Four down… Eight to go! That’s right! Another month of participating in the #edugood 365 Photo Project has concluded, and what do my students and I have to show for it? Well, for starters, we have 30 days of visually documented edu-awesome clearly showing that not all public schools are failing!

Not sure what I’m talking about? Then check out the #edugood 365 Photo Project, a venture that challenges teachers and/or students to spend a year photographing and sharing all of the positive happenings in their school, classroom and/or life. Once pictures are taken of students engaged in lessons, activities and events, they can be uploaded to a web-based photo calendar (i.e. ShutterCal) that can be viewed by others.

Still not convinced this project is for you? Then be sure to click on the BAMS ShutterCal shown below. As you will see, being able to take a cumulative look at the learning that takes place in your classroom and/or school is pretty awesome!

Even though summer is just around the corner, it’s still not too late to join the #edugood 365 Photo Project.  What a great way to spend the last month(s) of school—highlighting all of that fabulous “stuff” that occurs this time of the year!

Well, it’s been three fun months of participating in the #edugood 365 Photo Project, and I’m happy to report that my students and I were able to visually document all kinds of March edu-Madness happening at the Bellwood-Antis School District!

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me introduce you to this cool concept. The #edugood 365 Photo Project provides teachers and students with a challenging task: To spend a year documenting and sharing all of the positive happenings in your classroom—and life—through the lens of a camera. Images are then uploaded to an awesome “cool tool” such as ShutterCal, a web resource and app that allows users to create a photo-based calendar.

Still not convinced this project is for you? Then be sure to check out the ShutterCal below. As you will see, being able to take a cumulative look at the learning that takes place in your classroom and/or school is pretty awesome!

So, if you haven’t joined the #edugood 365 Photo Project—it’s not too late! Trust me, it’s a very rewarding educational endeavor—one you should definitely consider placing on your classroom bucket list!

As an educator, I’m always looking for those “teachable moments”—times when I can discuss real world “stuff” with my students—the importance of treating others with respect regardless of differences, how to overcome adversity and taking responsibility for all actions. As a huge Snoopy fan, I especially enjoy these moments when I find the opportunity to incorporate some words of wisdom from my favorite gang of characters!

So, of course, after seeing this picture on Twitter the other day, I knew it could serve as the perfect visual writing prompt for my Language Arts class. Well, my students proved me right once again. As usual, their insight and various interpretations of sayings is just awesome!

Thank you Charles Shultz & Company for providing teachers like me with terrific classroom materials!

Classroom Connection:

The use of quotes and/or images to motivate and/or inspire students is not a new concept. I personally incorporate both on a regular basis—particularly in the form of a “bell ringer”—and can honestly say that this strategy is one of my most favorite ways to begin the day/class. Not only does it provide students with an opportunity to write about and then discuss interesting topics, but starting the period on a personal note helps to develop trusting, respectful relationships.

Other ways I’ve utilized quotes in the classroom include:

» Design an inspirational poster using a favorite quote.

» Challenge students to gather a variety of different quotes on the same topic and create a booklet with them.

» Create a quote scavenger hunt using the Internet or whatever sources you can supply.

What ways have you encouraged your students with quotes, proverbs, inspirational sayings and words of wisdom?

Today is it—Digital Learning Day, a national campaign that celebrates teachers and shines a spotlight on successful instructional practice and effective use of technology in classrooms across the United States.

A great idea indeed but logistically impossible in a school in which there are only two computer labs and two laptops carts available for 450 students and 30+ teachers—especially if the focus is on students being the users of the tech tools—as it should be. But instead of using this dilemma as an excuse for not participating in this very important day of learning, the technology coach (yep, that’s me!) provided our administration with a solution: Tech It Up in Ten.

For the teachers at the Bellwood-Antis Middle School, this meant that Digital Learning Day was going to be morphed into a ten school day period of time in which they were encouraged (OK, required) to experiment with a new digital learning tool(s) and/or an innovative educational technology of their choosing with at least one class of students. No big deal, right? Well, there was one caveat—the lesson had to involve students creating a finished product with the tool! Yeah, I was hoping to meet some of the digital components found in the Common Core State Standards as well!

Of course, there was some hesitation and reluctance to do so—particularly because some staff members are not comfortable using some forms of technology let along teaching and/or facilitating a tech-based lesson, activity or project.

However, despite the initial anxiety, the concept has been well-received and to date, very successful. Students are loving the opportunities they have been given to demonstrate knowledge using real-world applications while many teachers are moving out of their comfort zone to provide students with some really neat experiences using a variety of “cool tools”. And then there’s the Tech Coach, who is extremely excited that a lot of really meaningful 21st Century teaching and learning is taking place at her school! Yay!

I have attached a Tech It Up in Ten handout explaining the project as well as a lesson plan template teachers were asked to complete. My goal is to create a first-ever BAMS catalog of tech-based lesson plans—one that can be used as a future reference for teachers wishing to integrate different types of tools into their curriculum. Feel free to use these documents to create a digital learning project in your school. I would just appreciate a shout out and/or a link to my blog if you do so!

Tech It Up In Ten Guidelines

Tech It Up In Ten Lesson Plan Template

BTW—Digital Learning Day is sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education.