Using EdTech to Teach the Arts

Technology offers endless opportunities to expand and enrich the way students learn. While many of us grew up learning to draw with pencil and paper, shaping clay with our hands, or gluing stiff pieces of macaroni to construction paper, today, the ways in which students can learn are infinite—and decidedly less messy.

Beyond cutting down on cleanup time, using edtech to teach the arts offers other unexpected benefits. Technology allows students with disabilities new, more accessible ways of creating, evens the playing field for kids who believe they can’t draw a straight line, and increases engagement for learners who might otherwise be reluctant to learn the arts. 

Below are a handful of impressive edtech tools that can be used for teaching the arts.  

Google Arts & Culture 

A quick scroll on Google Arts & Cultures reveals a multiverse of engaging content for curious kids—and adults, too. Curious students can explore art and art history by color, a time period, a culture or a theme. 

The site provides virtual tours of faraway museums or galleries, as well as a collection of arts and culture-based games in addition to its deep dives on visual art. 

Smarthistory

The result of a collaboration of more than 500 professionals in the art world, Smarthistory is another great resource for educators and students. The site hosts a variety of webinars, videos, courses and multimedia textbooks on topics of art history ranging from ancient Egyptian artifacts to modern art. 

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts offers educators free lesson plans on subjects like visual art, theatre, opera, literary arts and more. Whether you’re prepping for a high school lesson plan on Shakespeare or an elementary school unit on the life cycle of sunflowers using Van Gogh’s paintings, the Kennedy Center offers a rich resource for educators. Eager learners can also view video-based art lessons from a roster of talented visiting teachers.  

PlayART app

A fun app designed with younger children in mind, PlayArt allows kids to use existing elements from classic artwork and add their own touch, encouraging both artistic exploration with a pinch of art history. 

Music Constructed

Music Constructed provides music teachers with a variety of lesson plans, teaching units and a wealth of ideas, as well as three tiers of professional development resources. The site also boasts an online forum where teachers can network, connect or ask questions of their peers. 

Soundtrap 

Students can collaborate on musical projects or podcasts through Soundtrap, a cloud-based app. Soundtrap lets students experiment with sound, recording, rhythm and more. Students and teachers can add tracks from home, allowing plenty of opportunities to collaborate, whether in the classroom or from home. 

Book Creator

With Book Creator, students can create impressing, multimedia comic books, magazines or books. Designed to include reluctant writers and kids with learning differences, the app allows users to incorporate voice recordings, videos, icons, emojis and more as tools for expression. 

Six Steps to Follow for Digital Cleanup

Spooky season is upon us, and to teachers and admin everywhere, there’s nothing scarier than clutter. As far as stressful messes go, classroom clutter takes the cake: disheveled books, piles of unsorted papers, and stale dry erase markers littered all over the place. 

However, there’s another type of clutter that is arguably more important (and therefore, more disruptive to teachers), and that is digital debris. Although less noticeable to others, digital messes take up space, both electronic and mental.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your electronic messes, don’t be afraid! Just follow these six, must-do steps for digital cleaning.

1. Get your email in good shape. Unless you’re someone who automatically sorts email as soon as it arrives (a tough, but good habit), you’re probably due for an email inbox overhaul. This is a good time to trash useless mail, and while you’re at it, unsubscribe from some pesky auto-mailings. Create specified folders (ex. parent communication, observations, extra-curricular activities) to stay organized.
   

2. Be smart about storage. For smart phones specifically, loading your device with unused apps, dormant text messages, and too many pictures slows the efficiency of the machine (and uses precious battery power). This is especially important if you’re using teacher apps like Plickers or Class Dojo on your personal device. Rid your phone of excess “weight” by deleting apps you no longer use, comb through your photo albums, and delete old text messages.
   

3. Cleanup your Google Classroom. Keep your GC nice and tidy by archiving old classes and deleting old class calendars. Consider creating a folder specifically to store exemplary work for students’ future reference. Remember to not delete the Classroom folder; it’s necessary and difficult to recover.
   

4. Make your desktop presentable. If you’re too embarrassed to screen share your desktop with the class, then it’s time for some organizational overhaul. Sort documents, pictures, and other files into existing folders, or create new ones. While you’re at it, sift through old folders, trashing documents that are no longer relevant.
   

