Every Tuesday SmartBrief on EdTech runs Tech Tips, a column featuring suggestions and recommendations from school technologists and tech-using educators. This month, we are running a roundup of the top tips from the year. Today we offer ideas for gauging student comprehension in a one-to-one classroom; using Google Tone; creating how-to videos; why teachers should think before they post online; and key elements for building connected classrooms.
Tech Tip: Checking for understanding in a one-to-one classroom
Determining how well students are tracking with a concept can be a challenge in today’s classrooms where digital devices are central to instruction. The traditional signals of body language – head nods, eye contact, furrowed brows – all but disappear as students bend their heads toward their devices. This week’s Tech Tip tells how teachers can combat this challenge through the use of digital tools.
Educator: Google Chrome feature helps get teachers on the same page
Google Tone, an extension of the Google Chrome Internet browser, allows educators to share URLs using sound, writes Elizabeth Alaniz, director of professional development and district initiatives for Weslaco Independent School District in Texas. In this blog post, she offers step-by-step instructions for using the feature.
Educator: How to develop simple “how to” videos
Adrian Cantu, a social studies strategist at Weslaco Independent School District in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, suggests using Screencastify to develop “how to” videos. In this blog post, Cantu describes how to use the program.
Tech Tip: There are consequences to posting online
Educators should think twice before making online posts, according to Mike Ribble, director of technology for the Manhattan-Ogden Public Schools in Manhattan, Kan. In this blog post, Ribble suggests that educators be respectful, learn about the technology they are using and protect themselves online.
Tips to build connected classrooms
There are five key elements to building connected classrooms, Robert Dillon, director of innovation for the Affton School District in St. Louis, Mo., writes in this blog post. Elements include giving students a voice, having partnerships in the community and beyond, and tackling real-world problems.
Tech Tips is a content collaboration between SmartBrief Education and GreyED Solutions. Have a tech tip to share? Contact us at techtips@greyedsolutions.com
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