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Educational Technology

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Google Forms | Choice Eliminator | Educational Technology | Sign-up forms | parent conferences

How to use Google Forms Choice Eliminator

Posted: April 20, 2022

Over the past 4 years, I’ve had many visitors come to this site seeking information on how to use Google Forms Choice Eliminator. You see, people want a free digital sign-up form for events like parent-teacher conferences that allows them to indicate how many openings for a certain time and day, and as those times […]

23 comments

How to keep your students from going insane after finals

Posted: May 1, 2018

We’re fast approaching the end of the school year, and for many districts, this means a week of finals/end-of-course exams (EOCs). Since my school is already on a block schedule, we don’t modify the classes at all. However, I know that some non-block schools change to two-hour blocks for each period to allow extra for […]

1 comment
Google Docs | collaborative learning | students collaborate | working together

Epic collaboration between students made simple with Google Docs

Posted: April 2, 2018

I remember “back in the day” when I would do an assignment – be it an essay, math worksheet, science lab, etc. – and if I wanted to have someone proofread it for me, I had to physically give it to them. Or if we were doing a group assignment, we’d have to all copy […]

4 comments
School kids using computer in classroom at school

Does using tech in your teaching make you a better teacher?

Posted: March 27, 2018

Many schools across the world have been given the gift of technology. While tech in classrooms is nothing new (I mean, we had computers back in MY day), the scale and magnitude of its deployment has transformed the way many of us teach. Quite a few classrooms have adopted a 1-to-1 model where every student has […]

2 comments
grading assignments | grading papers | grading essays | how to grade faster | kaizena | google drive | google docs | giving feedback | effective feedback

How to conquer assignment grading and take back your weekends

Posted: February 5, 2018

So we need to talk…about grading. You’re thinking, AGAIN? Didn’t you tell me how to grade less while improving student outcomes, and then how to attack that pile of grading? I sure did! But in the past month or so I discovered yet another amazing tool that has cut down the amount of time I spend […]

7 comments
google photos | photo storage | google | google is the best

How Google Photos will free up space in your life for all of your random pics

Posted: January 18, 2018

Do you use Google Photos to store images for school or even home? I discovered it a couple of years ago and have really depended on it to save and store all of my family photos from my phone, plus random images I find on the web. Why it’s awesome Whether you have the app […]

8 comments
student blogging | blogging | wordpress | how to blog with students | why blog with students | lessons plans | blogging lessons plans

How to transform your students from online gawkers to bloggers

Posted: September 26, 2017

Are you currently a blogger? I know that there are many teacher bloggers out there, and I’m proud to say that I subscribe to several for inspiration and ideas. While I haven’t always been a blogger, I’ve been dabbling in it off and for the past 2-3 years. I’m definitely more consistent now, and have […]

2 comments
staying organized | organizing files | Google Drive | backing up data

A simple way to keep your students’ files organized on their device

Posted: April 26, 2016

It’s that time of the year when my students reflect on what they’ve learned and present it at our annual Portfolio Night. During this digital showcase, they’re expected to gather artifacts from throughout the year that demonstrate how they exhibited our program’s learning outcomes, as well as what standards they’ve mastered in each content area. It’s […]

0 comments
checking for understanding | assessment | authentic assessment | real world learning

Checking for understanding by having students create products

Posted: April 12, 2016

It’s that time of the year….TESTING! At my site, the English and Math teachers test students while the other classes teach on a block schedule. This may not be a big deal for you if you already teach that way, but the transition can be tough for some. One of the best ways to make this […]

2 comments

Accessing FREE eBooks with the Open eBooks app

Posted: April 4, 2016

Back in February, the amazing Open eBooks program began offering thousands of free eBooks to low-income students in America. The New York Public Library developed an e-Reader app that comes loaded with eBooks for students ages 4-18, which can be read without any checkouts or holds. While hundreds of books are already in public domain, the […]

0 comments

How keyboard shortcuts will make your life easier

Posted: March 15, 2016

I have mixed feelings about shortcuts. As a driver, a shortcut to a destination can either be a timesaver or a frustrating “tour of the city.” Google Maps has taken me down some interesting routes, with the only benefit being that I now know where certain roads end. When it comes to my students, I’m not fond […]

2 comments
How to create a table of contents in Google Docs | educational technology | education | lesson plans | activities | first year of teaching

Creating a table of contents in Google Docs

Posted: March 8, 2016

Yesterday I ruminated on the subject of this week’s blog post. I finally decided that it’s time to go over how to create a table of contents in Google Docs. This is more of an intermediate tutorial geared for those of you who are already well on your way with the app. Why a table of contents? There […]

0 comments
google sheets | spreadsheets | how to use google sheets | educational technology

Some Google Sheets fun

Posted: March 1, 2016

For the past several weeks I’ve been writing about Google Docs and a little bit about Google Forms. For those of you who are familiar with Google Apps for Education (GAFE), you know that there are other apps in the suite that are amazing. Today I want to highlight a few functions I use in […]

0 comments
collaborate with students | collaborate learning | creating together | education | teaching | google apps | educational technology