5. Give your devices a dusting. Literally. Dust and particles can damage the efficiency of your machine over time. To clean it, wipe the exterior and screen with a dry, microfiber cloth. Gently turn over the keyboard to allow the debris to fall. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, use compressed air to ensure that it’s as clean as new and running smoothly.
   

6. Backup the important stuff. It’s an easy task to forget, but one that will serve you well in the future: offload pictures, videos, and important files to a safer location. Dropbox and Google Drive provide perfect locations to safely store files, but you can also opt to use an external hard drive.

Implementing these steps will give you (and your devices) renewed energy and a fresh outlook.

The Ten Best Apps for Education

Among the challenges of the 2020-2021 academic school year will undoubtedly be the need for teachers to implement creative forms of instruction. Luckily, the technological world is brimming with interesting and effective resources. Below are ten of the best, most effective educational apps; there’s something for every age and every subject.

• Google Classroom is one element of Google’s G Suite for Education. It provides teachers with an easy to use and very well organized forum, and students enjoy the ability to easily view and access assignments and other resources. Discussion forums and teacher-student messages provides an opportunity for collaboration or extra help.
  

• Let little ones learn through play with Kids Academy app. The app, created by experts in early education, is aimed at children pre-K to third grade. The features include handpicked interactive activities, plenty of entertaining game-like lessons, and weekly performance reports.
  

• Khan Academy is a robust, free, personalized learning resource for students between Grades 3-12. The engaging instructional videos and practice exercises allows students to study at their own pace. In addition to test preparation (such as SAT, Praxis, and even the LSAT), subjects include math, science, computing, history, and art history.
  

• Designed to strengthen communication and connection, Edmodo’s learning app helps teachers reach their students while achieving better educational outcomes. Parents are also able to create accounts, giving them the opportunity to check on their child’s assignments, grades, and calendars.  
  

• The preschool curriculum by ABCmouse focuses on skills in Reading, Math, and a Social Studies and Science combination called World Around Us. Each game or interactive activity is intended to strengthen knowledge and understanding of basics, such as sounds, numbers, shapes, and alphabet. Parents and kids love the fun that ABCmouse has to offer.
  

• ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard is perfect for teachers who may be instructing remotely or with a hybrid model in this upcoming school year. It allows teachers (and students) to create presentations and share them- either individually or to an audience. In the presentation, the user can record helpful voiceover, making it simple for students to follow along.
  

• Nearpod lets teachers design interactive lesson plans, presentations, and assessments. The lessons themselves are composed of slides, which the teacher creates; these can include text, video, websites, polls, and other features. This gives students the option of using their own devices on their own time, or teachers can lead a synchronized session in real time. This app is ideal for middle or high school students.
  

• Quizlet offers 21st century students a modern way to study. Choose an existing Quizlet, or you can create your own to perfectly fit the content. Kids can compete for high scores and play study games. It’s a great way to encourage collaboration at a distance.
  

• Introduce your students to another world with NASA App. They’ll navigate the universe through photos, videos, live feeds, and unlimited text information. Whether the topic is Mars, the International Space Station, or Black Holes, young astronomers are sure to find what they’re looking for.
  

• Duolingo is a highly rated English language app for beginners. It’s friendly and gamified, giving users a fun and non-intimidating setting for learning a new language. The lessons are twenty minutes long, and are created around a topic and seven related vocabulary words.

Which apps do you love to use with your students? Leave us a comment below.

The Device to Upgrade in 2020

The beginning of a calendar year means that it’s time for out with the old and in with the new. In the educational and business worlds, the adage applies to the ongoing need to assess the efficacy of technologies. Although most quality devices are designed to last for several years, it’s still prudent to evaluate how well they are meeting the user’s needs. 

For teachers, middle-of-the-year technological changes (especially to their own device) can be difficult to integrate. When the year is in full swing, lesson planning and grading take precedence over navigating a new gadget. Because of this, it’s best to consider implementing the upgrades at the close of the school year. Summer will provide some time to become familiar with the upgraded technology, allowing for comfort and confidence in the new device just in time for school to begin.  

As you’re looking ahead and preparing for the upcoming year, take stock in the efficacy of your computer. If it’s not meeting the needs of yourself or your staff, here is the upgrade we recommend for 2020. 

