Celebrate Mother’s Day in your classroom with these fun and free learning resources. Whether your students are making personalized cards for the special moms in their lives, learning fun coding and STEM activities, or exploring motherhood in the natural world, the ideas and tools here can be enjoyed by kids of all ages.

Best Mother's Day Activities and Lessons

NYT Learning Network: What’s the Best Gift You’ve Ever Received?
Choosing or making the perfect gift is often a part of Mother’s Day. But what is the perfect gift? The New York Times solicited readers’ opinion on the best gift they ever received. Have your students read the article, then write about the best gift they’ve ever received. A thought-provoking article for the consumer age. Free, no account required.

NYT Learning Network: Science Practice | A Study on Baby Talk
This Mother’s Day related biology/sociology/linguistics lesson asks students to read and analyze a fascinating article about a study that compared the interactions between mothers and offspring in humans, bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas. An excellent choice for an open-ended high school inquiry lesson. Free, no account required.

Exploring Contrasts in "The Lanyard," by Billy Collins
A standards-aligned lesson based on poet Billy Collins’ "The Lanyard," which explores the narrator’s memory of a gift he gave his mother. If you’ve read the poem as an adult, surely you laughed aloud—although that may not be the reaction of your students. Either way, it’s a fine lesson in poetry. Includes a video of the poet reading his work and a detailed worksheet to guide students’ inquiries. Grades 6-12.

Orangutans: Mother Knows Best
Did you know that the orangutan has the longest interval between offspring of any mammals—and the longest childhood of any mammal (up to 12 years!), save humans? This standards-aligned lesson features a fascinating five-minute clip from the PBS Nature series delving into the ways that a young orangutan learns survival skills from its mother. Includes guidance for teachers, questions for discussion and student handouts. May be printed or shared to Google Drive. Grades 3-8.

Digital Mother’s Day Gift
Educator Jennifer Findlay shares her digital Mother’s Day Top Ten greeting card/slideshow, available in four themes. This is a great way to help kids express appreciation for their mother while practicing their writing skills.

Science Buddies: How Does a Chick Breathe Inside Its Shell?
A chicken’s egg is so familiar to most of us as to seem unworthy of inspection. Yet, like motherhood, it’s actually a remarkable state of being that we should strive to understand. This fine biology lesson guides students in investigating the inner workings of an “ordinary” egg, using commonly available materials.

Plant Evolution WordSearch Puzzle
Given the season, plants are a natural gift for Mother’s Day. Use this well-known association as a starting point for a word search focused on plant anatomy terms. Want to dive deeper into plant biology? Check out the history of the American rose and the Plant Parts and Functions lesson plan for grades 6-8.

Mother's Day Painting
An art lesson based on the intimate portraits of mothers with their children by the famous American painter Mary Cassatt. Using paper or canvas plus acrylic paints, students will create artwork illustrating the unique bond between mother and child. Free account required.

Animals and Offspring
A lesson to delight every preschool child, Animals and Offspring consists of a free downloadable PDF that includes learning objectives, explicit instruction, differentiation, baby animal matching images, and more. Perfect for kids learning to identify animals, the lesson also serves as social-emotional learning and can be expanded to include art and literacy. Free account required.

A Celebration of Famous Mothers in Art
From Google Arts and Culture, this stunning assemblage of great works of art featuring mothers invites the viewer to observe closely. Each work of art is accompanied by a description and related links. An excellent starting point for a Mother’s Day art lesson.

The 15 Most Memorable Mothers In Literature
While real mothers may receive heart-filled greeting cards, the same cannot be assumed for mothers from literature, many of whom were difficult, absent, mentally ill, or otherwise human. Perfect for an advanced literature class, this potentially provocative collection of literary mothers is sure to engender opinions and lively classroom conversation.

Mother’s Day 2026
The history of Mother’s Day is not all rainbows and butterflies. In fact, founder Ann Jarvis was appalled at the commercialization of Mother’s Day and worked against it in her later life. Learn how Mother’s Day history touches on the Civil War, the early peace movement, women’s suffrage, and other crucial topics of the 19th and 20th centuries. High school lesson idea: Ask your students to research and write about different societies’ attitudes toward mothers over the past two millennia.

13 Mother's Day Celebration Ideas for School
Mother’s Day offers the chance to bring the expressive arts into your classroom. Ranging from reading and writing assignments to decorating vases, these activities are aimed at primary and middle school students, and are easily implemented.

Mothers In The Movies
Mothers in the movies have been at times lionized, at times demonized—and at times portrayed as the complex humans that they are. Peruse this article to find excellent material for discussions in high school social studies and psychology classes.

Mother’s Day Online Quizzes, Games, and Worksheets
Ideal for youngsters and English Language Learners, these activities include picture vocabulary, word jumble, Mother’s Day crossword puzzle, and more.

Crafty STEM activities for Mother’s Day
18 super-fun Mother’s Day-related activities that students will enjoy. Tell a story with a homemade flip book, create a family portrait mobile, or make an edible gift for Mom. Ever heard of a thaumatrope? Learn how this unique toy from the past was used – then make your own.

Mother’s Day And Father’s Day In The Inclusive Classroom
Not every kid has a mother in the home, so it’s crucial to make sure all students are included in Mother’s Day activities without causing them shame or distress. This article by educator Haley O’Connor offers lots of good ideas for creating a meaningful, inclusive Mother’s Day lesson, and links to her digital Mother’s Day resources.

Story Corps Stories to Celebrate Mother’s Day
A genuine and touching celebration of the relationships between mothers and kids. Consider offering credit to students who record their own Mother’s Day conversations on the StoryCorps website.

Code.org Customizable Mother’s Day Cards and Music Quiz
These customizable coding activities from the reliable and free Code.org offer something for every kid and every mother, from flowers to Teddy Bears to a music quiz for moms

“There’s no such things as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams

This Wednesday, November 13th, is World Kindness Day! The resources below will help your students understand what kindness means and why showing kindness is important to making the world a better place. The resources below allow your students to reflect on what kind acts others have show them and how this has made them feel or transformed their mood and day. The resources also help students understand that one small act of kindness, like smiling at a stranger, can lead to much larger acts of kindness. If you do not get to these ideas this week, then try an activity anytime. Teaching students how to be kind human beings is a lesson that can be taught all year long.

Ideas and Resources

• Kind Acts Take One Flyers– Feel free to download and use one of these flyers I’ve created to post on your wall for students to tear off an act of kindness and accomplish by the end of the week. You can also quickly create your own with Poster My Wall, a free web tool for creating posters and flyers.
• The Random Acts of Kindness Organization lists several awesome resources for learners including these cartoon kindness posters, acts of kindness calendars for each month, and an entire curriculum for K to 8th grade students.
• Crowdfund Campaigns- Get students to create a social media campaign for a local cause and raise the funds. This is one of the student digital missions in my book, Hacking Digital Learning with Missions.
• Today my students and I wrote letters for Veterans, soldiers overseas, and first responders as part of Operation Gratitude.  These heroes will get to open our letters and drawings and hopefully respond back!
• A Kindness Tree Project by PBS– The class creates a tree on one wall with examples, drawings, and photos of how people have been kind to them.
• Jen Wagner shares this awesome Be the I in Kind green screen project where students replace the I in Kind with a picture of themselves as part of a bulletin board.
• I love the ideas in this blog, 10 Kindness Activities for Elementary Students! Discover activities, such as a filling up a kindness bucket, resources to go along with the Make Joy Happen short video, and the Wrinkled Heart Activity.
• Check out the Acts of Kindness Lesson from Scholastic that helps students see how a small act of kindness helps their communities.
• Free Rice is a free game where students can answer trivia or multiplication questions and earn rice for hungry people around the world.
• Be My Eyes App is a free app that lets a blind person call you for help with tasks like helping locate an object in a room or car. The website has a video to demonstrate how it works. I downloaded the app and when a blind person calls me during class we can help them!
• Teachers Pay Teachers has several free kindness activities ready to print and use with learners. Some of my favorites include the Kind or Unkind Mini-Stories, Kindness Writing Sketch Note and Choices, and Kindness Bingo.
• A group of teachers and communities are also participating in #CardiganDay in honor of Fred Rogers and World Kindness Day! See the announcement here.

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.

Discovery Education announced the addition of new assets to its digital services. New content recently added to Discovery Education’s services include: 

Resources to understand combat hatred: In collaboration with Discovery Channel’s global premiere of the six-part docuseries WHY WE HATE, Discovery Education introduces a collection of instructional resources that connect the important themes of the docuseries to classroom instruction. Available in Discovery Education Experience and Social Studies Techbook, the WHY WE HATE collection of resources includes videos focused on the origins of hate, the biology of hate, and tribalism; classroom activities; an educator guide; a family viewing guide; and related first-person video testimonies from USC Shoah Foundation's Teaching with Testimony collection. 

New MLB STEM Career Profiles: Five new STEM career profile videos are live in Discovery Education Experience, Science Techbook, and STEM Connect. The clips highlight a variety of MLB STEM careers in fields like data analytics, building construction, video production, nutrition program management, and sustainability. 

Guide to Constitution: Discovery Education produced “Constitution Day 2019: Find Your Voice” in partnership with iCivics. The event was designed to help students learn how their Constitutional rights give them a voice, how those rights are protected, and how they can use their voices to speak up about the issues they care about. The program and teacher guide are now available in Discovery Education Experience and Social Studies Techbook. 

Resources from the 9/11 Tribute Museum: Discovery Education has partnered with the 9/11 Tribute Museum to share the video testimonial series, 9/11 Personal Stories of Transformation. Available in the September 11 channel in Discovery Education Experience and Social Studies Techbook, the series profiles first responders, survivors, and witnesses to the September 11 terrorist attacks. An accompanying instructional resource guide provides lesson plans and discussion questions. 

New Conservation channel featuring resources from World Wildlife Fund: A new Conservation channel in Discovery Education Experience features videos and images from World Wildlife Fund’s collection, offering students and educators an inside look at WWF’s efforts to support conservation along six goals: climate, food, freshwater, forests, oceans, and wildlife. 

World of animal adaptations with Animal Planet: How do electric eels not electrocute themselves? Why don’t penguins’ feet freeze on ice? Why do dogs wag their tails? These questions and others are explored in the Animal Planet series How Do Animals Do That?, now live in Discovery Education Experience and Science Techbook. 

Students bust myths with MythBusters Jr.: Students will use ingenuity and STEM skills to bust myths alongside Adam Savage and six of the nation’s most talented kids in Science Channel’s MythBusters Jr. Students will tackle myths similar to those seen in MythBusters, ranging from driving, explosions, chemistry, physics, popular culture, and more. The 10-episode series is now available in Discovery Education Experience and Science Techbook. 

Overview of key financial concepts: A new series of videos for middle school students from Discovery Education and Discover Financial Services provides a basic overview of key financial concepts, including budgeting, saving, using credit wisely, and growing and protecting your finances. The Pathway to Financial Success in Schools program is now live in Discovery Education Experience.

Spice up science with new programs from the Cooking Channel: Alton Brown explores the science behind common cooking techniques like searing, baking, and frying as he prepares traditional and brand-new recipes in Good Eats: Reloaded. The series is now available in Discovery Education Experience and Science Techbook. 

Virtual Field Trip helps students develop Social Emotional Learning skills: Discovery Education, Wings for Kids, and The Allstate Foundation premiered a new virtual field trip, Bringing SEL to Life, in Discovery Education Experience. The program introduces students to the pillars of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills. Student viewers meet other real-life students who share a pledge called "Words to Live By.” The program follows these students throughout their day as they explain and model how the words of the pledge help them better understand themselves, control their actions, and strengthen their relationships. 

Users of Discovery Education’s digital services can find the new content here. 

For more information visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

Edgenuity, provider of online curriculum and instructional services for the K-12 market, today announced an expanded library of Social and Emotional Learning (“SEL”) courses through its Courseware product line. 

Edgenuity added a series of SEL courses and intervention topics through the company’s partnership with online course provider Purpose Prep. Edgenuity customers now have access to six SEL courses integrated into Courseware Mental Health & Wellness, College and Career Readiness, Social & Emotional Success, Unlock Your Purpose, Character & Leadership Development and Personal Development. The curriculum addresses topical interventions for students at risk or in need of behavioral supports and intervention. 

Each SEL course aligns to core competencies outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) best practices. 

Educators interested learning more about Edgenuity’s SEL offering, can visit the Edgenuity website.

The Connections Model today launched its KidConnect Ready2Learn Curriculum, a  social-emotional learning (SEL) program that helps teachers provide instruction on the skills students need for success in school and in life. Based on the latest brain research and the understanding that emotions drive behavior, the curriculum provides teachers with the tools to help learners identify, understand, and manage their emotions. The curriculum is designed for classroom instruction across grades K-6 and includes 26 lessons centered on targeted skills. 

In launching the Ready2Learn Curriculum, The Connections Model builds upon its KidConnect Classroom App, which gives teachers the ability to intervene with individual students in the moment of a behavioral incident caused by emotional dysregulation. 

The curriculum divides the process of healthy emotional regulation into four navigable units that include the following:

• Building an emotional vocabulary by defining 16 common emotions and helping students reflect on past experiences to identify when certain feelings emerged across a variety of situations. 
• Making connections between emotions and behaviors. Students begin to build self-awareness and social awareness by working through a variety of group activities to practice identifying and controlling their reactions. 
• Learning strategies to manage emotions. Students work with each other through a variety of situations to identify off-target behaviors and provide tactics to move toward healthy, on-target actions.
• Practicing a variety of strategies and mindfulness techniques to help regulate emotions, increase self-esteem, and develop coping mechanisms.

Conscious Discipline, a social emotional learning program, today announced a partnership with Beijing-based Maxlink Education Group. Conscious Discipline’s line of products and practices will be fully implemented in 10,000 preschool and kindergarten sites, primary and middle school classrooms and consulting centers in China by 2029.

Co-led by Yale faculty members Dr. Walter S. Gilliam and Dr. Tong Liu, The Yale-China Program on Child Development is an international program which promotes exchange and cooperation between China and the United States in early childhood education and child development.

Dr. Gilliam and Dr. Liu will oversee the localization of Conscious Discipline publishing, curriculum, E-Course, learning materials and the trainer qualification and practice in China. The first year of the partnership will focus on translation and localization. Translations of Conscious Discipline’s textbook Building Resilient Classrooms, Baby Doll Circle Time curriculum and E-Course are currently underway.

To learn more about Conscious Discipline, visit ConsciousDiscipline.com.

Emotional ABCs Classroom

Strong learning approach to mastering SEL competencies

Pros: Well-organized and structured pedagogy for learning the first social and emotional competencies.

Cons: Some activities feel a bit unrelated to the content, and it's unclear if the program should be for whole-group instruction or independent practice.

