Toss the Smartboard. Here's The Best #BacktoSchool Teaching Tool: @ClassroomScreen

ClassroomScreen which I will be using at all future learning events. ClassroomScreen basically allows me to ditch my former toolbox of presentation tools as it combines them into one nice, simple place.  Just visit classroomscreen.com and you have access to a timer, random number generator, work symbols (i.e. silence, work together, ask a neighbor), QR code, class sound level, and more.  

Here's the toolbar.



Here is what a screen might look like.

In one place you have directions for each group, work style, timer, time, and the information on where to access their work  No one in the classroom is unsure what to do, because it is projected in the room. 

The tool was created by a teacher in the Netherlands named Laurens Koppers who wanted a simple tool with all his favorite interactive widgets to help him teach and his students learn more effectively.  Nothing existed, so he made ClassroomScreen. 

You can check out all the features in this two-minute overview.

5 Steps to Making It With Students

Innovative educators know the importance of ensuring student learning is real, relevant, hands on and fun. That’s why they also understand the importance of a maker mindset. Teachers with a maker mindset help their students do work that is important to them. They aren’t looking for a specific answer, but rather support students in asking the right questions and finding new answers.  

In New York City at PS 96, Manhattan Ed Tech Director along with educator Lliana Villiegas helped a cohort of Manhattan teachers discover how to adopt the maker mindset. They shared and modeled the five steps below that these innovative educators use with their own students.

These enthusiastic teachers jumped right on board becoming the makers they will soon model being for their own students. They selected one of three maker challenge cards: 1) Make it play, 2) Make it fly, or 3) Make it spin.

Over the course of about an hour they went through each of the five steps just like their students will when they return back to school and completed their challenge.  You can see how they did in the movie recap below. 

#NYCSchoolsTechChat: The First 5 Days. Tonight at 7pm EST

This week #NYCSchoolsTech educators attended the #NYCSchoolsTechSummit where they learned all sorts of fresh ideas, techniques, and strategies to implement in the classroom this fall. What did they learn? That's the topic of the August #NYCSchoolsTechChat where we'll discuss the first 5 days of the school year. What protocols do you implement to start your school year off on the right foot? How does tech help?

#NYCSchoolTech teacher Eileen Lennon moderates with me throwing in my two cents. 

You can prepare for the conversation by thinking about answers to these questions:

1. What’s is an exercise or lesson you do with your students in the first five days that helps build relationships?
2. What technology or app are you excited to use this year? Why? What is your plan for introducing it or testing it out?
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out on ways technology could help in the first five days?
4. Any great ideas on how to learn student names and interests as quickly as possible?
5. What technologies and tools do you introduce for classroom management? Parent engagement?
6. We just had the #NYCSchoolsTech Summit Did you learn anything at the Summit that you plan to use when you return #BacktoSchool?
7. Take a moment to look over today’s chat and reply to someone’s post. Don’t forget to use #NYCSchoolsTechChat when you do.

Chat details are below:
Date: Thursday, August 2nd
Time: 7:00 pm
Topic: The first five days
Your Host: @eileen_lennon (@NYCSchools)
Co-Host: @InnovativeEdu (@NYCSchools)

Remember to respond using the hashtag #NYCSchoolsTechChat and include the number of the question you are answering in your response i.e. A1 and your answer.

We hope you can view the chat live, but if you are unable, please visit our archive at https://www.participate.com/chats/nycschoolstechchat. You can also participate in the chat at that link or if you have an iPhone download the app at https://www.participate.com/apps.