In my classroom I constantly try to create lessons and experiences that allow students to get excited about learning. I have done many classroom flips, changing the space into environments, scenes, and locations that allow engagement and inspiration to take hold. In the past few years, I have created a list of must haves that can be used to transform … Read More
Motivating Students Through Increased Engagement
Motivating Students Is Always A Challenge. Motivating students is one of the most elusive and commonly discussed topics during my work with teachers. Many times, the conversation starts with a statement like, “They just won’t do the work,”or, ”I can’t get them motivated.” I’ve said these things myself, and I’m sure you have, too. The common theme in both of … Read More
5 Ways to Use Padlet in Your Classroom
What is Padlet? Padlet, in case you aren’t aware, is a fantastic live posting board you can utilize with your students or colleagues to collect, curate, interact, and comment on anything from documents, posts, ideas, or web links. All this collaboration happens in real-time, and anyone can access it from anywhere as long as they have the link to your … Read More
Spark Curiosity and Provide Opportunity for Students
Do you provide opportunity for students? That is my new class buzzword… OPPORTUNITY! It is one word that creates such excitement among my 3rd graders. One word that speaks to every child. One word with so many meanings that I cannot possibly stop smiling when I hear the chit chat that surrounds this one topic. Let’s get something straight… I’m not … Read More
Getting Started with Classcraft
We talk a lot about the growing trends in education around gamification and game-based learning. Just a few weeks ago, we published a blog post about getting started with gamification with 4 AWESOME resources. Now, let’s dive a little bit deeper into one of the four resources: Classcraft. The Basics I first heard about Classcraft from Stella Pollard on one of the … Read More