#DITCHbook was created by Ditch That Textbook author Matt Miller. The chat focuses on innovative teaching ideas and disrupting standard textbook education.
Good evening, #ditchbook! Evan Mosier, Technology Integrationist Lead Teacher from Davenport, IA! Love this chat and happy to join @FriendsinFourth and @MrMerrillsClass!!! Great people!!
Hi, my name is Becca Reed. I am a preservice middle level math/history teacher studying at Grove City College. I live in Allentown, PA. I am super excited for this chat! #ditchbook#gccedu
A1: There's so many tools now to elevate student voice @Flipgrid, @padlet, #GoogleClassroom. Students can find their voice and contribute in the ways they choose. #ditchbook
A1: The teacher that I work with on a daily basis has an enormous room, and sadly, we don't get as active as we should. There is moving around to join different groups, but outside of that, we have some work to do #ditchbook
A1 In computer science I tie the lessons into the curriculum so that programming becomes part of their thematic unit. I also use lessons from @hellorubyworld with incorporates lots of movement and creating. #ditchbook
A1: I get my kids up and moving when I can. Small room and many HS kids make it tough sometimes. Rotate an expert from table to table, or expert and home group learning situations work. #ditchbook
A1: Added graffiti walls this year... also just added scrabble tiles (magnets) to a door for spelling practice. We're mobile and up around the room often; just starting out with #gamification but leaving QR codes for "easter eggs" around room too #DitchBook
A1: Love giving my students choices on where to sit in relation to their learning style and the task at hand. Also love me some green paint-put the big, bare wall to great use! #ditchbook
A1: I use @DeckToys a lot! There are #breakout activities and student-to-student activities as well to get the kids up on their feet... even a Jeopardy-like game show within #ditchbook
A1: Allow my students to collaborate on projects in class and with our partner school in France, @lyceebazin . Design creative lessons and integrate technology into the lessons. Make it fun and real for the Ss. #ditchbook
A1: You can make your classroom interactive by doing things other than just a lecture all the time. Get the students out of their seats or onto technology. #ditchbook
This chat has already had me thinking about a #hyperdoc station where different areas of the room are for working on different parts of a hyperdoc #ditchbook
A1: Having rotation stations, and allowing students some choice in where they go does help. Ss need to play an active role in how they learn #ditchbook
A1.2 #HyperDocs are a FANTASTIC way to incorporate interactive activities into my lessons. Especially love adding a digital breakout to my units. The kids go nuts for those. #ditchbook
A1: I made class more interactive by planning with the Ss in mind. No more desks in rows, activities that require movement and conversation. No more sit and get #ditchbook
A1: I am a preservice teacher, so I do not yet have my own classroom. However, in the future, when I have my own classroom, I plan to make it more interactive through Bring Your Own Device, arranging desks in small groups, and student involvement within my lessons. #ditchbook
A1: Ss need to do things with our content like:
*provide opp for true collaboration
*get Ss creating with your content in a variety of ways that include some non tech options as well
*provide authentic audiences for what Ss create
#DitchBook
I'm sure I stole the QR code easter egg thing from @mrmatera or his book or #xplap and the Scrabble actually came about from a blog by @tamaraletter a long while back... finally got them to stick #DitchBook
In reply to
@FriendsinFourth, @mrmatera, @tamaraletter
Q2: For a lesson to be #interactive it needs to be responsive. Describe a lesson that you have made more interactive and what tool you used to do so. #ditchbook
A1: I make my room more interactive by teaching with the "flipped" method... I don't do a lot of lecture, I'm a guide on the side as the students learn and explore. #ditchbook
first twitter chat for this fifth grade teacher in california. A1 I try to make my lessons collaborative and creative. I want students doing the work and producing something interesting. #ditchbook
A1: Liza ditching from Dhaka!
