A Year of Mindful Monday Quote Graphics

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. (Source)

Every Monday, I add a quote to our weekly agenda. My students discuss these quotes to start our week. My hope is that the quotes and discussions support a positive culture in my classroom. 

I have all of the quotes that I use in one Google slide deck, so I can just copy and paste them into our agenda. Today I wanted to share that deck.

Not Just Art Engagement - Learn With Google Arts & Culture

I love exploring art, but I don't just use Google Arts and Culture with my students to explore art and museums. In past posts, I've shared some of the brain break resources in Google Arts and Culture that I use with my students. I also use Google Arts and Culture multiple times a year with my students to explore content connections. 

Here are some of our favorite Google Arts and Culture resources that we regularly connect to our classroom experiences.

• Arts & Culture Experiments
• Google Expeditions
• Explore Places Near and Far
• Historical Figures and Events
• Google Arts and Culture Games
• 360 Videos
• Museum Collections

Today I wanted to share a great collection of resources and lesson plans connected to Google Arts and Culture for different grade levels and subject areas. The Learn With Google Arts and Culture page is a great place to start exploring all that educators can do with the site resources. 

Making the Most of Any Educational Conference Experience

“Think and wonder, wonder and think.” - Dr. Seuss

I have a few confessions to share before I talk about making the most of any educational conference experience. I am not shy, I don't think I am too socially awkward, but I am an introvert. Don't get me wrong, I love to collaborate and make new connections with educators. The problem can be that these social interactions are exhausting for me. I enjoy the moments of collaboration and connection, but sometimes by the end of a busy day at a conference, I feel completely drained and desperately need some downtime. 

During my first 10 years as an educator, I rarely felt the need to attend educational conferences. I never really felt the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. When I was asked to attend a conference, I was the guy who found a seat in the back of the room and kept to myself. I took notes and answered questions, but this was mostly done in isolation. I enjoyed the learning experience but I mostly kept the learning to myself.  

I learned a few years ago that the best conference experiences are best when not done in isolation. I have attended quite a few conferences as both an attendee and presenter and I am writing this post to share some of my tips about making the most of the experience. Take it from me, you don't be the teacher sitting in the back of the room disengaged from a greater learning experience. 

Google's Hidden Gems for Teaching, Learning, and More

Google Drive, Google Classroom, and Chromebooks have become core resources for many schools. Classrooms are also engaging students with a host of additional awesome resources connected to Google.

Today I wanted to share some of Google’s Hidden Gems that can be used by teachers to engage students in some awesome digital learning experiences.

Padlet - Engaging All Learners

Padlet is a digital bulletin board where students and teachers can post messages, collaborate, reflect, share links, share videos, and share pictures. Padlet is a great resource to support engage students in digital learning experiences.

• Padlet has 7 different styles that you can start with, including Wall, Canvas, Stream, Grid, Shelf, Backchannel, and Map. When you create a new Padlet you have the option of previewing each one to determine which fits best for your students and any connected learning goals.
• Padlet posts can include file uploads, links, Google searches, photos, webcam recordings, audio recordings, screencasts, drawings, map locations, or links to other Padlets.

5 Reasons Why Padlet is an Essential Tool for Today's Classroom Connected to the ISTE Standards for Students

Today, I wanted to share a little more about Padlet.

Creative Student Voice Resources - Creating To Learn & Learning to Create

ISTE Standards for Students - Global Collaborator
Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.

ISTE Standards for Students - Creative Communicator
Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats, and digital media appropriate to their goals.

Learn More: ISTE

Creative student voice connects content to creativity. Students engaged in student voice activities actively use a variety of resources and methods to explore content and share their learning with authentic audiences.

Student voice should not be restricted to the traditional presentation that is simply a display of copied images and connected text. Student presentations, class discussions, writing, and drawings are all great methods to engage students in our classrooms, but they cannot be the only way Future-Ready Teachers and Students engage in the content.

Today I wanted to share a collection of #EdTech resources that my PLN has helped me organize connected to creativity and student voice.

Happiness TED Talks - What Makes You Happy?

I just got started with a quick 2 week book study for the book Happiness Advantage by Shawn Archor. (BTW, anyone and everyone is welcome to join this book study.) 

I wanted to give a shout out to Lindsay Zilly, IDEA, and Thrively for choosing the book. I'm not sure I would have ever picked this up or started exploring these TED Talks without them. 

Today I wanted to share some of the TED Talks connected to Happiness I've started to explore after reading the book and watching Shawn's TED Talk. I really fell down a rabbit hole of happiness. 

Adobe Creative Challenge Templates

Adobe for Education is one of my favorite EdTech follows and I make sure I don't miss something awesome by turning on notifications for their Twitter account and following them on Instagram. 

It also never hurts to plan to visit the Adobe Education Exchange a few times a month. One of my favorited features is the ACE Creative Challenges that they post every month.