Pink slime journalism is a term that refers to websites that masquerade as genuine local news sites, all the while pushing a specific political agenda. While the information in pink slime stories can be accurate, it often carries significant bias and doesn't qualify as real journalism.

Like other forms of AI slop and misinformation, pink slime is on the rise, which is troubling because it can be more subtle and difficult to spot than more direct falsehoods. For instance, as part of recent research at Yale University, participants were shown AI-generated news sites and real, legitimate news sites, and asked which they would prefer to get their news from. Just under half of the participants preferred the pink slime sites.

That research, as well as general common sense, highlights why identifying pink slime is so important and can be somewhat tricky. As a journalist and professor of journalism, here are some of the key ways I advise students and anyone else to avoid falling for pink slime.

Keep An Eye Out For AI

First and foremost, we all need to hone our inherent AI detection abilities. I’ve written about this from the teaching perspective, but these days I see AI writing everywhere--in the comment section of Facebook Groups, in emails, and in Instagram summaries.

After reading a sentence or paragraph, it's important to ask yourself if it sounds as if a real person would've written it. For example, is there an unusual amount of repetition, or is it riddled with clichés?

Then, whenever you detect the lifeless, cold voice of AI, remember to stop and take a look at how accurate that information is, particularly when reading a news story.

Follow Old-Fashioned Digital Literacy

One of my favorite memes features a quote that reads “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” and then attributes it to Abraham Lincoln. It’s a witty reminder that it’s easy to just make something up and post.

While things such as the quality of writing can cue us that something is off, that’s not always an indicator. Well-written pink slime can easily get past us, so checking the background of a site's publisher, especially one with whom we are not familiar, is a key part of consuming news these days.

Follow Even More Old-Fashioned General News Literacy Practices

Going a step further, we need to get back to even older-fashioned digital literacy questions that we ask students to consider as part of building critical thinking skills: Who is writing this? What perspectives were left out? Was that because the writer didn’t have time, or are they trying to support a particular agenda?

If students stumble onto a new news site, we should encourage them to always look at the "About Us" section to assess who is writing the article, what sources they are providing for their information, and whether the article itself seems to be trying to convince us of something. If these details are not included anywhere that’s easy to access on the site, that’s a red flag.

This type of objective interrogation helps you realize when you’re reading pink slime, and can also make you a more critical and thoughtful reader of more legitimate news sites as well.

Remember Your Cybersecurity Training

Another way to avoid pink slime is to think about what you read in posts and from unknown sites the same way you would think of emails and spam calls or texts from people you don’t know. I get emails from people I don’t know all the time, and while I don’t automatically dismiss these, I view any with a healthy dose of skepticism, particularly if it is political in nature in any way and/or makes bold claims on any topic.

Mandatory cybersecurity trainings over the years have made many of us wary of the potential of being tricked and taken advantage of through digital communication. We need to expand that wariness to everything we read online, and remember that old email security adage: If something feels off, it probably is.

As we approach 2030, digital literacy is evolving beyond the basic ability to operate devices and navigate the internet. In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), big data, automation, and global interconnectedness, digital literacy must equip individuals to think critically, act ethically, and adapt rapidly to technological change.

This shift demands a redefinition of what it means to be “digitally literate,” expanding the concept to include skills in AI interaction, data interpretation, creativity, ethical reasoning, collaboration, and lifelong learning.

In that vein, this article was developed in collaboration with ChatGPT 5 by asking the LLM to modify my PowerPoint presentation on digital literacy in 2030 for the Southwest West Central Service Cooperative August 2025 Ed Tech Connect Conference (including the speaker’s notes) into a 1,200-word article. I then completed a thorough edit and added back some of the examples that were not included in my speaker’s notes. (Thanks again to SWWC for inviting me to speak!) I found this process illuminating to see how the LLM prioritized my presentation bullets, notes, and then added a few additional ideas “of its own.”

The digital citizens of 2030 will need to be more than consumers of technology, they will need to be creators, evaluators, and ethical stewards of a digitally rich world.

The Changing Nature of Literacy

Historically, literacy referred to reading and writing skills. Over centuries, literacy expanded to encompass media literacy, technological literacy, and now a spectrum of competencies that together define digital literacy. Each technological shift, from the printing press to the rise of the internet, has required new ways of accessing, processing, and producing information.

The late 20th century’s computer revolution brought basic digital literacy skills such as word processing, email, and online research. In the early 21st century, the proliferation of social media and mobile devices introduced multimodal literacy: the ability to interpret and create across text, images, audio, and video. By the 2020s, AI and big data began driving another transformation, adding layers of algorithmic literacy, ethical awareness, and adaptability to the digital skill set.

However, instead of continuing as a separate area of literacy or a subject area such as computer science and technology education, have often been the view that the current ubiquitous nature of digital materials, tools, and data require that digital skills be integrated into the traditional areas of literacy and not taught as a new subject area.

These core literacy skills need to be learned in context. For instance, prompt engineering skills are not generic, and those who will be successful in the future will need to understand how prompting might differ in chemistry from the prompts used in a creative writing course.

8 Core Digital Literacy Skills for 2030

The Digital Literacy Skills for 2030 framework reflects this transformation. The following competencies will be essential:

1. Prompt Engineering and AI Interaction

AI tools will be embedded in nearly every profession and aspect of daily life by 2030. To use these tools effectively, individuals must learn prompt engineering: the art of crafting precise, context-rich instructions to guide AI outputs.

Key strategies include:

• Being clear and specific to minimize misinterpretation.
• Providing relevant context that shapes the AI’s response.
• Using role assignment (“Act as a legal researcher…”) to focus outputs.
• Breaking down complex tasks into manageable parts.
• Iterating and refining prompts for improved results.

Prompt engineering isn’t simply about “talking to machines;” it’s about knowing how to collaborate with AI to produce reliable, ethical, and high-quality outputs.

2. Critical Thinking and Evaluation

In a world flooded with information, the ability to evaluate credibility, bias, and purpose of digital content is non-negotiable. Critical thinking skills for 2030 must extend to recognizing deepfakes, algorithmic manipulation, and AI-generated misinformation.

Core competencies include:

• Cross-verifying information across platforms and sources.
• Identifying the motives and biases behind content.
• Applying logic and evidence-based reasoning in digital contexts.
• Teaching others how to validate information in an AI-enhanced environment.

Without critical evaluation skills, individuals risk becoming passive recipients of algorithmically tailored information streams that reinforce bias rather than expand knowledge.

3. Creativity and Innovation

Digital literacy for 2030 demands the ability to generate original ideas, remix existing content, and leverage technology for creative problem-solving. AI tools can be harnessed to act as co-creators, helping produce multimedia content, prototypes, and innovative solutions.

Creative digital literacy includes:

• Using design thinking processes in online environments.
• Embracing rapid prototyping and iterative improvement.
• Viewing failure as a step in the creative process.
• Adapting digital tools to new contexts and purposes.

Creativity is no longer a “soft skill,” it is a critical capability in fields from education and healthcare to engineering and the arts.

4. Ethical Reasoning and Judgment

Digital ethics is becoming increasingly complex, involving issues of privacy, data ownership, AI bias, and intellectual property. Ethical digital citizens must understand the implications of AI-generated content, surveillance technologies, and digital platform governance.

Competencies include:

• Navigating digital privacy and consent in an era of constant data collection.
• Modeling empathy and civility in online discourse.
• Upholding intellectual property rights and acknowledging AI’s role in content creation.
• Advocating for transparent, fair, and accountable digital systems.

The ethical dimension of digital literacy ensures that technological progress aligns with human values and rights.

5. Complete Problem Solving

Problem-solving in 2030 will often involve multiple stakeholders, complex systems, and dynamic digital environments. Fully literate individuals in 2030 must be able to define problems, use technology to analyze them, and work collaboratively toward solutions.

Key practices include:

• Leveraging digital simulations and AI analytics.
• Collaborating across platforms and geography.
• Integrating quantitative and qualitative data into decision-making.
• Communicating solutions using multimedia formats.

This competency requires blending technical skills with collaboration, adaptability, and strategic thinking.

6. Adaptability and Lifelong Learning

The pace of technological change means that the tools and platforms of 2030 may be unrecognizable from those of today. Adaptability, the willingness and ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn, will be essential.

Core behaviors include:

• Engaging in self-directed learning through online courses and microlearning.
• Staying current with evolving AI tools and digital platforms.
• Building resilience and curiosity in the face of change.
• Developing a mindset that views continuous learning as integral to personal and professional growth.

7. Interpersonal, Cultural, and Collaboration Skills

The digital workplace will be increasingly global and multicultural. Collaboration will happen in virtual spaces where cultural competence and interpersonal sensitivity are as important as technical skills.

Key skills include:

• Using collaborative tools such as shared documents, project boards, and AI co-pilots effectively.
• Knowing when and how to effectively crowdsource work.
• Understanding and interpreting digital body language.
• Building inclusive online environments that respect diverse perspectives.
• Navigating cultural differences with empathy and adaptability.

8. Data Literacy Skills

Although often treated as a separate field, data literacy is integral to digital literacy. This includes interpreting data visualizations, understanding statistical concepts, and making evidence-based decisions. In 2030, data literacy will be inseparable from digital problem-solving and AI collaboration. As often explained to students, one core data literacy point is to always be apprehensive when shown a single number or data point.

For instance, someone might point out in a Board meeting that the health center logged 66,294 swipes on the card reader at the entrance in the past year. However, without putting that data point in context, the data is just that: a data point, and not information to be acted upon. A basic question to ask would be Was that number up or down from the previous year?

As big data and generative AI tools continue to generate large amounts of data, it is essential to understand how to gather data and ensure that it can be used to guide institutional actions.

Building Digital Literacy for 2030

In Education

Schools and universities must embed digital literacy across the curriculum, rather than isolating it in specific courses. This includes:

• Teaching prompt engineering in writing and research classes.
• Integrating media literacy into social studies and science.
• Using project-based learning to build collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
• Encouraging ethical discussions around AI and technology use.

In the Workplace

Organizations can foster digital literacy by:

• Offering ongoing professional development focused on emerging tools.
• Encouraging cross-generational learning to share skills and perspectives.
• Creating policies that align technological adoption with ethical principles.

The Role of Equity in Digital Literacy

Equitable access to technology remains a foundational challenge. Without universal access to reliable devices, high-speed internet, and quality digital education, the benefits of digital literacy will remain unevenly distributed. Efforts to expand access must include rural areas, underfunded schools, and marginalized communities. Equity also means ensuring that AI systems are designed to avoid reinforcing existing social biases.

The Convergence of Digital and AI Literacy

By 2030, digital literacy will be inseparable from AI literacy. Navigating a digitally connected world will require understanding how algorithms shape content, how AI systems are trained, and how to interact with them effectively. Digital literacy will no longer be just about using tools—it will be about co-creating with them while maintaining human oversight and ethical integrity.

Conclusion

Digital literacy for 2030 represents a profound evolution from the skills of past decades. It is defined by adaptability, ethical reasoning, creativity, and the ability to collaborate across cultural and technological boundaries. As AI continues to transform the digital landscape, these competencies will become both desirable and necessary for active participation in society and the economy. This does not discount the need for traditional subject matter expertise but should be seen as a parallel pathway integrated within traditional fields of study. If a digitally literate historian cannot distinguish between the English Civil War and the American Civil War, they will be too easily overcome by deep fakes or generative hallucinations.

Preparing for 2030 requires more than updating software, it requires updating mindsets while still embracing the core cultural literacies in the arts, sciences, and the humanities. By fostering prompt engineering skills, critical thinking, ethical awareness, and cultural competence, we can ensure that individuals thrive in the AI-enhanced digital age.

• 4 Ways to Leverage AI to Bridge Cultural Gaps in K-12 Classrooms
• 9 Ways School Leaders Can Use AI

Similar to how educators have been thrown into the fire that is using AI for teaching and learning, students have been, too. Beyond nurturing interest in using ChatGPT and other AI chatbots for personal and academic needs, most students have not had formal education on AI.

While some schools have started to introduce AI literacy requirements, it is not something that is widespread. Moreover, students (and teachers) need to understand not only what AI is and how it functions, but also how it impacts many facets of our society, and its potential for harm.

In this article, we share free lessons and resources that you can incorporate into lessons for students about using AI.

AI Overview

For an overall understanding of AI, Code.org has a wonderful set of resources, including lessons that are aligned with computer science standards as well as concise-but-clear videos that break down related topics. The instructional videos are under the “How AI Works” program and explore topics on machine learning, training and data bias, neutral networks, computer vision, chatbots, and large language models. Learning materials are connected to the videos that can be used in lessons.

1. AI Responsible and Ethical Use

While Code.org briefly highlights biases that are inherent in AI, it is important to intentionally expand on AI responsible and ethical use from a tech justice lens. The Kapor Center offers a free Responsible AI and Tech Justice Guide for K-12 education. The guide is organized into six core components with the aim of building students’ capacity to explore the impacts and implications of AI technologies on society, be aware of personal usage of AI, and examine the AI creation ecosystem, among other goals. The comprehensive guide is packed with lessons, case studies, articles, and other resources.

2. Al Environmental Impacts

AI has major impacts on the environment, agriculture, water consumption, energy, and more, so there are developed lessons that you can use to teach students about these concerns. You can also build a focus on sustainability and taking personal actions to mitigate some of AI’s carbon footprint. Partially funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), this Environmental Impact of AI Lesson, which is under a Creative Common license, can be used. It features a vocabulary review, an interactive activity, and a planning guide as well as a section on teacher modifications that include teacher-made resources aligned with the lesson.

Similarly, the Share My Lesson community created by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) offers “AI’s Environmental Impact: The Growing Strain on Power Grids and Local Communities.” This resource includes video, defined key terms, discussion questions, extension content, and suggested deliverables.

3. AI Misinformation

The News Literacy Project offers Checkology, a free virtual platform with a curriculum to develop students’ ability to confirm when information is from credible sources, understand what a credible source is and where to locate one, and to use critical thinking to assess the credibility of content. The Checkology platform has a host of resources and interactive activities for students to engage in while learning about misinformation. It also has an evaluation center for teachers to track student progress and a help center for support. The lessons within the platform are aligned with myriad standards, including ISTE Student Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core ELA Standards, American Association of School Librarians Standards Framework for Learners, and the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

4. AI Deepfakes

AI for Education provides downloadable resources that include a classroom guide and discussion questions to use as you teach students about misinformation and AI deepfakes. The materials will help students understand what deepfakes are, the dangers of deepfakes, such as cyberbullying and misinformation, and techniques that are used to create deepfakes. It also offers real examples of deepfakes that feature popular artists and books, such as Katy Perry and Harry Potter.

Which Face is Real? also offers a game that you could play with students after they learn about deepfakes. In the game, two images appear (one AI-generated and one real image). The students then need to apply the skills they have learned on misinformation and deepfakes, and choose the one that is real. Which Face is Real? also has a Learn tab with information that can be shared with students as well.

We hope some of these resources are helpful as you prepare your students to understand and responsibly use AI. If you feel like you would like training yourself first, check out these 10 Free Certifications and Trainings for Educators.

• Developing AI Pedagogical Practices
• AI Lesson Plan Tips
• Explaining AI in the Classroom to Families

With the amount of digital technology being used in classrooms today, digital literacy and citizenship is a more widely discussed topic now more than ever. However, it is not often taught as a separate subject despite the world being more connected through the proliferation of devices and platforms we all use on a regular basis.

So just as reading, writing, and general literacy are dedicated subjects, has the time come to intentionally designate a classroom period of the school day to specifically focus on digital citizenship and literacy?

Lisa Nielsen, Executive Director of Technology for the NYC Department of Education in Manhattan, Melissa Jacobs, Director of Library Services for the New York City School Library System and the New York City Public Schools Office of Library Services, and Tali Horowitz, East Coast Education Director at Common Sense, discuss the need for a dedicated digital citizenship/literacy curriculum.