Many activities that involve group work that allows them to move around the classroom. We have a “middle room” that allows some Ss to work in a quieter environment (when they choose to do so). #ditchbook
A2: I just shared an idea with @MrMerrillsClass about a hyperdoc station where Ss move about the room to collaborate and interact on different parts of a hyperdoc, student ownership, activity, and interactive learning! #ditchbook
A2: I have an expert/home group slide deck activity ready to go for next week. Ss join an expert group and learn about a topic then come back to their home group and they share. #ditchbook
A2: I did a sentence structure activity involving simple envelopes around the room! Ss grabbed a subject, a verb, and object and had to create a sentence using those. Lots of movement. Minimal preparation, and a whole lot of engagement! #ditchbook
In my technologies of instruction class, we are assigned cooperating teachers and we make technological tools for their classroom. I made two google forms quizzes for my cooperating teacher to make one of her lessons more #interactive. #ditchbook#gccedu
A2: @edpuzzle has changed the game on INTERACTIVE. Q&A right inside a video, with student control to access and speed of learning. Flipped, station rotation, HW, and more. It's a MUST for raising interactions. #ditchbook
A2: Just today I integrated Nearpod into our opinion writing lesson. We read from a website, watched a video, took notes and went on a virtual field trip. Same old required writing task—just interACTIVE! #ditchbook
A2: In my technologies of instruction class, we are assigned cooperating teachers and we make technological tools for their classroom. I made two google forms quizzes for my cooperating teacher to make one of her lessons more #interactive. #ditchbook#gccedu
A2: I have not taught any lessons yet since I am still a student but I did recently make a #nearpod presentation for my virtual co-op @BJKURTZ It is a presentation that students can have right in front of them and there are different tools to use in it as well. #ditchbook
A2: Had to teach border states of MO... instead of popping up a map, gave groups a sticky note w two state abbreviations and told them to figure out what the letters meant. Used Google classroom and a Google Doc typed in white ink as a clue to the state research proj #DitchBook
A2: Students need a voice to show what they know, and using Screencastify is a great way to allow students different ways to respond and reflect on their learning. My own children use it for chair tests during band! Awesome tool! #ditchbook
A2- We have added VR into lesson to help students gain an understanding of what they are reading or learning about. To build prior knowledge and to help close the gap.
#ditchbook
In interactive classrooms:
1. Teachers are GUIDES on the RIDE.
2. The noise level is LOUDER.
3. Students work COLLABORATIVELY.
4. Learners are EMPOWERED.
5. Technology is used to CREATE.
#ditchbookhttps://t.co/dgVwIKz35p
A2: In French 1, Ss describe their towns. To make it more interactive, i had the Ss create maps and tours of their towns using an #appsmash of Google My Maps + @Screencastify + @Flipgrid to create an awesome presentation. Ss then shared with @lyceebazin. It was awesome #ditchbook
A2: I did a sentence structure activity involving simple envelopes around the room! Ss grabbed a subject, a verb, and object and had to create a sentence using those. Lots of movement. Minimal preparation, and a whole lot of engagement! #ditchbook
A2: I use Pear Deck in my classrooms! The kiddos love it - I like it because it's a formative assessment piece. I can monitor and check comprehension throughout our lesson. (And they have templates which makes creating them a bit easier!) #ditchbook
A2: My team & I would scaffold our qs to maximize discussions. Ss are placed in groups & must have a discussion prior to sharing. These groups are very flexible w/c allows ours Ss to work w/ others whom they haven’t worked w/ yet. #ditchbook
A2 Lesson introducing Global Issues using Answer Garden, Nearpod, Padlet, Pic Collage, Spark VIdeo and then whatever apps/tools the students used to show their understanding. #ditchbook
A2: @edpuzzle has changed the game on INTERACTIVE. Q&A right inside a video, with student control to access and speed of learning. Flipped, station rotation, HW, and more. It's a MUST for raising interactions. #ditchbook
A2: #ditchbook I also use placemarker games like this for my class, super interactive and immediate collated response from the whole class https://t.co/11tIbaMA8I
