Exit Tickets, Math Centers, Parent-Teacher Communications, and Tools for Student-Centered Classrooms... in Education Today

Some interesting ideas I discovered recently about exit tickets, math centers, parent-teacher communications, and tools for student-centered classrooms...

Exit Ticket / Phil and Jo Schiffbauer / CC BY 2.0

Back to School: Put Exit Ticket Strategies to Good Use
http://edblog.smarttech.com/2015/08/back-to-school-put-exit-ticket-strategies-to-good-use/
by Heather Lamb
http://edblog.smarttech.com/author/heather-lamb/
August 18, 2015

Do you use an exit ticket strategy in your classroom? Or have you thought about trying the idea? Do you ask your students to write reflections about what they learned in class that day? Some teachers ask for answers to particular questions. Others use clicker systems to gather their exit ticket data.

Why do we use exit tickets? They help us to learn what our students have learned. And they ensure that we hear from all our students.

In this article Heather Lamb discusses exit ticket strategies. She also provides examples.

Math Partners / WoodleyWonderWorks / CC BY 2.0

6 Ideas for Creating Math Centers
http://dailygenius.com/math-centers/
by Beth Holland
http://dailygenius.com/author/bethholland/
August 17, 2015

Learning centers are useful in classrooms. They give students opportunities to work independently or in groups. Centers can be used when students need to review skills. Teachers can differentiate the content and skills their students are practicing. Learning centers are often a good way to help students use technology as they explore, review, and solve problems.

View the video provided with this article to see math centers in action. Read how teachers create math centers using technology (SMARTBoards, screencasting, Explain Everything, Book Creator, Padlet, Popplet, ...) I think you will find some useful tips from Beth Holland.

Communication is the Key / Sebastien Wiertz / CC BY 2.0

Successful Parent Teacher Communication Tips: 3 Important Times We Have to Talk
http://www.coolcatteacher.com/parent-teacher-communication/
by Vicki Davis
http://www.coolcatteacher.com/bio/
August 19, 2015

Vicki Davis shares ideas to help parent-teacher communications be more effective. Read her tips for communication at the beginning of parent-teacher relationships, ongoing through the school year, and when problems arise.

Emma High Fives at In and Out / Julie Jordan Scott / CC BY 2.0

5 Fabulous Tools That Will Make Your Class Immediately Student Centered
http://blogush.edublogs.org/2015/08/24/5-fabulous-tools-that-will-make-your-class-immediately-student-centered/
by Paul Bogush
http://blogush.edublogs.org/about/
August 24, 2015

Paul Bogush share 5 tools to help your classroom become student-centered. He tells how to use these tools and why to use them. No reveals here! This is an article I suggest you read... and it is worth the read!

Teaching Mathematics (Free Online Assessment Tool and 3 Act Tasks), Content Chunking in eLearning, and a Virtual Tour through a Cave... in Education Today

If you are interested in these topics--virtual tours, teaching mathematics, and/or content chunking--then you may find useful ideas in these posts.

Hang En Cave 6 / Hugh Derr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Take a Virtual Journey through Vietnam's Massive Son Doong Cave
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/30/8691739/son-doong-cave-vietnam-tour
May 30, 2015

Lizzie Plaugic
http://www.theverge.com/users/lizzieplaugic

National Geographic created a virtual tour of the Son Doong cave, one of the world's largest caves. This cave is so large that clouds can form inside it.

The tour uses text, a site map, sound, zoom, and sharing. You can manipulate the 360-degree image to explore inside the cave. Be sure to also click on the link to the video shot inside the cave by a drone.

Math Wordle Bulletin Board / Enokson / CC BY-NC 2.0

Tap into Teen Minds
https://tapintoteenminds.com/knowledgehooks-free-gameshow-assessment-tool/
May 30, 2015

Kyle Pearce
https://tapintoteenminds.com/about-me/

Check Out @Knowledgehook’s FREE Gameshow Assessment Tool!
A Free Gamified Clicker Tool With Ready-Made Content!

Pearce explores this free online assessment tool that can be used as a game show with questions already prepared... or with questions that you have customized. He shares screen shots and pros and cons of this product that is in beta production. Using your own questions is one of the pros; the fact that only Canadian provinces are listed at this point is one of the cons. He believes this product has much potential.

I tried playing the game both as a teacher and as a student. It was easy--as a teacher--to modify the questions. It was fun--as a student--to play on my smartphone. In the classroom you can project the questions and possible answers for all to see. Students can play as long as they have access to a web browser.