Providing Digital Citizenship and Literacy When No One Else Is

Whether it is through a computer, a tablet, a smartwatch, or a smartphone, we are never out of reach of the internet. However, we often tend to overlook how to use our devices in a responsible, secure manner. This is especially true of grade school students.

“It’s basic life skills at this point in order to function in today’s society,” Jacobs says. “It’s not an opt-out option. It’s in everything, and when we start thinking about AI or Google, for example, you don’t have a choice in the matter. It’s required for any level of success professionally, if we’re thinking about college and careers. So I think it is incumbent upon us to set our students up for success by teaching them digital citizenship.”

But how did we arrive at this point of using so much technology without actively knowing how to use it effectively and responsibly?

“I think that a lot of people make the assumption that if you own a smartphone, you know how to navigate it, that you have the critical thinking skills, the digital citizenship skills, the inquiry skills to be able to use it,” says Jacobs. “I don’t think that’s necessarily a fact. And I think that simultaneous to being catapulted into this world where it is a part of our everyday life, we have decreased the number of pedagogues that have the skill sets to teach these things, and that have the ability to integrate these skills into curriculum.”

Digital Citizenship PD and Teachers

While education follows an overarching theme of teaching and learning, there are many ways to achieve those goals. Teaching and learning digital citizenship is no different, says Nielsen, who adds that although different schools might take different approaches, the overall need for digital citizenship being formalized as a subject is still there.

“I think different school districts have different ways of thinking about where areas fit best, where subjects fit best,” Nielsen says. “That could be left up to different school divisions to decide.”

Nielsen suggests that the school librarian or media specialist could be an ideal person to teach the subject, or possibly whoever is teaching instructional technology. “Others might say ‘Have mandatory advisory periods where every teacher is teaching digital citizenship so every student is getting it,’” she adds.

What about providing professional development around digital citizenship and literacy for teachers? Horowitz says that teachers should already be taking a digital citizenship course.

“It should be a part of the teacher program,” Horowitz says. “We have a one-hour, self-paced course called Modeling Healthy Digital Habits, and this is for educators. Not for them teaching digital citizenship, but for them just leading the digital model.”

Common Sense offers other on-demand classes for getting experience in digital citizenship, Horowitz says. “You can become a Common Sense Recognized Educator.”

Teaching digital citizenship in school is a topic we cannot ignore, and there are some who are taking up the mantle and leading the charge on educating both students and teachers on the responsible use of digital tools and devices inside and outside the classroom.

• Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities
• 7 Things School Leaders Can Do To Promote Digital Citizenship in the Community

Ensuring students’ safety and responsibility online must be a priority for schools. While educators often focus on teaching students about digital citizenship and literacy within the classroom, it is important to engage parents and the entire school community. School leaders play a critical role in fostering this.

Digital citizenship reinforces the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use. Etiquette, security, and the ethical use of digital resources serve as the framework to use digital tools safely and effectively. Understanding these concepts is crucial for students' success and safety while engaging in their digital orbit.

Digital and social engagement offers major advantages and at the same time the potential risk for significant negative impacts on children and families. We see this online, everyday. Shifting to the positives of supportive networks and messaging online, rather than admonishing the detrimental impacts, is the road to success for school communities. Educators owe it to families to teach how to interact in constructive online engagement.

First, Understand the Trouble Spots

Recently, I heard a quote: “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” Some debate exists about where this originated but it appears to be centuries old, and could be a derivative of the Jonathan Swift saying from 1710: “Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it.”

My point? All the noise about misinformation online is something that has always existed in other formats. We used to call it propaganda. We likewise have age-old methods for righting the digital citizenship ship in our schools.

A study conducted by Twitter (now X) demonstrated that false news travels six times faster and farther than the truth. Sound familiar? Maybe Swift foresaw, or little has changed. Either way, it reinforces the significance of helping our school communities to foster a constructive approach to good, honest digital citizenship, with some age-old wisdom, as well as develop new techniques to leverage the very technology that disrupts a positive experience for online users.

Social media also creates other landmines, such as the online disinhibition effect, about which I’ve written. When misinformation spreads rapidly online, the school community is affected by the "hyperactive hive mind," a sort of destructive gang mentality which leads to toxic groupthink. This has no place in schools, where children should find sanctuary in learning and development.

7 Things School Leaders Can Do To Promote Digital Citizenship in the Community

1. Disrupt negative interactions such as the hyperactive hive mind by promoting positive online interactions through the benign disinhibition effect. This method cleverly flips the script, by which supportive and monitored online groups can provide healthier engagement alternatives for students. People feel liberated in this safe zone, more comfortable sharing personal information, feelings, and vulnerabilities online than in real life, where they fear judgment and the danger of social ostracism.

People can provide compliments, defend others, and donate to charitable organizations when anonymous online, since they fear being judged by others disagreeing with them less. Kindness, support, and generosity fosters a network of prosocial contexts, and these happen everyday online for digital citizens. Informing families of these safe spaces can be the catalyst for altering online engagement to constructive interactions.

2. Promote critical thinking by questioning the credibility of sources and recognizing misinformation. By providing tools and strategies for identifying reliable content, it fosters a culture of skepticism and inquiry.

3. Emphasize the importance of adults modeling responsible digital citizenship. Children often mimic the behaviors they observe, so it is crucial for parents and educators to demonstrate ethical online conduct.

4. Avoid rabbit holes. “Reply only twice” is a method that encourages us to limit our responses to two online exchanges to foster clarity and efficiency, while preventing prolonged threads of back and forth.

When digital communication with the school community becomes inefficient and unclear, redirect the conversation to direct dialogue, such as a phone call or meeting. This shift allows for real-time clarification and a more personal interaction, reducing the risk of misinterpretation and enhancing understanding. Additionally, this provides the experience so many new generations need, to learn to interact in person, during which empathy and understanding always have the edge.

5. Encourage open conversations at home, and even help structure it. In communications with parents, provide them with conversation starters and strategies for talking to their children about digital citizenship. For example, ask them to discuss the consequences of sharing personal information online or the impact of digital footprints on future opportunities. This open dialogue builds a foundation for mutual trust and accountability. It is also helpful to schedule homework or other family activities around the student to help further family interactions about digital citizenship.

6. Partner with local organizations. Partner with local organizations and law enforcement agencies who specialize in digital safety. These partnerships can provide valuable resources and additional expertise for your school community.

For example, inviting a local cybersecurity expert to speak at a parent night or coordinating with a nearby community center to host a joint event can expand your reach and reinforce your school’s commitment to digital citizenship. This was one of the most profound experiences we had in our school community, because parents got to see firsthand examples of how significant these interchanges can be, for better or worse, and much depends on how the adults steer this.

7. Celebrate good citizenship. When you see students practicing responsible digital citizenship, acknowledge their efforts publicly. Share these stories in your newsletters or on your school’s social media channels. Recognizing these positive behaviors not only reinforces the message but also encourages others to follow suit.

Ultimately, It is essential to ensure that students, parents, and educators understand the significance of responsible and informed use of digital technologies.

By prioritizing digital citizenship and literacy, we can prepare our students, families and school staff to navigate the digital world responsibly and safely. It is a collective effort that requires the involvement of each of these stakeholders. Through open communication, education, and modeling responsible behavior, we can cultivate a school community that values and practices digital citizenship, ensuring a positive and productive digital future for our students.

• Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities
• 9 Digital Etiquette Tips

Since 1996, Americans have celebrated National Poetry Month throughout the month of April. Reading, writing, and reciting poetry is a great way to inspire kids' interest in words and wordplay, rhyme and rhythm, meter and metaphor.

The lessons and activities below are sorted roughly according to grade level. However, several of these resources overlap grade categories, so be sure to take a look at all them.

With these top free poetry teaching tools, April need not be the cruelest month in your classroom.

Best Poetry Lessons and Activities

All grades

Favorite Poem Project Lesson Plans
A fine collection of poetry PDF lesson plans, organized by grade and themes. Each complete lesson contains poetry video links, learning objectives, questions, homework ideas, and extensions. Founded by U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, the Favorite Poem Project has been encouraging, supporting, and recording Americans from every walk of life discussing their favorite poetry since 1998.

The Children’s Poetry Archive
A truly wonderful site for kids to explore and learn to love poetry. The Children’s Poetry Archive is geared toward kids ages 4 through 16 years, and includes a searchable database of recorded poems, sorted by themes, poet, age, and glossary. Resources for teachers consist of listening, learning about, writing, and performing poetry. Be sure to check out simple ideas to make your classroom a poetry-friendly place.

Magnetic Poetry Online Fun
Creative wordplay doesn’t get any easier than this. Simply open the magnetic poetry site and arrange the digital word “magnets” via the drag-and-drop interface. Don’t like the word bank? No problem, just click “load more words.” Save your poem as a link or share via Facebook. Looking for a wider range of words? Choose from Nature, Geek, Love, Poet, and Mustache (yes, really). This type of poetry writing allows everyone—including kids who aren't natural writers—to express themselves with language.

Rhyme Zone
More than just a rhyming dictionary, RhymeZone lets users quickly and easily find words, phrases, synonyms, antonyms, definitions, lyrics, homophones, and much more, to make their poems shine like a serpentine skyline. Need to go deeper? Try the advanced search, which provides details on meter, parts of speech, and rare words. A remarkably simple and free tool that will be invaluable to poets and songsters everywhere.

Readworks.org Poetry Resources
Research-based lessons and activities for K-12 students. Full free access to educators with registration. The teachers’ guide furnishes step-by-step methods to use the site’s activities wisely.

National Poetry Month with Poets.org
Extensive, up-to-date poetry teaching resources include: how to celebrate National Poetry Month in the virtual classroom; Dear Poet, a multimedia education project; and more.

Elementary

Edutopia: Using Poetry to Refine Students’ Collaboration Skills
Teaching kids poems?
Start not with The Odyssey
Try haiku instead

To be a master of haiku is rare. But almost anyone, including kids (and this lowly scribe), can write their own haiku, making it an excellent choice for an elementary grade poetry lesson. In response to his students’ desire to improve their collaboration skills, educator, and published poet Matthew James Friday developed this rewarding eight-step lesson plan based on the haiku form of poetry.

Poetry4kids.com
Author and former Children’s Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt’s multimedia poetry site offers not only a diverse selection of searchable poetry for kids, but also lessons in poetry writing, a rhyming dictionary, videos, podcasts, free “Streamable Learning” online events, virtual author visits, and much more. Check out Nesbitt’s YouTube channel too!

Shel Silverstein Learning Resources
Lessons, activities, and a Common Core-aligned teaching guide to the works and world of beloved children’s poet and author Shel Silverstein.

GiggleVerse
Home of "the funniest children’s poems in the universe," this site encourages children to read by providing them with new funny poems every weekday, both on the website and by email. Categories range from animals and holidays to "gross" and "cautionary tales" (tragic stories with amusing morals).

Middle School

PBS Learning Media Dogs That Changed the World Poetry
A complete standards-aligned one-hour lesson for grades 5-8 that leverages the human attachment to our canine companions. Students watch video segments featuring various aspects of human-dog relationship through the lens of history, culture, and society, then write and illustrate “list” poetry reflecting the different perspectives. Includes videos, handouts, rubrics and an assessment. Note that the link to “examples of list poems” under Part II: Assessment should be corrected to List Poem.

Emily Dickinson Museum Educator Resources
Browse lesson ideas, read the brief Emily Dickinson biography, and learn about her themes, style, form, meter, rhyme, and syntax. Six lessons explore a broad range of features in Dickinson's poems, from vocabulary to imagery to the role of location and provide a suggested list of “starter” poems. Note that the correct link for lesson ideas is here.

Poetry Foundation
The independent nonprofit Poetry Foundation provides a wealth of free online poetry and poetry teaching resources. Explore poems, both text and audio, by topic, author, or audience (such as children, teens, or adults). The educator’s section provides articles and guides illuminating selected texts, helping teachers home in on key teaching points. Resources for teaching poetry online add to the value of this poetry site.

Dear Poet 2026
A multimedia education project, Dear Poet calls on learners in grades 5-12 to write letters to award-winning poets. Students first select one of six poems, view the video of the author reading his or her poetry, then write a response. Each poet will respond personally to five student letters, which will be published as a PDF this summer. All students will receive a general response to their letters, as well as a certificate of recognition for their work. Submissions for Dear Poet 2026 will close on May 15, 2026, at 12 am ET.

High School

28 Ways to Teach and Learn About Poetry With The New York Times
A wealth of imaginative ideas to celebrate poetry in the classroom. Whether you ask them to keep track of their metaphors, create micropoetry, match a poem with an image, compare poetry with rap music, or learn a poem by heart (how quaint!) students are sure to be engaged and enthusiastic. As part of The New York Times Learning Network, this article and all linked articles within it are free, with no account required.

Edutopia: A Poetry-Writing Exercise to Support English Learners
Written by an English language learner educator, this article will serve as a guide to teaching poetry to ELL students. Includes each step of the process, downloadable PDFs, and a clear explanation of how kids will benefit from this type of lesson.

Video Collection: The Art of Poetry
Library of short lectures and conversations from The Art of Poetry, Robert Pinsky’s Massive Open Online Course. Filter by topics, poets, and poems. A good, quick way to look at themes such as “What is Great?” and “Freedom and Meaning.”

Poets.org Materials for Teachers
Explore a diverse collection of lesson plans, essays, reading guides, and questions for class discussion. Your teenage students will benefit from Poetry for Teens, a collection arranged by themes including love and relationships, politics and social justice, mental health, and other topics that speak directly to young people.

Poetry Out Loud
Try this fun and dynamic way to introduce students to poetry through the thrill of the spoken word and competition. Everything teachers need to implement the Poetry Out Loud program is provided at no cost, from lesson plans to making your program accessible.

Edutopia Teaching Poetry With Student Exemplars
Excellent article by author and high school English teacher Elizabeth Jorgensen in which she shares ideas and examples for teaching poetry to high school students, and inspiring them in the process.

Living Poets Digital Library
From the creators of TeachLivingPoets, this digital library provides an easy-to-navigate database of selected living poets, their spoken and written work, and links to their websites.

Digital wellness goes beyond digital citizenship, says Kerry Gallagher, JD, assistant principal for Teaching and Learning at St. John’s Prep in Massachusetts. 

“There is nothing that is problematic about digital citizenship itself, except that it leaves gaps in the concerns that teachers and parents are telling us about,” says Gallagher, who is also the education director for ConnectSafely, an internet safety nonprofit. “It doesn’t get to the kind of content our children are consuming when they're online and how is that impacting how they feel about themselves and their self-confidence and a lot of other areas of overall wellness.” 

About four years ago, St. John’s began moving from teaching digital citizenship to a more holistic digital wellness approach. 

What is Digital Wellness?  

Digital wellness is an all-encompassing approach to teaching students or young people how to interact with technology and the digital world.  “There's the digital wellness for the body, digital wellness for the brain, digital wellness for your heart, and then digital wellness for your village,”  Gallagher says. 

Digital wellness for the body. Part of a good digital wellness program is encouraging students to think about how their interactions with screens are impacting them physically. “How is it impacting your sleep? How is it impacting your eye health?” Gallagher says. “How is it impacting the amount of movement your body gets, like exercise? How is it impacting your nutrition?” 

Digital wellness for the brain. Educators should encourage students to examine how their interactions with technology are hampering or helping them cognitively, Gallagher says. They should consider aspects such as their ability to focus and avoid multitasking while still being creative. 

Digital wellness for the heart. “The heart is really emotional wellness,” Gallagher says. This encompasses elements such as helping children explore different identities in a safe manner online and discover what they’re passionate about. 

“We want to make sure we're talking openly with kids about things like FOMO that can happen when they're interacting online and body-image issues that can happen when they're interacting online,” she says. 

