The Chalk Blog

It’s an age-old question, “How do I recreate a worksheet in digital format?” and it’s echoed by so many teachers across the country. To convert traditional paper and pencil tasks to a digital-friendly format is one of the biggest hurdles for educators moving curriculum online. Some have downloaded apps to convert documents, others have resorted to retyping entire sheets of paper. My favorite method for creating digital worksheets is really just a simple modification of a tool you and your students are already familiar with-- Google Slides. In the video tutorial below, I'll walk you through a quick process for creating digital worksheets that your students can type answers into without deleting or changing the questions. For more helpful resources visit our Teacher Resources page.

I’m one of many parents who, during this “new normal,” has children (ages 9 and 6) who currently interact with their screens more than with each other or their parents. My husband and I have full time jobs, so distraction doesn’t bode well while we are working at home. We’re also former educators, so we know enough of the science and recommendations around “screen time” to understand what is happening with our kids. 

And we don’t like it one bit. 

If you are reading this, you might be in our frustrating position, and like us, you may have just needed to bite the bullet and free the children to go into the abyss of screen time and the Internet. To soften the blow, allow me to share a few insights I’ve learned over the years about the idea of “screen time.” 

Due date for license renewal sneaking up on you? Need quick turnaround for that salary advancement? Learners Edge can help! Check out our graduate level, continuing education Fast Track courses! 

These courses were written with you in mind. From the easy registration process to getting evaluator feedback in 2 short days, we are simplifying and speeding up the process. We even ensured all course materials are online, so no need to wait for a textbook. Just dive right in! 

Educators have had to quickly modify their instruction for an online distance learning environment. One framework of online lesson design is Catlin Tucker’s 5 E’s Instructional Model, detailed in the chart, below.  

As you can see, the chart clearly illustrates what each of the 5 E’s mean and each section includes answers to the questions:   

• What does it look like?  
• What tools can I use? 

Greetings from your Learners Edge Curriculum and Instruction Team! 

We’ve been scouring the web to find relevant and meaningful resources teachers can use to interact and connect with students. 

A few weeks ago, my kids (9 and 6) looked at us like we had lobsters coming out of our ears as we explained what “isolation” meant. They are largely compliant when we say that things are required, and especially so when we let them know it’s beyond our control. They still had questions. 

“Ok, so what’s for dinner?” 

“Can I have a playdate with my friend?” 

“Can we buy a flamethrower?” 

We weren’t THAT clear, I guess…or it’s just such an abstract concept that they can’t attach it to something they understand. 

We are excited any time we get a chance to highlight the accomplishments of a great teacher! Rachel Steil, a member of the Learners Edge Evaluator Team, is a Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalist!  Rachel is a High School English and Journalism teacher.  She has been a Course Evaluator for two years, and currently provides personalized feedback for students in 5018: Cultivating Mindfulness in the Classroom, 5850: PBIS 101, 5856: Project-Based Learning, and 5833: One Stop Shop.  Rachel is also an instructor in our Master’s/Post-Graduate Certificate program with Southern New Hampshire University.  We sat down with Rachel to learn a bit more about her teaching experiences and how Learners Edge contributes to her classroom practices. 

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.”

                                               -Diane Ackerman

Play is a powerful teacher! As we shift from what we have come to understand as traditional school to distance learning, we hope teachers, parents, and students can take comfort in knowing that play is the work of childhood. Play is how children learn.

The research proves there are many different types of play:

Media play is the focus of this list of 10 Online Tools for Playing, Teaching, and Learning. We hope you will find it helpful and informative!

In honor of National Honesty Day, (yes, that is a thing that takes place on April 30th) we are going to talk about integrity! Why you ask? Well, these concepts are closely related. Many people think integrity is synonymous with honesty, but author, Thomas R. Hoerr, tells us that integrity takes honesty one step further to action. Integrity pushes us to be better, do better, and it can also elevate the behavior of those around us. That being the case, integrity is not innate, so we must teach our students to act with integrity. While National Honesty Day might be the perfect day to do so, it is important that we teach, model, discuss, and behave with integrity every day. 

But let’s be honest…you might not have a lesson in your back pocket on integrity, so I’ll share four of my favorite ideas for embedding integrity into your classroom for just a day or all year long.

When it comes to caring for children right now, there is some good news and some not so good news. A University of Michigan study found that parents are spending more time engaging with their children, but parents are also running low on patience as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread throughout the United States. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are under stress and we all manage stress differently.

Below are 10 simple, healthy ways to manage stress during these uncertain times.