later to access all the features.

Book Creator at TCEA 2023

Going to TCEA, be sure to visit the Book Creator booth and catch my presentation on Wednesday.

• 11:00-11:30: Empower & Engage Students with Book Creator Choice Boards with book signing and giveaway (Book Creator Booth #878)

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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In this episode, I chat with Scott Nunes, a teacher and District Engagement Advocate for Canva.

Scott shares insider tips, tools, and new features in Canva.

Canva has gone from this super cool image creation tool to a blended learning platform for teachers and students.

And Canva for Education is FREE for teachers and students!

Don’t miss this jam-packed episode!

Listen to this episode.

This episode is sponsored by Konica-Minolta.

Over 1.4 million violent incidents occur in schools every year. What if technology could bring peace-of-mind for parents, students and educators? Konica Minolta’s intelligent video security solutions allow you to easily sign in guests, track visitors, and monitor your entire campus to keep unwanted visitors out. Visit rethinkschoolsecurity.com to check out their visitor management system, door barriers, and smart security cameras. While you’re there, you can also take a quiz to determine the level of security your school currently has. It’s time to rethink school security.

4+ Things You Didn’t Know Canva Could Do!

Scott Nunes has the insider scoop on all things Canva! He shares some awesome new features that you need to know about.

1. Record a Presentation or Lesson

Did you know that you can record lessons in Canva? This is great for creating asynchronous lessons that students can watch over and over again. It frees you up during class time to facilitate, answer questions, and give feedback to students.

Here’s how it works. Go to the top right corner of your presentation and select “Share.” Then you should see the option to “Present and record.”

Related: Asynchronous Learning Tips for Teachers

2. Text to Image

Text to Image is an app inside of canva that uses AI to help you find the perfect image for your projects. Using the words you input, Text to Image will find images to match your description. It is only limited by your creativity!

How to make AI-generated images

1. Launch the Text to Image app

   Start a design project from scratch or with a template. On the editor, go to the sidebar and click More. Then, click on the Text to Image app.

2. Convert text to image

   Enter your text prompt on the text-to-image generator to convert it into an image. Get creative and descriptive with your prompt. You can choose any available image style like Photo, Drawing, or Pattern. Or use the “Surprise Me” option to get a random style. Then, click Generate Image.

3. Enhance your AI image or art

   Click on the AI-generated image to add it to your design. You can enhance the photo with our built-in photo editor. Adjust the image setting sliders, add depth of field with Autofocus, or apply exciting filters. Crop images, resize, or flip as needed.

4. Explore the media library

   Spruce up your AI-generated images or design project with fun graphic design elements from the free media library. Add stickers, illustrations, and borders to your AI image. You can also put text on your image and play with different font styles.

5. Download and share

   Download your unique AI-generated image in a high-resolution image format. Or save your design project that contains the converted images. You can also share your work online via social media and email. 
   

3 & 4. Magic Write and Canva Docs

Magic Write is an AI-powered content generation tool. (Think Chat GPT inside of Canva.)

You can use it to write anything from brainstorming, lesson plans, reports, etc.

Before you panic, Magic Write and Canva Docs are NOT available in Canva for Education. It may be in the future, but for now, you must have Canva Pro.

But this feature is so cool, it is definitely worth a look!

Magic Write is only available in Canva Docs, which is another feature teachers will love.

Canva Docs allows you to design documents supercharged with videos, images, graphics, charts, and graphs.

As much as I love the simplicity of Google Docs, Canva Docs is pulling me in with its amazing features and design capabilities.

So now you can create documents of any style just like you can a presentation inside of Canva.

