My Favorite Things {Classroom Technologies}

 I'll be the first to admit that I am a bit of an old soul when it comes to change. I tend to resist it at first, claiming that things are just fine the way they are. I sound like a cranky 90 year old man, I know. But, as I have learned and grown as a teacher over these 5 years, one thing I have taken to heart is the fact that change is good. Evolution, especially in education, is generally necessary and positive. We are often asked to work miracles in the classroom and though we may give 100% of our minds and bodies to trying to work those miracles, we are only human beings and there are only so many hours in a day. I can't always teach Student A with a kindergarten reading level how to read while also helping Student B who reads a hundred miles a minute both find the perfect thing to read or the perfect homework to help them. Sometimes technology can do things that humans cannot. And in the classroom, that includes being able to tailor lessons to every single student. I can use programs and apps to help me individualize lessons to all 100 or so of my students in fantastic ways. I can also better prep them for college by helping them learn how to submit assignments online, collaborate with peers remotely, and take responsibility for online, email, and networking etiquette. Curious about how to incorporate more technology into your classroom? Below are some of my favorite tools:

1. Canvas
According to their site, Canvas is used by more than 3,000 universities, school districts, and institutions around the world. This is likely because it is an effective and fairly easy way to incorporate online quizzes, modules, and material into courses. I use Canvas to help me grade essays and give vocab quizzes. I can create a quiz in Canvas and students can take the quiz online- I create my content one time (questions and correct answers) then Canvas grades the quizzes for me. It also gives me great data so I can see which questions gave my students the most trouble. Essays are easier to grade because I can type, highlight, or draw directly on the essay. I can give better and more efficient feedback. Canvas also allows students to access material anywhere they have Internet. So, they can follow the link to an online reading assignment or upload answers to literature questions even at home. I especially love the discussion feature- I can pose discussion questions and students can all interact by commenting and chatting about their thoughts. I can monitor these comments and keep track of how often each student interacts in the thread.

2. Edpuzzle
With edpuzzle, you can implement videos in engaging ways. Choose any video, add questions for understanding, and track student progress. Say you are teaching a unit on American history and you want to teach students about the Revolutionary War. You can find a video in the expansive library of options or upload your own. Then, you can add questions to the video. Students would pause at certain points while watching and answer your questions as check points. They have to answer each question in order to move on and watch the next segment of the video. Plus, you can see which questions each student answered correctly or incorrectly. 

3. ReadTheory
This program was so impactful when I taught Developmental Reading and ECA (End of Course Assessment) Remediation courses. This program allows students to read short passages and answer critical thinking and comprehension questions based on their own individual reading levels. If questions about the passage seem too difficult for the student, ReadTheory automatically gives the student an easier passage next time. It keeps track of all progress and lets the teacher see data on each student. I loved this because it did something I, as one person, could not- Provide each student with reading material tailored to him or her. It is life-changing if you work with students who need a boost in reading skills.

4. Pinterest 
Not only a great tool for wedding planning and recipe finding, Pinterest is one of my fave tools in my Yearbook class. It allows my staffers to brainstorm the upcoming yearbook with specific boards. I like that on Pinterest you can create a specific search, like for modular yearbook layouts, or browse, like for themes. From theme ideas to font styles, my staff and I often find ideas that we pin and use as inspiration. Idea boards are nothing new of course, but Pinterest takes an idea board a few steps beyond because each "pin" is clickable, catapulting the user to websites full of articles or additional resources. Outside of Yearbook, I use Pinterest to find lesson plan ideas for English 11, articles on classroom management, and discussions on educational policy. And yes, of course I also pin a recipe here and there. 

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