Check out the new podcast series "The Classroom Scoop" that began in January 2019 as a way to highlight learning experiences and technology use in the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Pam Shoemaker is the host and she partners with teachers across the Walled Lake Consolidated School District (SE Michigan). Listen to the podcasts with popular apps such as Spotify, Pocket Cast, Breaker, and Anchor. Each episode is about 10 minutes in length. Enjoy ..read more

Teaching Media Literacy Yesterday, I participated in the ISTE EdTechCoaches PLN's monthly Twitter chat. The topic: Teaching Media Literacy in the Era of Fake News. It was moderated by PLN member Allison Thompson, @AllisonTEDU. It was a fantastic discussion and I'm anxious to share resources and ideas.  Information Overload How do you teach media literacy in the era of information overload? It takes some time, yet is very important. Students must know how to evaluate online sources and investigate sources.  @grahamict teaches students the CRAAP Test (Current, Relevant, Authoritati ..read more

I came across an Edutopia article titled The 8 Minutes That Matter Most by Brian Sztabnik that listed several simple ideas for engaging students and establishing a positive community of learners. These eight minutes that matter most occur during the beginning and ending of lessons.  I'll highlight a few ideas that I think are very powerful and would be suitable to incorporate into lessons according to the Walled Lake Schools Instructional Framework. Start of a Lesson: Activate prior knowledge, generate interest and create anticipation for learning Strategy: Start wit ..read more

Using technology to support the learning process is a given in the day-to-day life of an educator. As online resources and technology are incorporated into classroom lessons and activities, teachers model digital citizenship and mold the future habits and routines of students.  We want students to recognize that every move they make online is part of their digital footprint and that they have a choice as to whether their digital footprint will be a positive one or a negative one.  Educators can help students develop good digital citizenship habits by introducing a variety o ..read more

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools hosted its annual Spice it Up! Conference on Thursday, August 23, 2018 at Sarah Banks Middle School. It followed a new format; a shortened conference to allow teachers time to set up their classrooms due to an earlier start-of-school date. The conference took place from 8am-noon.  Over 200 educators attended this voluntary professional development event. 45 sessions were held on a variety of topics. Attendees were especially enthusiastic about exploring new tools, discussing instructional strategies, and learning about important cultural issues ..read more

Today was the last day of school for the students in my district. As I think back on the year, I feel fortunate to work with such amazing people who pour their hearts and souls into the work of educating children, the most important job in the world.  I am proud of many things that I've been involved in over the past year: Partnering with teachers in my district to lead evening webinars on a variety of instructional topics. Participating in the work of the iCouncil to collaboratively create in instructional framework. Our next step is to build a website with resources, testimonials, cl ..read more

A feature that is greatly missed by teachers since we have moved to online tools and resources instead of installed software is the ability for students to create video for projects; to blend images and sounds to convey a message. One solution that can fit the bill is to combine the features of Google Slides with Screencastify, a Chrome extension used for recording anything that you see on the screen of a laptop or Chromebook.  Simply put, students begin by planning their project, and then collaboratively build their presentation with Google Slides. Next, they write a script (what they p ..read more

I've been meaning to write about my involvement in a  book study on Learning First, Technology Second, by Liz Kolb with the ISTE EdTech Coaches PLN. I serve on the leadership team for the PLN and one of my responsibilities is to plan and manage an annual book study along with Gregory Gilmore, an edtech coach from Missouri. This is our third book study and each time we hone the process and it gets better!   Schedule & Questions (Twitter slow chat fomat) Archive (see everyone's responses) The book helps educators measure whether or not authentic student learning ..read more

We want our students to be lifelong learners, right? Talking about our own learning is a great way to promote and encourage students to do the same. In addition to participating in PLCs with colleagues, reading books and journals, and attending workshops and conferences, participating in Twitter chats is another way to learn and grow. Being an active contributor to the educational community also adds to a sense of fulfillment. Talking about new ideas, how you learned about them, and then implementing some of the instructional strategies with students sends an important and positive message to ..read more

Common Sense Media's Educator Portal is one of my favorite sites for exploring new tools that have been evaluated by educators. The reviews with a focus on the impact on student learning is the best feature.  They recently published their list of 25 best apps, games, and websites. The tools are broken down by categories: Arts & Socio-emotional Learning, ELA, Math & Science, Social Studies, Teacher Tools, and Tech Skills.  Of the 25 tools listed, many of them were new to me! I will enjoy spending time exploring them. On the top of my list with questions I want to find out ..read more