Learning how to use Placemarkers in https://t.co/Uus0ZGkHIi. T (on left) launches the Placemarker Slide App and Ss (middle and right) are asked to put their Placemarkers (aka labels) of Asia in the map. T sees student responses immediately. Cool! #edtech#blendedlearning#sschat
A2: @decktoys allows me to build lessons that are interactive both for my students and for me as a T to engage them during the class as well by launching quick polls amd draw/text responses. Check out my cool #geography deck here https://t.co/t1TqW2gwzj
A2b: Won't be there tomorrow for Magnet review so.... turned each question into a @Flipgrid video and Ss will respond to 5 they are sure of... not quite @MrMerrillsClass Flipgrid TV... but a soft copy at least :) #DitchBook
A3: By getting your students up and moving, they’ll be energized and engaged! This is my Ss favorite time of the day: “Lightning Problems!” #ditchbookhttps://t.co/ITkVmr3f2Z
Implementing Genius Hour and Focusing on Student-Driven Learning https://t.co/Fr2S8dGvgs
"The greatest gift we can give students is the ability to seek out information independently and create new content based on their passions."
#ditchbook
Ahhhh... all the @hellorubyworld love for this response!!!! YES! We did spontaneous art galleries to share our work after working through a chapter with Ruby! #ditchbook#csinsf
In reply to
@KarlyMoura, @FriendsinFourth, @hellorubyworld, @hellorubyworld
A3: Similar to what @drmarshatate says, "when the bum gets numb, the brain gets dumb!" That's not exact, but it's worth noting that movement around the classroom is imperative to student success!!! #ditchbook
A3: None of us like to "sit and get" information. We don't retain it because it is not relevant to us. When lessons are interactive, there are connections and meaning. Everything we teach NEEDS to MEAN SOMETHING! #ditchbook
And a lot of times, it's almost no work because you can find a video in @edpuzzle that somebody already added questions to, just a quick view and review of questions and you're ready to roll! #ditchbook
A3: The learning is more memorable (than a worksheet). It’s easier to remind them as well bec they remember the experience. “Do you remember when we had worked in groups & this is what you made…?” #ditchbook
A3: Ss learn wayyyy better and faster by being interactive. As a T, I get to enjoy my lesson delivery too - it's fun to see your class having fun ;) #ditchbook
Students benefit from classrooms and lessons that are interACTIVE because they are more engaged and it is easier for them to focus on learning. Sometimes when lessons are interACTIVE, the students are able to learn with more ease and it makes teaching more effective. #ditchbook
A3: Interactivity requires Ss to be ACTIVE learners - to engage with the content! Not Sideline Susans! I think interactive lessons can be more meaningful than just static lectures. They are more likely to retain information when they engage with the content. #ditchbook
That and Google Classroom, collaborative Google Slides, etc... really makes it easier for learning to continue... and I can check in with them if I have the time #DitchBook
A3: They are more engaged in what they are learning. They are having more fun and will be able to recall the material you are teaching easier. #ditchbook
A3: Students benefit from classrooms and lessons that are interACTIVE because they are more engaged and it is easier for them to focus on learning. Sometimes when lessons are interACTIVE, the students can learn with more ease and it makes teaching more effective. #ditchbook
A3: Any time Ss can DO things with your content, you increase engagement and learning. Have Ss simulate situations: paint faces to understand the power of masks, walk a ledge (plank on the floor), crash on an island & have to organize and do things to survive #DitchBook
A2: When providing Ss with an article to support a specific standard I try to begin with a clip or image/some type of activity to build background, we then read the article and when finished we share our understanding through a creation tool #ditchbook
Q2: For a lesson to be #interactive it needs to be responsive. Describe a lesson that you have made more interactive and what tool you used to do so. #ditchbook
A3 The best benefit of from lessons that are interactive is having the struggling and disengaged Ss rushing to the class and and ready to work and showing progress #ditchbook
