Diary of a Digital Learning Coach

In honor of teacher appreciation week, I'd like to "gift" you with this tip for using Apple Classroom.  I'm not going to lie...it kind of blew my mind!  Check out how to share files and open apps by dragging and dropping! I know, right??? I learned this while checking out the NEW resources available for iPad in the Apple Teacher program.  There are 75 new learning resources available to help you better understand your and your learners' devices.  The tip above came from this video about Apple Classroom, but while you are logged in, you might want to check some of the other resources out too! Apple's Guide to Apple Classroom Note:  To view, log in with an Apple ID.  Read more about my experiences with Apple Teacher from the archives here . What is your experience with the Apple Teacher program? Let me know in the comments!

One of the questions I often get asked from parents is about the amount of time our learners spend on screens during the school day.  With the influx of research on young brains and screens, it is logical for parents to have questions about our 1:1 iPads and how they are being used in classrooms.   I typically take those moments to help parents understand: the difference between using an iPad for learning vs. as a home device that being 1:1 doesn't mean our learners are 1:1 or on screens in all learning activities how iPads are simply a vehicle for learning, not a curriculum But as a parent myself, I can see the struggle in navigating this digital world both at school and at home.  It is so different than what we experienced, many of us parents can feel ill equipped to truly understand and promote best practices with our children. I'll be the first to tell you that no one tool does everything (iPads included) but there is a feature of our iPads that...

This week, let's take a deeper look at some Apple Classroom strategies that can h elp your end of the year classroom management.   For more information on managing Apple Classroom, check out this post from the archives or my team's Guide to Using Apple Classroom site . How have you used Apple Classroom successfully in your classroom?  Let me know in the comments!

I recently came across a tweet that was talking about a great site for virtual manipulatives and more.  Toy Theater has been so much fun to test out and explore, I just had to share it with you! http://toytheater.com/category/teacher-tools/virtual-manipulatives/  I love the way these work on our Vivitek boards and iPads*.  Learners can easily drag and manipulate different math concepts.   Fraction Tiles on the Vivitek Board! Some of my favorites:  the number charts that let you color code and seek patterns in the numbers fraction tiles that can be adjusted and compared a perimeter and area grid that helps learners calculate and visualize  2 color counters and ten frames, rekenreks and pattern blocks galore The possibilities for classroom use seem endless.  I could see learners working with the site on their iPads, taking a screenshot and then using markup, Notability or Seesaw to annotate and explain their thinking....

This week, I have been thinking a lot about workflow and how it can make or break a learning experience.  It is no educator's dream to have a beautifully designed lesson stall because the learners are unable to show their thinking digitally in an efficient way.  I've seen this time and again...many times because in my own rush and excitement of content, I take for granted helping my learners practice the process of work on their iPads. It makes me think of all the procedures and expectations I used to have my learners practice at the beginning of the year.  Though that practice was an investment in time, it consistently paid me back with prepared learners throughout the year. That's why taking time to help learners with digital workflow is so important.  I'll be visiting this topic frequently on this blog this year, but for today, let's consider my top 3 tips for helping learners with the process of work. Tip 1 - The more you use your iPad as an educat...

iPad rollout is finally complete and hopefully you are starting to dive into some digital learning. You might be asking yourself, "Ok, iPads are enrolled but NOW WHAT?"  My teammate, Megan Kozar recently compiled some awesome resources to help as we all begin working within digital classroom environments. Because we are #bettertogether, I wanted to share them with you too! 1. UTILIZE LEARNER EXPERTS Kinder "Ask an Expert" wall -Jennifer Pettit, @pettit73 As you have started working with your digital tools, I am sure a couple of students have stood out as "tech-perts". Take some of the load off of yourself and allow learners to lead when using a new app, troubleshooting a problem, or choosing a creative tool. To help learners see who to reach out to when they need help, you can build an Expert Wall like this one! 2. TAKE TIME TO TEACH TROUBLESHOOTING        Before your students have to miss class time to find help to fix minor ...