Bottom Line: Excellent program for teaching young kids emotion identification, regulation, and social relationships.

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

Peekapak

Complete SEL units in a neat and tidy package

Pros: Thorough lesson plans use a variety of approaches to get kids engaged in the material, and the game is a perfect complement.

Cons: Adding the game almost doubles the price, so it may be a tough sell for teachers.

Bottom Line: Detailed social and emotional learning lessons provide teachers with almost everything they'll need to spark positive character development and reflection in their students.

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

At this year’s ISTE conference, three sessions had the words “social-emotional” in their titles. This isn’t an overwhelming number by some standards, yet it’s more than in the past, when the word “emotion” was a rare term at a conference all about technology.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is earning its “buzzworthiness,” as research shows it to be a prime consideration and priority when designing for effective learning. And ISTE, a conference well-known for its tech leadership, is leading the charge in promoting SEL integrated with tech. For example, one of this year’s sessions featured coding training combined with fostering social-emotional skills, another highlighted engagement-driven social-emotional learning for greater inclusion and well-being in schools, and a third promoted using collaborative tools and multimedia, including music and video, to incorporate social-emotional learning (SEL) in the modern tech-rich classroom.

I came to ISTE to present a series of talks about mindfulness and learning, to co-lead a preconference workshop and featured session about virtual reality and presence, and to debut my book, Mindful by Design. To me, technology facilitates learning, and aspects of mindfulness and SEL are foundational. Everything is connected in a learning community, and educational technology is, of course, part of the picture.

During the conference, as I met more and more people who joined ISTE for empathy-infused themes, including storytelling, sketch-noting, visible thinking and SEL, the thought dawned on me: could it be that “edtech” is becoming a redundant term? Should it just be “learning?” After all, technology is ever-evolving and is becoming a seamless part of learning worlds as it focuses more and more on what is holistic and human-centric. Tech conferences (including ISTE, right at the forefront) seem to be shifting to embrace what’s been known since Piaget, Dewey, Minsky, and Papert proclaimed it: community and belonging make a difference, and in learning worlds, it’s all about projects, passion, peers, and play. Tech is a natural part of this, as is the social-emotional. We build meaning through a connected experience, and that connection happens inside and out.

At ISTE, the connections were palpable and emphasized the “whole learner”—in fact, ever since ISTE rolled out the updated student standards, which include attributes like “Global Collaborator: I strive to broaden my perspective, understand others, and work in teams effectively using digital tools,” and “Digital Citizen: I understand the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world,” it’s been clear that empathy, self-awareness, and social-emotional skills are foundational values. In these standards, the ISTE executive board has made them visible. SEL is something that can and should be fostered at every level of education.

The question in my mind soon became not if or why SEL is being integrated into tech and learning, but how is it being interpreted and used? And who is leading the charge?

I soon found solidarity, discovering that third SEL-focused session at ISTE, led by Tamara Fyke, a creative entrepreneur who founded the organization Love in a Big World in 1996. Fyke came to ISTE to show how multimedia (namely music and videos) gets students thinking creatively and collaboratively. She says prioritizing SEL is vital to learning, as it “helps kids identify what is going on in their heads and in their hearts, so they can use their hands to build up and not tear down.” And, when SEL is partnered effectively with technology, the two amplify each other. “Like arts and games, technology can provide a microcosm of the real world for kids where they can practice their SEL skills,” Fyke says.

As I then led sessions about mindfulness, SEL, and storytelling (and some VR, too) with a group that included IT directors, curriculum developers, administrators, teachers, and others, it became clear that everyone is using tech in some way—and most are extremely motivated to use it in the best way possible, in their environment, with their communities in mind. It’s social, and it involves emotion as well as a design thinking skillset, with empathy for the user experience prioritized. I would certainly call that being Mindful by Design.

Exploring ISTE reinforced my view that this new prioritization is happening across edtech, from apps to learning platforms. From well-established Goliaths to startup Davids, the scene is starting to feature SEL in a major way.

Here are four standout examples from the ISTE expo you might not have heard of (yet):

1. Mind Yeti is a mindfulness app conceived in the innovation lab of the nonprofit Committee for Children, a leader in social-emotional learning. Mind Yeti’s product development team, which includes seven PhDs, developed the app based on current research. “SEL skills are best learned when dialog is part of the learning process,” says Polly Stansell, VP of Product. “Deeper learning of SEL skills happens when they’re explicitly and directly taught. We’ve seen some promising results when children are able to practice the skills that they’ve learned in either immersive environments or through games that allow them to practice executive function.”

2. An AR app from Finland called 3DBear is taking SEL to new levels through its innovative use of storytelling. Founder Jussi Kajala says they were inspired by Minecraft Education, also a Finnish invention, which helped to level the playing field but lacked interaction with the environment. 3DBear helps kinesthetic and visual learners flourish in the classroom, he says, by giving students a chance to tell stories in AR and represent emotions. The mission is to turn every child into a maker and designer able to visualize their world and solutions to problems. 3DBear earned an ISTE19 “Top Pick in Learning” award from Common Sense Media and has announced a partnership with the Digital Citizen Institute.

3. Wabisabi is a program designed to capture evidence of learning at every step of the journey, with formative digital tools, resources for portfolio work, assessments, and more. Founder Lee Watanabe-Crockett describes how the company is true to its name: “Wabisabi embodies the essence of a learner’s journey. At its core, it’s about growth and transformation, but also about learning from mistakes, adapting to uncertainty, and dealing with change. Our mission is to help teachers and learners leave the fear of imperfection and finality in learning behind. … Nothing is permanent except change.” The company is redefining pedagogy through “brave conversations” about values and meaning, both within and beyond traditions of learning, to create a growth mindset.

4. Kiddom is a platform that’s designed to help teachers save time, connecting schools from bottom-up and top-down, using data and research as a guidepost. Because Kiddom is interdisciplinary, SEL is interwoven into its fabric. Kiddom includes resources to ensure teachers know how to incorporate SEL. As Chief Academic Officer Abbas Manjee says, “As technology gets smarter and continues to empower us, the future won’t depend on students learning how to code or take AP calculus.” Students need to learn instead “how to solve complex problems with empathy and sound decision making. We need to work on fusing SEL skills into ‘professional’ skills and then drop the label.”

It’s not just views about SEL that are changing—the tenor of the entire approach to edtech is changing. As we enter an age of robust artificial intelligence that’s able to partner with humans, increasing productivity and performance through the automation of tasks and replicable processes, the emphasis in education focuses more and more on our ability as humans to give information context and meaning. We need to build and innovate with keen perception, ingenuity, and compassion. Why shouldn’t SEL be top priority in education? The fact that ISTE and other organizations recognize and encourage SEL as a necessary component of education is ushering in the next era of learning. The coming fifth industrial revolution will be one of building meaning as we integrate digital materials with purpose. As ever, the heart leads the way.

Caitlin Krause (@MindWise_CK) is a former teacher and curriculum designer who now runs the consultancy MindWise. She is the author of “Mindful by Design,” with resources and a global community online at caitlinkrause.com.

“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”- Mattie Stepanek

Relationships are the most important factor in your effectiveness as a teacher and your student’s success! Knowing students and them confiding in us and working with us and their peers helps us figure out their interests, strengths, insecurities, struggles, and passions. It doesn’t matter how behind your students are, strong bonds lead to student success. Building relationships is continuous but you don’t have to dedicate hours of your curriculum. The following teambuilding and get to know you activities often take less than 5 minutes and have helped my students build strong bonds with each other and me! See illustrated examples in the slideshow.