A4- I think by inviting them into the classroom with showing off student portfolios or having students write a weekly reflection about what they have been learning and emailing that home. Taking photos of what is going on in the classroom and sending them to parents
#ditchbook
A3: When classrooms and lessons are interactive, students are immersed in the content. Interactive classrooms and lessons allow for student voice and choice. #DitchBook
A1 Our kindergarten is interactive because we become readers, writers, mathematicians, ornithologists, geologists, naturalists... We don't just read about things; we study them through the eyes of people who actually live and work in the field. #ditchbook
A2: also check out my maths multiplication deck to show how interactive you can get on @DeckToys. Completed building the lesson deck in an hour *proud T at work* #ditchbookhttps://t.co/GSSdtIGkhM
A3: These interactive lessons prepare our learners for their futures. Students are excited to come to school and at times don't even realize they are learning 😃#ditchbook
A4: However you do it, share what you're doing with parents! This parent gets the whole "curiosity killed the cat" when my daughter's teacher shares things that they are doing in class #ditchbook
A4: Ways to do interACTIVE with Ps:
*STEM night where Ps & Ss work together to create the project (you know they help at home anyway)
*STEM night where Ss present project to Ps in a galley walk style night. Walk from project to project where Ss can tell all about it.
#DitchBook
A4: My Ss researched various local animals, then wrote a research report on them. These turned into a presentation where the parents then response directly to their child. They ask Q’s to provoke more thinking! #ditchbookhttps://t.co/TGABpQEeYK
A4 Show them what you're doing with @Seesaw!
Invite them in for a celebration of learning.
Ask them to volunteer to help with an interactive lesson.
#ditchbook
A4: We encourage Ps to post comments on @Seesaw. When possible, we ask for support in our upcoming units i.e. becoming a resource speaker or sharing materials. #ditchbook
A3: Interactive lessons are more real-world and applicable. We LIVE life, not just plan it out on worksheets. To use a science nerd cell analogy, learning is active transport! It takes work! Students don't absorb material passively #ditchbook
And hard fun + playing to learn = engage & interACTIVE and Ss owning their learning which means greater retention of information. Ss don’t emotionally invest in worksheets, but let them move, create, play... and they own it! #ditchbook
A4: Tech makes it easier to share. @GoogleForEdu SD? Add parent emails as collaborators on student work. How cool would it be for Ps & Ss to have parents drop in mid-day if possible to see them work. #ditchbook
Hold a session early, maybe back-to-school night, to help all parents in signing on and showing something the kids have already created. Then constantly share new things to access from home. The key is to train them in person. I can’t always figure it out on my own! #DitchBook A4
Teachers can get parents more involved in the #interACTIVEclass by sending students home with technologically interactive homework and encouraging parents to assist their students with it. #ditchbook#gccedu
A4: Invite them in as experts via @Flipgrid or SKYPE/Google Hangouts... started a Twitter feed for my class this year to show off what we're doing #DitchBook
A4: I am a big fan of @ClassDojo and @RemindHQ - those were our staples last year. Parents were able to see what was going on in our classroom via "Class Stories" and were able to connect with their child and other families. We also had a "Parent Tech Night"! #ditchbook
A4: Teachers can get parents more involved in the #interACTIVEclass by sending students home with technologically interactive homework and encouraging parents to assist their students with it. #ditchbook#gccedu
A4: Students can be show off their skills at school events that are focused on showing parents/guardians/families how to use interactive tools and apps as well as explaining the purpose and benefits. #ditchbook
A4: Teachers can get parents more involved in the #interACTIVEclass by sending students home with technologically interactive homework and encouraging parents to assist their students with it. #ditchbook#gccedu
A4: Send out an email to parents with a link to a @padlet having them write encouragements to their kids. One day, after finishing an activity, have the kids open that padlet and see what their parents said! #ditchbook