• Drag-and-drop editor: No more formatting woes. The drag-and-drop editor makes adding and editing visual content easy.
• Hassle-free data visualization tools: Make your data beautiful and easy to digest with features like checklists, tables, graphs, and charts.
• Content at your fingertips: Tap the + button and search for tables, videos, images, or any graphic your Doc needs. Add editable Design Blocks to make document banners and page dividers pop with custom text and graphics.
• Collaborate in real-time: Your team can view and edit your Doc in real-time – even if they don’t have a Canva account. Keep track of everyone with cursor colors and selections.
• Add comments: Leave comments and assign tasks to your team, or simply react to their work with emojis and stickers.
• Work from anywhere: Create, view, and edit your Docs wherever you are, with Canva available across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
• Make it interactive: Share your Doc online, and your viewers can scroll through and interact with it – just like a website.
• Track engagement with Insights: Built-in analytics shows how your audience interacts with your Doc. See who has viewed your Docs and when.
• Turn Docs to Decks: Need to present a Doc? Easy! Turn your Canva Doc into a Canva presentation in moments. You’ll always be a couple of clicks away from being ready for anything.

Do you need more reasons to try this? What an amazing tool. This can revolutionize the way we create documents, lessons, and assignments!

Ready for more? FREE Canva Training with Scott Nunes

Don’t miss the free training on YouTube coming January 23rd! Watch it here!

About Scott Nunes

Twitter: @MrNunesteach

Podcast: Education Today

Scott Nunes is an energetic ELA Teacher turned Edtech Coach now Consultant, Podcaster, and Influencer. Scott builds on his 20+ years as a freelance Graphic Designer to bring real world relevance to classrooms around the world. When he isn’t busy podcasting (Education Today) he can be found sharing on Twitter (@MrNunesTeach). Scott is all about building relationships and uplifting teacher and student voices while advocating for belonging, choice, and creating positive work cultures that empower stakeholders to achieve a unifying vision.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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Let’s have some fun with Winter Magnetic Poetry with Google Slides!

Winter is coming! Well, at least for some of you. Things are still pretty warm here in Texas!

This is the third installment of magnetic poetry templates that I have shared.

Magnetic Poetry

Lynn Kleinmeyer’s Students Using Winter Magnetic Poetry

What is Magnetic Poetry?

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post Winter Magnetic Poetry with Google Slides appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

Expand Your Use of Google Classroom

Google Classroom can be used for so much more than just your traditional classroom LMS. This powerful tool can provide a space for teacher-to-teacher collaboration, professional learning and support, parent communication, and even special projects and enrichment classes for students. Consider these 20 New Ways to Use Google Classroom.

I have created this handy infographic with 20 New Ways to Use Google Classroom that goes beyond just the idea of using it for our everyday classrooms. I have also included details for each of the twenty ways in this blog post. Keep reading! I hope this will inspire you to think of other new ways to use Google Classroom.

I want you to understand how using Google Classroom outside of your Google Workspace domain works. It’s not a perfect system, but keep in mind that it was designed to protect students and your Google accounts.

I try not to get too technical on this blog, but it’s important to know there are certain domain settings that you will need to make some of the ideas in this post a reality. Discuss with the decision-makers at your school and/or your Google for Education administrator. If that happens to be you, here’s a support page to explain the new controls and settings in your admin console.

Listen to this article.

20 NEW Ways to Use Google Classroom

1. After School Programs

Students and teachers are involved in many after school programs that could utilize Google Classroom to share resources and improve communication and collaboration. Think of ways this could be used in programs both in and outside of your own schools like the YMCA, tutoring programs, community sports, and libraries.

2. SAT/ACT Study Groups

When it comes time to prepare for the SAT and ACT, often times students will form study groups across the area or region. Think of how awesome it would be to use Google Classroom to share resources, flashcards, tips, practice tests, and feedback through the Google Classroom platform.

Related: Google Classroom Cheat Sheets for Teachers & Students

3. Clubs and Organizations

We can also use Google Classroom to help connect and share resources within our school clubs and organizations. What about a Student Council Class within Google Classroom? Or one for the Robotics Club, National Honor Society, Made with Code, Girls/Boys Scouts, etc. And think about using it for your adult organizations as well like church groups, alumni associations, intramural teams, and philanthropic organizations.

