Gift giving ideas from Ian Byrd
Excerpt:
Here are a few gift-giving articles I like to share every December:
On 11/29/2020,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, animation, art, attention, collaboration, content development, aggregation, repositories, Daniel S. Christian, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, distance education, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, Google, graphics, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, interactivity, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, love of learning, mathematics, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, online media, parents/guardians, platforms, professional development, reading, remote teaching and learning, science, STEAM-related, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, United States, vendors, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, writing, youth,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Our oldest daughter showed me a “Bitmoji Classroom” that her mentor teacher — Emily Clay — uses as her virtual classroom. Below are some snapshots of the Google Slides that Emily developed based on the work of:
- Kayla Young (@bitmoji.kayla)
- MaryBeth Thomas
- Ms. Smith
- Karen Koch
- The First Grade Creative — by C. Verddugo
My hats off to all of these folks whose work laid the foundations for this creative, fun, engaging, easy-to-follow virtual classroom for a special education preschool classroom — complete with ties to videoconferencing functionalities from Zoom. Emily’s students could click on items all over the place — they could explore, pursue their interests/curiosities/passions. So the snapshots below don’t offer the great interactivity that the real deal does.
Nice work Emily & Company! I like how you provided more choice, more control to your students — while keeping them engaged!
From DSC:
I also like the idea of presenting this type of slide (immediately below, and students’ names have been blurred for privacy’s sake) prior to entering a videoconferencing session where you are going to break out the students into groups. Perhaps that didn’t happen in Emily’s class…I’m not sure, but in other settings, it would make sense to share one’s screen right before sending the students to those breakout rooms and show them that type of slide (to let them know who will be in their particular breakout group).
The students in the different breakout sessions could then collaboratively work on Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides and you could watch their progress in real-time!
Also see:
- Educators Turn to Bitmoji to Build Community and Engagement — from edutopia.org by Emelina Minero
Both fun and practical, Bitmoji classrooms are adding some levity to fall planning this year.
On 11/27/2020,
in art, creativity, culture, digital photography, funding / grants, marketplaces, reading, society, story, storytelling, student-related, writing,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Our oldest daughter told me about this great/cool WIN-WIN situation here! I thought it was so cool, that I wanted to pass it along. What a great way to help communities, students, folks who want to read/write/produce art and more!
Powered by Bookshop: Supporting local, independent bookstores.
Chicago’s only black woman-owned bookstore and gallery space, Semicolon Bookstore and Gallery is committed to nurturing the connection between literature, art, and the pursuit of knowledge; while also using the power of words to better our community.
On 10/30/2020,
in art, creativity, education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, ideas, K-12 related, reading, student-related, teachers, writing, youth,
by Daniel Christian
Perfect poetry picks for your homeschool — from raisinglifelonglearners.com by Colleen Kessler
On 09/04/2020,
in active learning, Alternatives, blended learning, career development, change, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, computer science, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, disruption, distance education, education, education reform, education technology, engagement / engaging students, Facebook / Meta Platforms, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, Google, heutagogy, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, hybrid learning, ideas, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, mathematics, Michigan, more voice more choice more control, motivation, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, participation, passions, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, platforms, programming, reading, social learning / networks, society, STEAM-related, streams of content, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, United States, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Below are but some of the changes to the learning ecosystems out there. Certainly, more are coming.
Ex-Google employees form virtual tech ‘school’ for gap year students amid college closures — from cnbc.com by Jennifer Elias
KEY POINTS
- Current and former Google employees are forming an online program aimed at preparing students for the workforce if they’re taking time off school due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- It comes as many college students defer school as universities shift learning models to mostly online amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Google execs past and present have volunteered to mentor college students on topics ranging from career trajectory to how to stand out in virtual Zoom interviews.
Along these lines, see:
- Google has a plan to disrupt the college degree — from inc.com by Justin Bariso
Google’s new certificate program takes only six months to complete, and will be a fraction of the cost of college.
Excerpt:
Google recently made a huge announcement that could change the future of work and higher education: It’s launching a selection of professional courses that teach candidates how to perform in-demand jobs. These courses, which the company is calling Google Career Certificates, teach foundational skills that can help job-seekers immediately find employment. However, instead of taking years to finish like a traditional university degree, these courses are designed to be completed in about six months.
From DSC:
Also, to see some more changes to the learning ecosystems out there, set up a Google Alert (or something similar in Feedly or via another tool) for “Learning Pods,” “Pandemic Pods,” and/or the “growth of homeschooling.” Here’s but one recent example:
Life can be very hard for autistic, gifted and special needs learners. Autistic and gifted learners often times struggle in school because they learn very differently than their peers. These special learners need a personalized approach to their education that allows them to learn in their own way at their own pace.
Many times parents and students feel as if they are the only ones like them in the world. This can often times lead to isolation and frustration. It is important for all autistic, gifted and special needs to unite in order to support one another. We are named Academic Warriors because all our students are superheroes in a world that doesn’t always understand and/or appreciate them. We help our students to become strong, independent and positive learners despite what the world may think of them.
