Pen63

Educator since 1998, eLearning Specialist since 2009.

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Documentation Upgrade

Documentation Upgrade We should acknowledge that an undercurrent of the pandemic in K-12 was stalled support. I find myself updating documentation and am startled by the significance of the changes. The scheduled documentation upgrade was often the last task to be completed (if it was completed). With a constant flow of urgent and important issues continually arising it was no wonder. However,…

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Podcasts and Vodcasts: Positive Aspects

Podcasts and Vodcasts: Positive Aspects

Podcasts, short audio recordings, and vodcasts, short video recordings, are available to learners on demand and meet the needs of modern learners in a timely way. Podcasts and vodcasts have many positive aspects. Content creators can easily create brief snippets of content in which learners can control the speed, order, and frequency watched. There are several specific advantages to these methods…

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Edu Supply Chain Disruptions

Edu Supply Chain Disruptions

Edu Supply Chain Disruptions The pandemic has disrupted many supply chains. The edu supply chain disruptions will have a wide-reaching impact for years to come. There are really two levels of disruptions, for educators and for students. [Tweet “The edu supply chain disruptions will have a wide-reaching impact for years to come #edchat”] Educators Educators may be too tired to consider right now,…

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Remote Skills for Next Semester

Remote Skills for Next Semester

Remote Skills for Next Semester As the new semester approaches, K12 teachers should review all their synchronous and asynchronous online remote skills. While educators have learned so much, there are increasingly new ways to apply those skills. COVID-19 variants are still able to disrupt public life, educators can expect individual to large-scale educational disruptions and should plan…

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No one is Coming to Save Teachers

No one is Coming to Save Teachers

If 2021 taught me anything, it is that no one is coming to save teachers. We need to save ourselves. No one is Coming to Save Teachers I tweeted this in response to a wonderful educator I follow on Twitter, @PernilleRipp, and noticed that it received a good amount of traction. [Tweet “No one is coming to save teachers. We need to save ourselves. #edchat”] The Current State of K12 It turns out…

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Teacher Communication Upgrade Infographic

Teacher Communication Upgrade Infographic

Teacher Communication Upgrade Communication in an in-person classroom and a blended learning classroom is the same according to Gurley (2018). Given the opportunity, teachers default to face-to-face communication to assure understanding. Consider when/Imagine if you had students both in-person and out on quarantine versus only virtual students. You need a teacher communication upgrade. [Tweet…

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Taking Notes Online

Taking Notes Online K12 is very invested in synchronous time between teachers and students online when in-person is not possible. A traditional format in 6-12 in-person classrooms has been notetaking. Without structure, this process is destined to fail in person, but with structure and predictability, taking notes online can be a way to engage students in the content. [Tweet “Using structure and…

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Social Presence in Online Environments

Social Presence in Online Environments

Social Presence in Online Environments Online environments require instructors to craft their social presence in online environments. Two methods I recommend to K12 educators are an effective online environment introduction by the instructor and the use of memes by both the instructor and participants. [Tweet “Online environments require instructors to craft their social presence #edchat…

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Discussion Ideas for Every Online Teacher

Discussion Ideas for Every Online Teacher

Online teachers need to know how to craft engaging online asynchronous content for online courses. While teachers will rapidly adapt their skill set to the new format of online, teachers cannot stay online all day – and we know students definitely will not {Read: Synchronous Teaching 1:1 Input to Return}. Needed are discussion ideas for every online teacher. Online teachers need discussion…

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Conferences and Professional Learning

Conferences and Professional Learning

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conferences (n.d.) have been an anchor in my professional learning. Traditionally I attended the ISTE conference at the end of every June from 2012 until the pandemic. While there were many conferences on blended learning and microcredentials which influenced me the relationships I found and nurtured over the years were most…

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Teaching Activities within Zoom

Teaching Activities within Zoom

As soon as a teacher feels comfortable with the Technical Tips for Zoom Teaching s/he will want to know how to incorporate traditional teaching techniques into this new format. Identifying teaching activities within Zoom will put educators at ease as to completing their teaching assignments regardless of platform or format. Online teachers need teaching activities within Zoom. [Tweet “Identifying…

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Technical Tips for Zoom Teaching

Technical Tips for Zoom Teaching

Any teacher newly teaching online must learn some technical skills. These technical tips for zoom teaching are essential, but may not be explicitly taught to educators. Assure educators are ready to do the teaching, by helping them with the technical aspects of Zoom in advance of teaching. Online teachers need technical tips for zoom teaching. [Tweet “Assure educators are ready to do the…

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Publish and Unpublish as Instructional Tools

Publish and Unpublish as Instructional Tools

If you have been in a classroom in the past 19 months (since March 2020) you already know about the power of the publish and unpublish as an instructional tool. And if not, I know don’t how you’ve been doing it friend, but you must be especially tired. Tired of making videos about posted directions about frequently asked questions from learners and family members – no wait, that’s all of…

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Universal Design for Learning Framework

Universal Design for Learning Framework

The Universal Design for Learning framework is a more recent approach to instructional design. With the rise in Internet-enabled platforms, K-12 classroom educators are now paying attention to how they teach online, whether partially (as in blended learning) or fully (as in online learning). Using the Universal Design for Learning framework to design learning experiences is not for only special…

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POUR for More than IEP Students

POUR for More than IEP Students

The practices exemplified through POUR guidelines exemplify why accessibility address more than only students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs). [Tweet “POUR guidelines #infographic shows how to help more than IEP students with online content. #edchat”]

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Stick to an Announcement Schedule

Stick to an Announcement Schedule

The best interaction in an online course is the interaction you create through suspense. By creating an Announcement Schedule you can stick to, you build anticipation for each forthcoming announcement. Courses that stick to an announcement schedule create timely interactions to keep both instructor and participants on pace. [Tweet “The best interaction in an online course is the interaction you…

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Units of Design

Units of Design When designing components of a course, elements of a lesson, or just a stand-alone online experience it can be useful to consider the project from the smallest unit of design. The designer can look for the smallest units of design, perfect them, and then scale up to the larger units of design. Conversely, a designer may start with the larger unit of design, perfect that aspect of…

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