Bring The Power of The Infinity Gauntlet to Your Google Search Results

I love when Google releases a new Easter Egg and the one I discovered today is connected to Marvel's Avengers Infinity War and the Thanos Infinity Gauntlet.

Go ahead and open Google Search and then type in the word "Thanos". Click on the Infinity Gauntlet on the ride side of the screen above the Wikipedia summary and then watch your results start to get snapped away one-by-one. You can undo the action, by going back to the Infinity Gauntlet and click on it again. 

What Inspires You to be Curious? Interesting Site - Language is a Virus

I am always looking for images, videos, articles, or website that inspire me to be curious, ask questions, and explore more. This frequently leads me down the rabbit hole of exploration/distraction when I least expected. For me, it is both a blessing and a curse. Today I was inspired to explore the power of words after stumbling on the Language is a Virus Site. 

Unless you've been hiding from all things digital, you know that it is national poetry month. My school and my PLN and been all over the power of words and poetry. I even spent some time exploring Haiku in a post last week. 

All day today our LMC has been transformed into a Poetry Coffee House. We are also wrapping up an incredible Serenity Week for Health Moves Minds. These events along with the ideas and resources shared by my PLN have reminded me that words have an incredible amount of power to raise people up or push them down. 

I was inspired to dive deeper and explore some resources connected to poetry and language. One resource I found that I think is worth sharing is the Language is a Virus Website. 

Digital Citizenship Resource - Online Safety and Digital Well-Being with Applied Digital Skills

You may already know that I've been curious about how all educators are helping students develop skills connected to digital literacy, what many call digital citizenship. I've been to conferences, read books, and explored a bunch of resources.

Digital Literacy and Citizenship Resources

I was setting up an activity for my student using Google's Applied Digital Skills Curriculum and I stumbled on the "Online Safety and Digital Well-Being" collection. I love that the title includes the words "Digital Well-Being." This is a great way to stress the importance of supporting all learners in a digital world.

Happy National Haiku Day - Haiku Resources to Creatively Engage Students

Image Source

I am a huge fan of the Days of the Year Website and today I was excited to see that it is National Haiku Day. You can learn more about the day dedicated to these creative works in this post. I am writing this post to share my curious exploration of Haiku connected to reflective student engagement.

Google's goo.gl URL Shortener is Official Retired - What Will You Use Now?

As of April 13th, the Google URL shortener (goo.gl) is no longer available to create new short URLs. Existing short URLs create in the past will still work, but the analytics/tracking are also gone. Many of us knew that this day is coming. Google announced over a year ago that they would be retiring this tool used by so many of us for almost 10 years. 

What now?

While there are quite a few free and paid URL shorteners available, Google officially recommended Ow.ly and Bitly as alternatives when the announcement was made that goo.gl would be shutting down. 

A Different Kind of Book of the Month - Oscar The Grouch's Debut

Normally I am recommending books written by educators for educators, but this month I decided to share something a bit different. I am adding Oscar's In the Pursuit of Grouchiness to my reading list in April. I love this book for no other reason then the connections it has to my childhood.  If you haven't seen the book know that it is a series of images and quotes about being a grouch. It's not a positive book at first glance, but I think it could be a starting point for some great discussions on being positive. Some of the pages get you thinking about what Oscar might be trying to say and other pages may just make you laugh out loud.

EdTech Tip - Chromebook Simulator Help Site

I have always believed that it doesn't matter what device you have, what matters is how you use it. When we talk about learning, good pedagogy comes before good technology, but it is still nice to know how the technology works if you are ever going to use a tool to enhance teaching and learning.

Chromebooks have become a favorite1 to 1 device in many schools. G Suite and Chromebooks have also grown in popularity in the real world. Chromebooks and G Suite are incredibly easy to use, but if you are more familiar with the Windows or Apple OS, then you might need a bit of help to get started. 

The Homework Debate - It's A Bit More Complex Than Yes or No?

I am curious about the value homework? What about you?

I know that many of my students and my own children are sometimes overwhelmed with the amount of homework they have on a daily basis. I don't think that all homework is bad, but I also believe that there are many homework activities that have little or no value. 

I decided a few years ago that homework is no longer part of the Path To Success in my classroom. I don't even use the word with my students. When I occasionally ask my students to do something outside of class I've taken to calling it an "extended learning opportunity."

Although  I have drifted away from all required homework for my AP Environmental Classes over the last several years, there are a few things I ask my students to do outside of class. (These are all optional, I don't check or give points for anything that is done outside of our classroom.)

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that learning should end when the final school bell rings. Curiosity is always important! I just believe that it should be optional for my students to engage in my class outside of the time we are together each day. I always hope to inspire them to explore something connected to our classwork outside of class.