Vicki A. Davis's Blog, page 162

3 Essential Keys to Living Large

“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging and it’s very difficult to find anyone,” said Gandalf the wizard.

Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit replies:

“I should think so — in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!”

1. Are We Reading or Are We Starving Bakers?

With these words echoing in my mind yesterday– the youngest person I know — our 86 year old learning lab director Mrs. Grace A...

3 Strategies for Building an Authentic Audience for Your Student’s Work

Building authentic audience is an essential technique for 21st century teachers. Linda Yollis, a 27 year elementary teacher shares with us how she usessocial media in the classroom. Using theirclassblog and teacher’s social media connections, Linda’s students write for the world. Let’s learn as Linda Yollis @lindayollis, classroom blogging extraordinaire, shares how she engages her students using blogging.

Listen to Linda Yollis – Every Classroom MattersShow #49

Listen on iTunes:Trial and Erro...

Engaging Students Through Competitions, Contests and Code

Pat Yongpradit, a Microsoft Innovative Educator, is now Director of Education for Code.org. He has a track record for helping girls become interested in STEM and programming. In this example, his student, Anh Vo, created a game for the Magic Cup Kodu Cup Challenge 2013. She created a game about cleaning waste water from factories to keep nearby villages safe.

Listen to Pat Yongpradit and student Anh discuss the game she created

Pat Yongpradit – Show #32 – Engaging Students Through Competitions...

Project Based Learning with a Purpose with @mrgfactoftheday

With only 1 in 10 schools offering coding in the USA, Josh Gauthier is one teacher using coding to engage students in learning. He finds learning how to new things in order to engage students is worth the time and money invested.

Listen to Josh Gauthier discuss creating apps with students

Add Josh Gauthier to your PLN

@mrgfactoftheday
Mr. Gauthier’s Tech Chats

Josh Gauthier – Show #75 – Project Based Learning with a Purpose

Josh Gauthier is a fourth year teacher in Wisconsin, who just moved to tea...

15+ Teaching Ideas to Get You Excited About Teaching

Our classrooms are full of ones. Not hundreds not hundreds of thousands – – not millions — but there are millions of ONEs. Each child is unique. Each child is an individual. So are you teachers! We don’t do all the things quite the same. I read a great quote from Beth Moore that represents teachers so well:

You don’t have to see eye to eye to be glad to be side by side.

Do you need some ideas for improvement?

It fits. I want to share with you some fast, easy ideas to make your classroom more exc...

Note Taking Skills for 21st Century Students

Note taking skills aren’t just automatic. We tell students “take notes” but they have no idea what that means. What makes “good notes.” What do they write down? What should notes look like?

Every since I went through the Writing Across the Curriculum Course at my school I realized the tremendous gap between “writing” as we’ve taught it traditionally and 21st century writing skills. That frustration threw me into research about how to teach writing in my classroom (all of that research was then...

Drama in the Classroom Activities: 2 Examples with Bellringers

Get a costume box. Get some creativity. Do drama and learn! Here’s how.

I have a costume box in my room and it is AWESOME. This time of year is THE TIME I add to it because of all of the Halloween costumery out there. (Mark your calendar for the day after the event — you’ll pick up lots of goodies for almost nothing.) Include dry erase boards as they can have anything drawn on them and become great props.

Every time I get out the costume box the kids perk up and get excited so usually I try to...

The H&R Block Budget Challenge: Giving Away Scholarships as Kids Learn Financial Literacy

The H&R Budget Challenge will teach US kids aged 14 and up about real world financial skills as they compete to win scholarships & learn about money. Students need to understand financial skills but it is hard to teach these until students are out in the real world spending real money and making perhaps really lifechanging mistakes. That changes today. Today the H&R Block Budget challenge is open for registration.

This cool simulation combines real world scenarios in a powerful gamified enviro...

Text Message Abbreviations Field Guide (IM Speak for Adults)

Do the text message abbreviations your children and grandchildren send leave you confused as a cow on astroturf? No more! While we shouldn’t use this in academic writing, learn to speak the IM (instant messaging) language to communicate with your kids.

Common Text MessageAbbreviations

LOL – Laughing out loud (Recently a woman texted her daughter – “want you to know, Grandma just died. LOL.” Her daughter was taken aback and found out that her Mom thought LOL meant ‘Lots of Love” – itdoesn’tusual...

Chromebook Resource Center by Intel

Do you have Chromebooks? These handy devices can do so many things in the classroom. Intel has put together a community for Chromebook users atintel.com/ChromeEdu. There are already some powerful resource guides including the Ultimate Resource (by Naomi Harm), Chromebooks 101 (I wrote that one), Using Chromebooks in the Primary Grades (Erin Klein) and 12 Ways Chromebooks Remove Roadblocks to Tech Integration (Lisa Nielsen).

They also have a way you can win a Chromebook posted as well, so you c...