4. Invite Outside Experts into Your Class

Wouldn’t it be great to give students an authentic audience? What if you invited an outside expert into your special class project in Google Classroom? They could give meaningful feedback and connect and share with your students.

5. Co-Teach and Collaborate Across the Globe

Google Classroom allows you to add up to 20 teachers to one class. This means we can add co-teachers from across the hall OR across the globe. How fun would it be to teach and collaborate with another teacher on another continent?!!! Consider ways you can bring the world to your students by co-teaching with a teacher and group of students in another country.

6. Create a Class for Learning Challenges

As challenge-based learning grows in popularity, let’s think of ways that we can use Google Classroom to allow students and teachers to, “sign-up,” for optional challenges by joining a Google Classroom Class designed to detail the challenge, provide resources, and allow the user to submit their evidence for meeting the challenge.

Related: Google Classroom Student Selector (Digital Popsicle Sticks!)

7. Badging Systems

Digital Badging as become a fun way for teachers and students to show off their accomplishments. Organizing and tracking badges could easily be managed through Google Classroom. The details of the assignment could be shared through Classroom as well as offer a way for users to submit their evidence. Badging has become particularly popular for encouraging teachers to learn new tech skills. Be sure you check out these blog posts to learn more about how some districts are using badges for professional learning.

8. Enrichment/Early Finisher (Choice)

Need a plan for your early finishers? Try creating a class with enrichment assignments to support those students. Incorporating choice and choice boards is a great way to give students ownership and empower your learners.

9. Book Study/Lit Circles

It seems like educators are always doing book studies, whether that is a study within our own district or cross-collaborating with educators in other areas. Google Classroom would be a great way to communication, collaborate, share reflections and resources, and stay on top of reading deadlines. Of course, Google Classroom would also make a great tool for the lit circles within our classes and on our campus. Librarians and Media Specialists could also facilitate these on a campus level for outside reading.

*Related: Google Classroom Advanced Tips (Part 1)

10. Parent Information Classes

Streamlining the communication between the school and the parents can be a challenge, to say the least. We hold informational parent meetings about all kinds of initiatives like the rollout of a 1:1 program, opening a new school, bonds, transition to middle or high school, AP courses, etc. This list could go on and on. What if we supplemented these types of meetings with online classes for parents through Google Classroom? We can add videos, information, permission slips, resources, etc. inside the Google Classroom Class.

11. Online Professional Learning

One of the most exciting ways that we can use Google Classroom, especially outside consultants and coaches like myself, is to offer online professional learning courses. I am #superexcited to start working on this idea! Now that I can invite teachers to join my Google Classroom Classes, I’m looking forward to offering new ways to connect and learn together!

12. Collaborate with Outside Consultants and Coaches

Many schools and districts will contract with outside consultants and instructional coaches to offer support and training for their teachers. Using Google Classroom should be a no-brainer for collaboration and learning between teachers and outside consultants. This way consultants can answer questions, share new and updated resources, and continue to collaborate with schools beyond a one-and-done workshop.

*Related: 5 Chrome Extensions that Make Google Classroom Even More Awesome!

13. Replace or Supplement Meetings

Whether it’s a faculty meeting, department meeting, team meeting, or committee meetings, Google Classroom can offer a way to sometimes replace meetings or allow you to flip informational meetings. By recording informational videos and posting to Google Classroom, some meetings can be replaced altogether. Other types of groups that meet regularly can use Google Classroom to continue the conversation asynchronously, share important resources, docs, links, etc. Consider ways that you can use Google Classroom to streamline your meetings, become more efficient, and improve communication.

14. Outside Conferences and Workshops

Each Google Classroom Class allows for up to 1000 students. These means that Google Classroom could be used to provide supplemental information, resources, and follow-up for outside conference and workshops. Educators could share notes, links to presentations, and continue to collaborate beyond the conference or workshop.

15. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

Many schools have adopted Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) as a way of fostering collaborative learning among groups of educators. Each community could easily create their own Google Classroom Class to share ideas, reflections, resources and connect in new ways.

Related: 15 Google Classroom Tips for Teachers

16. Google Educator Groups (GEGs)

Are you a member of a Google Educator Group (Google+ Communities)? You should be! GEGs are Google+ communities that connect you with other Google using educators in your area. I am co-leader of the GEG for North Texas (GEG-NORTX). We have face-to-face events, meet-ups, and even offer some learning opportunities via Google Hangouts. Using Google Classroom we could extend that connect and learning and offer a one-stop-shop for resources and collaboration.

17. Certification Study Groups

Whether you are studying for the Google Certified Educator exams or preparing for other teaching certification exams, Google Classroom offers a great way to support your studies. Inside Google Classroom, you can share study materials, ask questions, and support each other as you prepare to master your certification exams.

18. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)

As mentioned above, you can have as many 1000 students enrolled in one class in Google Classroom. MOOC’s are usually free online courses offered by universities with no limit on enrollment. With Google Classroom, free, open online courses can be created and shared. I haven’t seen this done yet, but I believe it is a possibility with the new open features of Google Classroom.

19. Face-to-Face PD Follow Up

One of the biggest complaints about professional development is the lack of follow-up. Google Classroom would be a great way to follow-up on professional learning and workshops. This is an excellent way to talk about classroom implementation and share examples, reflections on what worked and what didn’t, and continue the learning beyond the workshop.

20. New Teacher Training

My first year of teaching was the hardest–by far! Most schools offer new teacher training and orientation for teachers that are new to the profession or new to the district to learn the ins and outs of procedures, tools available, and school initiatives. Let’s leverage Google Classroom to deliver some of the new teacher training, offer support and guidance, and a way for new teachers to connect with each other.

What do you think? What would like to try or add to this list? Please leave a comment below.

Join the Google Classroom Master Class Online Course

Learn all about the new updates to Google Classroom and take your skills to the next level. This course will give you everything you need to get started using Google Classroom and best practices to help you make the most of this tool.

Perfect for beginner to intermediate skill levels! Consider this your video guide to Google Classroom!

Click here to learn more and to ENROLL TODAY!

Check out all of my Google Classroom Resources here!

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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In this episode, Kasey chats with Dr. Monica Alicea, a Technology Training and Integration Specialist, about strategies and tools to engage students.

Monica loves getting students connected on a global scale and loves to use digital tools like Lumio to create interactive lessons to engage her students.

Tune in to learn more about Global Connections Week and other great ideas from Monica!

Currently, Monica serves four elementary schools in her district.

She helps to support them with the district’s technology initiatives, she coaches teachers and models lessons.

Monica also offers professional development to her teachers on a number of free technology products. 

Listen to this article.

Engaging Lessons for the Next-Gen Connected Creators

This episode is sponsored by Lumio.

Lumio is a digital learning tool that will transform your lessons into active, collaborative learning experiences. Every day more schools and districts are switching to Lumio – it’s truly a flexible, time-saving tool that makes it easy to turn your PDFs, Google Slides, PowerPoint, and Notebook files into engaging lessons with interactive activities, games, group workspaces, and formative assessment ALL built right in. Boost your student engagement on any devices wherever learning needs to happen. To get Lumio for FREE, head to Lum.io today.

Returning to the Classroom with Technology

Monica shares that many of her teachers, upon returning to the classroom from remote learning, wanted to simply feel like a teacher of students once again. Meaning that they looked for lessons that gave students hands-on experiences and movement. Tech products like Lumio offer engaging tools such as a spinning wheel and moveable manipulatives. 

Working with a school that is moving towards classroom laptop carts, Monica enjoys sharing Lumio since every student doesn’t need a device to make lessons engaging. Another great way to engage students with technology in the classroom would be Flipgrid videos. 

