TechMas Tips #11&12: Math is Visual and Adobe Spark

So, we have reached the end of our TechMas tips and I'm sure most teachers will be too exhausted to catch these last two tips.  However, I hope you will give both of these tools a try in the new year.  

TechMas Tip #11: Math is Visual

TechMas Tip #11 is a website, Math is Visual, that was created to help build conceptual understanding of mathematics through the use of visuals.  The site contains videos, images and resources to help teachers, parents and students. 

The following video shows the Math is Visual creator, Kyle Pearce, using the site with his own three and five year old children.

Math is Visual is a great website to bookmark if you're an elementary or middle school teacher that is looking for some new ideas or material.  Even if you don't find any material to use, you may very well be inspired to create similar material for your lessons.

TechMas Tip #12: Adobe Spark for EDU

I have been a fan of the Adobe Spark suite of free tools for a while now.  There are three apps included in the suite to help you communicate ideas easily and with style.

All apps are created to work on mobile devices, so you can create on the go or students can quickly create a post, page or video right from their chromebook or iPad.

The suite is free to use, but you must have an Adobe ID to log in. Give it a try and share in the comments how you would use it in your classroom.

Happy TechMas everyone!  I hope you've enjoyed the tips this season and will find one that works for you.

~Rosie F.

TechMas Tip #10: Santas Sleigh Chrome Extension & Others

Today I have a fun, festive tip for anyone using Google Chrome.  TechMas Tip #10 includes a Google Chrome extension called Santas Sleigh.  All you need to do is install the extension and your pages will show Santa and his reindeer flying across the top.  It's easy to hide or remove the extension once you tire of the holiday spirit.

Here are a few other Chrome apps and extensions you can add for the holiday season.

Christmas Countdown New Tab Page - every time you open a new tab with this extension installed, you will see an updated countdown to Christmas.

Christmas Coloring Game Chrome app - Choose a coloring page and start coloring away.

Learn Your Christmas Carols Chrome app - Handy little resource for Christmas carol lyrics.  You will also be able to find videos, MP3s and karaoke items.

Enjoy!
~Rosie F.

TechMas Tip #9: Made With Code

I have to admit this is my favorite TechMas Tip I've shared so far.  Today, I want to share the Made With Code website with you as my TechMas Tip #9.  Unfortunately, it is widely known that girls start out with a love for technology and science, yet by the time they reach their teens they have lost that passionate curiosity.  It is something I fiercely want to see changed, because I know we will be losing half of our talented and gifted scientific minds simply because girls don't believe that science and technology is for them.  Learn more about the numbers and why it's so important for girls to code here.

One of the projects that is available for the holiday season allows you create your own Holiday Emoji scene.  You will use Blockly to code the scene, which is perfect for newbies.  You can switch between viewing the scene and viewing the code.  For first time coders, there are simple instructions to help you through the project. So, anyone can be successful with this activity.  Once complete, you can share on social media or download the file to use in other projects.  

In addition to the neat projects on their site, you can find information on mentors, community and partner information, and even resources to host your own party.

Happy Holidays, Coders!

~Rosie F.

TechMas Tip #8: NewseumED

So, how many people have had the opportunity to visit the Newseum in Washington, D.C? It has been touted as one of the best interactive museums in the city and a must stop for anyone visiting our country's capital. Today's tip comes to us from the same folks. NewseumED.org offers free resources such as an incredible online collection of primary sources, news artifacts, and lessons.  Their online tools make history, civics and media literacy relevant to students.

You can find material suitable for grades 3rd-12th, as well as post secondary, educators and adults. You can also search by topic, grade, type of ed tool, by date or even by century. You can also search through their EDCollections. Once you find a lesson, you can find instructions, materials and downloads.  You can also find debate topics and positions, discussion questions, and evidence to support your position.  I encourage you to explore the site regardless of what subject you teach.  You will not be disappointed.

Learn more about this great resource here.

~ Rosie F.

TechMas Tip #7: Storybird

Today's tip is loved by librarians everywhere and is a must have tool for your digital storytelling projects. Storybird lets you create a visual story within seconds. Yes, it's that easy. Storybird curates artwork from illustrators and animators and then inspires young writers to create stories. Educators in more than 400,000 classrooms use Storybird to help students build literacy skills while creating beautiful books.



