A Kiosk and Unsurpassed Customer Service ♥

In 2016, my 8 year old iMac computer appeared to be ready to say goodbye. (Side note: It’s still working!) I started perusing the Apple Store online for a replacement when Greg mentioned a new device coming from Microsoft called the Surface Studio so on a Friday night, we headed to the mall just before closing time and went back and forth between the Apple Store and the Microsoft Store kiosk.

This was a huge purchase and on one hand, there was a Mac, which I already knew. On the other hand, I had a Surface Pro for work and enjoyed the touchscreen.

Saturday morning, we returned and Justin, the Microsoft Store assistant manager, asked me what was it I wanted on the Mac that wasn’t on the Surface Studio.

It may sound ridiculous, but I ❤️ the mapping feature in Photos on my Mac. For our whole dating life and first 6 months of our marriage, Greg and I lived in separate states which meant a lot of road trips to see each other and driving vacations. We would come home with pictures of beautiful scenery and weren’t sure which state they were from. The Photos app grouped our images by the GPS tags whether from our phones or cameras.

Literally, within a minute, Justin found an app in the Microsoft App store that did exactly that: GeoPhoto by T. Partl. There was a free version, though I later used my Microsoft rewards points from Bing searches (yes, you basically get paid to use Bing!❤️💲) to get ad-free version.($2.99) Sold. I became the first to pick up my Studio when it arrived that December. We even delayed leaving for an anniversary trip because it arrived earlier than expected.

The customer service provided by that kiosk was stellar. Off the top of my head, I can name at least 7 employees from that location. How many stores can you say that about? They were all approachable. While we normally avoid mall kiosks, this one felt welcoming with the demo units within easy reach. No need to wander through a store trying to find what we were interested in trying.

When I think of the physical Microsoft Stores, I remember an older couple with his and hers Surfaces being trained on how to use them. Greg bought a Windows Phone that was his favorite. Several staff helped me apply for the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert program and cheered when I also received recognition as a Surface Master Trainer.

So while this blog post originally was intended as a recommended equipment post, it has become a love letter to that Microsoft Store kiosk and to the phenomenal service from Justin, Sareena, Austin, Jasmine, Meghan, Newsha, Chad, Andy, and others who answered our many questions, did presentations and participated in events in my school district, and even assisted as I updated my résumé.

To all the Microsoft Store employees around the globe, thank you for all you do, from in person service to now virtual trainings and support.

Feel free to comment below if you have experienced similar stellar customer service.

(Recommended devices will come in a future post. 😁)

Isn’t This Cheating?

For many, back to school is approaching and most have had over a year of distance learning with a substantial increase in the use of technology. The debate of technology in the classroom is ongoing and there may be new perspectives. Should students be allowed to use mobile devices in the classroom? 1:1 all day? Do classes continue with online tools when able to attend in person?

After presenting about tools for students and being asked, “Isn’t this cheating?”, I started using that as the session title. Is it cheating to wear glasses if you have trouble seeing the text? Not everyone has glasses. Is it cheating to use a mechanical pencil when others have traditional pencils that have to be sharpened?

As someone with a passion for accessibility and experience with assistive technology from numerous perspectives, the word “cheating” comes up too often and is often used incorrectly.

Photo by Tracy Le Blanc on Pexels.com

My favorite example if questioned about using tools is to suggest you ask them to put their phone away and recite 5 friends/family phone numbers. 

A teacher in elementary once told us we need to memorize math facts because “You will never have a calculator in your pocket.” Really? Because now I have a calculator, phonebook, maps, etc.

Is dictation/speech to text cheating? If you are in education, ask yourself these questions: What are you evaluating? Their keyboarding skills? Their typing speed? Their spelling skills? or their ability to craft a story?

Newer teachers have expressed trepidation, wondering how their administrators would respond or their more seasoned colleagues. We need to shift our mindset and, as an “older” teacher, it is possible! I saw someone say on Twitter that we need to teach them HOW to think, not what to think.