This assessment tool is promoted for reviewing mathematics. However, I agree with Kyle Pearce. There is very good potential here for other subjects as well.


Also... while you are visiting Kyle Pearce's blog, be sure to check out the 3 Act Math Tasks at https://tapintoteenminds.com/3act-math/. Scroll to the bottom of the page to access more than 100 3 Act Math Tasks and related resources. (For more information, see a previous post I wrote about 3 Act Math Tasks (http://teachinginadigitalworld.blogspot.com/2014/09/3-act-tasks-in-classroom.html).)
 
These resources are enough to make me wish I were teaching mathematics again!

Chunking / Phil and Jo Schiffbauer / CC BY 2.0

6 Advantages of Content Chunking in E-learning -- An Infographic
http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/advantages-of-elearning-content-chunking-infographic
May 29, 2015

Chinthakunta Krishna
http://blog.commlabindia.com/author/krishnac/

Krishna explains what content chunking is and then presents an infographic to list the importance of using it in elearning (or online learning). Is an infographic necessary to list six items? No. But, it is a good visual tool if you are sharing the idea with others... and I think it's a good reminder to myself to take advantage of chunking when I'm creating online courses.

Poetry, Google, Gamifying Learning, Rubrics, Writing, StumbleUpon, and Word Clouds... in Education Today

Reading education blogs is like attending a never-ending conference that is designed just for you with sessions shared by outstanding educators. These are some of my favorite recent finds.

Flower Poem / David Goehring / CC BY 2.0

The Power of Poetry in Primary Classrooms
Matthew James Friday
http://www.edutopia.org//blog/power-of-poetry-primary-classrooms-matthew-friday
a fresh look at teaching poetry

Google Pen / Phil and Jo Schiffbauer / CC BY 2.0

Google for Educators: The Best Features for Busy Teachers
Kyle Pace
http://www.edutopia.org//google-for-educators
a short list of useful classroom tools from Google (www.google.com/), some oft-used and some newer ones

VLAB Gamify Everything Program / Photologue_NP / CC BY 2.0

Epic Fail or Win? Gamifying Learning in My Classroom
Liz Kolb
http://www.edutopia.org//blog/epic-fail-win-gamifying-learning-liz-kolb
helpful information for those interested in beginning to gamify… step-by-step instructions, what worked and what did not work in the author’s classroom

Rubric Used Sign / Clker.com

4 Easy Tips and Tricks for Creating Visually Engaging Rubrics
Cait Camarata
http://www.edutopia.org//blog/tips-for-creating-visually-engaging-rubrics-cait-camarata
templates—with design suggestions--for creating your own rubrics

Maths / Michael Pollak / CC BY 2.0

4 Tips for Writing in the Math Classroom
Heather Wolpert-Gawron
http://www.edutopia.org//blog/four-tips-writing-math-classroom-heather-wolpert-gawron
suggestions for incorporating writing in the mathematics classroom

Logo of StumbleUpon / Bernard Goldbach / CC BY 2.0

5 Ways to Use StumbleUpon in Education
Siobhan Tumelty
http://www.edudemic.com/5-ways-teachers-can-use-stumbleupon/
suggestions for using StumbleUpon (https://www.stumbleupon.com/) to help with lesson plans, teaching, expert insight, social connection, and inspiration

Assessment / Phil and Jo Schiffbauer / CC BY 2.0

5 Ways to Use Word Clouds in the Classroom
Siobhan Tumelty
http://www.edudemic.com/5-ways-use-word-cloud-generators-classroom/ideas for using word clouds for vocabulary, assessments, building knowledge, and getting to know you

Passwords, Online Sources, Mathematics, and Art... in Education Today

Catching up on some of my favorite blogs. Again. Some posts caught my interest... and may catch yours, too.

Locked Out / Brett Jordan / CC BY 2.0

Vicki Davis
Cool Cat Teacher
10 Things Everyone Should Know about Passwords
http://www.coolcatteacher.com/10-things-everyone-know-passwords/
As always, Vicki provides a practical approach to and good suggestions for her topic--this time--passwords.

Citation Needed / Future Atlas / CC BY 2.0

Mia MacMeekin
An Ethical Island
How Do You Choose Good Online Sources?
https://anethicalisland.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/how-do-you-choose-good-online-sources/
Mia uses an infographic to illustrate her response to students who ask how to choose good sources to cite.

