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.

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. 

“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.

Creating videos used to be quite a chore (remember the days of bulky recording equipment, editing, uploading, etc) and it required a special skill set. Thankfully, advances in technology have made video recording accessible to all with just a few clicks. As more and more instruction moves online, educators are looking to screencasting as an easy option for creating videos for and with students. There are many tools to choose from, but in the video that follows, I’ll introduce two of my favorites-- Screencastify and Loom. They are free, great for beginners, and will help you level up your distance learning game. And BONUS: both platforms now offer free upgrades to their Pro versions for educators (use the code CAST_COVID during checkout on Screencastify and for Loom just create an account with your school email address for the upgrade). This short video will give you an overview of each platform, steps for getting started on your first recording, and some ideas for using screencasting in your classroom. Let’s dig in!

A free video conferencing platform is one of those *must have* tech tools for your online teaching toolbox! It makes teaching whole classes, small groups and individuals less of a chore, and once you get the hang of it you can reap the rewards of a better connected, equally supported classroom of learners! Watch the video below so we can walk you through our tips!

April is National Poetry Month, so I wrote you a limerick!