To learn about what tools they have found, ask! Let them share tools and features. Create a Flipgrid topic for student-made tutorials. With the new backdrops feature (August 2021) and screen-recording, it is the perfect venue to share and protect students’ privacy. Think of it as practice for future social media adventures. If they are using YouTube, add them to a class OneNote or moderate them by having them add them to their section of the Class Notebook and then move them into the Content section once viewed.

The Wakelet collection contains the ones I often share, but here are some of my favorites to get you started:

⌨ Writing Tools ✍

Dictation/VoiceTyping: It is built into most platforms and can help students use vocabulary they may otherwise avoid in writing for fear of not knowing how to spell more advanced words.

Microsoft recently announced that Windows 11 will improve Dictation with automated punctuation. With the shortcut Windows key + H, you can turn on Dictation or use the Dictation option built into Office. Instead of interrupting your flow with, “period, new paragraph” or similar commands, it will insert punctuation.

• Windows 10 devices (Windows key + H) What’s coming in Windows 11, including auto-punctuation!
• Dictation for Mac
• Dictation for a Chromebook

If your school has Office 365, Dictation is built into many Microsoft apps. The Periodic Table of Learning Tools lists which features are in which apps and programs.

Also for writing, need help with a presentation? Maybe you have a topic, but just can’t get started? Microsoft Sway to the rescue! Check out the “start from a topic” feature. Type in a topic and it will build a basic Sway to get you started with headings and images including the reference links at the bottom.

If you don’t have a Microsoft account, can one for free with this referral link which also gets you extra OneDrive storage space. Sway is a presentation tool, much like PowerPoint or Google Slides. Students love the vertical view which gives the appearance of having created a website. Viewers of the Sway can also select the accessibility view and it has an accessibility checker to help you as you create it.

📚 Reading

Microsoft Lens (formerly called Office Lens) is a free app on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. Take a picture of text and open it in Immersive Reader. It will read it to you and it allows you to adjust the background color, font size, and read aloud speed. Take pictures of your textbook pages and listen as you follow along for better comprehension.

The Immersive Reader tool is in Microsoft Word Online and OneNote, and is in the Edge browser on Microsoft Windows 10. 3rd party programs can now add it so you’ll see it in sites like Wonderopolis and Wakelet.

With an extension called Helperbird, you can have Immersive Reader in Google Docs, too! They have a paid version, but Immersive Reader is included in the FREE version. Tutorial

Captioning: It is not just for the deaf or hard of hearing. Personally, I use it for better comprehension, in certain environments, and when a video has sounds or background noises that make it difficult to focus. For years, I thought I had extra strong hearing, but am coming to realize that I might have hyperacusis. Google now has live captioning available for media you play in Chrome.

Other helpful tools include Rewordify to simplify vocabulary, Summry and TextCompactor to summarize text, and Resoomer to extract main ideas. Turn them into a lesson by determining the accuracy of the AI (artificial intelligence).

➕ Math ➗

Photo by Nothing Ahead on Pexels.com

If you teach math, you may be familiar with sites and apps like PhotoMath or Microsoft Math Solver. Both are in multiple languages and show how to solve math problems step by step. Microsoft also has math tools built into OneNote for showing the steps, graphs, and even will create quizzes for extra practice. Take your math problems beyond the computations to reasoning, real life applications such as square footage, cost per square foot, amount of paint to cover an area, budgets, etc. As a substitute teacher, I used to carry AAA Tour Books and have students plan trips including hotel costs. Quite eye opening for many of them.

Simply put, they are going to find these tools and some need the tools so evaluate what they KNOW by asking what they THINK.

To view the complete collection, you can go to https://bit.ly/GeniusProjectTools. You can also follow me on Twitter @Filibuster3 for other technology tips and tools.

For another opinion piece on technology in the classroom, check out another post: Can You Fix a Tesla with 1911 Ford Tools? – GK Techies (wordpress.com)

Classroom and Behavior Management – My 2 Cents

When in the classroom, I was known for my “classroom management”. By week 2, my 2nd grade students could work independently in various centers while I worked with a small group. During fire drills, they would put themselves in alphabetical order by switching places in line while we walked so by the time we got to the field, I could quickly take attendance.