The Elite Desk 705 is the latest and greatest desktop model from HP’s Z Lineup. Its lag-free performance allows for more productivity in shorter time. And just like teachers, the Elite Desk 705’s strength is multitasking. Windows 10 Pro3 with advanced security, collaboration, and connectivity helps the user effortlessly power through the day. 

With students’ interests in mind, its multifaceted capabilities are designed to handle the best STEM software including SolidWorks, AutoDesk AutoCAD, and AutoDesk REVIT. And with the potential to expand to more bays and slots, it’s the perfect investment that will meet the needs of the upcoming decade. 

Discover more about the Elite Desk 705 and the entire Z by HP Lineup here. 

The Tech-Lover’s Holiday Wish List and 2020 Classroom Must-Haves

As silver white winters melt into spring, many parents complain of the already-forgotten holiday things; toys have been discarded, and gadgets are broken or low on battery. That’s why, when selecting a gift, it’s crucial to consider the long-term engagement potential and usefulness. The perfect gift is one that captures the recipient’s interest for months or years to come.

As leaders in the field of technology, we’re familiar with hundreds of noteworthy and interesting devices. For the end-of-year holidays and for 2020, here are a few of our favorite things.

For babies and toddlers.

· Anyone with kids knows that everything farm-related is a huge hit with the little ones. Leapfrog’s Sing & Play Farm contains several fine motor-enhancing features to push, pull, and switch. Paired with five play areas and animal sounds galore, this toy is sure to keep their attention.

For young children.

· Vtech’s Touch and Learn Activity Desk features dozens of educational, interactive activities. Four double-sided cards introduce letters, numbers, animals, and people. From vocabulary words, to an easel and chalkboard and musical melodies, there is always something new to explore.

· Let their imaginations run wild with these KidiGo Walkie Talkies. These two-way radios are kid safe and keep conversations secure from other radio users. The backlit, LCD screens also allow for the exchange of messages. Talk about endless entertainment!

For middle and high school students.

· Give the gift of gaming adventure with the Xbox One S Two Controller Bundle. The system, which includes two controllers, 3-month trial of Xbox Game Pass, and a 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold, has impressive 4k Resolution. And with over 1,300 games to choose from, it will truly take your gift-ee to another world.

· Whether it’s for a backyard birthday BBQ or a classroom dance party, this HP portable Bluetooth speaker makes getting the perfect tunes for any event, easy.

For any age.

· ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 is sleek, stylish, and boasts an amazing 87% screen-to-body ratio. It’s no wonder that this beauty has attracted countless positive reviews from across the Internet universe.

· The SmartThings Hub provides the user with connectivity to all of their devices, such as lights, locks, speakers, and thermostats. Additionally, the SmartThings outlet, directed via app, gives the user the ability the control whatever is currently plugged into the outlet. Both of these make the perfect gift for a practical tech aficionado, or a husband who’s tired of turning the car around to make sure the hair straightener is off.

· Anyone will feel like an incognito Inspector Gadget with Google’s Wear OS watch. Keep track of fitness goals, get reminded of meetings, and become notified about texts and calls all from one smart piece of jewelry. Choose one to go with every style, and read more about the countless ways a SmartWatch can help simplify life.

For classrooms.

· Teachers have enough to do without having to answer a million, repeated questions. A Digital Vision Viewer Document Camera is a game changer in this regard; teachers have the ability to project a physical document for the whole class to see. Whether it’s modeling a complex math problem, or projecting answers for a trade and grade, this helps save the teacher’s voice (and sanity).

· With up to 14 hours of battery life, this Chromebook 3100 Education by Dell is durable, practical, and affordable, making it the perfect match for the classroom.

Here’s hoping that one of our favorite things will also become a treasured belonging to one of your favorite people.

Teaching Tips: How to Stay Organized All Year

All teachers can relate. School has only recently resumed, and yet, your desk is buried under stacks of papers and miscellaneous school supplies. Post-it notes containing countless clerical to-dos are everywhere. Between the desk mess, a teeming inbox, and planning for upcoming lessons, it’s difficult to know what to tackle first.  