Collaborate and create with Google Apps

Posted: February 16, 2016

During this past 4-day weekend, I spent some of my time working on various tasks. One of them was creating a trip packing list, and another was grading some of my students’ performance task essays. For both, I took advantage of the collaborative nature of Google Apps for Education (GAFE). I know I’ve written about this […]

0 comments
microsoft word formatting | annoying formatting | Google Docs

How to getting rid of that pesky Microsoft Word formatting

Posted: January 19, 2016

I have blogged several times about one of my new tech best friends, Google Docs. Ever since I discovered it and forced myself to use it, I find that I prefer it over Microsoft Word. Don’t get me wrong; I still love Word. I’ve been using it forever, and before that WordPerfect (did I just age […]

0 comments
blogging | why students should blog | how students should blog | digital footprint | lesson plans

How to use four popular presentation apps for the iPad

Posted: January 12, 2016

And we’re BACK! After a luxuriously long and restful three weeks of Winter Break, the staff at my school came stumbling back yesterday morning. We got right to business with our third EduCon, dubbed the WinterCon. We’ve received so much buzz around the district about these events that we had visitors from the district office […]

0 comments
presentation apps | best presentation apps | lesson plans | first year teacher | teaching | incorporating technology | educational technology | teaching with technology

Googlizing a unit: Part 2

Posted: November 10, 2015

Last week I featured Googlizing a unit: Part 1, where I outlined the first part of a multidisciplinary unit that involves evaluating presentation apps. Throughout the unit, students used various Google Apps to work collaboratively. This week’s post features the second part of that unit, including the summative assessment at the end. Here are the remaining […]

0 comments
educational technology | teaching | google apps | first year teacher

Googlizing a unit: Part 1

Posted: November 3, 2015

Last month, I mentioned in a post that I had attended the San Diego GAFE Summit. During this conference, two sessions really stood out to me: one on the SAMR model and Google Apps and one on how to survive the zombie apocalypse with Google Apps. While the facilitators were wowing me with their content, I started thinking […]

0 comments
Edpuzzle | flipped classroom | flip your classroom | educational technology

Engaging your class with EdPuzzle

Posted: October 20, 2015

This past weekend my fellow Blended Learning Specialist Erin Southam and I participated in the San Diego Google Apps for Education Summit in beautiful Coronado, CA. During this summit, I learned about Edpuzzle during a session with Roni Habib. This tool is one of the ultimate cross-curricular tools, and is relatively easy to setup and manage. Why […]

0 comments
embed media | embedding media | adding media to wordpress | adding media to a blog | educational technology

7 methods for embedding multimedia into your blog or website

Posted: October 13, 2015

This past weekend my students diligently worked on their blog posts for the 2015 Student Blogging Challenge. I created an exemplar for them so that they could see exactly how their blog post should look like (which included embedding multimedia), and gave them the weekend to work on it. One of the most exciting components […]

6 comments
grading assignments | grade book | online grade book | standards based grading | rubrics | JupiterEd

What makes JupiterEd the ultimate Learning Management System

Posted: September 18, 2015

If you’re not using JupiterEd yet, why not? As an educator time management is crucial if you want to have any time for your friends and family! Those who’ve been following my blog already know that I’m a HUGE fan of JupiterEd and extol its virtues and amazing features that I use on a regular basis. And […]

0 comments
Google drive | dropbox | online storage | best technology for teachers | technology | educational technology | tools for teachers

Why you should choose Google Drive over Dropbox

Posted: September 15, 2015

It’s hard to believe how much stuff I have stored in the cloud.  I have files in Dropbox, in Google Drive, my whole computer is backed up to Backblaze, and I also have Time Machine backing up more files to an external drive.  I’m kind of a storage backup freak. In my school, teachers and students are […]

0 comments
Thinglink | Educational Technology | teaching strategies | lesson plans | blended learning

An example of using Thinglink to bring a unit of study together

Posted: September 10, 2015

My students just finished reading “The Monkey’s Paw,” and walked away with mixed feelings.  They liked the mysterious mood of it, but HATE stories with unresolved endings! I explained that they must infer the ending, which makes it so deliciously suspenseful! I love that incredibly creepy story with a powerful message: be careful what you wish for!  To […]

0 comments
submitting assignments | online assignments | JupiterEd

How to submit assignments to JupiterEd from other applications

Posted: September 8, 2015

This is the third installment of my multi-part series on JupiterEd.  Last week I covered Juno Docs, and the week prior to that was Basics of JupiterEd. This week I want to show you how students can submit assignments from different apps to JupiterEd. While this tutorial is iPad specific, students can still use the basic […]

0 comments
mystery location call | mystery Skype call

How to incorporate a Mystery Location Call into your lessons

Posted: September 7, 2015

We finally did a Mystery Hangout, and it was so much fun! This past Friday my first period participated in a Mystery Location Call with one of the classes at Shawn Churchill‘s school.  I originally connected with her via the Mystery Location Call Google+ Community, which has many members and is still growing.  We exchanged messages via email, […]