Fostering Peer-to-Peer Relationships in the First 5 Minutes

We must also continuously foster peer-to-peer relationships. I teach multiple grades in elementary and I have noticed how mean students can be to each other, especially since they are used to trash talking each other in video games they play daily. I do a lot of team building within the first 5 minutes of class. Students follow a procedure where they walk into my classroom and sit down on lined duct tape and prepare for the warm up.

• When I notice a class especially mean to each other I explain to them, “Most of you are going to be in classes together over the next 5, 6, 7 or more years so you might as well learn how to get along and help each other. Life is hard enough without friends to get you by.” Then I will divide them in pairs or small groups of 3 and ask them to invent a handshake/dance in pairs before they are dismissed to their seats.
• Sometimes I divide the class in 2 lines across from each other and walk them through high fiving each other as they say, “GG, good game, great work” or other nice comment. We do this after a discussion about being a great team player.

More Get to Know You Activities

• Copy my Get to Know You Bingo handout to print and edit here. This is the one I plan on using during the first week of school.
• This is the digital Get to Know You Bingo for 1 to 1 settings. It is more colorful. Feel free to edit the colors and clipart.
• Find tons of get-to-know you activities and icebreakers I’ve created here.
• These are get-to-know you activities specifically for young learners and children.
• These are get-to-know you activities for teens and adults.

Challenge: Do a teambuilding or get to know you activity at least once a week to continue cultivating relationships! Some of these take 5 minutes or less.

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.

Aperture Education has created the Educator Social-Emotional Reflection and Training (EdSERT) program, professional development designed to help educators build their social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. 

Aperture will host a free webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on July 30, 2019, to share more about EdSERT and offer insight and strategies to support educator social-emotional development.  To register, visit http://bit.ly/2YlOFjV. The webinar will also be available on-demand. 

EdSERT includes:

• An administrator guide with recommendations for implementing EdSERT and tips for incorporating SEL into staff meetings or in-service training sessions.
• Educator competency guides which offer a self-reflective assessment, a personal planning tool and strategies aligned to the self-assessment.
• Professional development that features eight competency-specific modules and an overview module, along with nine recorded webinars.
• An online supplemental resources portal.

EdSERT, which will be available for the 2019-20 school year, can be used as a standalone program or as a supplement to an existing SEL curriculum. It focuses on promoting the same eight SEL competencies included in Aperture’s DESSA Comprehensive SEL System: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, goal-directed behavior, personal responsibility, decision-making and optimistic thinking.

As much as I love technology, it can still be a challenge to balance its use with the rest of my life. On one hand technology allows me to earn a living, to connect with friends around the world, to find the answer to most any question, and to enjoy the latest bingeable show on Netflix. On the other hand, technology has the potential to consume more of my time than I realize. The challenge has always been finding that right balance.

A while back I wrote a blog post about that challenge, and how I felt I was falling on the wrong side of the tipping point. In the post "Full Bleed" I shared about the need for margin in our lives, and my attempts to reclaim a healthier balance.

Since that time I have seen more and more discussions online centered around the topic of Digital Wellbeing. Many of these posts have highlighted tools, resources, and settings we can use to help monitor our own technology usage, and make changes to make sure technology is a positive influence in our lives. These are important resources for us as adults and educators, as well as for our children, who are growing up in a time of digital ubiquity.

In the post below I have listed a collection of digital wellbeing resources, including online training, apps, settings, and more. I have grouped the resources into two broad categories, although some items can certainly fit into both:

• Resources for Reducing the Potential Negatives of Technology
• Resources for  Increasing the Positive Benefits of Technology

I will continue to update and add to this list as time goes on, as this is a rapidly evolving topic. I encourage you to explore these resources, and use the comments at the bottom to suggest others to add. Together we can find the balance that is right for each of us, and use technology as a positive force in our lives and others.

Resources for Reducing the Potential Negatives of Technology

The first step in working toward digital wellbeing is understanding the potential negative effects of technology in our lives, and then working to manage our usage in a healthy way. In this section we take a look at several resources to help us and our students with this.

Monitoring Usage

A good first step toward digital wellbeing is to simply see how much time we are already spending on technology. We can have a difficult time estimating how much of our day we actually spend on social media, YouTube, Reddit, email, and such. Thankfully many apps are now providing us with options to view these statistics. Some of these apps also let you go a step further and set limits on usage.

1) Android's Digital Wellbeing
Google Play Store link

For Android users, Google has created the Digital Wellbeing app to help track and manage your technology use. At the moment this app is not available on all Android phones, but is expanding to more phones bit by bit. Features of the Digital Wellbeing app include:

• Reports on how frequently you use different apps, how many notifications you receive, and how often you check your phone.
• Daily app timers to set limits for how much you use apps.
• Wind Down mode for setting a schedule to fade your screen to Grayscale and turn on Do Not Disturb.
• Focus mode to hide notifications from specific distracting apps.

2) ActionDash
Google Play Store link

If your Android device does not support the Digital Wellbeing app yet, a great alternative is the ActionDash app. There is a paid version with even more features, but the free version is very useful and provides the following:

• Detailed reports on time spent using apps, app launches, notification, and unlocks.
• Focus mode to block specific distracting apps.
• Daily limits on the usage of specific apps.

3) iOS Screen Time
Help page

For iOS users there is an app called Screen Time which provides reports on how much time you spend on apps, websites, and more, as well as setting daily limits on app usage by category.

4) YouTube

YouTube also has built in reports and settings to help you monitor and manage how much time you spend watching videos. To use this feature in the mobile app, do the following:

• Click your profile picture and then select "Time watched"
• You will now see your viewing stats.
• There is also an option to set a reminder to take a break from watching YouTube.
• And also a setting to turn off autoplay to help reduce binge watching.

Notifications

Another way to work on digital wellbeing is to manage the notifications we receive on our devices. It is wonderful that we can be kept up to date on the world around us, and in contact with those we care about, but there are times when it may be beneficial to temporarily turn off notifications or to at least restrict them to only what is critical.

Certainly this can be difficult as we battle against FOMO (our Fear Of Missing Out). This is that anxious feeling that we have to constantly be plugged in or else we will miss out on something important. Instead we want to be able to embrace some JOMO (the Joy Of Missing Out) where we can take a step away from our technology from time to time, and enjoy the people, the world, and the experiences right around us.

Depending on your phone, the settings and options for notification control will vary, but below are some general help resources for both Android and iOS devices.

1) Android

• Control notifications on Android - Help page
• Limit interruptions with Do Not Disturb on Android - Help page

2) iOS

• Use notifications on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Help page
• Use Do Not Disturb on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Help page

3) Gmail

You can also control how many notifications you get when you receive new email. One option is to request notifications for only messages listed as "High Priority". You can set this as follows:

• Open your Gmail app.
• Tap the "Menu" button.
• Scroll down and tap the "Settings" button.
• Choose your account (such as personal or work).
• Tap "Notifications".
• Choose the level of notifications you wish to receive, such as "High priority only".

Online Training

Several resources exist online to help you and your students learn more about digital wellbeing, reflect on the use of technology in your life, and work toward finding a healthy balance that is good for you. Below are some of these online training resources.

