If you’re searching for new methods to engage your students, why not trying getting online? Exploring options such as Twitter, Pinterest, and Google Apps are just a few of the ways you can broaden your 21st century classroom and Kelly Farrell shows us how.
Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
Every teacher is always looking for new ways to engage students, but few teachers have the time or the motivation to explore the online world. Experienced teachers often feel that the online world moves too fast, and it’s impossible to keep up, so we often continue doing what’s been working for years. 21st century learning is upon us, so we must ensure we have the skills to continue to engage and challenge our students.
Teachers sometimes get caught up in the vast wealth of resources and eat up valuable time searching for the “right” lesson ideas. With this new series, I want to provide teachers with reliable, tested online resources that are easy to learn and ready to use in the classroom. A few hours each month will have you ready to wow your students with a 21st-century classroom in the fall!
Step number one in this process is: Get online! Here are some of my favourite online haunts that inspire new lesson planning ideas daily:
- Pinterest—What a daily addiction Pinterest is! You can post pictures of your favourite activities, clothes you want, home decorating ideas, crafts, cars, wedding planning ideas, etc! Everything is open for all Pinterest users to browse and share. It is a fabulous way to catalogue ideas you want to remember. The picture will link back to the original place you saw it, so this is a great visual alternative to just saving bookmarks/favourites in your browser. I have seen dozens of new lessons and classroom decorating ideas from Pinterest! (Only drawback is that you need to be invited to join. If you need an invite, request one from a friend!)
- Twitter—A dynamic information sharing tool with tons of possibility. Many professionals are using Twitter to access daily news and trends in their field. The same goes for teachers. You can “follow” other teachers, or popular teaching websites. A misconception is that tweets have to share personal information and whereabouts; I have found the contrary to be true. Most of the tweeters that I follow post relevant news links, and lesson planning ideas. I have found Twitter to be a fabulous resource, despite the initial overwhelming feeling I had when I joined.
- Google Apps for Education—Google has taken over the online “app” world. They have so many fabulous applications for teachers and students. I have been using Google docs and Google sites with my students for three years now. It is easy to learn and easy to integrate into teaching. Sign up for a Google email, and start using Google Docs now!
- Smart Exchange—An online resource with lessons designed for use with Smart Interactive whiteboards. There are always new resources being posted. Once downloaded, you can use, manipulate and add to any of the lessons. You can also post your own Smart Notebook lessons to the site to share with others. Sometimes, even browsing the lessons, you can come up with new ideas to use in any classroom, with or without a Smart Board.
- Teachers Pay Teachers—A fabulous site for teaching resources. The resources are posted and shared by other teachers. All proceeds go back to the teachers that posted them. You can also post your own resources. What a great idea! I also find that browsing through the site, I get some great ideas for new lessons and resources I can create myself.
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Are you already using some of the above resources in your classroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Related:
School Policies for Communicating Through Social Media
10 Ways to Integrate Technology Into Education
How Curriculum Mapping Can Bring Your School Into the 21st Century
The Case Against 21st Century Schools
Appointments: Jan Campbell, on 21st Century Learning Mission,Takes Helm at CIS