Storybirds are stories that you create on your own or with others. You choose a collection of artwork. Then, you place the pictures on the pages and write the story. On Storybird, you can create picture books, longform books and poetry. These stories can be embedded into a blog or site and you can also print the books or use them as a fundraiser.

Teachers are able to create free accounts for students. They can also set up classes and assignments for students.

Storybird reviews all the storybirds that are published. All stories go through an approval process, so you can rest assured that content is appropriate for your students.

I found Storybird to be an application that encourages deep thinking while simultaneously giving students the boost they need to get started with a writing project.

Explore it and try to create your own winter themed story to share with others.

~Rosie F.

TechMas Tip #5&6: Common Sense & Informed Delivery

Today, I'm sharing two different resources that will be useful not only for teachers and students, but parents and advocates of kids' well being in this digital age.  I'm starting with Common Sense, "an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a rapidly changing world."  
TechMas Tip #5: Common Sense

Common Sense has been around for quite some time now and I know I share it every year, but as passionate as I am about the importance of digital citizenship and cyber security, it deserves to be on this list.  Common Sense has a complete K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum for educators.  They include Spanish materials, as well.  This year they are rolling out an updated digital citizenship curriculum in phases to meet the needs of our ever changing digital world.  Below are the launch dates for the new lessons.

• August 15: Grades65 3–5 lessons are available now.
• January 14: Grades 6–8 lessons launch. Sign up here to get notified!
• Fall 2019: Grades K–2 and 9–12 lessons launch.

Not only does Common Sense offer a thorough Digital Citizenship curriculum with lesson plans, videos, activity sheets, etc. they offer EdTech reviews and resources, professional development, and a blog to keep you on top of everything relating to educational tech. 

In addition to all the resources that Common Sense offers for educators, I love that they provide a wealth of information for parents. I admit even in though I'm in the educational technology realm, I still don't know everything.  Having a middle school daughter has taught me that, for sure.  I love that they review movies, TV programs, apps, and games.  

So, the next time your student or child asks to download an app, you can read the Common Sense reviews and make a decision about what is best for your child at their age.  There is also an Advice for Parents section that covers everything from cellphones and screen time to mental health and technology addiction.  I always recommend that teachers share this information with parents. Parents will find a Latino section with materials in Spanish. It's a valuable resource in a digital world that changes so quickly.  

TechMas Tip #6: Informed Delivery

I want to preface this little tech tidbit by mentioning that this handy dandy little app is NOT educational.  However, being that it is the holiday season and most teachers live at school and are unable to be home to see what arrives by mail, I thought it would certainly be useful.  Today, when everyone is so nervous about packages being left on porches or mail being taken from their mailboxes, I thought I would share the USPS app, Informed Delivery.  You can sign up for free.  Simply create an account and verify your identity, then view notifications on your phone, tablet, or computer.  You can digitally preview the mail that will be landing in your mailbox that day which I think is awesome.  If you are expecting something important and you see that it should've been delivered on that day, then you can notify them that you are missing mail just by checking off a box. Having received a neighbors mail accidentally on several occasions, I understand how frustrating it can be when you don't receive the mail you are expecting.  In addition to mail, Informed Delivery will let you know when you have packages being delivered using USPS Tracking information.  

Preview your mail pieces.

View Package Tracking info.

It's something I've been using for a while now and I've found quite convenient.  I feel safer when I know that I've received everything that was intended for my household.  Hopefully, both of today's tips will empower you to stay informed in our ever evolving digital world.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

~ Rosie F.

TechMas Tip#4: ReadWorks, Free Reading Lesson Plans

Today's tip is a website, ReadWorks.org.   It's a great service that provides teachers with free reading lesson plans. Readworks.org can be used in classrooms from Kindergarten to 12th grade.  Lessons are standards-aligned and if you choose not to use their lesson plans, you can simply search their many fiction and non-fiction articles to customize your own classroom experience.  All articles are listed with a lexile score and suggested grade level and are easy to find with the search feature.

There are approximately 120 K-12 articles that are winter-themed, which is perfect for the holiday season. There are articles that have connections to topics in science, language arts, and social studies.  They are accompanied by lists of key vocabulary terms and suggested comprehension and/or discussion questions.

