My Top EdTech Tools to Engage Students in 2022 and Beyond

Sometimes great moments of learning happen in unexpected ways. In my classroom, this often happens when my students are using a favorite or new EdTech resource to explore and create as part of the learning process. 

I've been seeing quite a few #EdTech Top Ten Lists on Twitter recently and I realized it's been a while since I thought about the resources we use most often now that we are back together. Today I wanted to share some of our favorite tools that help my students and me grow as learners. 

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.