Math / Dylan Ng / CC BY 2.0

Helge Scherlund
Helge Scherlund's Elearning News
New Math Needed to Explore New Networks
http://scherlund.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-math-needed-to-explore-new-networks.html
Helge shares ideas about the mathematics that helps us find answers about large networks or databases.

Statisticians Listen and Give a Voice to Data
http://scherlund.blogspot.com/2015/03/statisticians-listen-and-give-voice-to.html
Helge introduces us to a statistician and his approach to helping students learn to use statistics.

My Cats painted by Dvorit Ben Shaul / Ze'ev Barkan / CC BY 2.0

Robin Pogrebin
The New York Times
Not Digital Art, but Art Learned Digitally
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/education/not-digital-art-but-art-learned-digitally.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
Robin writes about an art teacher who offers drawing and painting classes online.

Interesting Applications of Mathematics

Fun Times / peddhapati / CC BY 2.0

I have enjoyed playing with mathematics since I was a young child. If you enjoy mathematics--or wonder why other folks do--you may enjoy reading about three of its interesting uses.

http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/info/history.html
Alfred Mosher Butts--with the help of James Brunot--invented Scrabble in 1948. Butts studied the letter frequency on the front page of The New York Times to decide what the letter distribution should be.

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/14/11/28/0338208/mathematicians-study-effects-of-gerrymandering-on-2012-election?
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of district boundaries to establish an advantage for a party in elections. Duke researchers are studying the discrepancies in vote counts based on how the redistricting is done.

http://scherlund.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-numbers-game-math-helps-to-predict_27.html?
Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute are using mathematical models to predict how our bodies' immune cells fight disease.

Word games, politics, biology... all are affected by mathematics.

Interesting reading!

Learning About Shapes (Geometric Polygons) and Creating Websites for Classroom Use

I taught mathematics for many years in grades 6 through 12. One of my favorite mathematics topics was--and still is--geometry. So, this week I enjoyed reading about two interesting approaches to learning about shapes (geometric polygons). One activity is for primary students; another, for teenagers. One is low-tech; the other, high-tech.

Colourful Street Art / Les Haines / CC BY 2.0

Kathy Cassidy teaches primary students (6 year olds) in Canada. This week her students worked with geometric shapes via an art activity. Read about her students' work and see the creations that the students posted on their blogs.

http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org/2014/11/15/making-shapes/

 
Kyle Pearce teaches teenagers about mathematics and has used iPads to help his students learn. This week he reviewed Shape Lab, a new iPad app that allows students to draw and manipulate geometric shapes. Read about this interesting app on Pearce's blog.

http://tapintoteenminds.com/ipad-apps/shape-lab/

How to SEO Your Websites / SEOPlanter / CC BY 2.0

Some of my workshop participants last summer suggested several topics they would like me to offer in a workshop this next summer. One of those topics is the design and creation of websites for and by teachers and students. Yohana Desta lists five website creation sites (WordPress, Tumblr, Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix) and reviews each on the Mashable blog. She lists pros and cons for each and indicates if there are initial costs or ones that you may want to consider later. These sites are not evaluated from the perspective of an educator; however, I like to read how other folks evaluate technology and add that to my own perspective as an educator.
 
http://mashable.com/2014/11/16/personal-website-platforms/

Resources for Mathematics, Science, English Language Arts, and Social Studies

The ORC (or Ohio Resource Center) is located physically in Columbus, Ohio and online at http://ohiorc.org/. On its About page, the ORC states that, “ORC enhances teaching and learning by promoting standards-based best practices in mathematics, science, English language arts, and social studies for Ohio schools and universities. ORC serves as a trusted source of easily accessible, peer-reviewed, high-quality, and effective resources.”

This site is a valuable source of materials to help teachers of mathematics, science, English language arts, and social studies. Resources are available specifically for educators in Ohio and the standards specific to Ohio. However, many valuable resources are available that are helpful to all teachers of mathematics, science, English language arts, and social studies… whether they teach in Ohio or elsewhere in the USA or the world.

The ORC site is worth exploring to locate resources to help educators teach and learn in the areas of mathematics, science, English language arts, and social studies.

