TES Teach with Blendspace @tes-teach - Tumblr Blog

Introducing our new iPad app!

We’re excited to share our new iPad app now available for free in the Apple App Store! You can easily create and teach interactive digital lessons with millions of free TES resources, any web content, and your own files all on the iPad.

Also, to celebrate the launch of our app (and being part of the TES family), we’ve officially changed our name to TES Teach. Our Twitter handle is now @tes_teach, so please make sure to use that when you mention us. We’re the same product and team you love, just with a new name!

Join our free webinar March 14th, 7pm EST

Using EdTech to Supercharge Student Inquiry and Multimedia Literacy Skills

Register for free! March 14th, Monday, 7-8pm EST | 6-7pm CST | 4-5pm PST In the digital age, inquiry and problem-solving can span across a range of media and tools. For this reason, many educational standards, including the Common Core, emphasize the importance of being able to read, write, and interact across a range of media, platforms, and tools. This skill is often referred to as "transliteracy." This webinar will address how edtech tools like TES Teach can: - Help you and your students become more transliterate - Foster inquiry-based learning - Support standards-aligned approaches to 21st century learning Laura Beltchenko, a 34-year veteran educator and adjunct professor at National Louis University, will be presenting. She has been a classroom teacher, reading specialist, and associate superintendent. She was named Lake County Illinois Innovative Educator and Administrator of the Year by the National Association for Gifted Children. Steve Hargadon, founder of the Learning Revolution Project, Global Education Conference and School Leadership Summit, will be moderating the webinar.

New dashboard!

You can now quickly find your most recently edited lessons in TES Teach, classes, and join codes in one easy place. Create classes with just a click - no need to navigate to the Classes tab first. The dashboard lists up to ten of your most recently edited Blendspaces. Find all the Blendspaces you’ve created, as well as ones others have shared with you, in the Lessons tab.

We’d love your feedback on these new features!

#blendspace #new features

Blendspace author spotlight: Amy Storer

Each month, we’re featuring members of the TES Teach community - meet Amy!

1. Please introduce yourself.

I am a fourth grade math and science teacher at Madeley Ranch Elementary in Montgomery, Texas. I am also a technology integration mentor for my campus and district. I have been teaching for 11 years, and I could not imagine doing anything else! I became a teacher because of my mother. She was a special education teacher and truly an inspiration to all. Sadly, she passed away from ovarian cancer in 2006, but her memory lives on! I teach for her, with her, and because of her each and every day.

2. How do you use Blendspace?

I use Blendspace to organize links, files, and so much more for my students to easily access during projects and project based learning. I share Blendspaces via a link or embed it into our class website and blog.

3. What is your favorite Blendspace?

The Alamo-Plugged In is my favorite! We designed a lesson about what would have happened if the Alamo would have had electricity...would that have impacted the outcome? We love this Blendspace because it has everything that our students needed to be successful. What we really like is that it is ONE place for students to go to get the information that they need. It helps the students with time management and organization as well. It is a great model for organization!

4. What advice would you give a new teacher?

In the words (and hashtag) of my friend, Jed Dearybury @mrdearybury1: love first, teach second #Love1stTeach2nd!

5. Share your most memorable moment from teaching.

I was asked to stay with my third graders to teach them again in the fourth grade, which I had never taught before. I was scared and nervous, but it turned out to be my most career changing experience. I will never forget the relationships I created with the students and their parents. We truly became a family. Saying goodbye to them, after being their teacher for two consecutive years, was heartbreaking. We were the class that cried, unashamed, when saying good-byes at end of the school year. I am so thankful that I still have relationships with these wonderful souls!!

#Love1stTeach2nd #blendspacespotlight #project based learning

Blendspace author spotlight: Laura Beltchenko

Each month, we’re featuring members of the TES Teach community - meet Laura!

1. Please introduce yourself.

I have been in the noble profession of education for the past 37 years as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, teacher of the gifted, and director of curriculum and instruction. As an educational consultant for the ELA Common Core Standards, I support teachers nationally in their quest for a standards aligned classroom.

2. How do you use Blendspace?

A workshop, meeting or teacher professional development session does not go by without using Blendspace to host handouts, websites and resources. The organizational structure of Blendspace allows me to place resources in the order they will be presented during the inservice PD as well as a means by which I can write a description of how each tile in the Blendspace is utilized. I also demonstrate lessons on Blendspace to show how teachers can create quizzes, align with the ELA standards, as well as how students utilize Blendspace as a "flipped" classroom.