She adds that young people need to learn that what people showcase on their social media feeds is highly curated. “There's nothing wrong with people posting their highlight reel. Who wants to post, ‘And I also broke down and cried this afternoon’? I don't expect people to do that. But it's important for kids to understand that the person [they see on social media] is also having real emotions just like you and their life isn't perfect.” 

Digital Wellness for your village. Learning to use technology to foster relationships with friends and family, as well as professional-type relationships with teachers and experts in fields they are interested in, is important for students. 

“We want to encourage our kids to be civically active,” she says. “There are opportunities, even before you’re voting age, to engage with causes that you're passionate about, learn more about them, and post to support causes or charities that you believe in. And there's nothing wrong with our kids being passionate about things that are in the service of other people, or being passionate about causes that will help improve our society even before they're adults.” 

Implementing a Digital Wellness Program  

At St. John’s Prep, implementing a successful digital wellness program means collaborating with teachers, parents, and students. 

“An overarching construct is that you need to work with teachers first,” Gallagher says. So the first step in implementing their digital wellness program was meeting with teachers from each department and providing them with a definition of digital wellness. “Then we spent most of the time with them talking about how it integrates naturally into their curriculum,” Gallagher says. “I may be somebody who has done a lot of research on digital wellness, but my math teachers are the experts in math. So how does it fit into how they teach everyday in the classroom?” 

Next up is connecting with parents. Gallagher provides a weekly digital wellness tip that goes out to members of the school community and regularly meets with parents to talk about their concerns around their children and technology use. “I appreciate every opportunity to talk to a parent about healthy tech use,” she says. 

Student participation and buy-in is, of course, also an essential component of having a successful digital wellness program. “We have community guidelines and norms that we crafted alongside our students around what digital wellness looks like at our school, and those are posted in every single classroom,” Gallagher says. “So if there's a child who kind of goes outside those norms, it's really easy for anyone in the community, either a peer or teacher, to point to it and be like, ‘Hey, that's not what we do here.’”

This multi-pronged approach helps make digital wellness an essential part of the school day. “We want it to be something that's a part of our culture and not something that's special,” Gallagher says. “It's a part of everything that we do.” 

• What is Cyberbullying? 
• What is SEL?
• 4 Ways To Prevent Cyberbullying

Even educators are often unaware of the important role librarians play in schools, says Melissa Jacobs. 

“A school librarian is a teacher,” says Jacobs, director of library services for New York City’s Department of Education. As such, school librarians are an integral part of any education team, dedicated to providing students with the tools that are necessary for critical inquiry. “A library is about ideas and about thinking,” Jacobs says. 

Today the boundaries of the library extend far beyond the physical school building. During the COVID shutdown, Jacobs led a program that allowed students and staff 24/7 access to ebooks, audiobooks, read-alongs, and other digital materials. Her efforts to date have resulted in more than 2 million digital books being delivered to DOE students and staff. 

Thanks to this success, Jacobs was honored with the Best Overall Implementation of Technology  at the Tech & Learning Innovative Leadership Awards in New Jersey. This initiative and the vital role library access plays in equity, access, and overall educational achievement for students, is of vital importance to her. 

The Need for Library Access 

Jacobs has been a librarian for more than twenty years, the last five of which have been in her current role. During her career, she’s learned firsthand just how important school librarians are to each student’s education. Libraries foster critical thinking that helps students develop a passion for different subjects and learn who they want to be. “That’s the spark that I want this to ignite in our kids,” she says.

However, there are communities in the U.S. that do not have public libraries, resulting in underserved students who struggle with the transition to post-secondary institutions. Jacobs says having access is critical so students arrive at college prepared to function and have the skill sets for information literacy. School librarians need to actively promote that equity. 

“Take advantage of every grant, every program, every conference, and every opportunity to encourage users’ access,” she says. “Purchase titles kids want to read in addition to titles that kids must read. Practice logging in, logging out, and taking advantage of the digital tools embedded in the platform. Help students individualize the experience for themselves as a reader.”

Literacy and The Library 

Only one out of three elementary students in the fourth and fifth grade demonstrate reading proficiency according to recent research. 

One highlight of Jacobs’ career is the digital collection that she initiated, which serves over a million students across more than 1,600 schools. At that scale, providing digital content has been a real challenge, however, Jacobs and her team have built a sustainable online collection using OverDrive and the Sora app. That accessibility is especially important for students who may experience housing insecurity or other economic or financial hardships. “Any DOE student, any New York City public school student, can access this. And to me, that's equity,” Jacobs says.

Jacobs’ additional advice for managing digital collections is simple. “Remember, a library has a librarian,” she says. “That notion remains true for a digital library. Use the skill sets of school librarians to curate collections and procure titles. Have policies and procedures in place for selection and be transparent about the process with the community. The digital platform also makes a difference and there should be a focus on equitable access, the user experience, and discoverability.”

Opening Up the World  

So far, more than 1.4 million books have been circulated to New York City students this calendar year. In addition to books in multiple languages, Jacobs is especially proud of the distinctive cultural content. “This is a collection that's representative of the diversity of New York,” she says. 

That diversity also encompasses different learning styles. For example, some students are auditory learners, so there’s an extensive audiobook collection. “I think that the Citywide Digital Library on Sora is even more essential in our kids’ lives because this platform is providing different mediums for them to focus on,” Jacobs says. 

Students sometimes read words on the page but have difficulty keeping focused. Interpreting, synthesizing, and analyzing texts can be hard work. Students need every tool at their disposal to ensure that they have sound educational experiences. “They can go to the digital library and access the ebook, which has accessibility features, or the audiobook, or both, or access it in another language,” Jacobs says. 

Educators should encourage students to engage with books and stress the different formats available. “Audiobooks and read-alongs have a much higher comprehension level than just print, which many kids struggle with decoding text,” she says. “Help students identify ways and formats they enjoy reading and engage with text.”

A book can be life-changing for a young person. If a child develops a love for reading, that child goes on to be a lifelong reader and learner. “Books teach you to think,” Jacobs says. “They open up the world. They give you opportunities. And once you build that knowledge, no one could take that away from you.” 

• How to Get Students to Read for Fun
• Listen Without Guilt: Audiobooks Offer Similar Comprehension As Reading

While pursuing teaching degrees, educators are introduced to various learning theorists and their insights about how people learn best. Some familiar names include Piaget, Bandura, Vygotsky, and Gardner. 

Although understanding these learning theories is still important, aspiring educators also need to become familiar with theories, models, and approaches that provide insight on how technology, social media, and the internet impact learning. Digital learning theories and approaches, such as RAT, SAMR, TPACK, Digital Blooms, Connectivism, Design Thinking and Peeragogy help teachers develop curricula that gets students to use technology to research, curate, annotate, create, innovate, problem-solve, collaborate, campaign, reform and think critically. These are skills outlined in Shelly Terrell’s Hacking Digital Learning Strategies with EdTech Missions.

Digital learning approaches consider what students are currently doing online and allow teachers to design curricula to help students gain the digital skills they need to thrive in a digitally connected world. 

Below are some useful links to discover more about these approaches. 

1. The RAT Model

The RAT model is a way of looking at technology and how it has or has not altered instruction. The “R” stands for replacement, and in this mode of instruction technology is just replacing a previous tool for instruction but in no way changing the instructional practices or learning that occurs. The “A” is amplification, which refers to when class instructional practices remain the same but the use of technology increases the lesson’s efficiency and effectiveness or reach. The “T” is transformation, and is when technology is used to reinvent certain aspects of instruction in new and innovative ways.

2. SAMR

The SAMR model stands for substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition, and looks at four tiers of tech implementation. Educators frequently have a tendency to focus on the first two tiers, essentially converting previous instructional practices into a technological format: for instance, recording a lecture and posting it online, or posting PDFs of previously printed materials. The second two tiers entail using technology to more fundamentally change instruction. 

3. The TPACK Framework

TPACK stands for technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. The framework examines the interplay of three grouped areas of content knowledge (CK), pedagogy (PK), and technology (TK), and explores the ways these areas intersect. While it is often compared to SAMR, these are quite different models, with TPACK being a less linear way of thinking about incorporating technology into teaching. 

4. Digital Blooms

Bloom’s Taxonomy was created by Benjamin Bloom and his collaborators in the 1950s as a framework for categorizing educational goals that is often depicted as a pyramid with each level requiring higher levels of thinking in order to achieve mastery. Over time, the original nouns used by Bloom and colleagues were replaced with active verbs. Now at the base of the pyramid is the word remember, and it builds up in order to apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. The new framework has also been updated to incorporate technology.  

5. Connectivism

Introduced in 2005 by George Siemens and Stephen Downes, this learning theory holds that students should learn how to combine thoughts, theories, and other information in a useful way. The theory builds on the idea that technology has increased the speed of our access to information, and our constant connectedness should be harnessed to help students make choices about learning, collaborating, and learning from diverse sources, including sources on social media. 

6. Design Thinking 

Popularized by tech companies, design thinking takes engineering and artistic processes and applies these to other fields, such as education. Using this framework, educators and students can identify challenges, gather information, generate potential solutions, refine ideas, and test solutions. This framework can be helpful for department, school, or team planning, as well as class planning or for individual lessons. 

7. Peeragogy

As any educator can tell you, there’s nothing quite like peer learning. Peeragogy, also known as paragogy, is a collection of best practices for peer-to-peer learning that seeks to help educators overcome some of the obstacles to effective peer learning such as peers who don’t produce useful and/or supportive feedback. 

Resources

• What is RAT? by developer, Dr. Joan Hughes
• SAMR and Digital Blooms resources by Kathy Schrock
• The Peeragogy Handbook with founder Howard Rheingold
• The TPACK Framework
• Design thinking is a process for creative problem solving

Challenge: Explore one of these digital learning theories to see how you can make at least one change enhance the way you integrate technology.

The original version of this story was cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is an education consultant, technology trainer, and author. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com

It’s undeniable that the pandemic changed the way we teach, learn, work, and live, but when some people returned to in-person learning and their schools, it seemed they could use some advice on digital etiquette for the new, and extremely connected, world in which we are now operating. This is a world where at any time you may be meeting or teaching in-person, via video, phone, or a combination thereof at the same time. 

While adapting was easier for some, others could use a bit of help. For those people, you may want to share or discuss these tips with them.

Digital Etiquette Tip 1: Use Earbuds / Headphones 

There is never a time when you are in the company of others that you should listen to a device through the device. Lowering the volume also doesn’t work. If you don’t wear earbuds or headphones, you may come off as inconsiderate. 

2: Multitask Mindfully if You Must 

You may think that you are not captain obvious when you are doing something unrelated to the work at hand. However, usually, you are. If you must multitask on your phone, laptop, or other device, let the person in charge and those you are meeting with know, and give you feedback if it is okay or if it is better you don’t participate. 

3: Know How to Handle Hybrid 

While remote was king in the first year or so of the pandemic, hybrid is now the norm. It’s beneficial to know how to do this effectively. Learn to use your camera to livestream and even record meetings, lessons, conversations. If your district prioritizes this, there are products such as WeVideo, Screencastify, and Flip that make this easy peasy. Having a backchannel for chat, insights, and feedback has many advantages. Have a moderator for this. They can bring any questions or comments to the attention of the presenter and/or participants as needed.  

4: Ask If It’s Okay to Pop On By 

Whether it’s a student or a staff member doing deep work it is important to respect their time. While some may not mind unexpected interruptions, others may. It’s best to ask rather than just popping over to someone. If they’re okay with that, great. If not, let them know when you plan to connect in advance and make sure that time works for them. This is true whether you’re popping by in-person or connecting via video or phone conference. Respect the time and work schedule of others, know how to use digital calendars, and determine a time that is mutually convenient. 

5: Courteous Calendaring 

Calendaring technology, such as Calendly, makes scheduling easy. Use calendars to coordinate and book meetings and events. Know how to read the calendars of others to know when they are free rather than asking. Don’t book someone when they are already booked. Staff should also know how to share their calendar so it is visible to colleagues. This can also apply in school settings. Get rid of the bells and teach students and staff how to use a calendar to coordinate where they are going when. 

6: People Over Phones 

When you are in-person be with the persons you are with and put away the phones unless it is a part of what the group is doing together. If you think you must use your phone (relative in the hospital, sick child, etc.), then explain this to others and be discreet. 

7: Conscious Camera Connecting 

How do we find the right balance between Zoom fatigue and connection with cameras on? The answer is to choose consciously. If it’s an ongoing meeting or class, you may want to discuss norms with participants. For example, you can acknowledge that having the camera on for everyone can be exhausting. Perhaps, you ask that cameras come on when folks speak. Or, cameras can be on in certain types of video conferencing and not others. Not talking about it can lead to discomfort. Instead, talk. Discuss. Create norms and figure out what makes sense for people. The organizer of the activity should share expectations up front, but be open if some folks have preferences or sensitivities. 

8: Don’t Attach. Link. 

Never attach files when sharing. Instead share links. Why? Attachments often have a variety of issues including version control, ability to access from any device, storage waste, and more. Additionally, if you mention a document when communicating, link to it. You can create links using a variety of platforms such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive. Simply upload your file to the desired platform and access a copy of the link. Make sure you check visibility and share the file with the correct audience. 

9: Interact

Learning and meetings are more effective when participants react and interact rather than sit back as passive participants. If you are leading the meeting or lesson, encourage the use of emojis or hand signals. Use polls to get reactions from those in attendance. Create time for whole and/or small group discussion. Use tools such as Adobe Express for folks to create and other tools to collaborate such as Padlet or a digital whiteboard. 

As we move to a new normal that values digital teaching, learning, and working, it is more important than ever to integrate digital etiquette into our work, and into our students’ work. Each of these tips will be crucial to ensure we all are as successful and effective as possible in the work we do with our colleagues and students. 

• How To Teach Digital Citizenship
• Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities

Digital equity goes beyond having a working device and basic internet. Educators need to address three dimensions of digital equity to successfully support access and inclusion in teaching and learning. 

The 2021 National Leadership Technology Summit held at the National Press Club in DC, supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the National Education Association, and the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, provided the opportunity for edtech association presidents, journal editors, and emerging leaders to discuss these aspects in shaping future edtech policy. 

During the event, these subjects were explored as part of the effort to ensure that all students, families, and teachers can be properly supported in order to get the most out of edtech and learning.

1. Pay Close Attention to Biased Coding Algorithms 

As edtech continues to emerge, we rely heavily on machine learning and artificial intelligence to support teaching and learning. For example, bots are used in different edtech applications to help students navigate online learning programs, to help grade assessments, and serve as virtual advisors. 

While bots have the potential to make teaching more efficient, these programs perform based on code that was created by humans, who are flawed and bring their real-world experiences to their work. Consequently, code may have unconscious biases in regard to race, ethnicity, and gender. The 2020 Coded Bias movie on Netflix documents this, and viewing it may be a starting point to understanding that even machines can contribute to the perpetuation of stereotypes and bias. Consequently, as we work toward digital equity, the potential of bias in coding algorithms needs to be kept in mind as more schools use programs that rely on bots.  

2. Maintain a High Level of Technoethics 

As more and more students are required to use edtech devices and learn through online platforms, we must, as educators, be sure to protect their privacy, data, and personal information. 

Misuse of students’ and their families’ information for marketing and other purposes goes against the ethical standards and oaths that we take in doing no harm to students. Remember, families trust educators to not only teach their children, but to also keep them safe. Yes, this includes physical safety, but also includes their privacy and information. 

If it has been a while since you reviewed some of the laws that protect students when learning through online means, it may be time to review the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) and The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). 

Additionally, we must be responsible and ethical with our use of information from other sources, and give proper credit. If you are unsure when to use content found online from other sources, or how to cite these sources, review related laws on Fair Use and Copyright. A variety of open-source websites are available, and one in particular that may be useful is Creative Commons. 