Math Partners / WoodleyWonderWorks / CC BY 2.0

Mathematics educators can find projects and resources such as:

• Mathematics Standards (PK-12)… resources aligned to Common Core, Ohio Academic Content Standards, and NCTM’s Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
• Stella’s Stunners (6-12)… non-routine mathematics problems
• Problem Corner (3-12)… inquiry-oriented mathematics problems with solutions and classroom suggestions
• Common Core Toolkit (K-12)… resources to help with Common Core
• Mathematics Bookshelf (K-12)… books to support mathematics instruction in the classroom
• Mathematics Mini-Collections (PK-12)… lessons and resources on specific mathematics topics

Science! / Todd Dailey / CC BY-SA 2.0

Projects and resources available for science educators include:

• Science Standards (K-12)… resources aligned to Ohio’s New Learning Standards, newly adopted state standards, Ohio Academic Content Standards, and National Research Council’s National Science Education Standards
• Science Window (Professional)… science issues, practices, news, and discoveries with resources and ideas for incorporating them into lessons
• ORC•On (K-12)… e-publications focusing on a specific topic and spotlighting resources and ideas for the classroom
• Science Bookshelf (PK-5)… books for science instruction in the classroom
• New-Teacher Survival Guide (K-12)… resources for the classroom podcasts and books helpful for new and experienced science teachers
• Science Safety Resources (K-12)… resources for safety in the science classroom
• The ORC PROMISE for High School Science (9-12)… pacing guides with links to resources for the 9-12 courses in ODE’s Science Program Models
• Science Mini-Collections (PK-12)… lessons and resources on specific science topics
• Resources for Early Childhood (REC) (Birth-5)… science resources for children

Thought-provoking Reads for Junior High Students / Enokson / CC BY 2.0

Educators in English language arts can access these projects and resources:

• ELA Standards (PK-12)… resources aligned to Common Core and Ohio Academic Content Standards
• Language Arts Blog (K-12)… current news, issues, and practices in ELA and discussions about topics in the online literacy magazine In Perspective
• Literacy (K-5)… virtual bookshelves, resources and reading strategies
• AdLIT (6-12)… resources for professional learning and lessons including In Perspective
• ORC•On (PK-12)… e-publications that focus on topics, resources, and ideas for the classroom
• ELA Mini-Collections (6-12)… lessons and resources for specific topics
• Resources for Early Childhood (Birth-5)… resources to help plan lessons, support professional learning, and implement Ohio’s Early Learning Standards

Owain Playing a History Game in School / Bryan Alexander / CC BY 2.0

Social studies educators have these projects and resources available:

• Social Studies Standards (K-12)… resources aligned to Ohio’s New Learning Standards
• Social Studies Mini-Collections (PK-12)… lessons and resources for specific topics
• ORC•On (K-12)… e-publications that focus on topics, resources, and ideas for the classroom
• Social Studies Bookshelf, K-8 (K-8)… books for young people recommended by NCSS and aligned to Ohio’s New Learning Standards
• Social Studies High School Bookshelf (9-12)… books for young people recommended by NCSS and aligned to Ohio’s New Learning Standards
• Social Studies Professional Bookshelf (Professional)… reviews of books for professional development
• Social Studies Around Ohio (K-12)… sites outside the classroom that provide looks at social studies in the real world
• Resources for Early Childhood (REC) (Birth-5)… resources to help plan lessons, support professional learning, and implement Ohio’s Early Learning Standards

_________________________

Additional resources available include:

Professional Development… F2F, online, or blended options

ilearnohio… online learning platform for Ohio schools

REC: Resources for Early Childhood… (Birth - 5)… online materials

• Learning Experiences… lessons, activities open explorations, learning games
• Inclusive Classroom… learning experiences, planning options, articles, websites, professional books, terminology, assistive technology
• Inquiry Projects
• Bookshelf… books for educators, parents, and young children (infant-toddler, preschool, transition to K)
• Research/Reference… articles, organizational websites, sample chapters from books, briefs
• Assessment… articles, screening tools, kindergarten readiness resources, learning experiences that include ideas for assessment

Literacy K-5

• Third Grade Reading Guarantee (3)… toolkit and policy practice briefs
• K-2 Bookshelf (K-2)… standards-aligned books for classroom and home
• 3-5 Bookshelf (3-5)… books about literacy skills and thematic units
• Reading Strategies (K-5)… guides for teaching literacy with supports for instruction and assessment
• Reading Resource Collections… lesson plans, resources, assessments, videos, professional readings
• Writing Resource Collections… lesson plans and supplemental resources for teaching writing

Adolescent Literacy (AdLIT)

• In Perspective
• Webcasts
• Video Clips
• Reading Strategies
• Professional Development Modules
• Differentiated Instruction
• Sample Unit Plans

and ORC•ON… online publications on English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.