Let’s kick off the new year with some great teaching ideas!
In this episode, Kasey shares 10 Things for Teachers to Try in 2022.
We will explore strategies, digital tools, professional learning, and much more! What will you try in 2022?
Chances are you’ve been roaming out of your comfort zone for the past two years and have been trying a lot of new things.
But it’s that time of year, a time to renew and refresh. So here are ten things that you may want to try.
No matter the subject or grade level, you’re bound to find a great idea just for you.
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Let’s Talk About 5 Shifts We Need in Education Now!
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1. Storytelling with Google Tools
The concept of storytelling is not just for the Reading and Writing teachers. Telling a story can look like a lot of different things. For example, retelling events in your own words, changing perspectives, inventing new stories, sharing steps in a process, and so many more. Take a listen to episode 89 of the Shake Up Learning Podcast for many more ideas on storytelling.
Ebooks are a great way to have students create any of those storytelling ideas. Mike Mohammad shared how he used Google Slides for his physics students to explain concepts to younger kids.
Stop motion animation in Google Slides can be a little more complicated, but also a really fun way for students to show through images.
Comic strips and interactive timelines are two forms of storytelling that can easily be created with Slides or even in Drawings. Both of these help to bring life to sharing the order of events.
Another fun way to tell stories through geography is with Google Earth. It allows you to create a tour with the addition of comments, notes, and images.
2. Collaborative Notes
Note-taking is a difficult concept for students to grasp. Often times they either write down everything or only what gets written on the board. Pulling out the most important information doesn’t always happen when students take notes. Allowing them to be in a collaborative setting can guarantee that they will get the most important information. In this blog post, Kasey walks you through the steps of training students to take collaborative notes through Docs.
Collaborative notes are also a great way to keep track of important information from staff meetings or any professional development.
3. Authentic Audience
There are many ways for students to share work with an authentic audience. Consider the power of an audience for students. Quality of work generally levels up when students know someone other than their teachers are going to see it. Students of today are accustomed to sharing with an audience so why should their learning be any different?
Teaching them safe ways for sharing over the internet is a lesson in and of itself. These lessons for responsible sharing are likely to influence their personal sharing as well. Having an authentic audience doesn’t always mean sharing with the world. Start small with another classroom and grow into a wider audience.
4. SEL Check-in with Google Forms
Social-Emotional Learning had begun to surface in the classroom before the pandemic hit, however, in light of the pandemic it has become much more important. Using a Google Form, to check in with students can be a foundational relationship builder. The Form allows students to share privately, even if it’s as simple as an emoji to share how they are feeling.
5. Podcasting with Students
The way that people connect with hearing another person’s voice is incredibly powerful. Podcasting provides a way for students to share their learning, but to also gain learning. Jen Conti recently shared how podcasting can help educators to meet standards while giving students a creative product. To learn all about how to engage students through podcasting take a listen to episode 130. Utilizing podcasts for blended learning can really help students express themselves creatively.
6. Use Canva Templates
Discover a mountain of templates that can be created and personalized in a free online tool. Start with this two-part series, episodes 132 and 133, for ideas and the possibilities that Canva provides to teachers and students. From adding beautiful graphics as a Google Classroom header to creating a professional-looking website, Canva provides you with the template you’re looking for.
7. Fake It ‘til You Make It
Social media has the attention of our students. Mimicking this medium for storytelling engages our students in a platform that is familiar to them. In episode 32 Kasey talked with Lisa Johnson about a fake Instagram template she created in Keynote. That episode inspired Carly Black to create a similar template using Google Slides that she used in her own Language Arts classroom.
Lisa also shared a creative way to fake blog with students using a template she created. Her template shares some interesting ways for students to express creativity and incorporate many aspects of their learning.
8. Podcast PD
Learning through podcasts continues to grow as a preferred method for many people. If there is something you’d like to learn about chances are you could find a podcast that could teach you. Each of the Shake Up Learning podcast episodes is uploaded into a course on the Teachable platform in the All-Access Pass class. Within this course, a certificate can be printed for listening and learning then presented to an administrator for credit of professional development.
The Shake Up Learning podcast continues to be free and expects to break 1 million downloads early in 2022. If you are interested in learning more about the all-access pass take a look at the online school for a list of courses and Master Classes.
9. Google Certification
Back in episode 138, Kasey shared what she learned from taking the new Google Certification exams. Turns out the questions have all been changed to multiple-choice or drag and drop, making the test much easier.
Google Certification can be a major game-changer for educators. So much can be learned through the process of becoming certified, but also the connections and confidence gained are extremely helpful. To learn more about the entire process check out the free webinar and specific courses for walking you through each exam and even working towards a Google Certified Trainer.
10. Read Blended Learning with Google
Join our next online book study in March! Perhaps you haven’t had time to read the book just yet or you’re ready to read it again. An online book study is a great way to engage with other educators and learn so many great ideas to help transform your classroom. Learn more about the book study here. Be sure to grab your seat as soon as possible!
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