It is the mission of Academic Warriors to help create positive learning experiences and communities throughout the United States for autistic, gifted and special needs learners. We offer online courses, programs, private school and in person events that foster an unique learning environment that promotes unity among all our students and families. We strive to create online and in person learning communities in every state that will provide educational opportunities for all families of autistic, gifted and special needs students. Together we can create a better world for the autistic, gifted and special needs learner.
From DSC:
As part of a homeschooling-based situation, my wife received the following item for one of our daughters (who needs additional/personalized assistance to learn). Simultaneously, she and our daughter sent them a Michigan Exchange Box. Very cool.
I believe my wife found this out at the following group in Facebook:
Some channels out on Youtube that have to do with learning:
(and by the way, according to Jane Hart’s recent Top 200 Tools for Learning, YouTube is in the #1 spot for the 5th year in a row!)
“Horse Sense Tutoring Services is a unique resource that combines the power of Equine Assisted Learning with evidence-based reading and math strategies that engage the mind, body, and emotions in learning. We use the principles of discovery, experience, movement, reflection, and connection in partnership with our horse friends.
…
Based at The Barn for Equine Learning…my program offers targeted reading, math, and basic horsemanship tutoring for students in grades K – 8. Horses become teaching and learning partners as students experience academics and social-emotional learning in a whole new way.
If you are looking for a unique tutoring and confidence-building experience for your child, PM for more information. Sessions are held outdoors and/or in an open barn setting.
(Small group field trips with an introduction to basic horsemanship skills are also available).
From DSC:
So these are just a few examples of how the learning ecosystems are changing out there! Surely, there will be more changes coming down the pike.
On 07/17/2020,
in education technology, Google, productivity / tips and tricks, reading, teachers, teaching online, vendors, web-based collaboration, writing,
by Daniel Christian
?? You do NOT have to use ALL CAPS to emphasize words in a Google document’s comments. Here’s how to make bold, italics, and strikethrough text… pic.twitter.com/5eirjmmfnB
— Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) May 22, 2020
From DSC:
Thanks Tony for this item. I was trying to think of how to do this just the other day…so I’m a bit late in posting this, but better late than never, heh?
On 06/08/2020,
in colleges, community colleges, Daniel S. Christian, education, higher education, instructional design, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, learning preferences, pedagogy, reading, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, universities,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Besides the idea of a learning journal and having students check in on these 3 questions…
…here’s another idea/approach to consider using:
The Start, Stop, Continue Strategy — by Barbi Honeycutt, Ph.D.
- Write down one thing they would like for you or their classmates to START doing to make the course more successful.
- Next, ask students to write down one thing they would like you or their classmates to STOP doing.
- Then, ask students to write down one thing they’d like for you or their classmates to CONTINUE doing.
From DSC:
The problem with some of this, I realize, is that one person’s learning preferences are just that. They represent that one person’s learning preferences. So someone may say they don’t like using Discussion Boards, while someone else says that DBs work well for them. But if you hear enough of your students say to stop doing XYZ, then that’s solid feedback. Or if enough students ask, “Could we START doing ABC?”…that’s good feedback.
I found the above item from Barbi’s recent posting:
Excerpts:
- Here are two recommendations and one strategy to encourage students to read:
RECOMMENDATION #1 TO GET STUDENTS TO READ: FIND THE WHY.
RECOMMENDATION #2 TO GET STUDENTS TO READ: CLARIFY THE “DO”
On 05/02/2020,
in 24x7x365 access, adult learning, colleges, communications, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, digital learning, digital storytelling, drama/theater, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), education, faculty, higher education, K-12 related, law schools, learning, passions, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, quality, reading, story, storytelling, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, universities, vendors, writing, youth,
by Daniel Christian
Potentially-useful sites for developing writers out there:
On 04/29/2020,
in accessibility / UDL, Apple, assistive technologies, communications, communities of practice, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, engagement / engaging students, Google, homeschooling/homeschoolers, ideas, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, Microsoft, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, online media, online tutoring, parents/guardians, participation, pedagogy, podcasting, reading, remote teaching and learning, society, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, tools, youth,
by Daniel Christian
10 Tips for Supporting Students with Special Needs in #RemoteLearning — from jakemiller.net by Jake Miller
Excerpt:
How can we support learners with special needs in remote learning?
While, certainly, some educators are doing great things to support these students, from my observations, this has taken a backseat to other elements of remote learning. And these students NEED OUR HELP.
Unfortunately, I am not an expert in special education, accessibility features or assistive technology. I am, however, skilled at asking other people to share their expertise. ? So, in episode 40 of the Educational Duct Tape podcast and in the 4.8.20 #EduDuctTape Twitter Chat I asked educators one simple question:
How can we support learners with special needs in remote learning?
And they DELIVERED. I mean, the awesome suggestions and resources, all from a perspective of support rather than judgment, POURED in. And so, here they are.
From DSC:
How’s this for your next gift for that person in your life who loves books!?! 🙂
The Bookwheel Allowed 16th-Century Scholars to Read Multiple Books at One Time — from interestingengineering.com by Trevor English
This contraption allowed engineers to read multiple books at the same time.
