We are getting close to the end of 2020. What a crazy year! One advantage of technology in the classroom, particularly in this unpredictable year, is that it is easy to create student paced individual lessons when you are out. With the fact that you may not always be able to plan your absence, it is always good to have a few "Emergency" lessons planned and saved in Schoology. These lessons can be student paced and not require the substitute to be involved in the lesson. It is easy to blend both reading content as well as videos to provide substitute instruction and an assignment while you are gone. Life doesn't always let you choose when you have to miss work. Having a backup plan can at least alleviate a little bit of the stress of your unplanned absence.

Andrew Nation, M.Ed.
Instructional Technology Specialist 

Khan Academy has tons of quality educational content across all grade levels and subject areas. Many lessons contain both content and practice materials. Did you know that you can even use the videos on Khan Academy directly within Schoology using the App built into Schoology? Click HERE to visit Khan Academy and learn more.

From Microsoft:
Before sending materials and content out, it is imperative that it is accessible for all students. Follow these guidelines to ensure that content can be accessed by all your students. Remember, even if a student doesn't have a need for accessible content, a parent or caregiver might. Click HERE to learn more.

This key combination brings up a menu that will let you quickly switch between open programs on your computer.

Hi everyone! I hope life is treating everyone well. I have been looking into my digital habits after my message from last week. I disabled social media notifications on my phone. My overall notifications were about 50 less per day. That is 50 fewer times that my phone and my watch buzzed. I have to say that it does help in reducing stress. The other thing that I have looked into is MyAnalytics in Microsoft365 (Login to Email/Office365 in the quicklinks on Bolles.org. Then click all apps. MyAnalytics will be there). The section that I have particularly focused on is the Wellbeing section. Out of the past 28 days. I have behaved for 6 of them and did not answer emails outside of working hours. 

On the flip side of that, for people that do constantly check email, I recommend trying to only send messages during normal hours. MyAnalytics has also provided data about things that I sent outside of normal hours and the amount of time people spent reading those emails. 

For me, it was my Tuesday Tech Tips that went out before school that people read outside of hours. I encourage you to check out your habits in MyAnalytics and be considerate of those that you contact. I have shown some of my stats, but I have a feeling that many people have similar data in their own analytics. 

Have a great day!

Andrew Nation, M.Ed.
Instructional Technology Specialist

Blooket is very similar to things like Kahoot and Quizziz, but it looks to be more geared towards our younger students. The brightly colored games test whatever multiple choice questions that you input. It may not be your normal go to option, but it does looks like a fun alternative for a formative assessment. 

Wordwall allows you to create printable activities as well as interactive activities for your class. There are paid plans, but the free version allows you to create enough activities to get going. 

We are connected to our devices like never before. We are on computers most of the day. We have phones in our pockets. Our watches receive notifications from our phones. We are definitely a connected community. With that being said, we are constantly bombarded with notifications on our phones and devices. I thought it would be interesting to see how many notifications I receive on my phone in one day. Keep in mind that I have turned off many notifications so that only "important" ones come through and my phone automatically switches to Do Not Disturb mode at night. Yesterday, my phone had 205 notifications throughout the day. This morning, I had 40 before I even made it to my office. This is a combination of email (personal and work), social media, text messages, etc. We are living in a world where information is constantly being thrown at us. Our pocket is buzzing as well as our wrists. These notifications have been shown to increase anxiety (Click HERE to check out an article).

You have to take time for self care. While technology can make life easier, you also need time to unplug. You don't need constant notifications and it is okay for things to wait. You don't need to respond to all of the emails that you receive after work. They can wait. Our digitally connected society has created an always available mentality and it is not healthy. Take time to unplug. I don't know what that means for you. For me, I love to get out in nature away from everything. ​​Take time to disconnect and recharge.

Andrew Nation, M.Ed.
​Instructional Technology Specialist

EdPuzzle allows you to add questions and audio throughout a video to create more engaging online lessons. There is also a Schoology integration available. 

Please encourage students to take care of their devices. With as much use as the Surfaces are receiving, it is vital to have them in class everyday and have them working. If you click the photos below, then you can access the PDF version of the poster from Common Sense Media.