This year ReadWorks integrated Google Classroom into their product, so now you can distribute articles and comprehension questions via your digital class. I know there will be some teachers that will immediately ask if there is content available in Spanish. Unfortunately, there is not, BUT ReadWorks recently developed extra supports for English Language Learners during the Article-A-Day routine. To learn more you can watch this video.

Sign up to discover what is available and take advantage of the excellent resources you will find on their site.

Let me know what you think about this resource in the comments below.

Happy Reading!

~Rosie

TechMas Tip#3: Winter Magnetic Poetry with Google Slides

Does the chilly weather get your students a little over-energetic?  This is the best opportunity for you to take advantage of those creative and active minds.  Today's TechMas Tip comes to you via the Shake Up Learning blog, who created this awesome Google Slides template for Winter Magnetic Poetry.

There are over 100 tiles in the template and a word list is included on slides two and three.  You or your students can add more text boxes or remove existing tiles in order to adjust for vocabulary levels.  I do have to note that when you add a text box it may not look exactly like the original tiles.  No big deal, though. Creativity has no limits, right? You can either use this as a collaborative activity or an independent activity.  You could also use it as a writing prompt.  Regardless of how you decide to implement this in your classroom, I'm sure no two poems will be alike.

Share some of your students best creations via Twitter and be sure to use hashtag #TechMasTips and tag me, @rfluegel. Give Kasey Bell from ShakeUpLearning a shout out, as well @ShakeUpLearning,

Enjoy!
~Rosie

TechMas Tip#2: AutoDraw

Our second TechMas Tip is a cool little drawing tool called AutoDraw. I admit, I was drawn in by the fact that it uses artificial intelligence to try to predict what you are trying to draw.

However, I asked myself is there any educational value in it? As a visual learner and someone who constantly doodles when trying to focus, I have to say, YES, there are a few benefits for your classroom.

As educators we have read about the value of visualization, dual coding and nonlinguistic representation and this extends not only from our pre-reading students, but all the way to any adult learner.  If you want students to add doodles to their notes, yet they get frustrated their own drawing skills, then this is the tool for them.  If you enjoy adding icons or illustrations to your classroom materials, but don't have the time to find the perfect image, this tool can also help.  Other than that, I can see how AutoDraw can be used as a preferred activity if you have students who finish work quickly.  If students need illustrations for projects, videos, or book, AutoDraw can help them create those, too.  Being that it is a very simple tool, it does lack the capability to collaborate with others or save multiple drawings.  However, students can share or download their drawing and did I mention, it's free!

Bottom line, it has some benefits for the classroom, but it is a cool tool, too.

Have fun with your holiday doodles. Feel free to share your holiday creations with me in the comment section below.

~Rosie

TechMas Tip#1: XtraMath

Since we are in the thick of the holiday season, I thought it would be a perfect time to share a few Tech Tidbits with you.  I know it's been a while since my last post, but I do still love to share some tech goodness with you.  With that being said, let me start with my first share of the holiday season, XtraMath, a free web-based math fact fluency program that is designed to help students master addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.

I know what you're thinking, "A math fact program, really?"  Well, give me a minute.  Core math facts are the building blocks of a child’s education and essential for success with fractions, decimals, multi-digit algorithms and higher level Math. XtraMath is based on the assumption that students who regularly practice will quickly and easily recall answers when needed, freeing up mental resources for more complex problem solving.

What really won me over is their selection of languages, in particular, English ASL.  Yes, students can now get their instructions in American Sign Language. The student activities take less than 10 minutes each day and can easily be worked into a student’s daily routine. If needed, regular reports can be emailed directly to the parent or teacher’s inbox. Detailed progress reports and graphs are accessible online at any time.

XtraMath is a non-profit organization. Thanks to the support of grants and donations, XtraMath is free of any advertising, making it as aesthetically pleasing as it is mentally challenging.

If you're interested in helping lay a good foundation for any child's mathematical future, then give it a try. Yes, it's only math fact practice, but if it can support students at home, then I'm all in.

XtraMath

See you soon with some more TechMas goodies.  If you have any tips, sites, apps, etc to share, please feel free to post them in the comments.

~Rosie