3. Leverage Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Online 

Providing students access to academic content though edtech tools and virtual spaces does not automatically equate to equitable learning experiences. In fact, the digital divide continues to grow as issues of access to strong and consistent bandwidth and internet in low-income and rural areas remain, as does the lack of digital literacy skills needed to navigate virtual spaces. Family engagement also continues to be a challenge, including issues with work schedules, learning times, and antiquated school-sponsored devices. 

Coupling these issues with the challenges of making a safe classroom community in an online context -- that takes into account the cultures, beliefs, and perspectives of all students -- only exacerbate the digital divide and equity discrepancies when it comes to online learning and use of edtech tools in education settings for certain marginalized school communities. The ways in which in-person learning environments must be free from bias and discrimination, the same must translate to online learning environments. 

Culturally Responsive Teaching Online & In-Person: An Action Planner for Dynamic Equitable Learning Environments, a forthcoming book through Corwin, has myriad pedagogical strategies and techniques to incorporate culturally responsive and equity-minded teaching practices in online and virtual learning environments. For example, leveraging virtual and augmented reality edtech tools such as Google Arts and Culture is a seamless way to digitally connect history, geography, and the arts curriculum to the diverse cultures of the students in the class. Another way to embed culturally responsive teaching into online learning environments is to make sure all edtech tools used incorporate features that are inclusive to all students. This includes having avatars, emojis, and bitmojis that come in different shades, hair styles, and facial features so they can represent all of the diverse learners in the classroom. 

These areas within digital equity must be addressed to ensure that all students, families, and teachers can experience equitable technology-infused education, and are only the beginning of what could be done to ensure inclusive access to digital learning materials. 

• 4 Ways to Use Master Scheduling to Support Equity
• Remote Learning and Digital Equity: Best Practices

Melissa Jacobs, director of the New York City Department of Education School Library System, says digital literacy teaching needs to be more detailed in today’s world. “In years past, it's always been, ‘Okay, well it's important not to plagiarize and you need to cite sources,’ and that’s as far as it's gotten,” she says. “The situations from the last few years have emphasized the need to have digital literacy skills embedded in your daily life.”

Students are also inundated with more and more sources -- many of which are of dubious quality -- at a younger and younger age, says Jacobs. Teaching them how to critically analyze these sources is an important part of their education.

Jacobs advises teachers to work with the librarians within their school system and enlist them to help you build digital literacy into as much of what you do as possible. “The school librarian has the ability to teach these skills through the curriculum, whereas the classroom teacher is teaching content,” she says. “These skills can be taught through different classes, and so you then as a student, gain the ability to apply the skill set, rather than just applying the knowledge base.” 

Tech & Learning recently spoke with Jacobs and two of her NYC DOE colleagues: Michael Dodes, Queens library coordinator; and Leanne Ellis, Manhattan library coordinator. They shared tips for educators on how to successfully implement digital curriculum. 

Remember It’s Not a One-Time Lesson  

Effective digital literacy requires continual teaching over various courses and years, says Dodes. “It's not like you did one lesson and your kids, ‘Recognize fake news’ and they're good for life,” he says. “It has to be done continuously and iteratively as they get older, just so that it's a constant part of their exposure and they learn it from different lenses.” 

Focus on Lateral Reading  

“Research is not looking up information on the internet, it's a much more complicated inquiry process,” says Ellis. 

Ellis, her New York City librarian colleagues, and other education organizations such as the Stanford History Education Group are promoting lateral reading. Instead of staying on a single website (vertical reading), students are encouraged to read laterally by consulting various sources and sites. 

Also, rather than rely on the top article of a Google search, students should be taught to look critically at each one, including researching the authors of an article, the publication/site that carries it, and anyone who might be sponsoring it. “This way you're approaching your research with a critical eye instead of just taking the first thing that comes up,” says Ellis, which can help students realize what conducting research truly means. “That's always a defense of people who believe in conspiracy theories, like ‘Well I did my research.’ It's like, ‘Well you didn’t.’ There's this mischaracterization of what research is.”

Don’t Assume Someone Else is Teaching It 

Even though people recognize the need for digital literacy in today’s world, it’s still not always easy for school librarians and other educators to implement robust programs. “It's a compliance question but principals just check that they've done it,” says Jacobs. “It's not its own course so anytime something's not its own course, it's harder for teachers to integrate it into their curriculum.” 

“Our classroom teachers are assuming that someone had to have taught it [digital literacy] to them,” says Jacobs. “Not everyone has access to librarians, and so there are a lot of kids who are missing the scaffolding of these lessons.”

Use Digital Resources  

The Stanford History Education Group and Common Sense Education’s Digital Citizenship both offer free lessons and curriculum designed for various age groups. The New York City School Library System also has many digital literacy resources available for educators. 

“There's lots of good curriculum,” Dodes says, suggesting that educators pick and choose what pieces of those online curriculum will work for them and their schools. 

Educators should also remember that it’s okay to remind students there are such things as facts that we can all agree on. “I think we've been both sides-ing,” Dodes says. “There are things that are true and false, and we can say that. We don't need to be sensitive to every side on every issue because not everything is subject to debate.” 

Further Reading

• 5 Ways to Discuss the Capitol Riot with Your Students
• How to Develop Data Literacy in Elementary-Aged Students

With school closures and the move to remote learning necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, families and educators are looking for supplemental educational opportunities to bolster learning. A new study by NWEA projects that students who lack steady instruction during the school shutdowns might retain only 70% of their annual reading gains as compared to a normal year. This compounds the annual issue of reading skill loss known as the summer slide. One resource that educators can consider sharing with families is Scholastic's free Summer Read-A-Palooza program.   

Starting Monday, May 4, kids can join the Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza in the newly created summer zone on Scholastic Home Base, where they can explore free resources, read select ebooks, engage with fellow readers and favorite authors, and keep Reading Streaks™, which also help unlock a donation of 100,000 print books from Scholastic, distributed by United Way Worldwide.

Activities include:

• Reading free digital books. Exclusive to the summer zone, kids will have access to select full ebooks in their entirety.
• Unlocking book donations for home libraries: For every two consecutive days a child checks into the zone they will create a Reading Streak which will unlock a new free print book for a child with limited or no access to books. Reading Streaks are earned when kids check in to the Read-a-Palooza zone to confirm they have read that day. With the goal of unlocking all 100,000 books by July, United Way Worldwide, the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit, will distribute the books across the country to locations where access to more high-quality books is needed most. 
• Sharing reading progress. Kids will be able to create and print individualized reading reports summarizing their reading progress. 
• Earning personal reading milestones. Kids will be able to earn awards ranging from bronze, silver, gold and diamond levels for their reading streak progress while collecting accessories to dress up their avatar.
• Joining a community of readers. The summer zone offers kids a safe social platform to interact with friends and make new companions along the way.

To learn more about Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza and access free summer reading resources, visit: http://www.scholastic.com/summer.

I still remember the storybooks I created when I was younger. They were made by stapling or gluing construction paper over notebook paper and illustrating the pages with crayons and marker. Students still enjoy creating physical storybooks, but now their stories can be preserved digitally forever with free web tools and apps. The tools and apps below make it easy for students to illustrate, animate, and share their stories with friends, family, and a wider audience. Not only can students create stories about any topic, but they also have the opportunity to be published authors which motivates many to continue reading and writing.

Tips and Ideas

The following are tips and ideas for further supporting students through the process:

• Students can create their own storybooks, work in pairs, or contribute to a class storybook.
• Provide students with templates, checklists, and rubrics.
• Read, Write, Think has several interactives that walk students through the story creation process- Story Map, Literary Elements, Flip Books, the Hero’s Journey, Story Cube, and Fractured Fairy Tales.
• Walk students through the self and peer editing process.
• Students can create stories that retell history, portray themselves as superheroes, set in the future, highlight different cultures, or to teach others math, the alphabet, or to be better citizens. The choice of topics is endless!

Tools and Apps for Creating Digital Storybooks

• Book Creator– Web, iOS and Android app to create and publish digital books with personal photos, audio, video, and more.
• Elementari– Create a free class account for up to 30 students. Students use the web tool to create a storybook with sounds, animations, shapes, and more.
• Buncee– Web tool and iOS app to create and publish a digital storybook with free library of animations, stickers, templates, frames, stock photos, video, audio, and more.
• Storybird– Web tool that is easy to create a written storybook.  Students choose art created by professional artists and add their words and ideas.
• My Storybook– This web tool requires no registration and is simple to use with very young learners and elementary students. Children create a storybook with drawings, images, characters, and more.
• Storyjumper– Choose characters and backgrounds to visualize a written story. Not able to embed.
• BoomWriter– Create collaborative class storybooks. Features include peer editing and a voting process.
• Google Slides and Docs are also great free options. Students can easily search and insert images, add video clips, and more! Student collaboration is easy and students have access to accessibility features and translation tools. Publish as PDFs or embed as a slideshow.

To thank you for your sharing, friendship and support over the years I am sharing free tips, learning resources, web tools and apps for 25 days in my Digital December STEM Advent Calendar. Just click on the calendar below and a post will appear for that day. NOTE! The post will not appear until that day. If you enjoy these resources, then take one of my fully accredited continuing education and graduate online courses or check out my latest book, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies with EdTech Missions!

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

As accessibility consciousness increases, more and more people are wondering what provider to use to make accessible content? WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind)* surveyed preferences of screen reader users comparing Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF. 

Creating accessible content is not only important because it is the right thing to do. It is also important because not doing so leaves institutions and businesses at risk for lawsuits and loss of funding. 

The verdict?

WebAIM research showed that respondents were much more favorable of Word documents than of PDF documents - 30.9% indicated that Word documents are very or somewhat likely to pose significant accessibility issues, compared to 75.1% for PDF documents.

Implications

Because it is a challenge to make Adobe products accessible, a institutions like Penn State, are suggesting staff avoid Adobe.

Accessible first. Not accessible search.

It’s not that Adobe can’t be made accessible. The problem is it’s not intuitive. For example, the two most important tools for reviewing and repairing PDF accessibility are the Tags pane and the Accessibility tools pane. They are both hidden by default in Acrobat. Accessibility should be the default, not the thing some people search to try to accomplish. Another problem is that several languages are not supported and there is no timeline for a fix. 

Heading navigation is key

Regardless of the platform used, the research indicates that navigating headings remains the predominant method for finding page information by those using screen readers. It also makes a page much easier and comfortable for everyone to digest. 

Up next?

Let’s put out a challenge for WebAIM to see how Google and Apple fare with feedback from respondents who use screen readers.

          ___________________________________________________________________

*WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) provides comprehensive web accessibility solutions and is a leading provider of web accessibility expertise internationally. WebAIM is a non-profit organization based at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University. WebAIM's mission is to expand the potential of the web for people with disabilities by providing the knowledge, technical skills, tools, organizational leadership strategies, and vision that empower organizations to make their own content accessible to people with disabilities. 

          ___________________________________________________________________

cross posted at The Innovative Educator 

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.  

Research draws a direct correlation between students’ frequency of reading for fun and their average reading scores. The more frequently they read, the higher the students’ reading scores.This white paper provides insights into the benefits of an ebook program at your school. You’ll learn how:

• Librarians and classroom teachers are working together to give students access to ebooks as part of their curriculum as well as for pleasure reading
• Student devices provide easy access to a district-wide library of ebooks
• A user-friendly interface engages students with interactive components
• Digital reading supports personalized learning
• Good readers have better academic outcomes

Click here to download the full whitepaper

As a former middle school teacher who taught in a lower-income, majority-minority school equipped with lots of "high tech" tools, I often wondered about equity when it came to edtech. For me, students' access to tech at school wasn't the issue. However, I knew that things were a lot different once students left my classroom. Because the majority of my students lacked internet access at home, I never assigned homework that required technology.

But that was over 10 years ago, and a lot has changed since then. Today, using tech for teaching and learning -- both in class and for homework -- is a lot more common than it was. Nevertheless, many teachers and students are struggling to adapt to a world where it seems like everyone is connected, yet not everyone has the same access.

Curious to learn more about digital equity and its implications today, I attended a local community roundtable focused on how digital inequity affects schools and their communities. I wanted to know more about what students, educators, and community leaders think about leveling the playing field when it comes to edtech. At one panel, a distinguished group of experts, from city officials to district tech leaders, discussed what they saw as the most pressing issues. Solutions they proposed ranged from providing free citywide broadband access to giving students cellphones with preloaded data plans.

I learned a lot, but it was all about digital equity at a district and citywide level. As a teacher, these technical and infrastructural issues felt so far outside of my control. Then, a group of seven high school seniors took the stage and brought a whole new perspective to the conversation.

One after another, the students spoke about their challenges with technology and what a lack of access actually felt like to them. What surprised me was that the students didn't focus on the lack of hardware (one working printer for over 1,000 students) or lack of high-speed networks (having to sit in a dark parking lot to use the public library's internet). Instead, they shared a more down-to-earth perspective, centered on their teachers and the happenings within their classrooms. From inconsistent homework policies to a perceived lack of empathy and understanding from their teachers, the students were coming at the digital equity issue from a whole different angle.

Of course, issues of digital equity are multifaceted, multilevel, and, at times, technical. But hearing these students' perspectives inspired me to think about some small changes that we, as educators, can make in changing what digital equity looks like for our kids.

Here are four simple things you can do right now to bring more digital equity to your classroom:

1. Seek first to understand.

Recognize your students' current tech capabilities and their concerns. Consider using a survey at the beginning of the year to get a baseline understanding of your students' access to tech. Make sure to let your students know you'll use the results to inform your teaching (and that their answers will remain confidential to their peers). While you may have strong rapport with your students, don't assume too much -- it's important to ask questions to understand what tech use is really like in their homes so you have a clearer and more accurate understanding of needs and constraints. Try to learn from your students: How many have computers at home? How many of those computers have access to a high-speed network? Are there families who use only phones (or tablets) to access the internet? Where do students access the internet if they can't do it at home?

2. Try it out!

It may seem obvious, but before giving assignments on a new platform or app, try it out for yourself! A lot of times, things we'd never assume could go wrong actually do. But trying out the experience beforehand -- just as students will -- can help us catch some bugs before we turn students loose. And it gives us some valuable insight into what students will experience in our classes. From there, you can give kids ample time to complete their work and maybe even offer some pro tips in the process. Everything from log-in problems to having the right browser can affect how long it takes for students to get the work done.

3. Create a tech equity vision with your students.

What exactly is a "tech equity vision"? It's a fancy way to describe the act of involving your students in conversations about how tech use happens in your classroom (and beyond). What better way to elevate student voices and partner with students on how to use technology for teaching and learning? Ask questions like, "What do we use technology in the classroom for?"; "How do we want technology to help us learn?"; "What are some challenges you face using technology in and out of school?"; and "When does technology actually enhance our learning, and when can it get in the way?" Document and post responses on a tech equity vision so students feel (and see) accountability and ownership.

4. (Re)consider your homework policies.

One student on the panel shared that his teacher had an "Absolutely No Late Work" policy, and when he couldn't turn in an online assignment due to lack of access at home, he simply received a zero on the assignment. Another student shared that her teacher gave a week between assigning online homework and turning it in, which allowed for more flexibility in finding access to a network.

Consistency between classes can really help kids, too, so if you're working as part of a team, collaborate with your colleagues on creating consistent policies around homework and digital assignments. Don't be afraid to rethink how your team handles digital learning, and be mindful of the constraints students may face in how they access technology.

cross posted at Common Sense Education

Kaili Hwang has over 10 years of experience as both an educator and administrator in school communities around the world. Kaili joined Common Sense as the Foundations Manager of education-related grants in 2018. 

