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! 

When #flipgridfever first began to show up in my Twitter feed last year, I was curious but not ready to figure out what the fuss was about.  It wasn’t until I attended a session on classroom apps that I got up close and personal with Flipgrid and recognized its brilliant application to the classroom and how it can help increase student engagement. If you’ve yet to understand the hype, I’ll explain. 

Are you desperately trying to stay on top of tech trends?  Do you need help sifting through new research and creating innovative learning experiences for your students?  If you’re like me you’ve probably thought about creating a PLN (personal learning network) or maybe you’ve even entered into the Twittersphere. Perhaps you’ve found a blogger or two to follow on Facebook.  But who are the ed tech thought leaders to follow and which Facebook pages drop great tech bites into your feed?   Have no fear!  We’ve curated a great list of 5 ed tech leaders to follow in 2018.  Get your PD on demand in the comfort of your home by adding this super group: 

Teachers, can we agree?  

• Teaching and learning virtually any content is enhanced by tech tools, apps, programs, or resources.  
• Most of our students are digital natives and we must support their need to build skills and engage these strengths that will translate to future education and employment opportunities.  

In a perfect world, we would plan, train, and engage with technology to keep ahead of our students. But, since we clearly don’t live or work in a perfect world, we must attain and maintain a growth mindset for learning and implementing technology into our daily instruction.