Tech Tools to Step Up Your Teaching Game!

As one of the more “mature” members of the Learners Edge family, I feel victorious when I learn a new tech tool! Below are three tools we hope you will find fun, fanciful, and useful in your work educating tomorrow’s leaders!

Instagram is the New Pinterest for Teachers

While Pinterest is still a great place to gather ideas for your classroom, Instagram is moving up in the ranks as a new teacher favorite. Just like Pinterest, teachers can take inspiration from real classroom teachers, gather resources and stay on top of what’s new.  Get ready for some educational eye candy, because we’ve rounded up our favorite teacher Instagram pages into one stellar list for you. Prepare to be inspired!

Working together in the classroom

LinkedIn recently reported that two of the top four skills actively sought out by employers were communication and collaboration (with leadership and time management rounding out the list). Educators take note! Much of our time is spent getting kids to memorize their multiplication facts or to understand the difference between a simile and a metaphor while important life skills end up on the backburner. How can we deliver academic content, while also preparing students with the technology and interpersonal skills needed to be successful in the workplace? We’ve put together a list of our top four tips for understanding, facilitating and assessing successful collaboration in the digital classroom.

Top Tips to Engage Students, Staff, and Families

As teachers begin the school year, we often spend days, weeks even, building a supportive and positive classroom community.  We discuss, model and practice classroom expectations for everything from sharpening pencils to resolving peer conflicts.  We continue to nurture our community as the school year goes on, intent on developing the ideal school citizens.  But what about the online environment?  As a greater percentage of teaching and learning moves to online platforms, the necessity for intentional and ongoing digital citizenship education cannot be ignored or checked off a list at the beginning of the year.

One way to kickstart or amp up your digital citizenship game plan is to participate in Digital Citizenship Week (Oct. 15–19)!  Recognized on the third week of October each year, this initiative aims to build capacity for students and families to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions in the digital world.

Empowering Digital Citizens in Our Classrooms

Digital citizenship lessons empower students to engage responsibly and effectively in the digital world. With the right guidance and support, students not only learn to be safe and responsible consumers, they learn to contribute rich ideas to online spaces and make real and lasting differences. They also learn how to find balance in their technology use in order to stay physically and emotionally healthy. Even if you are familiar with the benefits of teaching digital citizenship, you may still have questions about the best way to introduce these concepts in your classroom. If this is you, we invite you to join us in one of Learners Edge newest courses, 806: Digital Citizenship in The Classroom!

What I learned at ISTE?!

ISTE stands for International Society for Technology in Education and it is a well-known non-profit organization with over 16,000 members worldwide. ISTE works with the global education community to "accelerate the use of technology to solve tough problems and inspire innovation" and to transform teaching and learning through technology.

Making the shift to 21st century teaching just got a whole lot easier with hyperdocs! On the outside a Hyperdoc looks like just a colorful Google doc with links, but when you dig in deeper you’ll find a research-based digital lesson with interactive elements tailored to each student.   

I did it!  I found the perfect app to help organize my busy personal AND work life.  It integrates so easily into my current Google workflow and is accessible on all of my devices. It’s called Google Keep and if you haven’t experienced its wonders, then you are totally missing out.  

A Personalized Learning Network (PLN) is about making connections and building personal relationships with teachers, school administrators, university professors, and experts around the world. Learn some simple tips to help you get started in establishing your own PLN and access new ways to communicate, collaborate, and build community.

Balancing the work of integrating new classroom technology tools with the realities of a busy teaching schedule can be such a challenge! I remember all too well the sense of initial excitement I would feel heading back to school each August: in a flurry of workshops, slideshows, and handouts, we would be sent off to our classrooms with a bundle of new technology applications to try with our students. Sometimes, these new applications and programs would take hold in my daily lessons in meaningful ways, but often, they would fall to the wayside as I made way for other content demands.  It doesn’t have to be this way for you! 

So how can you make implementing new tech tools in your classroom both manageable and meaningful? Consider the following tech tips for teachers to keep your focus and sanity intact!