1) Google's Digital Wellbeing site
https://wellbeing.google

This site serves as the central hub for Google's efforts around digital wellbeing. You can find helpful videos and resources here including the following:

• Self-survey to reflect on digital habits - Website link
• Resources to focus your time with tech - Website link
• Resources to unplug more often - Website link
• Resources to minimize distractions - Website link
• Resources to find balance as a family - Website link

2) Applied Digital Skills - Build Healthy Digital Habits
Website link

Applied Digital Skills is a free online curriculum from Google that teaches tech skills, job skills, and life skills for students from upper elementary through high school, as well as adult learners. You can learn more about this resource in general in my earlier blog post on Applied Digital Skills.

There are hundreds of hours of videos and activities covering a wide range of topics, including a course on digital wellbeing. This online course, titled "Build Healthy Digital Habits" helps students explore their current use of technology, as well as discover ways to maintain a healthy balance of technology in their lives.

• Lesson 1 has the students create a journal to track and reflect on their digital and non-digital activities.
• Lesson 2 has the students create a pledge for digital wellbeing.
• Lesson 3 has the students share what they have learned about digital wellbeing with others through a poster, website, or slideshow.

3) Digital Garage - Introduction to Digital Wellbeing
Website link

Another online course option is the "Introduction to Digital Wellbeing" course from Google's Digital Garage site. This is a much shorter course, but does a nice job of covering the basics and several resources for digital wellbeing.

The topics covered include:

• What is Digital Wellbeing
• Benefits of healthy use of technology
• Awareness of your tech usage
• Tools for Digital Wellbeing

Resources Increasing the Positive Benefits of Technology

In addition to reducing the potential negative effects from overuse of technology, we also want to look at the flip side to examine the positive impact technology can have on our wellbeing. In this section we will look at such tools and resources.

1) Breathing Exercises
Google Search link

If you run a Google search for "breathing exercise" you will get a 1-minute activity that takes you through several cycles of breathing in and out. This can be a helpful break for students and teachers to help promote mindfulness, relaxation, and calmness.

2) Ambient Audio
Blog Post link

What helps you focus when reading, writing, or getting work done? Do you need a totally silent room, or does some amount of ambient noise help you? For some people, students included, having sound in the background can actually help them focus better. This could include music, nature sounds, or just white noise. See my earlier blog post linked above for a collection of free websites that allow users to listen to a wide variety of ambient sounds, as well as create their own custom mixes.

3) Passwords and Positive Self-Talk
Blog Post link

Positive self-talk can make a powerful impact in our day to day life, if we take the time to do it. One creative way to provide ourselves with edifying messages is to use our passwords. By using a passphrase that conveys a positive message or an encouraging reminder, we can build positive self-talk into our daily routine, every time we need to type in a password. See my earlier blog post linked above for more details and thoughts on this practice.

4) Tune
Chrome Web Extension link

Tune is a Chrome Extension that allows you to control the level of toxicity in the comments you view online for such sites as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and more.

You simply turn the dial in the settings to adjust which comments you see, all the way from full comments to no comments in "Zen mode", and everything in between. Using AI, the extension hides comments that are more toxic than the level you set, but always with an option to click on the comment to see it if desired.

5) Google Fit
Blog Post link

Technology can also improve our wellbeing by helping us improve our health. There are lots of fitness tracking devices, but if you do not own one you can always just use the Google Fit mobile app for your phone.

The app will monitor your movement each day to help keep track of how many steps you have taken or other exercises you have completed. This is an easy and free way to promote health in body and mind.

Mobile app:

• Android version
• iOS version

6) Wakelet Mindfulness Collection
Wakelet link

This is an excellent collection of additional mindfulness apps and resources collected by Angela Wojtecki and Annette Lang.

Conclusion

Technology can truly make a positive impact in our lives, but like any good thing (I am looking at you Ben and Jerry's Cinnamon Bun ice cream) we have to find balance for it. Hopefully the tools, settings, and resources shared above will help you to evaluate and manage your use of technology, so it improves your wellbeing in all areas of your life.

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.

At ISTE 2019, Classcraft will premiere the trailer for “Classcraft: Season 1,” an episodic adventure designed to engage and motivate students by harnessing the power of storytelling. Classcraft, a Google for Education Premier Partner, provides tools to measure and promote student motivation that are used by more than 5 million students and educators.

Classcraft: Season 1 is a part of Classcraft’s new “Story Mode,” which is designed to help teachers improve student engagement, foster a positive school climate, and promote social emotional learning (SEL) through a series of ready-made stories set within the Classcraft world.

Classcraft: Season 1, which explores themes of self-discovery and the value of human relationships through a year-long adventure story, will premiere during Back to School 2019. New episodes will be released each month. 

At ISTE 2019, Classcraft will officially unveil its all-new Ambassador Program. Classcraft Ambassadors are a group of passionate teachers inspiring and supporting other educators with Classcraft, from their schools to communities all around the world.

Educators interested in sharing their Classcraft story, connecting with other educators, and helping Classcraft have a deeper impact for the millions of students using it are invited to submit an application or visit Classcraft at ISTE Booth #2030 to learn more.

For a complete guide to Classcraft’s activities at ISTE 2019 — including speaker sessions, a Nintendo Switch giveaway, and the Classcraft AR Experience, view our ISTE round-up announcement.

Mood Meter - Building Your Emotional Intelligence

Well-designed tool encourages kids to reflect on and manage emotions 

Pros: Elegant emotion grid and reports reveal surprisingly deep insights.
Cons: Built-in inspirational images and text are limited, so users should create their own.
Bottom Line: Appealing, thought-provoking tool builds emotional intelligence.

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

As the number of English Learners (ELs) continues to grow in schools across the United States, educators are optimistic about the academic potential of these students, but they still see room for improvement – and they clearly indicate that some classroom approaches and resources are more effective than others: 

• Teachers and administrators alike find adaptive learning technologies to be the most effective resources for EL instruction.
• Teachers and administrators report interactive classroom games and collaborative group work to be the most effective approach to EL instruction.
• Audio-visual resources were reported to be the most widely used classroom instructional tools, used by 77 percent of teachers and 76 percent of administrators, followed by adaptive learning technologies and free online educational resources. 

These findings come from McGraw-Hill Education’s second annual English Learners report, which surveyed more than 460 teachers and administrators in K-12 schools across the United States to examine their opinions regarding English Learner (EL) instruction. Other findings include: 

• 69 percent of administrators and 65 percent of teachers report that conversations about immigration impact their school/classroom environment, and educators overall indicate that discussions around immigration are more prevalent than those about other social issues, including healthcare, climate change and gun violence. 
• 77 percent of teachers and 81 percent of administrators agreed that social and emotional learning challenges presented a significant obstacle to effective EL instruction. 
• More than half of teachers and administrators report that EL enrollment in their school or district has increased in the past five years, and almost a quarter report that it has increased significantly.

Muse by Interaxon, creator of the Muse brain sensing headband, is at CES 2019 (booth 43337) with its newest product, Muse 2. This new device is a personal meditation assistant that is designed to provide real-time feedback on brain activity, body movement, breathing patterns and heart rate during meditation.

Muse 2 uses built-in biosignal, inertial, and heart sensors to create real-time audio experiences in four key areas to help users find focused calm, improve posture, and increase breath and heart awareness. With the companion app, Muse 2 translates meditators' internal states into immersive soundscapes to provide subtle guidance during meditation. 

The Muse Mind Experience, included in Muse 2, translates a user's mental activity into the guiding sounds of weather. In the Body experience, Muse 2 measures stillness through motion tracking. Postural shifts and fidgeting cause shimmers of real-time audio feedback in the form of beautiful wind chimes to guide users back to a place of restful stillness and physical relaxation. Muse 2's Breath experience is designed to combine measures of a user's heartbeat, body movement, and breathing to help guide them through a variety of energizing breathing exercises and relaxation techniques. The Muse 2 Heart experience is designed to turn the real-time beats of a user's heart into a rhythmic, soothing drumbeat, to help meditators tune into their internal state and experience their mind-body connection in a powerful way.

