Dip into Something New This Summer

“So much to do, so little time,” is most teachers' mantra during the school year. Summertime gives us time to relax and refresh, but also the time to dip into something new. Here are a few suggestions for things you might like to try.

Podcasts

Podcasts can be a great way to keep up on what is new in education. Whether you are doing chores around the house, getting some exercise, or driving, listening to a podcast is a good way to squeeze in some personal PD.

There are lots of podcasts that inform and entertain out there, and you may have some favorites already (share them on the Padlet below), however you may want to give a new one a try over the summer. You can find a number of interesting podcasts at Education Podcast Network. Two of favorites are:

The Cult of Pedagogy hosted by Jennifer Gonzalez. Podcasts cover a number of topics in education, including instruction, classroom management, and technology.

Google Teacher Tribe, hosted by Matt Miller (Ditch That Textbook) and Kasey Bell (Shake Up Learning). This podcast will keep you up-to-date with the latest announcements from Google, and give you ideas on how to implement the newest features into your curriculum.

Some of USD’s favorite outside presenters also host podcasts.

Check This Out is hosted by Brian Briggs and Ryan O’Donnell. They chat about the latest in education news, often including the newest Google tools, and talk about creative ways to integrate new ideas into your classroom.

Bedley Brothers hosted by Tim and Scott Bedley interview leaders in education to talk about “what works” in education.

If none of these pique your interest, here is a Podcast Directory with lots of suggestions in and out of education.  

Listening to a podcast episode is easy from your smart device or computer. If you decide you like one and want to subscribe, there are a few options, partially dependent on which device you would like to subscribe to the podcasts on. This guide will walk you through the steps.

Blogs

Other way to keep up with what is new and a way to get great ready-to-use ideas is through blogs. When you find a blogger you really connect with, it is fun to read their musings, thoughts, and ideas. Todd Sinclair, fifth grade teacher at Oster, shared some of his favorites.

Matt Miller (also of the Google Teacher Tribe podcast) is a Spanish teacher who writes a, Ditch That Textbook, blogpost twice a week with proven classroom suggestions and tips on how to provide engaging classroom activities that support student learning.

“Coming to you from the Canadian Maritimes ( Halifax), Educational Technology and Mobile Learning is an educational blog dedicated to curating, reviewing and sharing EdTech tools and mobile apps. The purpose is to help teachers and educators effectively integrate digital technologies into their day-to-day teaching, learning and professional development.”

Richard Byrne’s Free Technology 4 Teachers offers tools, with an easy to follow, how-to slideshow or video. Daily posts can be delivered to your Facebook account.

Teacher Tech with Alice Keeler. Like Richard, Alice posts pretty much daily. Her posts always include easy to follow step-by-step directions and ideas on how to implement the tool(s).

EdSurge covers trends and news in edtech. Not only a tools blog, you can read about what startups are doing, as well as legislation and studies that affect grades K-12

Blogs can be delivered to you by email. Check each website to subscribe.

Looking for something else, check out The 2017 Honor Roll: EdTech’s (50) Must-Read K-12 Blogs.

EdChats

Familiar and comfortable with Twitter and ready to grow your PLN(Personal Learning Network)? Summer might also be a time to check into Twitter Chats. With the large list of chats, you are sure to find one in your interest area and/or that fits into your schedule, anytime, day or night.

Many people who participate in a Twitter Chat will use a tool like TweetDeck to follow the hashtag and be able to respond quickly. Learn more about how to manage it here.

Two favorites you might want to explore are #CAedchat which meets on Sunday evenings at 8:00 and #TosaChat which meets Monday evenings at 8:00. Joining one or both of these chats is the easiest way to make connections outside the district. You’ll find it fun to connect with folks you “meet” at local and state educational events.

If your favorite podcast, blog, or Twitter Chat was missed, please share it here in this Padlet.

SumoPaint/Summer Reading Programs

The end of the year is a great time to test out a new web app. This year's students are fairly comfortable with their level of tech, and you get to see what the app can do and think about ways to use it the following year.

SumoPaint is a web app that can easily be used on Chromebooks. While I haven't played around with it very much, Lisa Highfill, whom many of you may remember was the Keynote speaker at last year's August USD Innovation Summit, has used it with students to paint a picture which they then use to add Thinglinks to. Here is an example of using the tools, and an example of the finished SumoPaint flower with Thinglink. 

Here's how to get your students started using SumoPaint:

Megan Mullaly's class is using some of SumoPaint's more advanced features. They are using the layer feature. To create this picture, students imported a photo background, and then one of themselves. Using the lasso tool, they deleted the background of their picture and, in an instant, transported themselves to Ancient Greece as part of their studies of ancient civilizations. Megan would be happy to share her directions with you on how to do this. Email her at mullalym@unionsd.org

Summer Reading Programs

It's nearly summer, and students are excited to have a long break free of school work. But, parents are looking for ways to for their students to occupy their time, and teachers are concerned about the summer slide. Here are a few ideas to help combat those worries.

The SanJose Public Library sponsors a free Summer Reading Challenge every year. To encourage reading, there are different events scheduled at library branches, and participants have the opportunity to be entered in drawings for special prizes. There is even a writing contest sponsored by the San Jose Earthquakes, with the prize being tickets to a game.

Included on their website are recommended books from Easy Readers to Teen Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

You may be familiar with Newslea, the website that provides high interest, high quality non-fiction articles to help build deeper understanding and critical thinking. Susan Peers is a real fan having seen how her students' reading comprehension scores have grown with use. "I use Newsela everyday, current event articles, with my students--I know-I have said this before--but my students have reached their goal just this last week, 5/11:  completed 1272 articles read/quizzes taken at 77% avg. quiz score at 6.2 avg. grade level--I am ecstatic--their critical thinking skills have soared!" To help prevent the summer slide" Newsela has a free Summer Reading Program. Students who already have an account can continue to use it during the summer, but for those who don't yet have an account, parents can enroll them in the program.

A DIY idea came to me from a Twitter chat. The principal has students mail him a postcard every time they finish a book over the summer. Then puts them in a drawing held during the first assembly of the year. Google Forms can even be used instead of a postcard!

EduWin

The Tech Teacher Leader Kick-off was held at the DO this past Tuesday. We are so excited to have so many enthusiastic teachers who have committed to spending part of their summer in training on how to best support student learning when integrating tech into their curriculum. Thank you all for your dedication!

Here are just a few proudly sporting their new t-shirts. Thanks, Lisa Mata, for posting this picture of smiling faces to Twitter.

If you are posting pictures to Twitter from your class, please add the #USDLearns hashtag. We love seeing the wonderful things you are all doing in your classrooms!