Tag: learning
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The Final Boss: Finding the Grit to Master Critical Thinking
Walking into an arcade as a youth, I often had a pocket full of quarters and a singular mission: defeat M. Bison in Street Fighter II. He was the ultimate final boss, a character so difficult that he seemed to anticipate every move I made. There were moments of genuine frustration where the modern terms…
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Making Thinking Visible: High-Impact Math Strategies with EdTech
Educators constantly seek practical, powerful ways to reach every learner. I recently co-taught math lesson that focused on adding fractions with unlike denominators. This lesson provides a model for achieving this through thoughtful tech integration. By leveraging a tool called Snorkl, a 5th-grade classroom moved beyond simple right or wrong answers, turning a standard math…
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Tech That Helps Deepen Understanding: Beyond the Worksheet with Snorkl
The goal of technology integration in the classroom is not simply to replace old tools but to deepen student learning and engagement. When it comes to ELA grammar skills, like proper comma usage, teachers often rely on traditional worksheets. But what if a tool could take those practice questions and elevate them from a simple…
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Quick Video Creation: Engaging Students Without Being a Tech Guru
Integrating new technology into your teaching practice can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when you are balancing countless other responsibilities. However, simple tools are emerging that can instantly elevate student engagement without requiring you to become a technology expert overnight. I want to share a fantastic example of practical EdTech integration that yielded immediate, positive results…
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Student Success with Snorkl in Middle School Math
Integrating new technology into your classroom should always aim to amplify student learning and agency. In middle school math, the tool Snorkl is proving to be a highly effective way to do just that, creating engaging practice opportunities and fostering deeper student understanding across different grade levels. In an eighth-grade math class, students recently used…
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From Speaking to Writing: Boosting Reasoning with Snorkl
Helping students master argumentative writing can be a significant challenge. Educators often observe that students can find a claim and gather evidence, but struggle with the reasoning. Developing strong reasoning, the bridge that connects the evidence back to the main claim, requires practice. I recently had a wonderful opportunity to co-teach an 8th grade English…
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Snorkl and Feedback in Math for the Win….Again!
I recently had the opportunity to facilitate and co-teach another demo lesson in a math class, this time with 6th grade students, that highlighted the power of immediate feedback in the classroom. We focused on the math concept of multiplying multi-digit numbers with decimals. The specific challenge for the day was solving 14.72 multiplied by…
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Beyond the Answer: Fostering Math Conversations with Snorkl
Finding the right technology, AI especially, to support math instruction can be challenging. We want tools that do more than just check an answer. We want them to help students think, reason, and articulate their process. I recently saw this in action during a demo lesson I co-taught in a 7th grade math class using…
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Unplugged Algorithms: A Pencil and Paper Path to Computational Thinking
While algorithmic thinking is a cornerstone of computer science, its value extends far beyond coding. At its heart, it is a method for thinking critically and strategically, breaking down complex problems into manageable, logical steps. Promoting this skill in subjects such as history, ELA, science or math is a fantastic way to deepen student engagement…
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Embracing Inquiry and Computational Thinking in Your Classroom
In today’s educational landscape, fostering critical thinking and genuine curiosity is more important than ever. Two powerful tools for achieving this, include the “Parts, Purposes, and Complexity” handout and the “Wicked Hydra” activity. These strategies can serve as fantastic “pre-work,” setting the stage for deeper learning and empowering students to approach new topics with an…