When teaching 5th grade, I was the discipline drop off class. Other teachers would send those who needed a fresh space to my room for part of the day.

One year, I had a student with a thick file full of parent letters and behavior notices who left my classroom with only 1 addition, a thank you letter from the dad.

I say this not to brag, but to provide some background before my next statements. You may be wondering, ‘What system did she use?’ ‘Is there a book?’ ‘How can I have this magical room of behavior?’

First off, no, my classroom wasn’t a movie classroom where the students struggle and then, magically, they are transformed into what movie-going audiences perceive as “perfect” students. To put it simply, argh. I learned most from those who didn’t fit the “perfect student” mold. (Though I have stood on my desk and let my students sit on top of theirs.)

From my active students, I learned it helped to have my 5th graders practice the mile run every morning to burn off some energy and that students don’t need to sit in chairs to learn. (My dream classroom would have standing height desks/tables with stools and my reading corner in the 90s had car tires with pillows. #FlexibleSeatingIsn’tNew)

From one of my 5th grade girls, I learned eye contact can communicate a lot. A student proudly gave me a gift that had an interesting smell. Another student asked to smell and I silently communicated that look that said, ‘Please be nice.’ She smiled broadly and complimented her classmate. (Now in her 20s, she continues to be gracious and kind as she tours with various shows and teaches dance.)

Did I use a system? Yes. Will I share it? No. Here’s why. My system changed yearly, monthly, even daily. There were expectations, many of which we discussed together. It was built together based on the students I had each year and was a living system, constantly growing and evolving. Was I a perfect teacher who never made mistakes? HA!

While teaching 2nd grade, a small eraser flew across the room on a particularly trying day and I asked in a not-for-tv teacher voice, “Who threw that?!” One of my boys stood up, “I did.” It shut me down immediately. He stood, making eye contact with me, a teacher who was more Ms. Frazzled than Ms. Frizzle at that moment, and took responsibility. He’s an adult now and his mom and I still laugh about that moment.

That same year, 2 of my boys got in a fight at recess. When I asked what happened, one said, “I hit him in the stomach.” No need to try to get the truth out of them. They were frustrated with each other, got it out, and were friends again.

Side note: I am NOT advocating violence, by the way! However, years ago, I learned a lesson from Mr. Stone, my junior high journalism teacher. A classmate would pinch girls and run. One time, he didn’t move away fast enough and I slapped him hard across the face. Mr. Stone asked what that was about. I yelled, “He pinched my butt!” He asked the boy if he planned on doing that anymore. “No, Mr. Stone.” and he never did. End of story. No office visit. No referral. (By the way, that pincher is a now a Stanford-educated medical doctor.)

It wasn’t just my boys who would speak up. Another time, I called 2 of my girls aside to show them test papers with exactly the same answers, word for word. “What do you think I am thinking?” as I put the papers in front of them. “You asked us to work with a partner and she was my partner.” We all started laughing and I apologized PROFUSELY!

Why did my students do this? Because, I hope, they knew I would listen. They saw me make mistakes and apologize and move on. They knew I cared about them. If children don’t see adults make mistakes, admit to them, and apologize, how will they learn that mistakes are necessarily bad?

Did I use a token system? Some years, yes, because it worked for my class. However, I took a different angle than many. They started out with points or tokens.

My parents were teachers and this was a bit of a family debate when I started my teaching credential and was told that “token economy classrooms” were bad. My parents compared it to earning a paycheck. A less-than-stellar worker still gets paid. An extra hard worker may receive bonus pay or promotions.

I also watched students learn to save for items they wanted in our class store and others spend regularly. I watched students share to help someone reach their goal. I watched them “buy” items to give to others. (One year, I had a class who gave up their holiday party to make blankets for a nearby foster care school.)

Was our class behavior system perfect? Hardly, but it worked for us most of the time. When I started teaching, the card pulling system was popular. Green, yellow, orange, red, and sometimes black for the poorest behavior and pink for extra “good” behavior. There are so many things wrong with this for me, but having to explain to a colleague why using a “black” card for the “send to the office” stage of behavior was wrong was a frustrating conversation. She was a phenomenal teacher in many ways, but this was more than a misstep and it took a parent complaint to change.