3. What is your favorite Blendspace?

Based on the number of visits, my favorite is the Depth of Knowledge Blendspace. It supports a host of materials for developing advanced questioning that provide rigor and relevance in classroom discussions and teacher- and student-generated questions.

4. What advice would you give a new teacher?

In our world of technology, the devices students use should not be the only factors of excitement. Students from pre-K through 12 need to learn in a nurturing environment. Without a passion for this profession, it’s hard to arm your students with the necessary drive to achieve to the best of their ability. Excitement is contagious -- show your students your knowledge, expertise, and genuine care in your media and text rich classroom.

5. Share your most memorable moment from teaching.

I have always had a passion for children's literature and particularly picture books. My most memorable moments in my very satisfying career are participating in book read-alouds, not just with students but with teachers as well. The power of the spoken word and the physicality of the book itself tell an unforgettable story. Never underestimate the power of picture books -- even when the audience is a locker room filled with high school football players listening to Swimmy by Leo Lionni.

#blendspace #flipped classroom #standards ccss #ela

5 ideas for using Blendspace

Christopher Mitchell, a high school language arts and social studies teacher near Knoxville, TN, shares 5 ideas for using Blendspace. He’s been teaching for 10 years and was awarded teacher of the year.

I teach many of my classes on the go and sometimes across classrooms. While tools like Delicious and Diigo are great at what they do, they can be distracting to students with so many extra features. Blendspace, however, only tries to do a handful of things and does them well.

Here are five great ways to use Blendspace in the classroom:

#1 Online scavenger hunts and webquests

These activities can be incredibly challenging to organize on their own. Use Blendspace to load all of the links students will need into one neatly organized space rather than asking students to handle multiple links on their own. To do so, you need to only share one link to your Blendspace. Here is an example of one I created for a RAFT writing project about Henry Ford and the Model T.

#2 Research projects

Blend links to research resources alongside instructional multimedia about evaluating information, bias, and plagiarism. For example, you could link a webpage about Paul Revere alongside an image about what makes a credible source. Think of it like a research s’more. Just like how s’mores are the perfect combination of graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate, research is taught best when coupled with helping students develop the lifelong skills of analyzing sources and avoiding plagiarism.

#3 Flipping your instruction

The ability to link to several types of media makes Blendspace an ideal tool for flipping the classroom. Let’s imagine that you wish to create a Blendspace about the Solar System. You can upload a video of yourself presenting information about the Solar System that meets your instructional goals and objectives, alongside a short documentary about the Earth’s orbit from YouTube and lush photographs of the Milky Way. To cap it off, you might ask students to complete a quiz to gauge their understanding of the lesson before they come to class.

#4 Inquiry-based learning and formative assessment data collection

You might give students a series of images or links to study and then ask them to explain their answers in a Google Form. For example, check out this Blendspace I created about the assassination of Julius Caesar. I used simple Google Forms where students analyzed and evaluated famous paintings about Caesar’s assassination before we delved into the topic in class. They had to infer what happened to Caesar and answer questions related to “how, where, why, what, and when.” I learned quickly about my students’ level of understanding in a sortable spreadsheet.

#5 Student-created digital storytelling projects

For example, a lesson about “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” might begin with an image of a quote about daydreamers. You might ask students to explain how the quote relates to events in the story. They might then create their own Blendspaces with alternative endings to the story, analyses of the main character, or inferences about why this story still holds meaning to young learners in the 21st century.

Share any questions, comments or ideas with me on Twitter @mistermitchell3. Also, feel to explore more of my teaching resources!

#blendspace #digital storytelling #inquiry based learning #flipped classroom #webquest

Want to go to SXSWedu?

Have you discovered a creative way to innovate the classroom experience? If so, show us on social media using #TESInnovates and you can win a badge to attend SXSWedu (worth $495), March 7-10, 2016 in Austin, TX! We're giving away 100 badges to SXSWedu.

We encourage educators to be creative and capture your innovative techniques. Photos and videos are highly encouraged. Please share your social media post by December 11th. It must be public and contain the #TESInnovates hashtag to be considered.

No purchase necessary to enter or win. TES Innovative Educators Scholarship to SXSWedu Official Rules.

#sxswedu #TESInnovates

Happy hour with CUE SF!

We’re excited to host happy hour in our office this Thursday 11/12, 4:30-6:30pm with CUE San Francisco! We’ll demo how you can use Blendspace and Wikispaces for blended learning over drinks and appetizers. Meet our team and network with CUE SF members and other educators in the SF area. SFUSD teachers, you can get 1 hour of extended hours pay using the Prop A professional development funds.