There’s a reason why disorganization is an issue for most teachers; the profession is incredibly demanding. It requires one to make hundreds of decisions per day, all pertaining to the monumental task of educating children. Because of the urgency of students’ needs and lesson preparation, it’s easy for organizational maintenance to fall to the wayside. 

Instead of adding more hours to your already-busy workweek, incorporate these simple tips to stay organized all year. 

Make the most of every minute. 

It’s certainly tempting to use your breaks linger in the teacher’s lounge, comparing the day’s tales with colleagues. But think of it this way: every unused moment is work time added to your evening. Time is valuable, and many daily tasks only require a few minutes each. So the next time you have a short break (or when your students are working independently), use the opportunity to enter grade book data, arrange instructional materials for the next class, or answer a quick email from a parent.  

Get your students involved.  

Smoothly run classrooms call for everyone to do their part. Kids love to help with daily duties, so use that enthusiasm to your advantage. Ask a student to pass out lesson materials while you get your Power Point into slideshow mode. Assign a few kids each week to take care of a designated area of the classroom; one can tidy bookshelves, the other can organize art supplies or keep staplers and tape stocked. If left only to the teacher, these tiny tasks can accrue. Delegate small jobs to students when applicable, and consider it a learning opportunity. 

Utilize digital tools. 

The technological world is brimming with resources designed for classroom use. In addition to enhancing student engagement, many of these tech tools can also aid in administrative duties. Google Drive allows teachers remote access to files, so they can keep documents in one place, but work on them anywhere. With the ability to submit assignments electronically, mysterious paper disappearances will be thing of the past. Google calendar is another beneficial tool. With it, important due dates and school events become always accessible to students and their families. 

Maintain a clear workspace.  

Because of the busy nature of a teacher’s day, it’s easy for your personal desk to become a “catch-all” location. Sifting through the day’s debris then becomes a daunting afternoon chore. To avoid wasting time merely muddling through the piles, create file shelves so that every unfinished project (such as incomplete grading) has its own place. Having designated locations, and taking the extra few seconds to maintain them, will result in a neat, clean area for when it’s time to get to work. 

Teachers are professional jugglers with a wide range of daily responsibilities. With so much on the to-do list, organization is imperative. This year, implement these routines so that you can spend less time managing mess and more time inspiring intellect. 

Tackle Productivity Head-On With These 5 Tech Hacks

Time. It’s always something you need more of, especially as school administrators. Your days tend to be full of improving instruction, managerial tasks, delegating and creating a climate where kids want to learn. That’s a lot to pack into a single day. Good thing there are lots of tech hacks that can get help get you organized and STAY organized.

Here are 5 tech hacks you should be using every day to boost productivity:

1. Use Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft Outlook has tons of productivity and time management tools. You can use it to set appointments and remind yourself of tasks with the Calendar. You can also organize your schedule by day, week or even year. Outlook Calendar has these fun, colorful sticky notes that you can drag anywhere on your screen. Don’t forget to list the times you aren’t available – lunches, personal development time and vacations. This hack helps to keep your staff updated about your time too.

2. Set a daily reminder to check Microsoft Teams and Google Tasks. Microsoft Teams is the hub for teamwork in Office 365. It contains chat threads and online meetings. Make it a point to come in every day and check Chat and note any meetings that may have popped up so you’ll never have to scramble at the last minute. If Google is more your thing, the same rule applies. Google Tasks can only keep you on, well, task, if you use it on a daily basis.

3. Set up email filters. Whether you use Gmail or Outlook, filters are wildly available. With filters, you can automatically sort your emails and move them into folders. You can filter messages by subject line, sender, large attachments, etc. and even send canned responses. If you’re not filtering your emails, you could be missing the important ones because they’re lost in all the junk that’s littering up your inbox.

4. Download a personal dashboard extension. This can be a real timesaver, especially if the first thing you do in the morning is look at your laptop. Wake up knowing your to-dos, the weather and even add words of inspiration.

5. Keep your digital workspace tidy. It’s easy to let general digital housekeeping duties fall to the wayside, especially when you’re busy. But, if it takes you forever to wade through your files, folders or desktop to find what you need, skipping clean-up tasks won’t do you any favors. Set a reminder for the end of each day or week to clear out your downloads and desktop.

Put these hacks into practice and you’ll be on your way to your most productive year yet! Let us know how it goes in the comments.