I had a great two days of learning at the Blended & Personalized Learning Conference in Providence (#BPLC19).  The sessions I found myself in focused on blended and personalized learning design (great session @csanford42 and @ShawnCRubin) , increasing student voice, and supporting educators take the next step in their own growth. Today’s students are experiential learners; they learn by discovery rather than being “told” what to do. They like to interact with content to explore and draw their own conclusions. They also like playing different roles in their learning, either as a student or even as an instructor/facilitator/supporter of others. We need to create classrooms where students are the ones defending and explaining their ideas rather than regurgitating facts.  Giving students a list of options from which they can choose, whether it’s a book to read in language arts, a topic to research in history, or a business to create in math, will increase engagement and retention. This strategy will allow them to operate in a learning space where they are comfortable and self-motivated. 

Click here for session slide deck 

John Dewey said (over 80 years ago), “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”  These words ring true especially in the implementation of technology in the classroom. If teachers are not learning and implementing new and current practices, they are failing to prepare students for tomorrow. Furthermore, teachers are missing valuable opportunities to engage student learning.

This brings us to the focus of this blog and a point that came up in my session “Innovative Leadership.” We must evolve as teachers by moving away from dioramas and moving towards dynamic project design; “thinking outside the box.” I showed the slide below and asked, “How can we enhance this project?” I had some great conversations with participants which pushed my thinking and led me to write this blog: “How Can We Move from Diorama to Dynamic?”

Dioramas are, in the most basic explanation, physical boxes built to showcase learning on a subject matter or topic. They are a way to incorporate craft projects into the understanding of a topic. They allow students to illustrate an academic subject, the plot of a story, or an event in history. However, a diorama is a scene that captures a single moment in time. Yes, it may give some student voice and autonomy, however, once the glue dries – the project is stationary; enhancement or further extension of the scene is impossible.  

To create a dynamic project, a teacher must offer students multiple opportunities to explore and understand the topic.  A dynamic project should have a balance of static and interactive elements as well as individual work and cooperation. It should also include a variety of tools and resources to appeal to students’ interests and preferences. The more interesting and appealing the project options are for students, the more creative and fascinating the student projects will be. Offering dynamic options will certainly help to achieve higher engagement and relevance in student learning.

So what are some tools to add to a diorama, or any student project, to make it dynamic? Below are some ways to take that shoebox and make it come alive with student creation, imagination, and independence:

Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio or learning journal that provides opportunities for students to show their work and thought processes in real time. Students can create a video of themselves working on their project. Seesaw can empower students to create, reflect, collaborate and share. Having this video will also allow family members to view the Seesaw content to share and enjoy their students’ learning. Sharing with families will celebrate successes. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Have students take photos and video articulating their thinking in their design process for the diorama. This thinking process and video creation can be part of the students’ presentation or a post-presentation addition.

When I think about Flipgrid I explain it like a combination of Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube. Flipgrid is a tool that increases independence and creativity. As educators, we strive to develop student voice in order to share, verbally, what they have learned. Flipgrid is designed to do just that by creating a fun and creative space to produce individual videos. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Create a  Diorama “preview” Flipgrid. With each student giving a “trailer” as you would see for a movie. This grid can be made public and if posted a week before the diorama showcase, build excitement and intrigue for their projects as the students hype their projects via video.  

Buncee is a web-based tool for creating interactive multimedia presentations. A student can integrate content from both external and internal sources as well as create content directly on each slide. Buncee boards are a great way to make students ideas grow as well as provide an inspiration to collaborate. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Create Buncee boards with sequences of what came “before” the diorama scene and “after”. Students can share the board to the web and have an external monitor to show “what happened next” in the timeline of the diorama scene.

The above tools are all web-based. As such, a student can create a Flipgrid, Buncee, or Seesaw and have a live link. But what do you do with those links? QR codes allow websites to be photo codes. One only has to scan the code via their phone camera to be taken directly to another digital tool or website. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Place a large QR code next to each project to allow students to walk around the room and visit each diorama independently. When students scan the QR code, they will be taken to a video or other online information that will teach them about the research used to create the scene. Additionally, students can place guiding questions on the back of the QR codes; these would be written by the project’s creator(s). This idea will provide an avenue for students’ independent learning.

Augmented reality (AR)  is quickly becoming a powerful tool in education. The goal of AR is to transform learning and expand possibilities for content. AR can offer students the opportunity to design virtual three-dimensional learning objects or visuals. Aurasma is an augmented reality application that allows you to overlay any video or image on top of anything. Aurasma looks very much like a QR code reader on a phone or tablet; it allows the device to scan with its built-in camera. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Students can create an overlayed image or video for their diorama. From there, the object can be activated by scanning it with the Aurasma app. Combining the diorama scene with an overlay that plays sound, images or video will add a layer of excitement and wonder to the learning. For instance, students can create moving objects or animals for the diorama that you could otherwise not see with a static 3D scene. Students will be fascinated to see a dinosaur walking through the diorama or an astronaut landing on the moon diorama.

3D printing is the action or process of making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many thin layers of material in succession. 3D printing enables students to manufacture objects right in the classroom (or lab). Dynamic Diorama Idea: Once students have planned their diorama and visualized parts or figures, they can create it digitally, and save the design. The next step is getting ready for printing by reviewing your design, loading the printer with the correct materials, and ensuring the printing surface is clean and ready. Students can change 3D printing settings using software like any desktop printer. Using the diorama (from above) that sparked this discussion at #BPLC19 and fueled this blog, you could 3D print the trees, the hut, and some people to populate the scene.

Classroom instruction is experiencing a dramatic shift in how it has been done for decades. As teachers begin to learn more, classroom projects should become more dynamic in design thinking and production. The next step in the ever-changing landscape of technology is allowing dynamic projects to become part of the culture of learning. This shift will require a coordinated effort between mindset, behaviors, and skills to enhance classroom learning and design through technology. Using today’s technology and combining it with the endless creativity and ideas of today’s young minds, teachers will be able to shift from dioramas to dynamic relevant projects and take the next step in their growth as educators.

See you next year #BLPC20 

cross posted at techinnovation.live 

Dr. Matthew X. Joseph is currently the Director of Digital Learning and Innovation for the Milford Public School District in Milford, MA. Before coming to Milford, he was a building principal for 11 years in Natick, MA and Attleboro, MA. Other professional roles include: classroom teacher, district professional development specialist supporting leadership and technology instruction. Matt holds licenses in general education, school administration, and Massachusetts superintendent. His master’s degree is in special education and earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Boston College.

Throughout his career, Matt focused on what is in the best interest of students and pushing the limits to achieve excellence in schools. He is an instructional leader constantly looking for student and school improvement while building community and continued teacher improvement. He is passionate about building a collaborative school culture, creating a school of learners utilizing 21st century instructional tools, and developing leaders’ communication techniques to enhance instruction and parent communication.

Follow Dr. Joseph on twitter at @MatthewXJoseph or read his blog techinnovation.live

Tomorrow is Digital Learning Day 2019.  Join thousands of teachers and students celebrating DLDay in classrooms, libraries, schools, and districts across the country and mark your spot on the official DLDay map, adding to the more than 1,700 events present.

Teachers who share pictures and videos of their students in action on Twitter and tag @OfficialDLDay and #DLDay may see their tweet highlighted by @OfficialDLDay or showcased during the DLDay LIVE webinars.

Register now for DLDay webinars on how school and district leaders can create opportunities for innovation and risk-taking, and how librarians, instructional coaches, and teachers can lead this innovation. 

Have you ever experienced digital learning? Digital Learning Day on February 23rd is the perfect time to try out a great digital learning resource. This interactive program will help you teach all about how forces work. Discover what they are, types, combining, and more through engaging online activities.

Courtesy of Knovation   

Digital Learning Day (DLDay) 2019 is February 28. With just a few weeks to go, it's time to start crossing off items on the DLDay to-do list.  

DLDay To-Do List 

• Add your DLDay celebration to the official DLDay map
• Share your DLDay event on Twitter. Here's an example::
  We're on the @OfficialDLDay map for Digital Learning Day 2019! Are you?
  Add your event next to ours: digitallearningday.org/register-your-event/
  #DLDay
• Register for the DLDay webinar
• Download shareable graphics and DLDay posters to hang in the classroom  

Learn more at https://digitallearningday.org/

Digital books are a powerful educational tool, providing students with the opportunity to improve their literacy and learn anytime, anywhere. Now eight million students from 17,000 districts and schools have the opportunity to access digital books through Sora, the new student reading app from OverDrive Education.

OverDrive Education and Sora support Texas' Proclamation 2019, which calls for instructional materials to promote English language arts curriculum adoptions for grades K-8 across the state for the 2019-2020 school year. Schools can choose from a balanced and diverse digital catalog of supplemental and student choice reading titles for use in the Sora app on any device or computer. More information found here.

Sessions at this week’s Texas Computer Education Association Convention & Exposition (TCEA) at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio (Booth #1239) will demonstrate how Sora and digital books contributed to the growth by serving the changing needs of students and educators (complete schedule here). OverDrive Education, digital reading platform for K-12, will also share best practices and highlights, such as the lists below.

The top five ebooks for K-12 students in 2018: 

1. Wonder, R. J. Palacio
2. The Maze Runner, James Dashner
3. Big Nate Makes a Splash, Lincoln Peirce
4.  Big Nate Makes the Grade, Lincoln Peirce
5. The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas

The top five audiobooks for K-12 students in 2018:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J. K. Rowling
2. A Wrinkle In Time, Madeleine L'engle
3. The Lightning Thief, Lincoln Peirce
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling  

Visit TCEA Booth # 1239 from February 5-7 to hear educators share how they are using their digital reading platform and Sora to improve reading engagement and education:

• Choosing & Promoting a Digital Reading Service -– Tuesday at 5pm
• Sora Helps You Make the Most of Your Digital Library – Wednesday at 11am
• From Research to Funding to Engagement: The Life Cycle of Your Digital Library – Wednesday at 1pm
• Digital Reading Gets Students Ready for College – Wednesday at 3:45pm
• Sora is Your School's Secret to Reading Engagement – Thursday at 11am & 2pm

For more information about OverDrive’s service for schools, visit overdrive.com/schools and TCEA Booth #1239.

The nonprofit Center for Cyber Safety and Education announces its partnership with AWE Acquisition, Inc. dba AWE Learning, provider of digital learning solutions for public libraries throughout the United States and Canada.

AWE Learning’s newest products, Early Literacy Station™ Platinum and AfterSchool Edge™ Platinum, each include more than 70 new software titles, spanning all STREAM subject areas (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, Math) for early learners. The new products will feature the cyber safety lessons with Garfield that were created by the Center and legendary cartoonist Jim Davis, Paws, Inc.

Epic! digital reading platform today announced that it is now reaching more than 10 million children and over 500 million books have been read on the platform since launch.  The company has set its sights on becoming a responsible digital media brand for kids. 

The subscription service costs $7.99 a month and provides unlimited access to more than 35,000 books, audio books and learning videos from 250 top publishers, including HarperCollins, Macmillan, Abrams, Sesame Workshop, National Geographic Kids and more.

Hundreds of thousands of teachers and librarians use Epic! weekly to support student learning across a wide variety of subjects, from reading and literacy to history, geography, the arts, science and math.

In addition to the ability to freely access the Epic! library, teachers have curated almost 2 million content collections on topics like ocean animals, coding and Native American history for students of all grade levels. Teachers have also created nearly 200,000 interactive quizzes on Epic! to gauge comprehension of reading material, which have been taken more than 35 million times by children in schools and homes.

The five-year-old company has seen consistently strong growth across the board, increasing reach and doubling its revenue every year. Kids have read more than 500 million books on Epic! since launch; 300 million last year alone. To support its growth, Epic! has secured more than $50 million in funding from Menlo Ventures, Reach Capital, Translink Capital, Rakuten Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, and others. The most recent round of $30 million was led by Evolution Media, the global tech, media and entertainment investment company backed by TPG Growth and Creative Artists Agency.

element14.com, the online community for engineers, has donated 250 micro:bit devices to support coding in the classroom.

‘The Great micro:bit Education Giveaway’ was launched in August 2018 and invited STEM educators to submit a proposal for a project they would like to run using micro:bit. Twenty-five applicants were selected to receive a micro:bit club pack – each containing ten devices and related accessories including batteries, adapters and USB cables.

The successful applicants were asked to document the progress of their projects on the element14 Community. Highlights included maker sessions for young and vulnerable children in New Brunswick, Canada, in a series of projects for G:RL Power Code Fest Americas – an event supporting young female coders in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru – and the development of an interactive mental arithmetic challenge by a group of students in Pennsylvania. 

Three projects which were deemed to have demonstrated exceptional merit and creativity were selected for special recognition and a micro:bit prize package to help further their development. Educators Robert Ancell from New Zealand, Andrei Beloiu from Romania and Wil Lindsay from the U.S. were announced as the winners.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community and Premier Farnell, said: “As a key distributing partner for the micro:bit foundation, promoting coding and digital literacy in education is one of our highest priorities. The overwhelming global response to our Great Education Giveaway is a testament to the incredible things STEM teachers can accomplish with the right tools and support.”

Details of the Great micro:bit Education Challenge, including the winner blogs and project highlights, can be found here:  https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-91357/l/the-great-microbit-education-giveaway-winners

To register to become a member of the element14 Community, visit http://www.element14.com/

StudySync® is partnering with The News Literacy Project (NLP),  a non-profit organization that helps educate middle and high school students about how to separate fact from opinion in media reports. NLP will provide articles and video content for StudySync’s recently released product, SyncBlasts™. SyncBlasts offer reading and writing assignments that present social studies, science and current event topics relevant to students’ lives and their world.

[Real or Fake? Factitious is a Breakthrough Tool for Assessing Student Online Literacy]

Providing a variety of  multimedia—including a news show, podcasts, skills videos, and more—SyncBlasts help to build critical thinking, writing, and research skills. The SyncBlasts platform allows teachers to leverage the power of social learning in a safe, mediated environment using a library of articles produced by StudySync and real journalists throughout the world through partnerships with news organizations such as Reuters, Global Press Institute, as well as nonprofits such as NLP.

SyncBlasts includes hundreds of articles and videos that are aligned to social studies and science content standards and appropriate and relevant for middle school and high schoolers. In addition, StudySync publishes new SyncBlasts each school day. SyncBlasts is a flexible curriculum companion, designed to work with different teaching styles and variable class lengths.

Introduce Kids to Coding Concepts with Exciting Game App 

Open-ended game design and programming tool for visual thinkers 

Pros: Engaging way for kids to build playable 3D video games without writing code.

Cons: While it makes coding easier, a lack of direction still may prove too difficult for newcomers.

Bottom Line: The 3D game-making environment and fun, visual logic will definitely grab some students, but others will need support the game just doesn't provide. 

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education  

Today's students are using technology to collaborate, learn, research, and communicate while at school. Blended and personalized learning with digital tools has flooded classrooms, but most teacher-prep programs do not incorporate digital citizenship as requirements for teacher certification. This leads to a cross roads of districts pushing digital learning into schools with teachers who may not be trained in the use of safe online instruction and hence the problem of a fear of the internet.

Launching technology lessons or creating online learning is a huge responsibility. Teachers are asking students to be safe online but we must do more than trust they are safe, we must make teachers students and students aware of the concerns. Then empower students with strategies to be good digital citizens. If we don’t teach our students proper digital citizenship, we run the risk of:

• Students sharing personal information
• Students using classroom technology for cyberbullying
• Students searching or sending inappropriate photos or images
• Not preparing our students for a digital world.

The list could go on, but essentially, anything on the Internet with your name on it is a digital record. Unfortunately, students rarely think twice about putting their names on things online, so their digital presence can be wide. They don’t think about

• If you visit a website, the website usually looks at what websites you were on before and after you looked at theirs.
• Anything that you search on Google can be looked up.
• If you want a job in the future but you have a negative digital presence, you’re not getting the job.
• Every computer has an internal number, so if you write something negative online, it is recorded.

Every time you hit post on Twitter, update or add to Facebook, share a photo on Instagram, or even “like” a page or a Facebook or any social media, you add to your digital footprint.

