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Showing posts from October, 2016

Teacher Spotlight: Elementary Students Use Video Production to Inspire Writing

Walking into Cheryl Roth’s 5/6 grade classroom at Beverly Elementary can be like walking into a Hollywood editing studio. The classroom is alive with students hard at work on Chromebooks adjusting scripts, choosing music and graphics, and recording and editing video. On a recent visit, students were busy using WeVideo to create videos for their kindergarten buddies and were completely entrenched in the process. “The kids are really engaged with what they are doing,” says Roth, “As they work on this project, they realize they have to rework and edit. They are working collaboratively and cooperatively to figure out what parts of their videos are strong and what needs more work.” Roth has been using technology with students for years, but using WeVideo for student movie production is new for her this year. “It’s a way to get kids interested in topics,” she says, “Kids are so tech savvy and it is so much a part of their lives that I feel it has to be included in my curriculum.” Roth

ANNOUNCEMENT: Online Learning Opportunity for Teachers

Instructional Technology Online Professional Development Register and get started today:  Intro to Online PD * *Only available for Edmonds School District Teachers.

Using Technology for Math Differentiation

With apologies to William Shakespeare, when it comes to math instruction, to differentiate or not to differentiate has never really been the question. In any given class, teachers face a range of student abilities that span multiple grade levels some working years ahead of the provided curriculum, while others lag years behind. Reasons for this ability span are as unique as each individual student who shows up to learn every day. All teachers understand the importance of reaching each of their students, but more often than not the crucial question becomes, "How?" Enter technology. While continuing to draw most instructional material from district-provided curricular materials, teachers can use online materials to supplement student learning. Khan Academy and CK-12 are two free websites can be used as powerful tools for mathematics differentiation. Both of these sites allow teachers to create class lists, track student progress, assign activities that focus on specifi