Technology in the Classroom: Best-Kept Teaching Secrets

The key to successfully teaching technology in the classroom is to instruct kids to help themselves. By empowering them to become problem-solvers and risk-takers, we’ll also be encouraging them to learn how to troubleshoot technological issues.
Today, frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Jacqui Murray examines seven ways that educators can make tech learning fun and easy for students, including:
  • Make Tech Authentic
  • Let Neighbors Help Neighbors
  • Teach Students Keyboard Shortcuts
  • And More!

How do you make technology fun for students?
Read about some not-so-well-known technology in the classroom secrets>>
10 Tips to Help Students Set New Year Goals
According to frequent TeachHUB.com contributing writer Janelle Cox, the start of the calendar year is the perfect time to teach children of all ages the importance of setting and meeting goals.
Today we offer up 10 tips that teachers can use to help students set goals, including:
  • Teach the Importance of Setting Goals
  • Help Improve Unrealistic Goals
  • Have a Monthly Conference
  • And More!

“If all students set a goal and had the same end date and they all achieved their goal, celebrate with a class party! Then have students set new goals,” Janelle says.
Happy New Year! What are some ways you teach goal setting in your classroom? Do you have any new year goals set for yourself?
Learn how to help your students set new year goals>>
Activities to Develop Students\’ Spelling Skills
In this era of spellcheck, it’s easy to gloss over the importance of spelling in the classroom. But all teachers know the importance of accurate spelling acumen and how it affects the mastery of the English language.
Earlier this year, writer Janelle Cox outlined some new spelling mastery activities that will help your kids enrich their phonemic awareness skills, which will in turn help them learn to spell. These tactics included:
•   Go on a word hunt
•   Roll the dice
•   Create a story
Janelle also noted that practicing spelling in the for of repetition is a key to mastering the art of that skill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Cheap Teacher Professional Development for Summer Break

“I’d love to do some professional development, but it’s just so expensive!”

If that sounds familiar, take heart: here are some activities that are low cost, but high impact – guaranteed to make you a more effective teacher next fall.

Read Your Way to A+ Teaching

During the school year, you probably don’t read much beyond the assignments you’re grading. So this summer take time to read. Study research in your subject area or on education in general.

Super Bowl Special: Interview with 2x Ohio Coach of the Year Steve Specht

Cincinnati high school football coach Steve Specht has been with his alma mater St. Xavier for the last 16 years. After a winning season that brought them all the way to the Ohio regionals, Specht still strives to teach his players to become good men.
Coach Specht, considered one of the best all-around coaches in the country, was kind enough to share his insights what makes a good coach and a great teacher.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Technology in the Classroom: Keyboarding 101

Traditionally, working on keyboarding skills – even those steeped in technology in the classroom – conjures up automated exercises steeped in repetition. And even the slickest  technology in the classroom sites tend to only work specifically on the site.

The answer is blended learning, according to frequent TeachHUB.com contributing writer Jacqui Murray, who today pens a telegraphic method if using several different methods of teaching keyboarding.

Jacqui’s ideas include:
  • Rote Drills
  • Finger Exercises (Unplugged Learning)
  • Word Lists
  • Games
  • And More!

Here, Jacqui spells out here ideas on Rote Drills Utilizing Technology in the Classroom: “Students practice drills on one of the many online keyboarding programs, working through lessons and learning key placement. Some are graduated programs that included a years worth of lessons and systematically move students through the keyboarding learning curve. These include:
  1. Learn to Keyboard – 15 hours of video lessons – fee.
  2. QwertyTown – fee-based, well done.
  3. Type Kids – graduated program of touch-typing.
  4. Type to Learn –fee, aligned between home and school.
  5. Typing Instructor –complete online program (fee).
  6. TypingWeb.com—a graduated course.”
Jacqui sums up her article thusly, in a paragraph labeled Authentic Integration:  “Typing is best learned by using it in class projects. These can be completed using installed software (TuxPaint, KidPix, MS Word) or online tools (Google Docs, My Storymaker, Storybird, Animoto). These can be short reports, a letter, a story — or pick one that works for your school environment. All it takes to unpack this alternative is to remind students to follow good keyboarding habits while doing their normal classroom projects.”

What keyboarding methods do you use to get kids acclimated to technology in the classroom typing? Let us know in the comment section!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Snapshots of Great (& Unusual) Teachers

In Bill Smoot\’s book Conversations with Great Teachers, he crosses the nation to find teachers in every realm of life, from the K-12 classroom to the circus to the FBI to the Outback.

Here are a few snippets from his interviews that show just how much teachers have in common, no matter who, where, what or how they\’re teaching

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

THE DANGERS OF FOLLOWING THE HERD: IS THE PERFORMANCE REVIEW REALLY THE PROBLEM?