When you walk on a beach and leave a footprint, and the wave rushes over – it is kind of Hollywood to see the footprint go away, however your digital footprint is not easy washed away and a more accurate description of digital footprint is a Digital Tattoo because it is not easy removed.

As educational leaders, we must combine the use of online work, encourage online storytelling through blogging or web creation, and encourage students researching and branding great ideas. That encouragement comes with teaching students/staff to be thoughtful around what is posted because there is NO GUARANTEE information/data has been shared online will ever be removed from the Internet. With everything I have shared so far, your digital presence is not easy washed away so that is why I say it is not a digital footprint, it is a Digital Tattoo.

[Tech Tools for Active Learning Classrooms]

The goal of this post is not to deter the use of online learning, it is encouraging the use, but be mindful of what is posted because what you put online is not easily washed away. I encourage the use of online work, online storytelling through blogging or web creation, and encourage students researching and branding great ideas.

So, how can we encourage a positive online image.

Today’s classrooms are providing opportunities for students to learn with technology tools and nonstop information. Online learning provides students the ability to communicate and interact very quickly. The growth of 1:1 and digital initiatives in schools is driving the conversation and need to highlight the responsible use of technology in education. When you teach digital citizenship to your students (or children), you help create a positive school culture that supports safe and responsible technology use.

Here are some reflection key questions to help:

What impression are you giving? If you didn’t know you, what would you think about this post? What impression would you have of the person who posted it?

Is the Tattoo ‘ink’ what I want out there? When you share something online, you turn over control of it. Even if you delete a photo or post you can’t guarantee that it hasn’t been copied or downloaded by someone else. Don’t forget how easy it is for other people to copy what you share online, change it and share it without you knowing.

Am I oversharing? The more you share, the more people learn about you. You can’t control how someone else uses the information

Would I want someone to share this fact/idea about me? It’s important to think about the impact what you post online might have on others.

Does it pass the newspaper test? Before you post something online, think: would you be happy to see it on the front page of local newspaper.

Teachers have long understood the importance of teaching and modeling good global citizenship in their classroom, positive interactions between students, and taking the time to focus on social etiquette and how to treat their peers with respect. Digital citizenship requires that same daily instruction and opportunities to practice using their digital citizenship skills. In today’s classrooms, it is just as important that students understand what kinds of behaviors are acceptable “online”. Teachers can use instructional time to incorporate digital citizenship skills to help students become smart, responsible, and respectful online users.

There are many positive uses of online learning and social media and it is critical to have conversations about the current and desired state of digital citizenship in a school. These critical conversations are essential in K-12 education today with all the access our students have. What school can do tomorrow is start the conversation about good online digital citizenship with teachers and students to begin to cultivate a culture of positive online users.

• R: REMIND. Remind students to be mindful about what information and opinions they make public. Use information shared in this Hack to educate students on the negative aspects and the unknown facts about online use.
• E: ENCOURAGE. Encourage students to step away from their phone and/or computer screens when hanging out with friends; offline peer relations are just as important as online ones!
• A: ACCOUNTABLE. Encourage digital accountability by creating a student digital use guide for online use that teaches students how to properly and safely use the internet. Districts may have a district responsible use policy, but a classroom reminder always helps.
• D: DEMONSTRATE. Incorporate lessons about the difference between sharing and stealing online content. Content and photos are easily found and it may feel like anything on the internet is up for grabs, but copyright and intellectual property laws protect almost all online content. By demonstrating and modeling good digital citizenship, you are embracing and promoting a culture of positive online use.
• Y: YES. Be a culture of “Yes” when launching digital tools. Too often school block or lock down everything to be safe. Instead of blocking and locking (because we know that blocking is just an invitation for kids to go around it) start teaching positive digital citizenship by opening tools like YouTube and Twitter and teaching and modeling the positive uses of the tool

Today, nearly everyone seems to have some type of presence online. Schools should explore ways to help students intentionally build a positive digital identity. Student portfolios, blogs, and other online tools provide avenues to assess learning while simultaneously allowing students to develop a positive online presence. Students can use these tools to showcase their learning while also highlighting their strengths and personality. Having a positive identity that represents their authentic self will be valuable when the student applies to college or for a job.

Rather than just teaching children about internet safety and reducing their digital tattoo, we should also encourage them to design and Ink a positive digital tattoo which will be an asset for them in their future.

cross posted at techinnovation.live

Dr. Matthew X. Joseph (@MatthewXJoseph) is currently Director of Digital Learning and Innovation for Milford Public School, Milford, Ma. Before Tech and Learning Boston 2018, he had the opportunity to present at #TLTechLive in Boston and New Jersey in 2017 and other state opportunities focused on Ed Tech Leadership and empowering teachers. Before Milford, he was a building principal for 11 years in Massachusetts. Other professional roles include: classroom teacher, PD specialist, and other district roles supporting technology instruction. Dr. Joseph holds licenses in general education, school administration, and MA superintendent. His master's degree is in SPED and he holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Boston College.

How will you prepare your students to be media literate and responsible digital citizens?

What do you have planned for the upcoming recognition dates?
Citizenship Week - October 15 - 19
National Bullying Prevention Month - October
Media Literacy Week - November 5 - 9, 2018

Join us Thursday as we discuss these and other topics about #digcit and #MediaLiteracy

You can prepare for the conversation by thinking about answers to these questions:

• Q1 Why do students need to learn media literacy and digital citizenship? What is the risk if this isn’t learned?
• Q2 How do you partner with families to ensure students are media literate and digitally responsible citizens?
• Q3 If you had to pick one component of media literacy or digital citizenship that you find most important what would it be and why?
• Q4 What resources do you use and how do you decide what makes a “quality” resource?
• Q5 What is ONE THING other teachers and/or parents should know about media literacy or digital citizenship?
• Q6 How do you recognize the different calendar events such as
• Digital Citizenship Week, National Bullying Prevention Month, Media Literacy Week 

[New Infographic! 8-Step Plan to Finding A Student Internship]

Chat details are below:
Date: Thursday, October 4th
Time: 7:00 pm
Topic: #DigCit #MediaLiteracy
Your Host: @eileen_lennon (@NYCSchools)
Co-Host: @InnovativeEdu (@NYCSchools)

Remember to respond using the hashtag #NYCSchoolsTechChat and include the number of the question you are answering in your response i.e. A1 and your answer.

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several books and her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.

Several months ago I shared a post on Google Applied Digital Skills curriculum. For those not familiar, it is a totally free, online curriculum, with engaging videos and practical projects that teach technology, life, and job skills to students (middle and high school) as well as adult learners.

Since that time Google has continued to expand and improve the program with lots of new content and features for the new school year. In this blog post we will take a look at the new curriculum units they have rolled out, as well as the new options and improvements to the system, including Google Classroom integration and more.

Update #1 - Seven New Curriculum Units

Applied Digital Skills already had over 90 hours of content when I last wrote about it. Now Google indicates that number is over 120 hours. Part of that would be seven new units that have been released in the last few months. Some of the units are marked as "Adult Learners", but many of those can easily be used with students as well, especially at the high school level.

Here is a quick overview of the new units:

• 1 activity - 45-90 minutes to complete
• Description: Learn to format, write, and design a professional resume that stands out.
• Skills: Google Docs, Gmail, Google Sites, Digital Collaboration
• Levels: Middle School and High School

2) Research And Organize Information About Colleges

• 1 activity - 45-90 minutes to complete
• Description: Build a list of colleges and important criteria in Google Sheets. Conduct research and use what you find to compare schools.
• Skills: Google Sheets, Google Search, Digital Collaboration
• Levels: Middle School and High School

3) Organize Files In Drive

• 1 activity - 45-90 minutes to complete
• Description: Students learn how to use Google Drive to store, access, and share files such as documents, presentations, forms, and photos in one central place.
• Skills: Google Drive, Digital Collaboration
• Levels: Middle School and High School

4) Give And Receive Feedback

• 1 activity - 45-90 minutes to complete
• Description: Feedback is an important communication skill. Learn to give and receive written feedback.
• Skills: Google Docs, Slides, Forms
• Levels: Adult Learners

5) Effective Communications At Work

• 6 activities - 6-9 hours to complete
• Description: Use digital tools to communicate and collaborate with others in the workplace more effectively. Hold a team meeting, collect feedback, create and share a proposal, and present the information to an audience.
• Skills: Google Calendar, Docs, Hangouts, Forms, Sheets, Slides
• Levels: Adult Learners

6) Build Your Online Business

• 8 activities - 6-9 hours to complete
• Description: Create an online business in order to sell a product or service.
• Skills: Google Docs, Slides, Drawings, Sheets, Forms, Search
• Levels: Adult Learners

7) Negotiate Your Salary

• 1 activity - 45-90 minutes to complete
• Description: Learn what to do before you sit down with your supervisor to ask for a raise, including steps to help you gather facts, organize your thoughts and information, and decide whether this is the right time to ask for a raise.
• Skills: Google Docs, Sheets, Gmail
• Levels: Adult Learners

Update #2 - New Student Welcome Video

One way to help students be successful with Applied Digital Skills is to give them a great start. To assist with this Google has now developed a short 5-minute video to welcome studentsto the program and go over all of the basics they need to get started.When students log into the site they will automatically be greeted by the video. After watching the video they can click the "X" to hide the video, or can always open it back up with the "Watch the Intro Video" link at the bottom of their dashboard.

[9 Updates for Google Classroom (and 3 more to come)]

Update #3 - Student Dashboard to Monitor Progress

Speaking of the student dashboard, now when students log in they will have a page that helps them monitor their own progress and see what their teachers have assigned. In the past, after logging in students would simply go to the next lesson based on where they left off. Now they will have a dashboard page with the following:

1) My Classes

2) Last ViewedBelow that section students will also see which lesson they were most recently working on, with a convenient link to jump back in at that place to continue working.

Update #4 - Students Can Join Multiple Classes

In the past a student could only be enrolled in one class. Unfortunately if multiple teachers wanted to use the Applied Digital Skills curriculum, the student would need to repeated re-enroll in the other classes to leave one and join the other.Now that is no longer an issue as students can join multiple teachers' classes. All the student needs to do is:

• Click on their email address in the top right corner.
• Choose "Join a class".
• Enter the join code for that class and join as normal.

Another helpful update is the option for students to submit links to their finished productsright on the Applied Digital Skills site. Certainly you can still continue to have students submit their work through Google Classroom or other sharing options, but now we have another convenient option to consider.

Here's how it works:

• First, the student needs to share the file(Doc, Slides, Sheets, etc.) as a link so that anyone with the link can view the file (or comment or edit as needed).
• Next the student needs to copy that link.
• Now when they are in the curriculum they will see a box on the right labeled "Shared Work" where they can paste in and submit the copied link.
• This box will show up on various pages throughout the curriculum when there should be files to turn in.

After the student submits the link, it will now be available to the teacher. The instructor can go to their teacher dashboard and click on the "Student Progress" tab. Submitted files will show up as paper clip icons which the teacher can click on to open the submitted work

Update #6 - Assign Lessons

One big request from teachers has been the ability to assign specific content to their students. The way Google has set up the Applied Digital Skills program, students can browse to any unit or lesson they would like to explore. They can still do this, but now teachers can also offer some guidance as follows:

• When logged in as a teacher, you can click the "Curriculum" tab to view all of the available units.
• For each unit there is now an "Add to Class" button.

• When you click the button you can choose which class or classes you want to assign this unit to.
• When done, students will now get a link to that unit on their student dashboard page in their "My Classes" section.

Update #7 - Share to Classroom

Another common desire from educators has been integration with Google Classroom. Certainly you can copy and paste links from the curriculum into Classroom, but now it is easier than ever.

• When logged in as a teacher, you can click the "Curriculum" tab to view all of the available units.
• For each unit there is now a "Share to Classroom" button.

• When you click the button it will ask you to pick a class.
• Then you can choose if you want to use the unit to create an assignment, ask a question, or make an announcement.
• You can now fill in all of the details for the post and push it out to your students.

Combining Classroom with Applied Digital Skills is a convenient way to get content to your students and to allow them to turn in work.

No-cost Training Events
In the month of September 2018, I will be leading trainings around Ohio to prepare educators to use the Applied Digital Skills program. The events will all be free, and will last half a day each. See below for the current list of trainings and links to register for each. Any additions, changes, or cancellations will get updated here and in this Google Doc flyer.

• Sept 13 - Noon to 3:30pm - Clark County ESC in Springfield - Register
• Sept 17 - Noon to 3:30pm - Worthington City Schools - Register
• Sept 19 - Noon to 3:30pm - Hamilton County ESC in Cincinnati - Register
• Sept 20 - Noon to 3:30pm - TCCSA in Wooster - Register
• Sept 24 - 8:00-11:30am - The Quaker Dome in New Philadelphia - Register

To better understand the struggles teachers face in preparing young people with digital skills, PwC conducted a survey of more than 2,000 K–12 educators.

Results include:

Most teachers aren’t confident teaching higher-level technology skills: Only 10% of K–12 teachers surveyed nationally feel confident incorporating higher-level technology into student learning.

Technology-related courses are not offered to many high school students: At least two out of five high school teachers surveyed report their schools do not offer courses in data analytics (80%), app design/creation (64%), computer programming languages (46%), robotics (42%), or web design/creation (41%).

Students do not spend much time in school actively practicing the higher-level technology skills: More than half, 60%, of classroom technology use is passive (e.g., watching videos, reading websites).

Teachers want more support from their districts: Of the teachers surveyed, 79% of them say they would like to receive more professional development for technology-related subjects.

[Welcome To Fair Haven Innovates]

The full report can be downloaded here.

It is back to school time 2018 for many of us in the United States and beyond… welcome to the future! I dedicate this post to all of you wonderful educators . It is my hope that as many educators as possible read this post as they begin a new year journey… I hope you share and make this happen! (Via school emails and retweet to your friends). Please enjoy this reflective journey and send to others what I hope to be a teaching inspiration. I wish all of you the very best as you enter a new school year!

10 Inspiring Lessons From An Almost Analog Native – Mike Gorman ((https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/)

It was a normal first day back to school. The building was still quiet and still. I could sense there was an air of extreme excitement and anticipation in the air. I sat at my desk and pondered the reality of a new year wondering about the new faces I would greet. I already knew that all too soon I would be waving good bye to another group I had come to know so well. It is amazing what the short period of a school year brings to both educators and students. Suddenly awakened from what was either my deep reflection or possibly a type of relaxing nap that only the whisperings of being another year older can bring, a panicked voice was heard at my classroom door.

He was a brand new teacher dressed as one who just might enlighten the downtown business club, yet he stood with the glazed eyes of a student still waiting for that moment of enlightenment. I had seen it all before, perhaps even in the reflection of a distant mirror over thirty-seven years ago. He was summoning me to his room, not that I regarded it as his room… at least not yet. You see, I had great respect for the educator who had been a part of the four walls that this soon to be teacher was leading me to. As he led me through the doorway of his new headquarters for dissemination of information I couldn’t help but notice a peculiar feeling of past warmth that was missing. There was a indescribable void, covering a large aura which had been in place for nearly fifty years.

[Starting PBL: 30 Amazing Resources To Help Plant A New PBL Idea, Part 2]

As he motioned for me to look at the archaic blackboard behind the new, still packaged, and not yet plugged in interactive whiteboard I couldn’t help but smile. There, still written with chalk that had the smell of fresh dust, were the words “A Message from an Almost Analog Native”. Then I heard the young teacher’s voice asking how he might get rid of the words. He pleaded that, after all, he saw no button to push to dissolve the print. I smiled and walked to the board and picked up the eraser. I cleverly planned to display to this obviously digital native, one of this school’s first such inductees, the magic of an eraser. I even had my strategy for providing a professional development moment on the use of chalk. After all, improper use of chalk can lead to an annoying screech that will send most students diving under their desks. As I held up the eraser I walked to the board and began to perform the ancient teacher ritual of erasing a black… not green,board. Amazingly, it did not work out the way I had planned. As I observed the pupils of this brand new teacher’e eyes grow large, I turned to the board and took a step back in awe. Not only were the words not disappearing… but new words were beginning to appear underneath. It was now quite obvious that we were both extremely engaged in the lesson that was about to begin. I have recorded for you the amazing script that came before my eyes that very day.