Lumio for Teachers

Kasey shares how Lumio impressed her with its practicality during the remote teaching days. Monica agrees and points out that Lumio organizes lessons that match her district’s instructional framework. Teachers can use Lumio to quickly create a full lesson that includes a hook. Hooks can be several different options: YouTube video or clip, KWL chart, check-in, quick response, and more. 

Monica explains how teachers can personalize learning through Lumio lessons. Providing whole class instruction, small groups, assign differentiated instruction, collaborative work, or individual practice. To conclude the lesson, teachers can assign formative assessments. These assessments can be individual or group reviews depending on the type of feedback needed for future learning. 

Teachers love how easy Lumio makes lesson creation with each of the elements necessary to complete the framework. Having resources at their fingertips while designing saves tons of time. The variety of options available also helps keep students engaged. 

Related: Must-Have Tips and Tools for Pandemic Teaching

Going Global in the Classroom

Monica and Kasey share a passion for showing students how to collaborate and learn on a global scale. The Global Connections Week was created by Monica’s district in order to help students connect with other classrooms around the world. 

Connecting can mean several different things: taking a virtual field trip, inviting a virtual guest speaker, or even connecting with other classrooms locally and globally. The group of tech coaches also developed training materials to support their teachers and provide some ideas. Those ideas, stemming from the Mystery Skype concept, included: a mystery animal connection, a mystery number connection, a mystery geography connection, and reading your favorite book. Each class would have to guess the other’s mystery by asking yes or no questions. 

Monica shares that one of her classrooms was able to connect with a teacher in Russia, who shared what her students were learning. Another classroom connected with a class in Canada to discuss the similarities and differences in their schools. The purpose of the week is to show students that there is a big world for them to explore. 

Connecting with other classrooms around the world can be very simple. Collaboration can take place in every grade and subject area. 

Related: Get Students CREATING with Global Maker Challenges

Learning Design with Technology

Monica reminds us that the framework helps focus on the content and who’s constructing knowledge with the lesson. Rather than spoon-feeding knowledge to our students, it’s best practice to allow them to construct their own knowledge. When students collaborate it’s important to ask if the group is meant to complete a project or are they working together for shared decision making? 

A balance between digital and analog activities and learning is important to consider in relation to student screentime. Monica adds that tech creation tools are a great use of technology in the classroom. Allowing students the opportunity to choose and create how they share their learning is a great use of technology. Many of these creation tools also teach students during the creative process. 

While using technology to teach can be exciting and time-saving, it’s always important to match the learning goal to the tool. Educators want their students to be less a consumer of knowledge and more a creator of learning. To do this well it can often mean letting go of control. A difficult task for many educators. Monica shares that she was in that place and when she did let go of control everything changed for her. 

She advises teachers to find other educators who are doing what they’d like to be doing and reach out to them. Many teachers are willing to support other teachers and share their lesson ideas and methods. Monica shares that there are several ways to connect with other educators through social media platforms. Kasey also points out that attending conferences can be a great way to find your people. 

Monica wanted to leave everyone with one last tip on using technology in the classroom: we can learn from our students. Sometimes it may feel as though we need to know all the ins and outs of the tech to use it with students, but oftentimes we need only provide the content and allow students to use the tech.

About Monica Alicea

Monica Alicea is in her fourth year as a Technology Training and Integration Specialist with the Cobb County School District in Marietta, Georgia. She supports four elementary schools where her responsibilities include supporting district initiatives, providing training, coaching, and modeling of Digital Age Classroom instructional strategies and district priorities based on district and school needs. Prior to this, Monica was a Gifted Education Specialist and taught 1st-5th gifted students. Monica was Teacher of the Year in 2015-16 school year at Cheatham Hill Elementary and the 3rd place Voya Unsung Hero award winner of

 a $7000 grant for Farm2Table: A Service Learning Project in 2017. Monica holds a Ph.D. in Elementary Education from Georgia State University. She has a passion for Service Learning, Global Connections, and Experiential Learning.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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