Monday 31 October 2016

Digital Bytes - 31st October, 2016


Technology in the Early Years

Anyone interested in integrating technology into a Reggio inspired classroom should read this article.

At the core of the article is the premise that we need to look at technology as one of the languages instead of a tool.

Debi Keyte-Hartland has 20 years experience working in early childhood.
8 Great Educational Podcasts for Kids

Whether you are a parent looking for something different for the kids to listen to on your morning drive, or a teacher wondering how to maximise the use of the iPads in your classroom, podcasts could well be the answer!

Jennifer Gonzalez has curated some excellent educational Podcasts for kids in her blog post. From book clubs to science, ‘why’ questions to classical music, there is something in here for everyone.
Split Screen in Mac OS - Quick & Easy!

This new MacOS feature will benefit anyone looking to do research and take notes, or just those who like to have more than one window on the go at once. This tutorial video will show you how to use Split Screen on a Mac - takes only seconds to get up and running!

Thursday 27 October 2016

Friendly Friday Advice: A trick AND a treat

How many times have you needed to design a visual tool for your students?
Teachers can end up spending hours making their tool 'perfect.'

This week I'm going to highlight one of my favorite places to go to save time and create solid visuals like the one below.  As an added whoo-hoo, this week's resource also allows us to keep to that Creative Commons mindset, and model fair use practice for our students.



If you have yet to come across The Noun Project, take a minute to explore it as a goldmine for creative visuals, or for extending your sketch note practice

PS if you haven't heard, we are hosting a special look at this free download for November's #teacherbookclub as an investigation into sketchnotes (congratulate Nicki Hambleton for representing team #uwclearn as a co-author on the project). See a DLC for more on #teacherbookclub.

For a quick introduction to The Noun Project, press play:


Monday 24 October 2016

Digital Bytes - 24th October 2016


I See Math


They start with an image and then add a story and a question about the image. This is all put in Google Slides which is then shared with students.
Teaching Through the Camera Lens - 10 Activities with photos and video


One example is a time lapse like this one created on a grade 4 trip to Sibu Malaysia.
flickr photo by mkhmarketing https://flickr.com/photos/mkhmarketing/8540717756 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license
How you can Become a Champion of Digital Citizenship in your own Classroom

Kayla Delzar reminds us that Digital Citizenship is no longer an “elective”, but something all teachers need to be modeling and actively teaching with their students. By way of example, she incorporates a ‘tweeter of the day’ to her classroom roles and responsibilities. This article contains more resources and ideas.

Digital Bytes - 24th October 2016


I See Math


They start with an image and then add a story and a question about the image. This is all put in Google Slides which is then shared with students.
Teaching Through the Camera Lens - 10 Activities with photos and video


One example is a time lapse like this one created on a grade 4 trip to Sibu Malaysia.
flickr photo by mkhmarketing https://flickr.com/photos/mkhmarketing/8540717756 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license
How you can Become a Champion of Digital Citizenship in your own Classroom

Kayla Delzar reminds us that Digital Citizenship is no longer an “elective”, but something all teachers need to be modeling and actively teaching with their students. By way of example, she incorporates a ‘tweeter of the day’ to her classroom roles and responsibilities. This article contains more resources and ideas.

Monday 3 October 2016

Digital Bytes - 3rd October, 2016


Resources for Teaching Empathy

After a great twitter chat with educators from around the world last week, Kristin Ziemke, author of Amplify, collated resources to help teachers teach empathy to students. The resources are on a Padlet
Hands-On Science Using Nature Works

Sustainable Forestry, Ecosystem Interactions and the role of Nature and Clean Water are just some of the wonderful resources available at the Nature Works Everywhere website. Read more in Erin Bittman’s great summary: Hands-On Science Using Nature Works.
Games For Change

This website has a great collection of games for students to play and learn about a variety of topics.

You can sort by category (such as environment, conflict, health etc) or by age range.