The Ten Lessons

Welcome to your new classroom. I am sure you are going to explain and teach in a way that I might never understand. You see, I come from a day of filmstrip projectors that beeped, ditto paper that left my fingers blue and the students enjoying the scent, bells that really did ring out a mechanical melody, 16 millimeter films that, if in color, amazed the kids. In fact, if these films were shown backwards it provided bonus entertainment. In recent years I have heard words that are so strange to me. These words include foreign terms such as twitter, blog, wiki, Skype, web 2.0, clickers, and interactive whiteboards. I have heard all this talk about 21st century skills and I am not even sure if I can tell you what they are. So there you have it. I am not one of those digital natives, nor am I a digital immigrant! I may not even be an analog native or immigrant. So, even though I do not know all the new terms, I thought that I might give you a list of ten items I feel just might ensure success no matter what century it is.

1. You come to school to serve your students. Put them at the center of their learning. Find great books, integrate fascinating projects, and include engaging resources. As you do this, always remember that students must be at the center of their learning.
2. As you teach you will come upon some amazing tools. My very first full sized erasable blackboard was wonderful and I was amazed by the pull down map. I remember the very first time I used colored chalk and our very first classroom set of encyclopedias. Imagine having almost all the knowledge of the world in your classroom. Please remember that tools are only as effective as those who use them. You will be introduced to amazing new tools. Make sure these tools become the servants and not the masters of your teaching.
3. Realize that every student is truly gifted. It may be that your job is to find that special gift and make the student aware of it. Each gift is different and will ultimately lead that student to an interest and vocation that they find great pleasure in while contributing to society. They may even come back some day and thank you for revealing that gift to them.
4. Learning does not just happen in the classroom. Open your students to the world by introducing them to experts, authors, cultures, and multiple disciplines. Teach them to become lifetime learners who will embrace learning beyond the classroom and beyond their school experience. It seems this world is ever changing and, in order to keep up with things, they may need to someday be their own teacher.
5. Allow your students the experience of searching for success. This involves allowing multiple attempts, occasional failure, and eventual triumph. Learning does not always need to be graded, but must always be guided. Remember, it is not always the destination, but in most instances… the journey. Allow your students those journeys with multiple opportunities and outcomes.
6. Encourage cooperation, teamwork, and healthy competition. Teach your students that the thoughts and contributions of many can be so much more powerful than just the contribution of one. Emphasize true discussion and listening, and allow for discourse. The ability to work, plan, and play together has been, and always will be, an important skill.
7. Promote thinking that is outside what many might consider the box. Allow your students to have their own ideas, play with possibilities, and invent what doesn’t exist. Not everything in life can come from your textbook. Remember, what we believe as facts today could change in twenty-five to fifty years. It seems that information probably doubles every hundred years. I suppose that might even speed up a bit as time goes on.
8. It seems that all of us learn best by doing. Allow your students to not just hear it or read about it. Provide them with real life experiences and allow then to do it. Guide them as they are doing so they are learning relevant content and gaining new skills. Give them some say in what they are doing.
9. Remember your humanness. Always have a sense of humor and be yourself. Remember that teaching is a people business. Enjoy the laughter, the stories, the victories, the accomplishment, and the small (but really big) moments that can only happen in a real live classroom. Some say that someday robots or some kind of two way wireless radio will take over education. I truly think this will never happen because teachers will always show that the human element is essential. A smile from a real person sure beats that of a robot or a distant person on a wireless radio covered in distant sounds of static.
10. Always remember that you teach children… not subjects such as science, history, arithmetic, ciphering, citizenship, reading, English, and shop. You see, it is the teaching of children that convinced me to get into this amazing business… and it is the reason that most great teachers have a hard time giving up a classroom like this.

Please take good care of this classroom. It never was mine, only one that I was allowed not just to educate children in, but so much more. It was a classroom in which I was allowed to perpetuate a culture of learning for almost fifty years. You see, not all of these ideas were mine. I found them on an old slate lying in a back closet when I first entered this room. I was so happy I had a pencil in hand, because no faster had I made my copy than the words on the slate disappeared. I think I may have made a few changes. I know I will have a chance in my retirement to read about some of these new tools and even learn about these 21st century skills. It will probably give me a chance to think about what I might have done to make learning in my classroom even better. When I find out… I might even send you a message. Until then, please take care of this old classroom and, more importantly, take even more care with those children who will enter tomorrow and thereafter. I know you will perpetuate the culture of learning that has permeated these four walls for more years than even those I taught.

You know… there wasn’t much to say. I looked at the new kid who seemed even more ready to teach. His eyes appeared already a few years older. As we both stood there we saw the old blackboard magically erase and turn a clean dark shade of black. I picked up the eraser that I had dropped during this unusual encounter and handed it over to the new guy. He opened the closet door and threw it in. I heard a gentle thump as it landed on something that may have been a slate. Together, we both unpacked and plugged in his new interactive whiteboard. He carefully positioned it so he could still see a portion of that old blackboard from his desk. We both knew why. As I walked out of the room that day I couldn’t help but think about the history that just might occur in that old classroom in the next fifty years. But, I had plans to make and students to get ready for as I was incorporating many of those new 21st century skills I had been reading about all summer. I was so excited about providing so many new opportunities for my students. After all, this is a new era for new techniques and strategies and yes… some that have always been a art of learning.

cross-posted at 21centuryedtech.wordpress.com

Michael Gorman oversees one-to-one laptop programs and digital professional development for Southwest Allen County Schools near Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a consultant for Discovery Education, ISTE, My Big Campus, and November Learning and is on the National Faculty for The Buck Institute for Education. His awards include district Teacher of the Year, Indiana STEM Educator of the Year and Microsoft’s 365 Global Education Hero. Read more at 21centuryedtech.wordpress.com.

Kaizena

Nifty add-on enables audio and text feedback in Google Docs

Pros: Private or group-level feedback via text or audio. Good Google Classroom integration.

Cons: The initial sync with Google Classroom is slow. There's no way for teachers to share skills for rubrics, which means duplication of effort among a team.

Bottom Line: If your classroom relies a lot on Google Docs, this might just be the feedback tool you're looking for.

[Versatile Tool Supports Research, Digital Presentations Across All Subjects]

Read more.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

The promise of educational technology is that it allows every student to experience instruction tailored to his or her learning style and specific learning needs. Equity of access and the opportunity for deep personalization are founding principles of many 1:1 programs. Most educators believe that the integration of technology into the curriculum supports the learning of all students but especially those students who face additional challenges.

This is especially true for ELL students or students with dyslexia, which is the most common language-based learning disability. Although Sora, the new reading app from OverDrive Education, was created to excite all students about reading, it has specific benefits for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning challenges. Sora provides IEP support with audiobooks, dyslexic font, enlarged text, Read-Alongs and more.

In addition, all students can benefit from reading enhancements such as notes, highlights, and defined words that can be exported from the app. By making reading easier and more pleasurable, Sora allows students to take a journey in their imagination that broadens the necessary knowledge base to help them develop critical thinking, skill mastery, and citizenship.

Educators demo on how easy it is for students to discover their next great read.

Reimagining the Student Reading Experience

Sora was specifically designed as a K-12 digital tool to support individualized learning and to standardize the student’s reading experience across devices. Intuitive design and in-app help reduce questions for teachers and other school staff so that students can spend more time reading and learning.

Students are more engaged in their reading with interactions with achievements and avatars. With just one tap, they can borrow a book from the library and begin reading. Educators can restrict content based on grade level and group titles into class sets as well as include personalization formats like audiobooks and tools such as dyslexic font available through Sora to engage all readers, no matter their reading level, preference or pace. There are even resources for educators to help students discover their next great read.

Students will love:

• Easy onboarding—simply find your school and log in using school credentials.
• IEP support-audio books, dyslexic font, enlarged text, Read-Alongs.
• Unified experience across devices and operating systems.
• Simple, one-tap step to borrow and start reading.
• Reading enhancements including notes, highlights and defined words, all of which can be exported from the app.
• Automatic syncing of loans, holds, noted, highlights, defined words, activity and achievements across multiple devices.

Clicker here to find out more about the Sora reading app and open a world of reading to your students.

Lately, I’ve been busy grading my students’ digital products. Each year my students accomplish so much with technology, such as brainstorming, collaboration, annotation, editing, research, and so forth. My students also create several digital products throughout my courses, such as mind maps, infographics, posters, presentations, video commercials, audio interviews, comics, ebooks, portfolios, visual prompts, speaking avatars, etc. These digital projects, or what I often call, “learning missions,” are adaptable and can be used to teach different age groups (children to adults) and subjects and achieve various learning objectives. I’ve also gotten students to complete their projects when we’ve had access to very little technology and no Internet access. Below, I’ve broken down the general process and routine we follow in six steps and have provided resources. Students will have a lot of questions, need assurance, and need guidance the first couple of times as can be expected with anything new, but then they get used to the process and accomplish so much! I hope this process makes it easier for you to integrate technology in your upcoming classes.

[9 Tools for Learners to Design, Blueprint, and Visualize Their Innovations]

The Process

This is an outline of my process, but feel free to adapt it to meet your needs. Note that before implementing the process, I already know what digital product I want students to create (timeline, infographic, video, etc.) and have determined the topic/unit/chapter we are covering and outlined the objectives and standards.

Step 1. Evaluate an Example

The first step is to evaluate examples that are age and topic appropriate. For example, if students are producing a tv commercial about a historic invention for math, science, history, etc., then students might evaluate successful and famous tv commercials you discovered on YouTube.

• During this step, students are provided with a general definition or description of the digital product, a list of elements the product generally includes, and relevant vocabulary. This is important, because many students, for example, may not know the difference between a digital poster and infographic or what goes into producing a stop motion video.
• Students also determine the author’s/creator’s purpose and the intended audience. They critically reflect on the information and ideas shared.
• Students also evaluate the design of the product (layout, color scheme, use of visuals, font size, etc.).
• Students work in pairs or small groups to create a list of what makes the example awesome. We discuss the lists and decide on one set list of criteria which we use to guide the design of our digital creation. This criteria is also included in the rubric used to evaluate the creations.
• During this step, make sure to provide the students with a meaningful purpose and have them reflect on their audience. Due to social media and the Internet all digital projects have a purpose and audience and usually some kind of message.
• You might also want to present the assignment as a mission to be accomplished. In my book, Hacking Digital Learning with Edtech Missions, I provide Mission Cards that outline each project’s audience and purpose. These are other examples of missions created by teachers who’ve taken my online courses.
• The assignment and all necessary materials should be easily accessible in one area, such as an assignment page on a learning management system (LMS), a page on a class website, a desktop/Google folder, or a curated board (Educlipper). The assignment page/folder might include simple instructions, due dates, a checklist, the rubric or scoring guide, recommended tools (a digital sandbox), templates, tutorials, student choice menus, or curated websites, articles, or media students should use for research.
• During this step, students brainstorm and plan (ex. sketchnote, outline, storyboard, concept map, script) the design and layout of information, keeping in mind the audience, purpose, and criteria.
• Students then conduct research about the topic. I provide a curated list of bookmarked websites, videos, infographics, etc. so that students do more than Google the topic or look at Wikipedia.
• Then students create the digital product. If we are using an app or web tool then I let them choose from the digital sandbox of suggested web tools and provide templates when needed.

• Self-evaluation- students assess their effort, creativity, time management, organization, and product. This may also include an assessment of their performance as a team member if this was a group project.
• Peer-evaluation- peers assess the finished product and any presentation given. This may also include a group evaluation.
• Teacher-evaluation- after reviewing the above evaluations and the rubric, I provide feedback to enhance future products.
• Audience feedback- students receive feedback from the audience who experienced and viewed their creations.
• Digital badge– students might also receive a digital badge for their completed projects.

Challenge: Come up with your own process for integrating technology to save you time and help your students get into a routine.

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is an education consultant, technology trainer, and author. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

What does it mean to be literate? What does it mean to be illiterate? I think about the definition and the notion of literacy quite a bit.

I define literacy as the ability to read and write and being able to express and communicate our ideas to others.

Looking back at history, we know that the ability to read and write were in the hands of the clergy (male) and the aristocracy (male) . The common people (and women) were illiterate in the basic notion of being able to read, let alone to communicate in writing. They HAD to rely on the “elite” (and males) to choose (filter) what kind of information they would pass on. By the time they received this information, it had already been manipulated by the literates own agendas, by the literates own perspectives and beliefs, for their advantage and their future plans.

The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440, changed everything. Suddenly print was able to be duplicated and disseminated like never before. Mass printing made books more affordable and more topics were being printed. Information now did not only come from the church or the noble class, it was accessible to many more directly with the ability to read.

I believe we are at a moment in time and history where there is a new gap forming between literate and illiterate. Ask yourself, on which side you consider yourself to be on? Can you read? Can you write? Can you express and communicate your ideas effectively?

Can you read a tweet (1) that mentions a hashtag? Can you follow and continue reading a conversation that is ongoing via that hashtag (2)? Can you continue the thread of the conversation (3) by following the link to a video (4) that mentions a book (5)? Can you research an unknown word from that book (mentioned in the video) that was introduced and is being frequently used in that book?

Can you read non-linear, transmedia and across multiple platforms? Do you have access to a network that will funnel and filter information in the age of information overload? Do you understand the mechanics of fake news campaigns in order to recognize characteristics? Are you trapped in a filter bubble, receiving only information that “can result from personalized searches when a website algorithm selectively guesses what information a user would like to see based on information about the user, such as location, past click-behavior and search history.”?

[Digital Portfolios and Content]

The gap between literate and illiterate in digital spaces started way back, when the Internet and World Wide Web were young. Do you remember AOL? Remember their initial screen when you first logged on? Remember that they tried to make it easy for these new Internet users to find their way and to get to their news. They chose to filter what type of information would be displayed, what topics users could choose from. Instead of learning to read and write, the “common folk” took the easy way to have someone create a portal for them and make these choices for them.

Fast forward 25 years and we can continue to observe how some (many?) can’t read from a digital source/platform. News channels are more and more sharing screenshots of tweets (for example) and are then proceeding to interprete, connect and manipulate them for their own agendas. They pre-chew selected information in order to then present that information in their own light.

When people solely rely on others to choose what to see and read, they relinquish their right to find, filter, interpret, analyze and make up their own mind. When people don’t have the skills and the ability to read, write, communicate and express their ideas, they have become illiterate!

The skills to READ on digital platforms (including social media networks) are just one of the skills that allow you to consider yourself literate in 2018. What about the ability to WRITE in digital spaces? How developed are you skills? Do you know how to write hyperlinked? How fluent are you in reading and writing in digital spaces?

As we shift and extend our notion of what it means to be literate, we have to acknowledge that merely reading and writing in text form and on analog platforms is simply not enough to call yourself literate. The skills and abilities MUST include reading and writing in various media forms and on multiple platforms INCLUDING digital spaces. We can’t continue to differentiate between our analog and digital world. We live in ONE world after all.

cross posted at langwitches.org/blog

Silvia Tolisano is a Curriculum21 faculty member, author of the book Digital Storytelling Tools for Educators and founder of the Around the World with 80 Schools project. Read more at langwitches.org/blog

Jim Rink, an IT professional in the UW-Wisconsin system, recently sent this out in an IT newsletter: Wisconsin nice does not apply when it comes to the cyber world! You surely do not need to respond to e-mails from unknown sources even if you do say hello to everyone you meet on the street.