Also, advertising their behavior on the wall for everyone to see? Why? Imagine if your administrator had you “pull a card” during a staff meeting for talking. Yes, you know you’ve whispered or passed notes (or texts) during a meeting. Teachers can be the worst students. 😏

So if those around me were using card pulling systems and Twitter was not a thing, what shaped my ideas? There were no blogposts to read what others were doing or teachers to follow on Twitter since I started teaching in the early 90s. In those early years, I read Marva Collins’ Way (and later watched the movie with Cicely Tyson and Morgan Freeman).

I remember re-reading it on a flight and the flight attendant stopping me to say what a phenomenal book it was and how she admired Marva Collins.

When strangers stop you to comment on a book and the forward is written by Alex Haley, it is powerful. I love the quote below where she talks about the word teacher coming from “to lead” or “to draw out”. Not lecture. Not have a Pinterest classroom. Not force learning down their throats.

Her book was initially written in 1982 so some of the statements might be a bit dated, but the ideas are there. The love she had for her students is there, and the belief she had in them achieving their potential shines through.

To sum up, listen to your students, have them involved in the process to determine your classroom community, and show them the respect they deserve as learners. Do what works for your classroom, not what some book or presenter is trying to sell you, unless it works for you! 😊

Is Learning Being Lost During Quarantine?

Warning: This post may make you think, agree, disagree, yell amen or yell other (less religious) phrases and that’s great! The statements below are intended to encourage discussion. There are no absolutes, no right or wrong answers because there is so much we don’t know and won’t know for years.

I think it should be considered that traditional learning may not happen this year, but life and career skills will be learned: collaboration, technology, working remotely, troubleshooting, patience, and we aren’t the only ones who think this. How deeply will digital learning transform K-12 long term? discusses takeaways from the Digital Learning During the Pandemic report.

Over and over, it is said how detrimental it is to have schools closed, but, to play devil’s advocate, detrimental in what ways? Yes, students may lose a year of learning, but will they come out of this having gained new skills, just a different set than was planned? Are students able to learn more because the class is muted so less distractions? Are some more successful when not annoyed by their classmates?

For students who struggle, those learning to read, to write, to start grasping the early concepts of math, yes, this is hard, but will there be long term negative effects? We may not know for years. Will these students be better suited to the modern workforce? To utilizing technology to its fullest potential? To dealing with curveballs thrown their way? To adapt? To troubleshoot?

100 years ago, schools in America met for about 75 days a year. Now the school year is about 180 days, according to NCPedia.org. Multiple grade levels often learned together. As a former elementary teacher, I smile when I hear secondary teachers groan about “4 preps” (teaching 4 different classes) and think of all the prep elementary teachers have to do: reading, writing, math, science, social science, to name a few. However, in a one room schoolhouse? Multiple preps across multiple grades! And teach it all in 75 days!? Does that mean children were less educated?

As mentioned earlier, younger students may struggle, but maybe we should focus on what they can learn. Letter identification using a keyboard, accessibility features like dictation to “write” a story digitally, using digital inking to illustrate stories, seeing family members as tech geniuses for being able to do so much on a computer. Parents of teenagers might relish this last one because soon, those children may think they know more than you and you’ll need to remind them that you once taught them to walk, talk, and feed themselves. 😊

For more suggestions on tools to assist with learning at home, check out our YouTube channel and resources shared on Wakelet covering a variety of platforms from workshops Karyn offered this past summer for parents.

UPDATED 9/6/2020 to reflect Cortana Announcements: Cortana vs. Alexa vs. Google

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IF YOU OWN AN INVOKE: Microsoft is discontinuing support for Cortana on the Invoke Speaker. Music streaming will still work. Cortana will not. However, if you have asked Cortana a question after July 31, 2019 and before July 31, 2020, you can get a $50 Microsoft gift card as compensation. You must request it before July 31, 2021, and you have a year to use it.

