Here are 2 new videos that focus on things you should know as you wrap up the 1st semester and prepare for the 2nd semester. While the information is specific for Canvas/ Aeries integration, the tips may be helpful for those using other Student Information Systems (SIS). As always, I appreciate your comments.
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I am a big #Canvasfan. Canvas provides an organizational structure for lesson creation and delivery as well as student participation and assessment in one place. That being said, Canvas can also be overwhelming. Canvas has a steep learning curve. It's like going form a 2009 Mini Cooper to a 2020 Teslas. There is a lot of complexity and I'm still learning new ways to use Canvas and new tricks to streamline my workflow. But, a colleague pointed out to me recently, "I don't know what I don't know."
So I've created a new 2-minute tutorial series. Short ideas to help you use Canvas more efficiently. If you like this video, please like and subscribe. Also, feel free to ask questions or leave comments. We are #bettertogether Today, Adrienne Vincente-Phoenix joined my class video conference as our 1st MYSTERY GUEST. Students asked YES/ NO questions until they were able to narrow down her job. I just reached out to my Facebook friends and others I know to see if they might be interested. The response was phenomenal! I have more people than I can possible use. My plan is to do this each Friday during our regularly scheduled "class time." #mouseplanet #mendezshares
Today I participated in a video conference with teachers who were interested in using DESMOS as a tool for student engagement. I have been using DESMOS for several years, so here is a quick tutorial to get you started.
With the quick shift to online instruction and learning, teachers need some ready made, quality content to keep students moving forward. I love Khan Academy for just this purpose. While it is not the most engaging instruction and doesn't replace hands-on, conceptual development of math concepts, it does move students in the right direction, while providing reinforcement of concepts already learned. And, with the new "Assign" features, teachers can easily keep track of student progress and provide individualized instruction. Khan Academy has content for many different grade levels and content areas. The purpose of this post is to help you get started. If you have questions, please email me or post a comment. I have been using Khan Academy for about 5 years and it is constantly evolving. I'm not an "expert" but I am a happy user. Additional tips for new users are also helpful #bettertogether #Khanacademy #occue #cueinc Steps to get you (& your students) started 1. Log in or create an account (using your school gmail makes this easy) - Be sure to choose "Teacher" 2. Create a class or classes -
Option 2: Import your class from Google Classroom 3. "Add Courses". I always select the current grade level I'm teaching but you can assign content from any course, so don't worry about limiting yourself. Add Students - Send students an email with direction and your class code. (If you chose not to import form Google Classroom). VERY IMPORTANT -Have students sign in with their school google account. This will simplify your life. 4. Now you are ready to assign content - Start Small, and provide your students with clear expectations. For example, if I assign a lesson when I want students to show work, I tell them where their work should be ie..on paper, in their Math Journal etc... Verbal instructions via a video, can go a long way to avoid confusion. A simple way to do this is to record on your phone and drop it into an email to students. Make it short & sweet. Or upload it to YouTube and the video can be longer. Either way, show an example of what you want students to do. To Assign Content - 1. Select your class 2. In the left-hand menu choose Assignments>Assign Then select the content from the menu for that course. Play around and look at the lessons carefully. (You can't break anything.) Check the boxes next to the lesson you'd like to assign. When you hit "Assign" you will get a pop-up asking for the classes (you can assign to more than one class at a time), Due Date & Time. BEWARE! Do you want to assign and entire unit, sub-section of lessons or individual specific lessons? If you select the sub-unit, you may be assigning multiple lessons when you only wanted one or two. You can always delete unwanted assignments later, but they have to be deleted from each class individually. Tips:
Infographics can make a powerful statement, but I've never done a successful infographics lesson until I discovered the EduProtocol: Number Mania! from the book The EduProtocol Field Guide Book 2: 12 New Lesson Frames for Even More ...
Book by Jon Corippo and Marlena Hebern. The concept is deceptively simple: Crowd source statistics on a particular topic, front load some images from the noun project on a Google slide as a template and magically (seriously it's magical) the students create their first infographic! The topic I choose was COFFEE. I wanted the content to be high interest, fun, and not content dependent. I gave students 3 number rich websites and a form. Each student found 1 number and description. It only took 12 minutes (including computer boot-up and shut down.) Since I teach 3 period s of the same course, I revised my directions after the first class to include reminding students not to include the number in the description and to summarize the description, not just copy paste. The input from the 2nd and 3rd groups was much better than that from the first. The next day, I gave students access to a Google slide template with images related to coffee. They had 15 minutes to create a one slide presentation/ "poster" with 5 facts and 5 images. The results were amazing! Check out the examples below. For the 2nd infographic, the topic I am using is the IDITAROD (I'll talk more about how I use this event as an overarching theme in my classroom in a later post.) Again, students will be crowd sourcing the data and creating individual slides. Before I turn the students loose, however, it is important for them to analyze their Coffee infographic. The 3rd Infographic will be about our school, to share with the community. Finally, each group will create an infographic to support their Symposium projects. Mendez Symposium is a schoolwide program where student groups research a topic of their choosing, make connections (using the GATE icons) and present their findings to the community members. This year, each group will include an infographic to support their project.
I've always been someone who likes to try new things with my student. When when I heard about EduProtocols I had to learn more. I bought the book, The EduProtocol Field Guide Book 1 by Jon Corippo and Marlena Hebern, because hey, who doesn't need more books. As I read about the different Protocols, I realized that some of these strategies were familiar, but with a new twist. Others were totally new to me. I started with the Fast & the Curious EduProtocol because... I HATE timed math tests! My oldest son was put in the "low" math class in 5th grade because he couldn't complete 100 facts in 3 minutes. Give him 6 minutes, no sweat. Unfortunately, at some point (definitely by the time my students get me in 7th grade) they need fluency in basic math facts. The problem is...how do we check for fluency vs. pure speed? Enter: The Fast & The Curious Protocol! So I dove in and created a series of (generously) timed, self-graded math facts tests. I dubbed them "FAST ATTACKS". I started with the basics: Addition, subtraction, Multiplication & division. Then I added addition of integers including negatives, subtraction of integers etc... Then I moved on to basic conversions between fractions, decimals and percents. All of this within our district's LMS, CANVAS. (If you are a CANVAS user, I'm happy to share) No grading yeah!!! Immediate feedback Yeah!!!! Why hadn't I done this years ago????? Sometimes, you need to be inspired to get get out of your rut or to find a better solution to an ongoing issue. Each "test" was repeated daily for 1 week, based on the Fast and Curious protocol. If I missed even 1 day, I saw slippage in the students scores. In fact, I skipped weeks if I knew that daily repetition was not possible. And now in 2nd semester, the retention is still high. I still need to create one more, reading an analogue clock. Ugh! If you do not have access to CANVAS, try looking in Quizizz. Other teachers have created a lot of resources ready to use or modify. #eduprotocols |
CategoriesAuthorAndrea Earl is a Canvas trainer and Instructional Technology Coach at Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School in Santa Ana, California. Archives
November 2020
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