Muse 2 uses machine learning with each user's unique brain activity, body movements, breathing patterns and heart rhythms, to adapt experiences and deliver personalized results.  Updates to the Muse 2 experiences arriving after launch will support combined experiences and a multifaceted meditation practice. This past July, Muse announced the acquisition of Meditation Studio, a top-rated and award-winning app offering more than 500 guided meditations.

Muse 2 is now available for $249.

Rikki Rogers said “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”  The Anxiety and Depression Association of America tells us anxiety is the number one mental health illness in the United States. 18% of adults and 25% of children struggle with anxiety. Chances are you already know quite a few people who have anxiety, whether or not you are able to see it or understand it.  When I was in school, kids like me were simply labeled as shy. It took years and years before I learned it was anxiety. 

So, what is anxiety and how is it related to technology? My favorite definition says it is the desire to do something typically accompanied by unease. There are many things in life I would LOVE to do, but am terrified to. Personally, I’m terrified of needles, the dentist, field trips, manicures and yard sales. I’m also afraid of phone calls, asking questions, interrupting conversations and arguments. There are many things I want to be able to do, but they are very difficult for me. Many people are surprised by that fact! Others don’t see me as being someone who is anxious. And I can see why….Anxiety is often well hidden.

We often hear how technology can evoke anxiety in people, however, this is not one of those articles. Thankfully - there are many technology tools designed to help ease feelings of anxiety!  Instead of telling others not to worry, use your techy skills and find ways to help them channel unavoidable energy in positive ways!  This is just a small fraction of tech-based tools adults and children can use to help with anxiety management:

Moodtrack Diary

One of my favorites, Moodtrack Diary, turns my feelings into a spreadsheet and allows me to track my moods over time. I can see trends and gaps in the data and view my most frequent emotions and possible triggers. When users enter data such as daily events and medication/supplement schedules as well as tagging moods throughout their day, Moodtrack Diary helps them to ultimately recognize patterns to replicate or avoid. The app also has an under-moderated social connection feature, something to be aware of if using this with students. 

Breathe2Relax

From the National Center of Telehealth and Technology, the Breathe2Relax app reminds me to breathe through my belly, which I rarely remember to do. According to the app “Breathing exercises have been documented to decrease the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ (stress) response, and help with mood stabilization, anger control, and anxiety management.” Their app walks the user through breathing exercises in order to learn the stress management skill called diaphragmatic breathing. Breathe2Relax can now connect to your Apple Watch and track your heart rate while you breathe. When I remember to do it, breathing deeply always calms me down and puts that Fight or Flight feeling at bay. 

Pacifica App

The Pacifica app has many meditations (which I am not all that good at), breathing routines and muscle relaxing exercises to calm the mind and the body. Being mindful is a great strategy to recognize and manage anxiety, and the Pacifica App uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help us reframe our thinking and shift our behaviors. The app also allows for data tracking including mood, sleep and exercise, which can help users see trends and patterns over time. Also, check out Pacifica for Edu which is available for school care staff to help students on their caseload.

E-Readers

Since I was a child, reading was a great escape from reality and a coping mechanism which enabled me to feel less anxious. Having an e-reader on all my devices allows me the opportunity to regroup and recharge before facing whatever comes next. While my favorite is a toss up between my Kindle and iBook apps, there are many online sites where students can read (or listen to) their favorite books. Escaping into a book is a great way for students and adults to calm and collect themselves before or after a stressful event. 

Music

This suggestion might be a no-brainer for anyone feeling stress…. Music is a great stress-buster!  However, what if I shared a list of 10 songs researched to reduced anxiety?  This song list on Spotify contains a few songs most folks are familiar with. However, one song in particular was specifically developed with sound engineers to slow heart rates, reduce blood pressure and decrease levels of the stress hormone Cortisol. According to research done by neuroscientists at MindLab International, “Weightless” by Marconi Union was shown to reduce stress levels by up to 65%!   Less Cortisol = More Calm! 

Mapping Software

I also use Google Maps in my anxiety arsenal. I am not afraid of driving or getting lost. I worry more about being late or not finding the right entrance. I’ve also had students who worry about field trips, or long walks in town. Using Street View, we plunk the little Google Guy down into the map and preview the area before we head out. With a clearer vision of where we are going, it is easier to plan for the unknown. 

Social Media

I believe technology gets a bad rap for disconnecting us, but for me, social media is a HUGE help when it comes to my social anxiety. I use social media to make new friends, to talk about difficult topics, to remember names and faces before meetings and conferences. I am able to be myself online without anxiety stepping in front of me. Just like my students, in face to face social situations, I often require think time. Sometimes thinking takes so long I miss the opportunity to speak. Online, we can always carve out the time to think before responding. We become part of the conversation instead of remaining on the periphery.

IMPORTANT:

Please note these strategies are not a replacement for advice from licensed counselors and health care providers. Consult a professional before starting any new mental health care regimen. That being said, your coworkers, students and loved ones need you. We are not able to be fearless without the support of those who care for us. We are not suffering from anxiety, we are learning to channel its powerful energy into positive experiences. Those with technology know-how are at a great advantage to help us utilize tools to make a positive difference. Don’t be afraid to share!  

After 10 years as an elementary teacher, Suzy Brooks is the Director of Instructional Technology for Mashpee Public Schools in Massachusetts. Additionally, she provides professional development and hands-on workshops for educators at local, regional and national venues. Her work in blended learning, student engagement, and social media has been featured by EdWeek, NBC News’ Education Nation, Instructor Magazine, Intel, ISTE, ASCD, and the NEA. Currently, Suzy is a visiting lecturer at Fitchburg State University, a MassCUE Pathfinder and the Massachusetts ASCD President. Suzy holds a B.S. from Bridgewater State University and a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from Lesley University.

Thanks for check out my #MakerspacesAtoZ blog series.  In case you missed it, you can catch my previous posts here: 

A:  Aspirational

B:  Boring

C:  Combinatory

D:  Disobedient 

E:  Enterprising

Thank you to all those who shared their thoughts about those posts using the #MakerspacesAtoZ hashtag.  Thank you also to those who shared their thoughts about Letter F words there, as well.  Letter F words shared included Flow, Fail Forward, Fulfilling, Fun, and more!  Be sure to check out the hashtag to see them all!  So many great Letter F words!

Letter F for me, represents Fundamental.  

I recently came across a blog post written by the amazing Mark Sparvell, in which he used the phrase, "Fundamental, not ornamental."  Anyone who knows my work, knows why this phrase would resonate with me in terms of makerspaces.  My work has never been about the ornamental "stuff," it has always been about the research, the philosophy, the pedagogy related to creating these unique learning environments. (To be honest, this has not always been easy, since some seem more enamored with the ornamental "stuff").  This isn't the only reason I appreciated Mark's post though.  Mark used the phrase, "Fundamental, not ornamental," in referring to social-emotional skills and the potential role technology can play in augmenting, extending and enhancing them.  I follow Mark on social media and his work in Social Emotional Learning (SEL), in addition to this blog post, has inspired me to think deeply about SEL and makerspaces.  It is his work that led my team at Hands-On Coding to launch a #MindfulCoding challenge for this year's Hour of Code. 