“After the update Is installed, your Invoke will perform like other Bluetooth speakers – you will be able to pair it with your phone or other audio source and stream music to it. But Cortana and other Wi-Fi functions will no longer be available.”

We are saddened to hear this news since Cortana has proven the most accurate of our devices when asking questions, even better than Siri on iOS. Sadly, that is going away, too.

Just before Christmas, my husband and I bought a Harman Kardon Invoke speaker with Microsoft’s Cortana. For Christmas, we were given an Amazon Echo Dot with Alexa and a Tp-Link smart plug and thus the comparison began! A few months after that, we got a Google Home Mini.

We are teachers, both in tech, and my husband is an audiophile. He is VERY picky about speaker quality. I am picky about ease of use. As a tech trainer, I look for user-friendly tools to recommend. While we both love music, he definitely notices sound quality.

So, here is our review after a few months of use. Overall, Cortana wins and here is why:

Answers questions most accurately? Cortana. We’ve gotten inaccurate results from Alexa and Google doesn’t seem to be able to use Google since we can find answers on the computer using Google that the Google Home Mini couldn’t answer.

Best speaker sound? Cortana, no contest.

Controls other devices? Alexa and Google Home Mini

Cost? Alexa and Google Home Mini were less expensive than the Invoke.

Set up? All were pretty straight-forward, but we purchased a Google Home Mini for older family members and they had no problem setting it up so I’m going to say that one.

Best Listener? Toss up between Invoke and Google Home Mini. Love that we can use our Google Home Mini was the free version of Spotify. Definitely NOT Alexa. We’ve had to yell loudly to turn it off.

We love how Alexa (Amazon Echo) controls the plug. It was perfect for turning Christmas tree lights on and off without reaching behind the tree. Jeopardy is fun to play. It is nice to have access to Amazon Prime Music.

However, it is NOT nice how often it seems to not be able to answer questions and instead of playing music, at times, it wants a subscription. A former student of mine had a new album. Alexa suggested I subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited. Cortana started playing the album. (Point for Cortana and check out Jessica Andrea‘s album! Yes, shameless plug, but I was her 2nd grade AND her 5th grade teacher!)

Now for Cortana. Cortana definitely has better sound quality (as it should being larger than the Echo). Cortana responds quickly (until early 2021 😞) and currently we are using it with iHeartRadio. Answers are more accurate (I use Cortana rather than Siri on my iPad -until that feature goes away.😒) Music sounds great.

The downsides? Though it hasn’t done it lately, during the first month or so, if we asked for a song that wasn’t on iHeartRadio, it often suggested we sign up for Spotify. No, we do not have a paid Spotify subscription so the “commercial” got a little tiring. We aren’t great fans of iHeartRadio and how it plays live radio, at times, and you cannot skip. It also doesn’t control our plug, YET (and now probably won’t due to Cortana being removed from it.9/6/2020)

Bottom line? Want good sound quality? Get the Harman Kardon Invoke with Cortana. Want more accurate answers when you ask questions? Invoke with Cortana. Want to control devices in your home? Amazon Echo with Alexa or Google Home Mini.

New bottom line? Google Home Mini. It can control multiple wi-fi plugs, plays the free version of Spotify, and now answers more questions than when we initially purchased it a few years ago.

#Cortana #Alexa #Microsoft #Amazon #Echo #GoogleHomeMini #comparison #ProsAndCons

The New World During COVID-19 and Going Forward

• What might we learn from all this?
• What needs to be re-evaluated?

EDUCATION:

Photo by Julia M Cameron on Pexels.com

#RemoteLearning – Does it work? For some, maybe. For all? Probably not, but the question education needs to investigate is what do students HAVE to learn? What is key?

Some students may discover they can get a day’s work done in an hour or 2.

Around 1999, when one of my 2nd grade students had to be on home/hospital (taught at home by district staff), I would go after school and, in less than 2 hours, was able to cover everything I had taught the rest of the class that day. No recess, no lunch, no transition to library/computer lab/etc., and no disruptions from announcements, behavior, tardy students, etc.

