Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Free Lessons on Copyright and Fair Use

by guest blogger David Sohn from Copyright & Creativity

Want to teach your students about copyright and fair use?  A nonprofit project called Copyright and Creativity has created a full suite of K-12 of free lesson plans, slides, and videos designed to make it easy.  There’s a self-paced online professional development course too, since teachers often feel they need a little more background before they tackle this topic with students.  And there’s some timely information about copyright and distance learning.

Why teach these subjects?  Because students today are creators and publishers. They may not realize it, but copyright and fair use are directly relevant to online activities they engage in virtually every day. That's especially true during the current pandemic, when virtually all academic and social activity has moved online. But how many students understand when it is ok to reuse or share some or all of someone else’s work? Or how they should expect others to treat their own creative work? If students aren't taught about this, they'll be missing an essential element of digital literacy.

C&C approaches the subject from a practical and positive perspective -- how to navigate copyright successfully -- rather than just talking about what copyright prohibits. And its all readily usable for distance learning. Please check out the resources, send feedback to info@copyrightandcreativity.org, and help spread the word!

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Google Calendar Appointment Slots











As we are currently all teaching online, sometimes we just need an easy way to set up appointments. Google Calendar has an easy way for you to set up calendar appointment slots! Watch the following video to see how it's done!



Monday, April 13, 2020

Get off the Couch and On Your Feet with Google's Emoji Scavenger Hunt


During this Covid 19 Pandemic, we aren't just worried about students getting enough educational interaction with teachers and students, we also have to be concerned with the amount of sedentary screen time kids are spending on the couch. While getting of the phone or tablet altogether may be the best option, Emoji Scavenger Hunt powered by Google is also a fun alternative.

Emoji Scavenger Hunt may not have tons of educational value, but it will get you on your feet and moving around the house! A great option for doing "PE at Home." It isn't an app from the app store, but a website to pull up on your phone. Once the page is loaded, all you need to do is press the Let's Play button, and the fun begins.

Click here on your phone or tablet to check it out!

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Using Zoom: Screencasts & Whiteboards

There are great uses for Zoom, even when you don't have any participants in your class. Zoom can be used as a screencast recorder. It also includes a whiteboard feature so you can teach on-screen. All of this can be done without students in the class, and there are no limits to how many recordings you can do or the length of recording. Feel free to check out the video below.


Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Easy Facilitation is a Click Away with ClassroomScreen


I tend to blog about edtech tools that students use more so than tools strictly for the teacher, but classroomscreen.com breaks the mold! Simply put, classroomscreen.com is a classroom facilitation tool. The teacher/presenter displays the webpage up at the front of the room, and has a list of tools to choose from:

  • Random Name Selector
  • Sound Level
  • Qu-Code (to share websites)
  • Drawing
  • Text
  • Work Symbols 
  • Traffic Light
  • Timer
  • Clock 
image from classroomscreen.com
These tools can all be used simultaneously and serve many purposes. My personal favorites are the sound level check, work symbols, traffic light, and timer. 

If you're looking for a solution to help facilitate small group work or stations in your classroom, check out classroomscreen.com!


This post was not sponsored, all views and opinions are my own.