SEL and makerspaces is not an entirely new concept, in fact, I recently discovered that it was written about by Jackie Gerstein here, however, it was Mark's blog post that got me thinking about the meaningful, impactful connections between the two.  I think connections between SEL and makerspaces will push some maker educators outside of their comfort zone, but I also think that exploring all it can be, will impact our students in profound ways.  It is an area I will be exploring much further and doing lots of work in, so stay tuned! 

Cross posted at worlds-of-learning.com

Laura Fleming has been a classroom teacher and media specialist in grades K-8 and currently is a Library Media Specialist for grades 9-12. She is a well known writer, speaker and consultant on next-generation teaching methods and tools, and the author of the best-selling Worlds of Learning: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School

 7 Mindsets 

Thought-provoking structured program simplifies SEL skills 

Pros: Incredibly detailed and organized lessons help students dig deep.

Cons: Can be repetitious, and for the price, the lack of a student progress dashboard is disappointing.

Bottom Line: If teachers take advantage of the extension activities, students can get great in-depth instruction and practice in SEL skills needed for life. 

Read more here.

Site of the Week picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best edtech 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 

Before educators can help students get to the learning, we must first ensure we help students feel good about themselves. Educators can help students with this by providing Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to help them cultivate feelings of peace, satisfaction, calm, positivity, kindness and happiness.

EFT, often referred to as tapping, can provide the tools kids need to get through emotions like stress, anxiety, sadness, fear, or shame without letting them get out of hand. Educators can now easily bring this to the classroom with a new book called, “A Garden of Emotions: Cultivating Peace through EFT Tapping.” It features 10 affirmations that teachers can use with their students. Each affirmation has a description as well as a QR code with a video session by leading EFT Tapping expert Brad Yates.

[Podcast Playlist for Innovative Educators]

The ten special kid-designed video sessions address the following emotions:

— Having a Good Day

— Kindness to Self: Empathetic, Forgiving

— Kindness to Others: Dealing with Shame, Bullying

— Relaxing: Dealing with Anxiety, Stress

— Focusing: Getting the Wiggles Out

— Letting go of Fear: Being Brave and Smart

— Calming Down: Getting over Anger, Rage

— Feeling Good Again: Getting over Sadness, Grief

— Being Positive: Dealing with Disappointment

— Accepting Imperfection: Feeling Good Enough

Getting Started

After reading the book to herself first, the teacher may choose to read the children’s part of the book to students starting on page 12. Each section has beautifully painted illustrations that accompany each of the ten emotions. When students are introduced to each emotion, in the future, they can have a say in which session they may want to follow.

The first video session on “Having a Good Day” is a sensible one to start with as it has more general tapping phrases that will apply to the whole class. Some days, perhaps after recess or before an assessment a session on “Focusing: Getting the Wiggle Out” will make sense.

Evidence Based

Teachers will want to let parents and administrators know that tapping has been used and tested in the classroom. The research and evidence shows it is an effective tool for resilience, self-regulation, trauma and stress-related disorders. It is also ‘promising’ for depression, well-being; phobia, panic, and anxiety; and ‘unspecified’ and other mental health disorders. It is also something that parents may want to do with their children. The videos can be opened on any device and also saved for instant access with or without the internet using the free Stkr.it app.

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.

[Extensive Free Resource Supports Finance Lessons for Middle & High School Students]

Hall of Heroes

Responsive game helps students prepare for transition to middle school

Pros: Engaging visuals, responsive feedback, and detailed progress reports boost learning potential.

Cons: Because each level takes time to master, students might become antsy or lose focus.

Bottom Line: Wonderful and fun social-interaction game designed to teach cooperation and friendship skills needed for middle school and beyond.

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

"There’s no such things as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams

October is National Bullying Prevention month. I like to focus on getting students to spread kindness and feel the benefits of being kind versus being mean to others. Many children play social games, such as Roblox and Fortnite, and experience cyberbullying much more than we did in the past. Many students have shared with me their experiences of others being mean, trash talking, or cursing at them during the games. Many of the children don’t realize the impact of their reactions or words on others. To help students reflect more on how their words and actions impact others our objective this month is, “How to be kind online and offline!” Below are some resources and ideas related to this theme so you can challenge your students to choose to be kind online and offline.

Ideas and Resources

Kind Acts Take One Flyers– I’ve posted these flyers in my classroom to provide some suggestions on how students can be kind to their peers within the school. Students can choose (not required) to tear off one of the ideas and commit to completing that act within the week. Feel free to download and use any of these flyers (V1, V2, V3, V4). You can also quickly create your own with Poster My Wall, a free web tool for creating posters and flyers.

Common Sense Power of Words Video– Students really loved this video about what to do when you’re bullied during a game. The video lead to powerful sharing and discussions with my elementary students about trash talking and bullying online. I followed up with student pair sharing on ways to be kind during a game, especially when we win. Children suggested sharing victory dances, asking to play again, reviving someone, saying, “GG!” (Good Game), or sharing their points or rewards. The classes also wrote kind messages on a poster.

Common Sense Curriculum– The Digital Citizenship lesson plans and resources by Common Sense are full of engaging ways to get students to reflect on the choices they make online. The lesson plans come with Google Slides you can edit, objectives, and reflective activities and handouts. For example, my students used the Power of Words handout to give advice to someone being bullied in a game.

A Kindness Tree Project by PBS– The class creates a tree on one wall with examples, drawings, and photos of how people have been kind to them.

[14 Back to School Tips and Tons of Resources!]

Free Rice– When students finish their work they have a list of typing games or educational websites to visit listed on our class website. This month students also have Free Rice as one of their options, which is a free game where students can answer trivia or multiplication questions and earn rice for hungry people around the world. So many of the students are choosing to play FreeRice during their free time instead of the other games. Some have told me they even do it at home and show their parents!

Be My Eyes App– I downloaded this free app to help blind people with real world problems they face and keep it on in case we get a call during class. I showed students the website’s video and explained how the app gives us the opportunity to help others. The students are so excited some had their parents download the app. Some asked if we could call and just randomly help.

Digital Compass Game– This is one of the games my older students can play to help them evaluate real situations they will face when navigating the web and joining social networks. Students have to choose what they will do for a character facing the situation then see the outcome of these choices.

Cool School Game– For elementary students. Children go into this school and help the children settle conflicts and keep the peace.

Citizen Science Projects– This is one of the student digital missions in my new book, Hacking Digital Learning with Missions. Students can help scientists and researchers with their quests to archive history or gather data to help find solutions to real world issues. Find projects for students to support any curriculum at SciStarter.com and Zooniverse.org.

Crowdfund Campaigns– Get students to create a social media campaign for a local cause and raise the funds. This is one of the student digital missions in my book.

• Check out these crowdfunding websites- DonorsChoose, PledgeCents, ClassWish, Adopt-a-Classroom, and Digital Wish.
• Find some great examples of students crowdfunding in this article.
• Check out this crowdfunding guide by Edutopia.

Create a Book to Help Others– Find free web tools and ideas here on how students can create a digital book to help others.

If you like these ideas, take one of my courses or check out my books. Ask me about training your teachers, ShellyTerrell@gmail.com!

Challenge: Challenge your students to spread kindness and reflect on how their words and actions impact others.

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.

