The Teacher's Shelf

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(via The Big List of Educational Grants and Resources)

This resource is updated weekly to include the latest grants, contents and awards, and classroom resources. Check it out!

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As past educators, we know how tedious it can be to search and apply for grants and funding for your classroom. Fortunately, there are a bunch of ways to get gadgets into your classroom with out actually taking money out of your own pocket. We decided to make it a little bit easier by showing you some opportunities that you can take advantage of. Here are 7 ways to receive funding for technology in your classroom!

I have personally used Donors Choose before, which is on this list. It is a great website that allows educators to raise money for materials in the  classroom. 

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(via New Tool Invites Students to Zoom into History)

“ChronoZoom, a free tool developed by Microsoft Research and an international team of collaborators, is helping her students visually explore the history of, well, just about everything, from the Big Bang right up to the present day” (Boss). 

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(via Using Social Media to Teach Visual Literacy in the 21st-Century Classroom)

“However, effective use of this 21st century technology requires that we not only become proficient in textual communication, but also in our ability to express ourselves and interpret others' ideas through visual literacy” (Guymon).

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(via Common Core in Action: 10 Visual Literacy Strategies)

“That's the purpose of visual literacy (VL), to explicitly teach a collection of competencies that will help students think through, think about and think with pictures” (Finley). 

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Johnny text annotations

Analyzing 4 different parts from The Outsiders focusing on Johnny

Explain Everything is a great website that allows teachers or students to create presentations using audio recordings. Check out an example of how a teacher uses Explain Everything to present a lesson on The Outsider.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PaNp94tV94)

Check out this video on the basics of a flipped classroom! It provides great insight into using videos in the classroom. Enjoy!

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Check out this blog for a great tool using Google Spreadsheet! You can create rubrics that automatically calculate the grade based on which boxes you select. 

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(via Meet a Virtual Principal: How to Lead from a Distance)

I thought this provided great insight into the world of distance learning! Even with a distance learning setting, students need structure and clear guidelines established. Also, personalized feedback is extremely important! 

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This is one of my new favorite bullying resources! I have multiple copies in my classroom for my kids to read. It is the perfect set up for a teenager with graphics, different fonts, “rap” poems, mini quizzes, personal narratives, and even screenshots of text messages! There is a whole chapter on Cyberbullying along with a bunch of other great chapters. Check it out here on Amazon! 

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Ryan's Story Presentation for Schools

One of the most powerful assemblies I ever watched as a teacher was when Mr. Halligan spoke to our student body about the loss of his son Ryan. It was the first time I ever sat in the auditorium and heard nothing but silence as every student attentively listened to Mr. Halligan describe his son, share his pain, and raise awareness about the effects of bullying.  

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I think this a poster all teacher should have in their rooms! We need to teach students how to be the best digital citizen they can be and cut down on all the cyberbullying. 

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KaHoot is a game-based learning website loved by students. Each student uses an electronic device such as a laptop, tablet, or cellphone that is turned into a game controller connected to his or her name. Students compete individually against each other as the teacher controls the questions and game pace. The only account required is the teacher account; students connect to to game via a pin number generated randomly by the game. 

I absolutely love KaHoot and so do my students! I use it mostly to review vocabulary words before vocabulary tests. A leader board is presented after each question displaying the top 5 student scores. At the end of the game, I allow the top scorers on the leader board to receive a lollipop and extra credit.  Students get excited to play and love competing against each other. The game provides formative feedback available after every question. A bar graph shows up showing how many students chose each answer choice.  This allows for the instant opportunity to review concepts students are struggling with or explain any confusing topics.

If you are looking for a new “game” changer for your classroom, check out KaHoot! :)

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Educational gaming provides a competitive environment in which learners follow prescribed rules as they strive to attain a challenging goal. Involving from one to several learners, games are highly motivating, especially for tedious and repetitive content.

Instructional Technology and Media for Learning 

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Since my district went 1:1 with MacBooks in 2014, I have enjoyed incorporating more technology into my instruction and finding ways to connect ELA content with the digital world we live in. One of the favored activities in my classroom is when students have the chance to create iMovies. Students have created iMovie trailers for a novel or persuasive commercials for an argumentative project. The possibilities are endless with iMovie! Students have the opportunity to be creative and interact with text, video, audio, and special effects. Tony Vincent shares a great variety of PDFs useful for developing and planning out iMovies. I particularly love his iMovie Trailer Planner. This allows students to brainstorm the overall goal and theme of their iMovie trailer. Check it out!