What: Blended learning happy hour with us and CUE SF (event agenda)

When: Thursday 11/12, 4:30-6:30pm

Where: 165 10th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

We hope to see you there!

#happyhour thirstythursday

Improved Blendspace search and new URL!

Find just the right resource to take your Blendspace lesson to the next level with our new TES resources search feature! You can access thousands of free resources created by educators, for educators.

Sourced from our TES marketplace, the largest online community of educators worldwide, these original teaching resources support preK-12, all subject areas, and diverse student learning needs. It’s easy to drag and drop a TES resource into a Blendspace lesson tile.

Whether an activity, assessment, presentation or game, find just what you need for next week’s (or tomorrow’s) lesson! Also, you may noticed that our URL is now tes.com/lessons. As part of the TES family, we’re still the same Blendspace, just with a new home! Stay tuned for more exciting features.

We’d love to know what you think - feel free to drop us a line at [email protected].

#new feature

Join our first TweetChat 11/2!

We'll host our first ever TweetChat November 2nd, Monday, 7-8pm ET | 6-7 pm CT | 4-5pm PT! The topic will focus on all the different ways you can use Blendspace. Join our chat using #blendspace.

If you’re not familiar with TweetChats, they’re a great way to have a real-time conversation with many participants over Twitter. To participate, all you need is to have a Twitter account and follow #blendspace starting 7pm ET on November 2nd. For more background, check out this step-by-step guide from Buffer.

We look forward to chatting with you!

#tweetchat

Share Blendspace lessons for Halloween

Because you all have created so many amazing Blendspace lessons, we plan to spotlight them more regularly across our community! So far, we’ve put together an awesome collection of resources for National Bullying Prevention Month and National Fossils Day.

Next up: Halloween! Share with us any cool Blendspace lessons about witches, ghosts, goblins, costumes, and anything else related to Halloween by leaving us a comment on this blog post before 10/21. Or, you can tweet it to us @blendspace with #halloween.

Looking forward to your Halloween lessons!

#halloween

Explore anti-bullying resources in our new Pinterest board!

Thanks to everyone who responded to our previous post for anti-bullying resources in support of National Bullying Prevention Month! We’ve assembled Blendspace lessons and other useful content in our new anti-bullying Pinterest board. There are over 40 resources including games, activities, and Blendspace lessons from Scott Mac Eachron and Ms. Caprarola that educators and students can use to promote safe and socially thriving communities. Feel free to share the board and pin away!

Thank you for joining us in supporting such an important cause!

#anti-bullying

Share your anti-bullying Blendspace lessons

In support of National Bullying Prevention Month this October, we plan to share Blendspace lessons that help educators and students cultivate bully-free communities. Submit your lessons that provide anti-bullying and social-emotional learning resources by October 7. We’ll select some to share on our blog and social media, as well as more broadly across the TES community.

You can submit your Blendspace lesson by either providing a link to it in the comments section of this post or tweeting it to us @blendspace with hashtag #antibullying.

Join us in putting an end to bullying!

Ending support of Blendspace app in Edmodo on 9/17/15

Because we’re focusing on improvements to the core Blendspace experience, we no longer plan to support the single sign-on Blendspace app in Edmodo. On September 17, 2015, we’ll remove the single sign-on Blendspace app from the Edmodo. You’ll still be able to access your Blendspace account and lessons through www.blendspace.com or the Blendspace Bookmark app after setting your email and requesting a new password.

If you access Blendspace only through Edmodo:

Before September 17th, please launch the currently installed Blendspace app in your Edmodo account and set your email for your account following the prompt in the yellow bar. Upon setting your email, you’ll receive an email to reset your password. Once you have reset your password, you can log onto www.blendspace.com or use the Blendspace Bookmark app with your specified email/password and see all the lessons you’ve previously created.

After September 17th, please use the “Contact Developer” link in Edmodo to request for a password reset to access your account on blendspace.com or the Blendspace Bookmark app.

If your students access Blendspace only through Edmodo, their passwords will need to be reset in order for them to login their accounts on Blendspace.com. You can reset their passwords. Find out more in our Help article. Always feel free to contact us at [email protected]. We’re happy to help!

Bill Gates on how teachers are using technology to give their students a more dynamic education

In one of his most recent blogs, Bill Gates expresses his continued surprise at how little technology has affected education. He's a firm believer that technology should be put in the hands of the experts - teachers on the front line of the classroom. He identifies three trends that suggest that things may at last be moving in the right direction:

Newly available data is revolutionizing the way teachers and students collaborate.