0 comments
blogging | why students should blog | how students should blog | digital footprint | lesson plans

Using Juno Docs for submitting and grading assignments

Posted: September 1, 2015

This is the second installment of my multi-part series on JupiterEd.  Last week I covered the basics of JupiterEd, and this week I want to show you how students can submit assignments right in JupiterEd so that you can grade them within the program. Because of the scope of the information covered, I would consider […]

0 comments
grade book | grading assignments | teacher grade book | JupiterEd | standards based grading | learning management system

The basics of JupiterEd and how it can make teaching easier

Posted: August 25, 2015

This is the first of a multi-part series on some of the specific features of the LMS JupiterEd. This is a beginning/intermediate level overview of JupiterEd and the features that I think are used the most. This will be most beneficial for those who are just starting out, need a refresher, or are just curious […]

0 comments
Thinglink | educational technology | student engagement | visible learning

Foster student engagement and visible learning with Thinglink

Posted: August 19, 2015

Thinglink is a tool allows you to create interactive images that can be used in a variety of ways. Both students and teachers can create these images, which helps to drive student learning and motivation. It offers a free and paid Premium version, but I’ve been able to do just fine with the free one! […]

0 comments
student blogging | how to blog with students | blogging lesson plans | first year teaching

What I learned from blogging with my students

Posted: August 16, 2015

As I’d mentioned before, we’re finally blogging! At the time of this writing, there are 172 student posts on our team blog.  I’m so proud of my students for doing this without any fuss or muss, and I’m hoping that after a few more opportunities, they’ll see the value in it. As someone who’s always […]

4 comments

Gamify Open House, Back-to-School Night, or Parent Night

Posted: August 14, 2015

Another Open House came and went (#13!), but this time with a twist.  Since I’m looping with my students (this is my second year with them), I’m also looping with their parents!  I couldn’t do the SAME thing I did last year for Back-To-School Night because THAT would be boring. So I decided to mix […]

0 comments
Publishing a blog post | student blogging | how to blog with students | how students can blog | first year teaching

How to publish a blog post in WordPress: a pictorial

Posted: August 12, 2015

We’re finally blogging! We’ve gone from paper blogging to the real deal! Yesterday we logged in and went step-by-step, going through the different components of a blog post in Edublogs. I wanted them to slowly learn the procedures that they should follow every time they post to the class blog. Starting this week they’ll be blogging in their […]

2 comments
paper blogging | why students should blog | how students should blog | digital footprint | lesson plans

Mastering student blogging with Paper blogging

Posted: August 12, 2015

I will be the first to admit that paper blogging was not in any way my original idea.  I actually saw the idea from several posts: Paper Blogs: A Lesson in Commenting on Student Blogs Learning to Blog Using Paper Blogging Lesson Plan- Writing Making Paper Blogs to Prepare for the Online Experience I had searched […]

0 comments
student collaboration | group work | Google Docs | Google Apps for Education | GAFE | online learning | collaboration

How students can be collaborative with Google Docs

Posted: August 11, 2015

How to use Google Docs in your class tomorrow (using an iPad or computer) During the past few years I’ve had the chance to try out Google Docs as a collaborative tool with my students.  Group work is a breeze when everyone can work together simultaneously! Google Docs isn’t always perfect: If a student starts […]

0 comments
blogging | why students should blog | how students should blog | digital footprint | lesson plans

First steps and considerations with student blogging

Posted: August 6, 2015

I mentioned before that a few years back I incorporated student blogging and created a series of lessons.  I had blogging, commenting, and copyright use lessons, however I revisited those and found them to be stale. So this time around I searched for new material that I could utilize to spruce up those lessons. There are […]

0 comments
student blogging | blogging with students | why students should blog | digital footprint

Why I’m diving into student blogging

Posted: August 5, 2015

These past few weeks I’ve been reading some game-changing posts by George Couros. I’m particularly drawn to his posts about why educators and administrators should blog, and about having students create digital portfolios via blogs. Both of these ideas resonate with me, particularly the part about students having a voice for an authentic audience, and using […]

0 comments
standards-based grading | standards based grading | assessment | rubric | assessment for learning | how to grade | how to grade fairly | best way to grade

Switching to standards-based grading to improve student outcomes

Posted: August 5, 2015

My standards-based grading journey Standards-based grading has been a part of my educational journey, and I’m working on refining it.  A few years ago in my early foray into English Language Arts, I attempted this on a whim but quickly became overwhelmed with it.  It seemed far too labor-intensive in terms of grading, and I’m […]

2 comments
Working in groups | student group work | collaboration | collaborative learning | teamwork | first year teaching

Fostering collaboration and teamwork into your curriculum

Posted: August 2, 2015

This year I want to work on building more engagement into my curriculum, while also fostering teamwork and collaboration. I’m not sure why it took me 13 years to “think” of this!  To facilitate this, I’m going to test it out on Fridays. For this first official Friday, I decided to do a team-building exercise […]

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Hi, I'm Kim! I help new and beginning teachers navigate through their crazy first few years of teaching so that they can THRIVE instead of survive.
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