Deloitte did it, and so did Microsoft and Accenture. They’re the vanguards of a growing coterie of organizations choosing to ditch their yearly performance review and ratings in favor of more continuous feedback.
The club of performance review ditchers is expanding rapidly. According to a recent international study by insight and technology firm CEB, 21 percent of organizations have either dumped or plan to dump their performance management rating systems and another 28 percent are considering it.
The bandwagon for ditching performance ratings seems as unstoppable as the bandwagon for adopting performance ratings once was. But is getting rid of reviews not a case of “out of the frying pan into the fire” — or at least into another frying pan? In a decade’s time, will we be shaking our heads in disbelief that our HR elders thought this was a good idea?

The Case Against Performance Reviews

The case against ratings is certainly a strong one. Ratings are pretty much despised by employees, managers and the HR staff who have to chase managers for appraisals.
Insights from research show that being rated has a negative impact on employees, demotivating them and reducing productivity — both those who do well in ratings and those falling below par react negatively to being ranked.
Research also suggests that we all display what’s called the idiosyncratic rater effect, which means rating systems say more about the views of the manager than the performance of the employee. What we think of as objective measurement is actually highly subjective.
The alternative is often presented as more continuous feedback — but I think it might be bigger than that. Companies like Deloitte who have switched to this second strategy have shown is that it’s not that ratings are inherently bad — it’s that putting a lot more time, thought and effort into performance management as a whole is good.

Identify the Real Problem

There’s a danger in the rush to get away from the canker of ratings. Not enough effort is put into thinking about how its replacement will work. Because it’s not just a new system that’s required, it’s a change of behavior and culture. That’s a much trickier beast to manage.
Indeed, the CEB report found that when there wasn’t enough support given to changing the behavior of managers and employees, performance and engagement fell up to 10 percent. More employees (8 percent) felt that their pay rises were unfairly allocated and fewer than 5 percent of managers felt able to manage employees without ratings in place.
It’s all very well saying that yearly appraisals should be replaced by informal regular “check-ins,” but there has to be a mechanism in place to ensure that happens, and managers need the support to be able to change their behavior.
If a yearly performance review is swapped for a monthly or weekly check-in where managers aren’t clear of the purpose of that chat, then this is not going to work any better than a ratings system.

Take a Closer Look at What You Rate and Measure

Perhaps the problem lies not so much in having a ratings system itself, but in what’s rated and measured. There’s too much focus on past mastery or failure of a task and not enough on how to improve future performance. Those reaping the success of ditching the yearly appraisal review still measure performance success, but they have changed what they value and how they evaluate that.
Ousting performance ratings may well be the right answer for some companies, but that is not a given. Continuous feedback and yearly performance ratings are not mutually exclusive – there may be situations where the two can and should coexist.
The key is to keep an eye on the end goal of what this should all be about: driving better employee performance. Ratings may prove to be a symptom rather than a cause of poor performance management.

Planning Your Super Summer Vacation

Today on TeachHUB.com, the folks at Chalkup dispel the myth that summer vacation is three months of nothing.
In actuality, June, July, and August are the prime times for prepping classrooms, re-energizing, and tweaking curriculum.
Here are some summer vacation ideas aimed at energizing and organizing yourself for the coming school year.
Our ideas include:
  • Build the Digital Resource Library of Your Dreams
  • Create a Space to Connect with Your Colleagues
  • And More!

What do you do over the summer to prepare for the coming year?
Get our ideas aimed at making the summer months productive>>
Teaching Strategies: Slow Down a Rushing Student
At one time or another, we’ve all had that one student who slams his or her brain into overdrive, works quickly (and sometimes with lots of errors), and turns his or her work well before the rest of the class.
What teaching strategies do you use to combat the rushing student?
Recently on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox spelled out some different teaching strategies for slowing down the rushing (and often sloppy) student. Her methods include:
Give Students a “Speeding Ticket”
Just Keep Working
Praise Quality Work
 And More!
Janelle likewise reiterated that educators need to be persistent and consistent with all that they do, including the enforcement of when homework can be turned in.
How do you get your speedy students to slow down? Do you have any teaching strategies that you can share with us?
Read more teaching strategies to slow down a kid who rushes>>
Top 5 Items Every Teacher Should Have in Their Professional Portfolio
A professional portfolio is a must-have for anyone trying to get a teaching job. Indeed, the items and artifacts you place in your professional portfolio are a great way to show off your accomplishments and experiences in a neat, professional way.
Recently, writer Janelle Cox listed out the five essential items all teachers need to have in their professional portfolios. These items include:
•    Teaching Philosophy
•    Resume
•    Letters of Recommendation
•    And More!
Janelle summarizes her article thusly: “As you gain experience and knowledge as a teacher, you should review your portfolio to add and take away materials. This valuable tool just may be the best way to get a teaching job or advance your career.”

Unconventional Technology in the Classroom Research Sites

Research shows that a majority of people of all age groups gets their news from social media. It’s appalling but true! Sixty percent of people don’t trust traditional news media outlets, so they turn to Facebook and Twitter.

This is also indicative of research. Our traditional places of research – encyclopedias, museums, reference books and the like – are about as outdated as a black-and-white television set. With rabbit ears.

So where should we direct student when they are conducting research? Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, who is a seasoned technology teacher in Northern California, takes an in-depth look at eight unconventional websites you can direct your students to.

Jacqui’s sites include:
  • BrainPOP
  • Info Please
  • Zanran
  • And More!

Jacqui sums up her article like this: “Decide which of these eight research tools suit your student group and then collect them into a Box of Links on your class website, Symbaloo account, or Edmodo. Also include more traditional offerings.”

What technology in the classroom websites do you use? Let us know your favorite ones!

Get our best-in-class, unconventional, technology in the classroom websites for research>>

Teaching Strategies: 10 Things Successful Educators Do
Have you ever asked yourself what makes a successful teacher? What teaching strategies does a great educator employ?
Today we examine 10 habits of highly effective teachers. From having a lively sense of humor to taking risks and being consistent, these are traits that all good educators exemplify.
Learn more about effective teaching strategies that successful teachers use >>
Download TeachHUB Magazine for FREE Today!
In a recent issue of TeachHUB magazine, we discusssed some GREAT gift ideas for your teaching colleagues for under $5 – but our ideas are NOT the typical coffee mug fare.
Likewise, we take a look at three smart boards you may want to incorporate into your classroom, and offer up some tasty holiday treats guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of your guests.
Did you know TeachHUB magazine is FREE? It is, and it’s a wonderful resource designed to help you become a better educator.

Dinosaur Scare Video Writing Prompts

K-2: Your Pet Dinosaur
If you had a pet dinosaur, what would you name him? Draw your dinosaur pet and write his name under the picture. Bonus: describe in 1-2 sentences a dinosaur game the two of you would play together.

9-12: Learning Comes to Life
This dinosaur visit is a great way to get kids excited about learning about dinosaurs. What would make learning fun for you? Think about one of the subjects you’re currently studying. Brainstorm 5 different projects, classroom activities or special guests that would make school come alive.

7 Tips for Using Social Media for Professional Development

If you vowed to beef up your Professional Learning Network via social media, you’re not alone.

However, for the uninitiated, social media can be a daunting proposition. With that conundrum in mind, today’s centerpiece article on TeachHUB.com addresses how to use social media as a means to expand your circles of professional development.

Penned by Jacqui Murray, who is  a seasoned tech teacher based on the West Coast, the article points out seven specific tips educators can use when employing social media, including:

  • Don’t Mix Personal and Professional
  • Keep It Short
  • Always Answer Visitors
  • And More!

Jacqui sums up her article like this: “One final warning: Don’t feel like you have to do all six of these at once. Pick one that resonates with you. Take your time to implement it. When it’s running smoothly, move on to the next. Let me know how it’s going.”

What tips would you add for improving your professional development via social media?

Get our seven tips on using social media as an educator>>

Top 5 Items Every Teacher Should Have in Their Professional Portfolio
A professional portfolio is a must-have for anyone trying to get a teaching job. Indeed, the items and artifacts you place in your professional portfolio are a great way to show off your accomplishments and experiences in a neat, professional way.
Recently, writer Janelle Cox listed out the five essential items all teachers need to have in their professional portfolios. These items include:
•  Teaching Philosophy
•  Resume
•  Letters of Recommendation
•  And More!
Janelle summarizes her article thusly: “As you gain experience and knowledge as a teacher, you should review your portfolio to add and take away materials. This valuable tool just may be the best way to get a teaching job or advance your career.”
What do you have in your teacher portfolio that can help others get a teaching job?

Top 12 Ways to Enjoy Your Job

You work hourly, daily, continually, and purposefully toward creating a school experience that is satisfying for your students. But what about you? What are you doing to ensure that your school is a wonderful place to teach as well as learn?

Here are 12 tips to help you make the most of your school days: read more

5 Strategies to Teach Social Responsibility

What does it mean to teach for social responsibility? At Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, it means intentionally teaching young people to understand themselves, each other, and the world.

We help teachers create classrooms where students can air and solve conflicts, discuss controversial topics, have a say in what and how they learn, ask questions and engage in dialogue, and are sometimes moved to action as a result of their study.

Here are five essential ingredients to teaching for social responsibility:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Elementary, My Dear Teacher: Teaching with Mysteries

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it can also peak the interest in your students and engage them in your lessons!

If you didn’t catch the Sherlock Holmes movie over the break, you probably saw the commercials. The world’s greatest fictional detective lives again for a new generation of movie-goers. Why does Hollywood keep recycling him every few years? Because mysteries are universally appealing.

Teaching Strategies about Healthy Eating

Part of the responsibility residing in teaching is creating informed citizens: Citizens that make informed decision, whether it be with regards to careers, politics, and even eating.

With that in mind, today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, herself a seasoned educator based in Upstate New York, illuminates us on some teaching strategies to get kids interested in healthy eating. Janelle’s ideas include:

  • Food Diary
  • Taste Test
  • And More!


Janelle finishes up her article like this: “A unit on nutrition must emphasize healthy eating without overemphasizing a diet that is too restrictive.  Remind students that being fit and eating right is important, but it has to be done the right way. Essentially, it is their responsibility for keeping themselves healthy. So as much as students may love to eat their sugary sweets, it all has to be in moderation.”

Do you have any fun activities to promote health and nutrition that you would like to share?

Get our classroom activities about healthy eating habits>>

STEM Education in the Elementary Classroom

It’s never too early to begin teaching kids about STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), according to frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Janelle Cox, who notes that our national economic prosperity depends on it.
Janelle also notes that one way to give kids the opportunity to explore a real-world scientific problem is to give them a hands-on experience. 
Begin this process by:

•    Identifying a real-world problem.
•    Asking questions to explore the problem (and potentially solve the problem).
•    Developing solutions.
•    Exploring a hands-on activity.
Learn More About Teaching Elementary School-Aged Kids STEM Topics >>
Laws, Policies for Using Social Media in the Classroom
Once upon a time, using social media like Twitter and Facebook in the classroom was a no-no. 
But now, the cultural landscape has been fundamentally altered, and districts that once banned social media are figuring out how to us it in a safe, effective, and even educational manner.
Today, we outline some uses and limits for teachers to abide by when utilizing social media in the classroom.

THE DANGERS OF FOLLOWING THE HERD: IS THE PERFORMANCE REVIEW REALLY THE PROBLEM?

Deloitte did it, and so did Microsoft and Accenture. They\’re the vanguards of a growing coterie of organizations choosing to ditch their yearly performance review and ratings in favor of more continuous feedback.
The club of performance review ditchers is expanding rapidly. According to a recent international study by insight and technology firm CEB, 21 percent of organizations have either dumped or plan to dump their performance management rating systems and another 28 percent are considering it.
The bandwagon for ditching performance ratings seems as unstoppable as the bandwagon for adopting performance ratings once was. But is getting rid of reviews not a case of \”out of the frying pan into the fire\” — or at least into another frying pan? In a decade\’s time, will we be shaking our heads in disbelief that our HR elders thought this was a good idea?

The Case Against Performance Reviews

The case against ratings is certainly a strong one. Ratings are pretty much despised by employees, managers and the HR staff who have to chase managers for appraisals.
Insights from research show that being rated has a negative impact on employees, demotivating them and reducing productivity — both those who do well in ratings and those falling below par react negatively to being ranked.
Research also suggests that we all display what\’s called the idiosyncratic rater effect, which means rating systems say more about the views of the manager than the performance of the employee. What we think of as objective measurement is actually highly subjective.
The alternative is often presented as more continuous feedback — but I think it might be bigger than that. Companies like Deloitte who have switched to this second strategy have shown is that it\’s not that ratings are inherently bad — it\’s that putting a lot more time, thought and effort into performance management as a whole is good.

Identify the Real Problem

There\’s a danger in the rush to get away from the canker of ratings. Not enough effort is put into thinking about how its replacement will work. Because it\’s not just a new system that\’s required, it\’s a change of behavior and culture. That\’s a much trickier beast to manage.
Indeed, the CEB report found that when there wasn\’t enough support given to changing the behavior of managers and employees, performance and engagement fell up to 10 percent. More employees (8 percent) felt that their pay rises were unfairly allocated and fewer than 5 percent of managers felt able to manage employees without ratings in place.
It\’s all very well saying that yearly appraisals should be replaced by informal regular \”check-ins,\” but there has to be a mechanism in place to ensure that happens, and managers need the support to be able to change their behavior.
If a yearly performance review is swapped for a monthly or weekly check-in where managers aren\’t clear of the purpose of that chat, then this is not going to work any better than a ratings system.

Take a Closer Look at What You Rate and Measure

Perhaps the problem lies not so much in having a ratings system itself, but in what\’s rated and measured. There\’s too much focus on past mastery or failure of a task and not enough on how to improve future performance. Those reaping the success of ditching the yearly appraisal review still measure performance success, but they have changed what they value and how they evaluate that.
Ousting performance ratings may well be the right answer for some companies, but that is not a given. Continuous feedback and yearly performance ratings are not mutually exclusive – there may be situations where the two can and should coexist.
The key is to keep an eye on the end goal of what this should all be about: driving better employee performance. Ratings may prove to be a symptom rather than a cause of poor performance management.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1