Top Takeaways From #IDEAcon & #TCEA Virtual Conference - PLN Style

February was a great month of connecting, sharing, and learning as I did my best to model Lifelong Learning during the TCEA and IDEAcon Virtual Conference. I am still catching up on some of the on-demand sessions awhile I reflect on some of the sessions I attended and explore the resources that were shared. Today I wanted to share some of the top conference takeaways from my PLN.

Reading Vine - Improve Reading Skills With These Free Passages

ReadingVine was an interesting resource that was shared by several educators during the TCEA & IDEAcon Virtual Conference in February. It was something new to me and I think it is worth sharing. If you work any reading literacy into your class, this site could be very useful. 

Create Your Own Art - Google Arts and Culture Experiment

 
I fallen down the rabbit hole that is Google Arts and Culture Experiments. I've already shared Puzzle Party and Blob Opera this week. Today I wanted to share an experiment that allows anyone to create their own art in an interactive digital learning environment. 

Digital Learning Day 2021 and Google Applied Digital Skills

 

Digital Learning Day is February 25th and I just discovered this great Google Applied Digital Skills resources that I wanted to quickly share. 

Blob Opera - Creative Brain Breaks for Students and Teachers

Everyone needs a brain break every once in a while. Brain breaks are a great way for both students and teachers to take a break and reset for new learning experiences. While I think movement breaks are one of the best ways to reset and refresh, there also some incredible digital 

One of my new favorites is Blob Opera. These guys always make me smile as I try to find new and creative ways to build my musical skills.

Turing Tumble - Build Marble-Powered Computers and More STEM Toys

 

A toy that teaches students how computers think! You don't need a computer to learn to think like a computer? this sounds like a ton of fun!  Computational or logical thinking is a skill set many students need to explore. 

Learning with Google - A Summary of the New Google For Education (Workspace?) Updates and Resources

Today, I found some time to watch the Live Learning with Google Event with more than 10o,ooo educators around the world. I just wanted to share my thoughts, some of the updates and resources connected to the event. I don't know if all of these resources and updates will be available for everyone right away, but hopefully soon! I'll be sure to continue to update this post as I learn more.

Google Chrome QR Code Creator - "Create QR Code for This Page"

 

Since the demise of the goo.gl shortcut creator we've recommended a variety of QR code generators for our teachers. Some of these have worked well, some not so well. With this in mind I was excited to see that the most recent Chrome Browser update brings a built in QR Code Generator. It is a great way to quickly share a site with students or download and create a QR code scavenger hunt. Scan the QR code above to see it in action.

Modeling Lifelong Learning - Twitter Hashtags for Curious Educators

There are many great ways to grow as a teacher and learner. Social media has made all the difference in my growth and there are quite a few great social media resources to explore and share. I think twitter hashtags are still one of the easiest and most efficient ways to engage in a digital learning experiences connected to teaching and learning.

Today I wanted to share some of the educational hashtags and Twitter chats that I am exploring right now to help me grow as an educator.

New Google Classroom Video Series - Awesome Tips and Ideas for Educators

Have you seen the new Google Classroom Video Series? Google has put together a pretty awesome collection of quick videos to learn more about how Google Classroom can be used to support and engage students. 

Digital Whiteboards Resources for Teachers and Students

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Whiteboards can be powerful tools to engage students in both remote and classroom learning experiences. Today I wanted to share a couple of digital whiteboard resources recommended by my PLN. 

SEL, Digital Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Resources for Teachers and Learners

More than ever I believe we need to engage students in digital literacy, media literacy, SEL, and digital citizenship.

We are connected to the world like never before, but the world also has unprecedented access to us. Navigating the digital world and building digital literacy skills is an essential skill for all learners.

ISTE Student Standard 2: Digital Citizen Students recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.

Today, I wanted to share some resources we've compiled to support teachers and learners build essential skills for digital learning and digital life.

TCEA + IDEAcon Keynote Speakers & Thought Leader Resources

The 2021 TCEA and IDEAcon Virtual Conference has been an awesome learning experience so far. The Keynote Speakers and Thought Leaders have shared some incredible ideas and resources. Today I wanted to share some of the digital resources connected to these educational leaders.

Google Arts & Culture Puzzle Party

 

I have been a fan of Google Experiments for a while. I use them all of the time with my students as brain breaks. In a recent TCEA IDEAcon Virtual Conference session Eric Curts introduced us to a great experiment called Puzzle Party.

Happy Friday Videos to Inspire and Engage Students

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I have to be honest, this statement is not me. My favorite day of the week is Monday! I think it is because I love teaching and learning as much as I do. Mondays to me are about new beginnings and new chances to learn with my students. I love being and educator! 

I am always reminding myself that no matter how much I love my content, the most important thing in my classroom is that I provide my students with opportunities to grow as humans. I understand my responsibility to engage students in content, but I try to remember that it is not the only thing my students need. This post is about one way that I use videos to engage my students as lifelong learners. 

My TCEA & IDEAcon Virtual Conference Resources

I've been lucky enough to attend several virtual conferences this school year. I've also been doing my best to learn and grow as an educator on my own. If you are curious, you can learn a little bit more about my professional development journey in this post. 

This month I am investing much of my professional development time on the TCEA & IDEAcon Virtual Conference. It has been an awesome experience so far and we are only on day 3 at the time of this post. You can learn more about the conference in this post. 

By the way, it's not to late to sign up for this incredible conference. Conference registration gives you access to an incredible collection of on-demand sessions, live sessions, EdTech vendors, engagement activities and so much more. You can learn more about registration here.

Today I wanted to share my conference resources and activities. My on demand session is connected to Google for Education. I have also been volunteering as a member of the IDEA Conference Team and I've been engaged in the conference hashtags. In addition, I am luck to part of an incredible team facilitating both a Book Study and a Twitter Takeover.

Black History Month Resources for Teachers and Learners

 

A quick Google search will bring a wealth of resources connected to Black History Month. Many of these resources can be adapted to a variety of class and grade levels. Today I wanted to share some Google Resources I recently explored connected to the topic of Black History.