Administrators: Here is your Summer Reading List

Whether you’re hitting the road this summer or just lounging by the pool, a great book can really enrich the experience. Why not make it one that puts you ahead of the game with education technology for the fall term? Wondering about Chromebooks, G Suite or Google Classroom? Brush up on your knowledge or even demystify a topic with a paperback. We’ve chosen a couple guides for mastering tech in the classroom that are a must-have on your summer reading list.

4 Books to Read on EdTech

• The Chromebook Classroom: If you’re considering Chromebooks for your school, you need this guide by John R. Sowash. It gives a fast, clear roadmap for turning a new fleet of Chromebooks into rich learning tools for a single classroom or an entire district. The Chromebook Classroom is the perfect companion for any educator just getting started with Chromebooks, or one that’s looking for new ways to boost their students' learning through technology. Buy it here.

• The Google Infused Classroom: This paperback, by EdTech experts Holly Clark and Tanya Avrith, is perfect for any educator looking to use technology in the classroom. It is filled with practical ideas and strategies about using G Suite. It focuses on 20 essential Google tools that will help your teachers learn to incorporate into their classrooms. Buy it here.

• Shake Up Learning: This book by Kasey Bell is divided into three parts to help educators explore why they need to shake up learning with technology and what changes you can have your teachers make in their classrooms. The book also includes ideas for lesson planning and tips on digital learning, plus free downloads. Buy it here.

• 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom: Educators Alice Keeler and Libbi Miller have answered one of the most frequently-asked questions with this book, “How can I effectively implement digital tools in the classroom when I don’t fully understand them myself?” It offers a thorough overview of the Google Classroom App, including how to create a paperless classroom, set up a Google Classroom, share announcements and offer virtual office hours. Buy it here.

Dive into these books this summer and then put them in the staffroom this fall to share with your teachers. They are a great resource for anyone who wants to successfully incorporate technology in education. Have another great read that’s changed your thinking? Share it below!

Why Administrators Should Use OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is changing the way students learn and teachers stay organized. But, did you know it is also ideal for administrators who need to keep everyone on the same page and make sure processes run smooth?

 OneNote has a lot of moving parts, but its main purpose is organization. It keeps everything in its place and has a place for everything. Once you use it, you’ll wonder how you ever worked without it.

Staff Notebooks Are Where It’s At

Throw the binders away. OneNote’s Staff Notebooks have everything you need to improve your school’s efficiency. It streamlines communication, keeps tracks of meeting agendas and minutes, and allows you to post faculty teaching assignments and professional development trainings.

Staff Notebooks contain three parts: a collaboration space, a shared content library and a personal workspace for every staff member.

• Collaboration Space: Everyone in your school or on your team has access to view and edit the content found here. This is a perfect place for to post staff meeting agendas, discussions and brainstorming. You can ask faculty to work together on initiatives and projects and to post their ideas for guest speakers and events.

• Content Library: Here you can add content for the staff leader to view. Add pages for professional development, data analysis workshops, school calendars and schedules - basically any information that would normally be sent out over multiple email attachments. It’s also organized and searchable.

• Personal Workspace: Use this space for communication between yourself and staff members. Parent communication notes, student support team information, lesson plans and evaluation and observation reflections can all be organized and kept here. You can also search and find multiple documents over multiple years.

OneNote’s Tools Make It All Come Together

Not only are OneNote’s features, like Staff Notebook and Class Notebook, awesome for educators, but the practical tools built into the design are mind-blowing.

• Add Any Content: Text, images and video can be added to any page and can be enlarged and minimized while presenting live, with a pinch and zoom. Plus, OneNote is an infinite canvas that expands at-will.

• Digital Inking: This is just one of the many ways you can add content to a page. You can project the device and annotate text, including highlighting words and lines. Plus, there are handy “Ink to Text” and “Ink to Math” options.

• Available On Everything: OneNote can be accessed on a variety of devices – PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and even Chromebook. It updates in real-time, so multiple devices, i.e. a phone and laptop, and can used simultaneously.

• Saving Is Automatic: Everything is always saved when you work in OneNote. There are no buttons to click; ideal for teachers and staff who need to refer to the information later.

Do you love OneNote as much as we do? Tell us in the comments!