Game-changing educational software is rising to the top.

And one close to our hearts here at Blendspace -- teachers are using online aggregators in huge numbers to share great ideas with colleagues around the world. Check out our new marketplace www.tes.com where educators can access and share original teaching resources!

(via Three Ways Software Is Empowering Teachers | Bill Gates)

#teachers #edtech #education #classroom #schools

Introducing our new marketplace!

We’re excited to launch our new marketplace for teacher-generated content and resources, tes.com! With over 7.3 million users, TES is home to the largest online network of teachers worldwide. You can access classroom resources and strategies from experienced educators all around the world, as well as share your own.

To celebrate, we’re hooking up five lucky teachers with $100 DonorsChoose.org gift cards every week from now through November. Click the link below to join TES, and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win! (Find full rules here.)

Join now: www.tes.com

As a member of TES, you'll enjoy:

Entrepreneurial Freedom – You can choose to make your content available for free or for a set price. Check out 8 tips on how to become an author.

Recognition – You receive 100% of proceeds from all purchases by US teachers.

Massive Community – TES supports 7.3 million members worldwide, including 1.8 million US teachers, and welcomes between 20,000 and 30,000 new members each month globally.

Business Support – You can promote yourself and your content through the authors’ shop with a bio and links to social profiles. TES’ expert Content team offers personalized guidance to help you reach your entrepreneurial goals.

Our marketplace offers thousands of free and paid resources for your next lesson. Next month, you'll be able to add resources from tes.com directly to your Blendspace Lessons.

8 tips for becoming an author in our new marketplace

Here are a few quick tips to help you become an author in our new marketplace. We’ve seen your amazing Blendspace Lessons and know that other educators will find the hard work you’ve put into your teaching resources extremely valuable!

Tip 1: Publish any resources that have been successful with your students. A resource can be any collection of learning materials that support a unit or lesson, including activities, worksheets, lesson plans, assessments, books, presentations, games, homework, flashcards, rubrics, videos, songs, scripts, outlines, and more. The most compelling resources allow for differentiated instruction by including additional versions or questions tailored to engage diverse learners.

Tip 2: Turn your Blendspace Lessons into resources to sell. Apply the hard work you’ve already put into your Blendspace Lessons and double the reward. Any files you created for Blendspace can be uploaded as resources with external web content pasted as links within your documents. Or, number the links in a separate sources document so that they can be easily referenced throughout the rest of your resource.

Tip 3: Organization is key. The first file of a resource should be an attractive title page. You’ll also want to include an introduction that gives an overview, table of contents, and explanation about implementing your resource in the classroom. Consistently label and order all files. Make your resources comprehensive by including everything needed to use them successfully (e.g., assessments alongside lesson plans).

Tip 4: Include keywords, Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards in resource descriptions. Resource names should be immediately recognizable in a search result. Include keywords, phrases, grade levels, and subject areas that allow your audience to quickly identify the purpose and desired learning outcomes of your resource.

Tip 5: Mind your formatting. Easy-to-read fonts are typically sans serif (e.g., Arial, Verdana) and larger than 14pt. If you’re including worksheets or handouts, provide ample white space for students to write answers. Make file formats editable, so other educators can customize resources for their classrooms. Use popular file formats that don’t require special software, such as: - Documents: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf - Images: .jpg, .png, .gif, .bmp - Presentations: .ppt, .pptx, .pdf

Tip 6: Stick to straightforward pricing. Simple resources (e.g., single lesson plans, worksheets, assessments) should generally be no more than $5, and more complex resources (e.g., booklets, videos, combinations of materials) may earn a higher price, up to $10. Consider customized pricing over $10 for only very complex resources (e.g., entire units, sets of activities).

Tip 7: Respect any and all copyrights. For all content in each resource, you must either be the copyright owner, receive permission from the copyright owner, or ensure that the content is covered under fair use or other applicable laws. The United States Copyright Office provides a detailed FAQ. You can also learn more about copyright for educators here. You can find free materials on The Edublogger.

Tip 8: Do a final check before hitting upload. Make sure your thumbnails are visually appealing and files are correctly ordered, including the title page. Check spelling, tags, and formatting. Include any attribution and copyright information. For step by step instructions on uploading resources, check out our video.

For more info, review our FAQ. Also, feel free to reach out to our content team at [email protected]; they’re dedicated to helping you be a successful author.

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