A couple of months ago I wrote a response to a psychologist's theory that smart phones are responsible for the increase in teen depression and anxiety. The overemphasis on screen technology as a root cause for the increase of major depressive episodes among teens and young adults is not new. The most popular articles about this topic found online, like this recent one from Time, will continue to confirm that screens are the problem because it is an easy answer and soothes adults who are not sure how to manage the tech use of the adolescents and teens in their lives. There is not doubt, the stories of individual teens they tell in those articles are touching and concerning.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the true causes of teen depression are:

• biological chemistry
• hormones
• inherited traits
• early childhood trauma
• learned patterns of negative thinking

Surely some of the learned patterns of negative thinking can stem from some interactions students have online, especially cyberbullying. While cyberbullying is a phenomenon educators and parents need to help their children understand and overcome, its prevalence should not be overestimated. In fact, a recent survey shows that most bullying is verbal and the vast majority is in person.

[Why Student Creation is the Hardest/Best Form of Assessment]

This information is not meant to minimize the traumatic impact cyberbullying can have. (There is help available. My favorite resources are ConnectSafely's Parent's Guide to Cyberbullying and Parent, Educator & Youth Guide to LGBTQ Cyberbullying.) It is meant to provide a realistic understanding of the myriad of causes of teen depression and anxiety. Even if we were able to eradicate cyberbullying among children and adults, the major causes of teen depression would still exist. It's time to stop blaming devices and apps and start addressing the true root causes more holistically.

The well-being of the teens and adolescents in your life depends on your awareness of ALL potential causes of depression and anxiety. In addition to the Mayo Clinic webpage hyperlinked earlier, I also recommend the National Institute of Mental Health. Read them, build your awareness, and be careful to avoid simple explanations – like blaming cell phones and social media – for the rise in teen depression and anxiety. Raising and educating healthy children is challenging, complicated, and incredible rewarding.

cross posted at www.KerryHawk02.com

Kerry Gallagher is the Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts. She’s also the Director of K-12 Education for ConnectSafely.org – internet safety non-profit in Palo Alto, California – a FutureReady Instructional Coach, ASCD Emerging Leader, and EdSurge Columnist. She served as a middle & high school teacher and digital learning specialist for over 15 years, and her passions include digital citizenship and effective integration of curriculum, pedagogy, and edtech. Kerry is a TEDx & keynote speaker and a lawyer by training. She is on social media @KerryHawk02 and her website is www.KerryHawk02.com

Florence

Incredibly relatable story about navigating adult love and life

Pros: Great artistic design, approachable interactive pages, and engaging dramatic effect.

Cons: Since it's not designed for education, some mature content might require guidance to process.

Bottom Line: This heartwarming game helps kids empathize with the highs and lows of romantic relationships.

[Minecraft: Kids Learn 21st Century Skills While Building New Worlds]

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

Smiling Mind

Quick and easy meditation practice for busy classroom live

Pros: Integrates daily meditation into a classroom routine and lets kids to choose when and where they want to practice.

Cons: Creating an account requires a student or parent email address, and it's not possible to disable the social network options.

[Online Game Lets Kids Solve Social Problems, Practice Skills]

Bottom Line: This easy-to-follow meditation program can help reduce stress and support social and emotional learning.

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

Note: Although the focus of this blog is on creative ways to use technology for teaching and learning, occasionally I may share something else that crosses over into the technology realm, but also addresses the human condition. For as much as we are all technology enthusiasts, we are still just people, with our hopes and loves and pains and messes. Sometimes technology can help us understand our humanity a little better. In those cases, I have a second blog called "Eric the Rad" where I post my thoughts on life from a nerd's point of view. Today I am cross-posting a new entry from that blog here. It deals with the importance of a strong password, so I feel it will have value for all us tech users, but also addresses the need for positive self-talk, which has value for all of us as humans. If you are looking for the latest cool way to use tech in your class, this post may not be your cup of tea, and that's ok. I'll be back with loads of great tech integration ideas next. However, if this does resonate with you, then feel free to check out my other blog "Eric the Rad" where I have and will continue to share more things like this. Thanks!

I have never been really good at positive self-talk. And there I go again. That is a great example of how I am not very good at it.

However, I do believe in the power of self-talk, both positive and negative, to have a great impact on our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Psychology tells us that what we say aloud to ourselves really makes a difference. Negative statements can bring us down, while positive, encouraging words can build us up. It may be just bit by bit, but every bit makes an impact over time.

Historically I just have not been very successful at taking advantage of this. If anything, my self-talk is often negative, pointing out where I fell short, or forgot to do something, or let someone down, or don’t feel well, or am tired. Hearing these words from my own mouth day after day after day becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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At first when I think of positive self-talk, I can’t help but visualize Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live. I can see him sitting in front of his mirror saying “I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me”. As much as I love that character, I am not sure if that approach fits my personality.

As I have said many times before, I am a nerd. So I have been trying out a technology solution to this problem.

Passwords.

Yep, I said passwords. Passwords are something everyone has, and probably more than one. They are also something that we have to type in often, maybe multiple times per day.

Plus it is important to have a strong password that will not be easily hacked, to improve your security. A common suggestion for this is to use a passphrase rather than a password. A passphrase is a group of words or even an entire sentence. Since it is a sentence conveying an entire thought, a passphrase can be much easier to remember. Of course you can still get creative with capital letters, numbers in place of some letters, and use of punctuation.

So I have decided to make my passwords stronger, and in the process try to make myself stronger as well.

• 4GiveYourselfAndMoveOn!
• BTheChangeUWant2C!
• Stop&CTheGood2Day!
• I*Love*MyselfAsIAm!
• IAmGr8ful4MyLife!

There are endless possibilities for the positive passphrase you could use. The key is to choose something that builds you up, helps you heal through the pain, and grow toward your goals. Something that acknowledges your value and the value of others. Something that helps you process the past and embrace the present. It will be unique for you.

On our work domain we have to change our password every three months. Of course I can change it sooner if I want. On my Google accounts I can change them anytime I wish. The point is I am now creating a passphrase with a positive message for myself.

Now for the next three months, day after day, maybe multiple times per day, I have to type in that message. When I log into my work computer first thing in the morning. When I unlock it after lunch. When I log in on a different computer for a training. And on and on.

Each time I do this, I am reading a message I sent to myself weeks ago. I am being reminded of a powerful encouraging truth that can help me heal and move forward in my life.

And sometimes it is perfectly timed. I have had those mornings at work when life has not gone well. Maybe nobody in the cubicles around me know that I am struggling, that I feel like a failure, that Facebook just had to choose this morning to show me a picture from 9 years ago of a happier time, that I am feeling lonely, that I am anxious, that I am depressed, that I am angry.

And then I type in my password. A message from myself to myself. It reminds me to forgive, to grieve, to stop beating myself up, to find the beauty, to take one day at a time, maybe even just one step at a time. And sometimes that is exactly what I need.

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.

Zoo U

Research-based social game has terrific assessment potential

Pros: Engaging animations, positive reinforcement, and rich assessments boost kids' social problem-solving skills.

Cons: Some kids may lose focus while completing the baseline assessment, but it's worth the time put in.

Bottom Line: A powerful and focused social problem-solving game designed to reach kids who need direct instruction.

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

Edgenuity, provider of online curriculum and instructional services for the K-12 market, today announced a partnership with online course provider Purpose Prep to make social and emotional learning available to more students.

Through this partnership, Edgenuity will offer schools and districts immediate access to three new social and emotional learning courses:

• Personal Development
• Character and Leadership Development
• College and Career Readiness

Additionally, Purpose Prep’s tech course, “Introduction to Today’s Technology” will be made available. Each course is aligned to core competencies outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and designed to provide students with a deeper understanding of their own personal development.

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