Leveraging the power of technology to transform teaching and learning
Are you looking for great ways to engage students in the virtual classroom? Good news! You can create a personalized, interactive map to help students connect and collaborate through online learning. It’s easier than you think with the combined power of Google Forms, Sheets, and a handy Add-on called Mapping Sheets.
Continue reading “Great Ways to Use Interactive Maps in the Virtual Classroom”
Infinitec and I are offering a webinar designed to help educators facilitate a writing workshop in the virtual classroom. The live webinar will be held on March 25th @ 3:30 CDT. This webinar is available for FREE to ALL Illinois educators, as well as Infinitec members in MN, KS, and PA. Educators can register to attend live session or view the archive when available.
Continue reading “Facilitate a Writing Workshop in the Virtual Classroom”
I’m excited to share a potentially powerful activity designed for the Virtual Classroom. The activity will engage participants in creating an interactive map with Google Forms, Sheets, and an amazing Add-on called Mapping Sheets.
The interactive map you see below was introduced as an icebreaker during a recent live Infinitec webinar designed to help educators adapt to teaching in the Virtual Classroom. The icebreaker did a great job of engaging the educators in this large group of online learners. Participants went from passive to active learning from the moment they got a chance to contribute and collaborate via the map. The momentum carried through the entire session, prompting abundant questions and audience suggestions. If you’re looking for this type of student engagement, you might want to try to create an interactive map with Mapping Sheets!
Continue reading “Create a Live, Interactive Map with Mapping Sheets”
Are you an educator looking for practical tips and tricks for keeping students connected and actively engaged in learning while our schools are closed? You’re invited to attend a couple of FREE webinars designed to help educators uncover the power of the virtual classroom to increase student engagement and maximize instructional time.
The webinars are being hosted by Infinitec and they are available for FREE to ALL Illinois educators, as well as Infinitec members in MN, KS, and PA.
Continue reading “Great Ways to Embrace Virtual Learning and Increase Student Engagement”
Join me and @MyInfinitec at 3:30 CST for a Wednesday Webinar that is FREE to Illinois educators and also members of MyInfinitec outside the state.
February 12, 2020 | 4:30-5:30 EDT
Learn to leverage the power of Google Docs to design personalized learning experiences that meet the unique needs of ALL learners in the classroom. Provide students with flexible learning paths and maximize instruction by embracing the powerful features available in this mainstream tool for education. Learn to combine pedagogy with features to support Universal Design for Learning and walk away with a template for modification and reuse.
Registration is open to all Illinois educators and @MyInfinitec members for live or archived viewing.
I’m excited to be kicking off the new year with Wednesday Winter Webinars dedicated to Digital Differentiation with Google. These online sessions will focus on a model I designed and developed in 2011 to provide educators with resources to leverage the power of technology for teaching and learning. Nearly a decade later, this frequently updated model reflects progress and celebrates growth among stakeholders in education.
The 2020 model features efficient and effective ways to provide ALL students with flexible learning paths for success by leveraging the power of Google Tools. These free, mainstream education tools are packed with accessibility features allowing all educators to level the playing field for learning and growth.
While facilitating a webinar series for MyInfinitec, an agency whose goal is to provide access to the core curriculum for all learners, I’ve taken another deep dive into the current accessibility features in Google Docs for Education. One of the best takeaways has been discovering the ability to present slides with captions for screen readers with Google Docs.
Continue reading “Present Slides with Captions for Screen Readers with Google Docs”
Have you been trying to find an easy way for students to add audio to their Google Slides? It’s time to turn up student creativity in your classroom with the new audio feature in Google Slides.
Great news, Google has added an Insert Audio button to their interface, making it super simple for students to power up their projects with narration and music
Continue reading “Turn Up Student Creativity with the New Audio Feature in Google Slides”
With abundant access to data, schools can personalize learning to help each student demonstrate success in a standards-based learning environment. Educators who provide students with learning experiences based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning, UDL, can greatly boost the engagement of ALL learners, not just students with significant learning needs.
I created the original Digital Differentiation model in 2011 for use as a professional development resource to help teachers leverage the power of technology as a tool for learning. The model has been frequently updated throughout the years to reflect the growth, progress, and use of data to inform instruction.
On April 24, 2019, a webinar featuring the 2019 edition of Digital Differentiation was presented via Simple K-12. Members can watch the archived version by clicking on the link below. Not a member? Join our mailing list below to receive updates on when and where to catch a session.
Interested in a personalized session for your school or organization? Please connect and share your ideas below.
Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners 