Tech Tip Tuesday

Each Tuesday, students can sign up to share a "Tech Tip" ~ something they have recently discovered and think would be useful to others.  We are currently using a shared Google Doc with the above image as our form to sign up and share.  Early on in the school year, I am usually the only one sharing a tech tip.  As the year progresses, more and more students sign up, but I usually have something that I want to share as well. These range from the simple (but useful) keyboard shortcuts, to valuable websites or apps we have discovered, to more complex programming tips.  It has been a great way for us to grow as learners together!

Creativity for Everybody

Last week I read Creativity for everybody by Kathryn P. Haydon and Jane Harvey.  A quick read, and a great reminder that, YES, everyone can be creative.  The first section of the book, designed to help you make a personal connection, gives you small "concept-bites" which are free of academic jargon.  The second section, "Dig Deeper" provides the supporting research on the science of creativity.

Creativity for everybody (affiliate link)

Fun book feature ~ if you read the book sideways,
you will find a flip book of quick tips and reminders.

I love to collect and think about favorite quotes and lines from books.   I always have a notebook handy when I am reading so I can add to my collection.  Thanks to the WordSwag app, I can create fun visuals for the quotations.  Here are some of my favorites from Creativity for everybody:

On a related note (inspired by another source), I made some "Hello My Name Is" posters to display in my classroom this fall using the website Canva.   I think it would also be fun to have students choose a word that describes them, and write their words on regular size name tags.  In thinking about the growth mindset and the role creativity should play in education, I want my students to know that the great thing about life is that we are all continually learning.

You can find a PDF version of these here.

Looking for a simple way to inject creativity in your school day?  Try the Creativity Calendar.  Pick and choose from opinion, fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, and "the answer is..." questions for each day of the school year.

Creativity Calendar

How do you encourage creativity in your students?

Fun Finds Friday

On Fridays, I share "Fun Finds" with my middle school students. These include cool websites,  interesting images and photographs, and intriguing videos.  If we miss a Friday, the kids are disappointed, and always ask to make it up on the following Monday.  While these finds are often entertaining, they also plant seed ideas for future projects, independent study work, or just add to our schema for future reference.  Innovators pull from a variety of experiences they have had, and connect them in a novel way.  By exposing my students to a variety to "interesting things" I am helping them to develop a broad background of experiences from which to pull.

Fun Finds For This Friday:

1.  The Unseen Technology Behind the NFL's "Magic Yellow Line" - So I am not a football fan, but I am intrigued as to how they make the yellow line magically appear on the field during a broadcast.  The video on the website branches into other sport applications, and explains the complicated process behind this technology.

2.  Google Maps Smart Pins - Putting Trivia on the Map - Geography Based Trivia!  You can start a multi-category game, or choose from specific categories: March Madness, Arts and Culture, Science and Geography, Sports and Games, Entertainment, or History and Cultural Events.  A question is posed, and you drop the virtual pin on the location you believe answers the question.  A point for each mile you are off is deducted from your original 1000 miles. You keep playing until you use up all of your miles.  Many students took this on as a challenge to improve their geographic knowledge!

3.  Desmos Creative Art - Student Examples from Graphing Calculators - A fun connection between art and math!

4.  Flat.io - Allows users to compose musical scores online, including collaboratively.  The free plan met the needs of my students who wanted to try it.  They also offer "Flat for Education" where you can follow student progress and work on class projects.

What "Fun Finds" have you found?