[What’s New: New Tools for Schools]

As most Tech & Learning readers know, when an email includes a gift offer or an amazing vacation invitation, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is a scam of some sort. However, it’s important to continue to remind staff, parents, and students about some basic IT security concepts, such as: Emails from “help desk” – or any other legitimate organization – will never ask for your password or personal information. Don’t share your password with others, even if that means they may not have access to your files while you are on vacation. Remind people that, if necessary, the IT department can always access files in a true emergency. The Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) released some cyber security tips for teachers earlier this year. Some other good resources for IT departments putting together cyber training include Protelligent’s cyber security reminders, Global Digital Forensics’ cyber tips for summer vacation, and BITSIGHT’s 13 cyber security training tips. Cyber security training needs to be ongoing in order to be effective – and that includes for parents as well as for staff members. Training can easily be added to Back to School activities that include informing parents how to access school messaging systems, etc. How are you keeping your school communities safe online?

Future Ready Schools (FRS) today announced a series of free regional events to support school and district leaders in creating policies, procedures, and practices that transform teaching and learning. These five FRS “institutes” will feature professional learning for superintendents, district leaders, principals, teacher leaders, and instructional coaches, IT directors, and librarians/media specialists. To date, FRS has held more than thirty institutes, serving more than 650 school district teams and more than 2,100 educators.

[What’s New: New Tools for Schools]

FRS is working with an advisory board of education experts to create the research-based, two-day agenda filled with personalized professional learning opportunities for educators led by expert facilitators. Each FRS institute will launch ongoing regional networks of enthusiastic implementation experts who will act as mentors to support and host follow-up activities to ensure districts have the resources needed to create customized, actionable personalized learning plans.

The 2018 FRS institutes are FREE, but space is limited. Dates and locations are as follows:

Sept 10–11: Mansfield, OH

Sept 17–18: Chicago, IL

October 25–26: Atlanta, GA

November 12–13: Portland, OR

November 29–30: Ashburn, VA

Registration is open to up to five members per district at www.futureready.org/institutes.

The institutes are based on the FRS framework and include differentiated sessions for district team members, along with extensive training for FRS project managers on the FRS interactive planning dashboard, a free online tool that serves more than 1,000 school districts and 15,000 educators.

To learn more about the FRS institutes, visit www.futureready.org/institutes.

Common Sense Media is always one of my go-to sites for all things involving digital literacy, both as a parent and an edtecher. Their latest project just solidifies their position. The Common Sense Privacy Evaluation Initiative helps, in their words, to “clarify privacy policies so that teachers can make smart choices about the learning tools they use with students, and schools and districts can participate in evaluating the technology used in K–12 classrooms.” Much like succinct reviews of movies and games for kids, Common Sense is now rating how well edtech companies adhere to privacy standards—from use responsibly, to use with caution, to not recommended. I suggest adding it to your bookmarks ASAP!

—Kevin Hogan, Content Director

[It’s Time to Make Student Privacy a Priority]

Not long after I started working in a new position as Head of computing, I came into school one morning to discover a brown envelope in my pigeon-hole. It bore the typewritten legend, "For the attention of Mr Freedman". With some trepidation I tore open the envelope. Inside was a letter from the Principal:

"To: Mr Freedman

From: The Principal

Mr Freedman, it has come to my attention that you have been seen writing notes in a notebook, with a pen. This is not the kind of behavior I expect from the Head of Computing, and so you may wish to reconsider your position at this school."

It was a joke, of course, but it did highlight an interesting conundrum: Should a Head of computing or, indeed, anyone whose role includes the use of education technology, use only digital devices for note-taking?

I always carry a notebook and pen with me for four reasons. First it is often quicker to whip out a notebook and jot something down than it is to load up an app – especially if, like me, your phone is passworded.

Secondly, there is something about the physical act of with, as opposed to texting, that enhances one's creativity.

Thirdly, my notebook does not require a battery.

Finally, if I am in public, nobody is likely to mug me for my notebook!

There are a couple of disadvantages though.

First, while it is quicker to make notes, it's a terrible job to find them afterwards. I've tried labeling my notebooks win the year in which I started writing in them, but it only helps up to a point.

Secondly, if you lose the notebook, you lose your notes. An obvious point, but one worth making I think.

Fortunately, there are three solutions I know of which afford the advantages of analogue note-taking without sacrificing the advantages of digital note-taking.

Livescribe

This consists of a special pen and special notebook. Once you have written your notes in the notebook, you can save them as a pdf document on your computer, thereby creating a permanent copy of your notes.

A great feature is that the pen contains an audio recorder. So, let’s say you’ve interviewed someone, and you’re not quite sure what some of your notes mean when you look at them afterwards. All you have to do is tap the pen on the bit you can’t make heads or tails out of, and it will play back what was being said at the time. As a matter of good form, and for legal reasons too, I always ask people in advance if they mind the fact the pen will record what they say. I always reassure them that I will not publish the recording or send it to a third party.

There is an add-on you can buy that converts your handwriting into text, but I found that it didn’t work very well with my handwriting.

The main disadvantage of the Livescribe solution I found was the thickness of the pen. After a while my hand aches from using it. Still, for interviewing people it is brilliant, though the audio is not very clear if you try to replay what was said in a conference. It’s also very good to have a digital copy of your notes.

[5 Ways To Develop Critical Thinking In ICT And Computing]

Moleskine-Evernote

This comprises a special Moleskine notebook and the Evernote app. You can use any pen with it. The way it works is that you write in the notebook, and then take photographs of your notes using the camera in the Evernote app on your smartphone. Your handwritten notes are then stored in the cloud, so that even if you lose the notebook you still have your notes.

Amazingly, despite the notes being handwriting rather than digital text, they become searchable in Evernote. This handwriting recognition is nothing short of brilliant, and a great time-saver. The notebooks come in various sizes, though I have confined myself to the pocket version and the A5 one.

A disadvantage is that you have to remember to photograph your notes, and that the handwriting is not converted into text. Another disadvantage is that the notebooks are very expensive compared to ordinary ones, and even other Moleskine ones. Disappointingly for those who like variety, the Moleskine-Evernote notebook is clearly modeled on Henry Ford’s principles: you can have any color you like as long as it’s black.

Moleskine Smart set

This comprises a special notebook, a special pen and an app. The way it works is that the pen, which contains a camera, is connected to the app via Bluetooth. If you have the app open while you’re writing, you will see your notes appearing in the app in real time. Otherwise, the data will be stored in the pen and transferred to the app the next time you ‘log on’. Then you can play it safe by backing up the whole notebook to the cloud. I use Google Drive myself.

There is also a Transcribe option. This is not brilliant: not only does it render some words as gibberish but, annoyingly, it puts a ‘carriage return’ at the end of each line, thereby turning each line into a separate paragraph. Also, you cannot transcribe all the notes from a session at once: You have to process them one page at a time. I’ve included a screenshot of part of my transcribed draft of this article, as it appeared in Word.

Despite these drawbacks, the transcribe facility does save a bit of time. What I especially like about the whole set-up is that I can go to a conference or conduct an interview without lugging a laptop around, because I can turn my notes into text later.

At the moment, there are only two notebook sizes: A5 and A4. What would make this super useful is a pocket notebook version. Also, the pen is oval rather than round, so it takes a bit of getting used to.

Conclusion

What these three options have in common is that they make it possible to take notes in the time-honored way and then be able to use them afterwards. They also, in effect, allow you to separate your notes from the notebook in which you wrote them. That means that if you lost your notebook it would be annoying, but you wouldn’t lose the contents of it.

Assuming, of course, that you’ve taken the time and trouble to save your notes digitally.

Terry Freedman is an independent edtech consultant and freelance writer based in London, England. He publishes the ICT & Computing in Education website.

Paper was invented around 100 BC in China.

Google Docs was developed in 2005 by Sam Schillace.

While Google Docs is designed to look like paper, It isn't an improved version of paper - it's something different entirely. The opportunity to collaborate in real-time through an interconnected, device flexible platform creates entirely new possibilities. For those of us in the classroom, these new tools offer new potential and un-explored opportunity.

So here is the big question: Are you approaching the tech in your classroom with a paper-based mindset?

Before we begin, I want to clearly say that I am NOT against the use of paper in school (being anti-paper is silly). There is nothing wrong with paper. It has a very important role in the classroom. If paper is the best tool for the job USE IT!

Technology like Google Drive, WeVideo, Pear Deck and Google Classroom are fundamentally different than "analog" tools. We must approach them with a new perspective.

Do you require students to work within "the box"?

There are many digital tools that “feel” like paper (i.e. Google Docs). There is no reason to limit yourself to an 8.5 x 11 inch rectangle. Would your next assignments work better as a Google Drawing, Presentation, website or video? A digital canvas is infinite and can grow and stretch as your ideas grow and take shape. You may feel more comfortable working with paper, but don't limit your students to the rectangle.How to break out of "the box" in your classroom:

• Use tools that don’t feel like paper (Video, Prezi, Google Drawing)
• Transform your paper worksheets using tools like Blendspace, EdPuzzle, or Quizlet
• If you use Google Docs, remember that you can change the size and color of your document to fit the project. There’s nothing special about 8.5 x 11.
• Are you over-emphasizing length, words, or pages to your students rather than focusing on the quality of the content?
• Stop using PDF files

• Ask students to include links, video, and images in their assignments.
• Allow students to use tools which support video, audio and images
• Encourage students to share their work with classmates, the school, and the world
• Encourage students to link to work from their classmates

• Build collaboration into your next assignment
• Encouraging peer review
• Ask questions for which there is more than one possible answer
• Address the difference between cheating and collaboration with your students

• Providing frequent, meaningful feedback
• Give students an opportunity to reflect on the improvements they have made
• Give students an opportunity to learn from one another.
• Assess for growth, not completion.

• Allow students to collaborate across class period.
• Look for cross-curricular opportunities
• Seek out opportunities to collaborate with experts outside of your school

• Select a single place where students submit work and receive feedback.
• Create a class website that you can easily update on a daily basis,
• Design a system to save new ideas and resources when you find them
• Link classroom resources so that they can be easily updated and adapted
• Have a plan for updating parents and students about changes to due dates and scheduling

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using paper in your classroom. But don’t restrain your use of technology to the limits of paper and pencil.

If this is something you have embraced in your classroom, I would love to hear about it! Leave me a reply and tell me how you have discarded the "paper based mindset."

cross posted at electriceducator.blogspot.com

John Sowash creates useful resources for educators on his blog, The Electric Educator. John is the author of The Chromebook Classroom and founder of the Google Certification Academy. You can connect with John on Twitter (@jrsowash) and Instagram.

Google Applied Digital Skills

Practical PBL lessons teach critical computer skills

Pros: Pairs step-by-step instructions with student choice and creativity to foster learning that sticks.

Cons: Reliance on Google tools and uninterrupted internet connection may not work for everyone.

Bottom Line: Thorough digital literacy curriculum offers mix-and-match options to fit any classroom.

[Manage & Organize All Steps of Project-Based Learning]

Read more.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

The key to learning is reading. Because reading teaches students to decode,comprehend, analyze, and remember, honing these skills leads to success inschool and life.

Today, schools are moving from paper to digital reading solutions. Various factorsexplain the shift, including technology’s ability to promote individualized learningand the need districts have to leverage technology investments. Solutions thatprovide ebooks and other digital resources are customizable, convenient, andengaging—and these features encourage students to read more and also helpthem to better understand what they read.

The process of selecting the right solution requires districts to identify theirgoals, needs, and resources and to ask hard questions of themselves and of potential vendors.

Click here to download the full white paper.

There are several features of the newsletter, such as news about professional development opportunities, book reviews, suggestions about how to use key issues in the classroom, and hints and tips, and prize draws. You can read more about the features on the newsletter page.

[The Pros and Cons of Freelancing]

However, I think it important to talk about the benefits, which I see as the following:

Read more.

Terry Freedman is an independent ed tech consultant and freelance writer based in London, England. He publishes the ICT & Computing in Education website.

Microsoft has added top requested features to Immersive Reader, which is part of the Learning Tools family:

• Picture Dictionary: A student can click on a word and immediately see a related picture (GIF attached).
• Custom Colors for Parts of Speech: Students can custom color nouns, verbs or adjectives, and color blind students have the ability to adjust to patterns suited best for them.
• Roaming Settings: When a student signs in with Office 365 to use the Immersive Reader in Word Online and then signs in to a different location, their font sizes, background colors, and other settings are automatically set

[PDF Annotation Tool Promotes Critical Thinking]

Microsoft’s Learning Tools recently hit 10 million monthly active users. Learn more.

Renaissance today announced the acquisition of myON, provider of digital literacy solutions, from Francisco Partners.

myON provides students with unlimited, simultaneous access to a personalized library of more than 13,000 digital books at home or in the classroom. myON also provides daily news articles written for students with myON News™.

Together, Renaissance and myON serve more than 20 million students worldwide. In addition to the organizations’ alignment on providing students with unlimited access to texts, Renaissance and myON are focused on providing districts with real-time data to measure students’ reading achievement and growth. myON and Renaissance will initially roll out solution packages that include Accelerated Reader and myON, while continuing to offer products on a standalone basis.

Raz-Kids

Solid choice for leveled readings and progress-tracking

Pros: In addition to the huge library of leveled texts, teachers get a detailed view of students' progress, even as they read independently.

Cons: You won't find great literature in the program's libraries, and students may be enticed to speed through books just to earn points.

Bottom Line: Trusty -- if a tad dated -- tool for helping younger students become proficient in many aspects of reading.

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

1. How To Evaluate Digital Content: A 25 Point Checklist
   An article I wrote that I hope will prove useful to you when looking at the rest of the offerings in this section.

Read more

Terry Freedman is an independent ed tech consultant and freelance writer based in London, England. He publishes the ICT & Computing in Education website.

1. A short list of useful resources that relate to the use of technology in education
2. Places To Find Research On Technology & Language Teaching/Learning
3. Hybrid Pedagogy– An open-access journal of learning, teaching, and technology
4. Advice On Using Education Technology https://t.co/CpJFSs9WU4
5. Research Available On The Use Of Technology In Schools https://t.co/Nc1kflurbQ
6. Digital literacy 1: What digital literacies?
7. Sites Where Students Can Learn Typing/Keyboarding https://t.co/jsPGUbz051
8. 3 things you should know about digital literacies
9. Teacher Resources For Online Student Safety & Legal Issues https://t.co/KSOO4ngeIO
10. Helping Students Develop Their Capacity For Self-Control https://t.co/uUGDy3OEr2
11. Examples Of ELL Student Writing https://t.co/URXIYimr4D
12. Joint Projects an ELL Geography Class Did With Classes Around The World https://t.co/ddSBc6nZzV
13. “All-Time” Best 2.0 Tools For Beginning English Language Learners https://t.co/5qTKmOoRSb
14. Places Where Students Can Write For An “Authentic Audience” https://t.co/dhOVoBeJDB
15. Spiral transforms any classroom into an interactive learning space
16. Here comes the SAMR
17. Makey Makey has a gallery of videos featuring student maker projects

Read more.

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is an education consultant, technology trainer, and author. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

Kids today! If you believed the headlines, you'd think that technology has created a generation of kids who are impatient, bored, and entitled. While that could be true, don't blame the kids or the tech. It is up to the adults in their worlds to ensure we raise kids who know how to be safe and responsible digital citizens.Educators do this by following the curriculum from providers like Common Sense Education, Google’s “Be Internet Awesome,” and EverFi’s “Ignition.”

I asked a group of Common Sense Educators which sites they recommend for parents.

Below are the resources they suggested schools can share to support parents in keeping their children safe online.

5 Digital Citizenship Resources for Parents

• Social Media Guidelines - NYC
  These are the student guidelines schools share with parents. There are also guides for parents, infographics, and an activity book that go along with the guidelines.
• Digital Citizenship Responsibilities - NYC
  New York City Schools educators created plain language guidance to advice for supporting good digital citizenship with students and infographics to accompany this advice.