Once in high school, most know how to read and do basic math, so what is important? Back in September, I started writing a post asking the question: Are we preparing students for the next grade or for life?

Life Skills? Job Skills? Collaboration? Team Building? What are work places looking for? That you know what year the American Revolution began?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Before the comments fly, please know that I have my single subject credential in history and I believe history is VERY important, but, in my opinion, it is more important to ANALYZE historical events than memorize dates. Dates can be discovered through a quick internet search. Analyzing the reasons behind the American Revolution may not be so quick to find.

Here are some of our top skill suggestions, but it is by no means a comprehensive list:

• Reasoning
• Common sense
• Balancing a budget
• Determining media bias (#FakeNews)
• How to sew a button
• Pros and cons to using credit cards
• How to search the internet (Need ideas? We’ve got you covered!)
• Working on a team
• Expressing your opinion (or disagreeing with someone) in a diplomatic/respectful manner when possible. (Yelling at someone is probably not going to sway their opinion to your side.)

What needs to be re-evaluated in our opinion? CAMERAS! Some districts/schools/teachers are telling students that they have to have their cameras on all the time during class. Some points to consider thanks to @k_shelton and @torreytrust:

I put together this infographic to help educators make informed decisions about their use of video in virtual meetings in response to your tweet. pic.twitter.com/ExgI7Oufw5

— Dr. Torrey Trust (@torreytrust) August 8, 2020

Looking for educational websites to help your children? Check out our Super Wakelet, organized by subject area with elementary and secondary lists.

In need of offline activities to keep your children busy and encourage learning? No problem. Check out this Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint collection of offline ideas (same information, different formats), links, and more for activities that don’t necessarily require a device. 

FOOD SERVICES:

As more orders go online or takeout, restaurants and food services are having to quickly reorganize to meet the demand. Serving staff may now deliver to cars in the parking lot. Meals may become less about presentation and more about portability.

An accessible online presence is key!

Food businesses need to evaluate their websites for ease of use and accessibility. A lack of either, or both, will result in lost customers equaling lost revenue.

Include image descriptions (alt-text), user-friendly fonts, buttons that aren’t dependent on colors such as green and red for those with colorblindness.

Big thank you to our local BJ’s Restaurant and their handcrafted root beer! 

As to re-evaluation, we’ve also seen local restaurants with outside tables in closed tents or with tables back to back. #PhysicalDistancing

STORES:

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

Shopping. Hoarding. Planning. How many of us will never let our toilet paper supply go below 1 or 2 full packages? Or not wait until we are out of something to replenish? Our local Ralph’s (Kroger) has made their pick up service free and we are hooked! We add to our virtual cart whenever we think of something we need and every few weeks, we submit it, drive to the store during the designated hour, park, and call the number while a worker puts our order in the trunk of our car. #Contactless 

BIG SHOUT OUT to the store staff and delivery crews who help keep us safe and supplied. 

ENTERTAINMENT:

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Will we see the return of drive-in movie theaters? In our area, we already have! A local theater is offering movies on the roof of the mall parking garage.

Are more theaters going to switch to reserve seating to allow seats between individuals or family groups? Will we see more home watching options emerge?

For our home entertainment, we’ve had DirecTV, but cancelled due to changes in their privacy policy (as discussed in this post). Next, we tried YouTube TV, but did not find the user-interface very friendly and then the price jumped to $65 a month (not worth it to us for the frustrating interface). Now we just use our Amazon Fire Stick and found Pluto, a fun Fire Stick app with all kinds of channels, many with shows we remember from our childhood.  We miss our DVR and are looking for budget-friendly options. In the meantime, it’s classic tv time with commercials.

CELEBRATIONS:

ONE of us had a milestone birthday this summer. 🎂 The original plan was to rent out a local vintage arcade for dozens of family and friends. COVID-19 had other plans so we pivoted.

Ross from the tv show Friends yelling PIVOT! while moving a couch up a stairwell

A few weeks before my birthday, the arcade was allowed to open with limited guests, masks and gloves required. We invited immediate family and a few friends. The store was closed so it was just our group of 14. Not quite what I had planned, but was grateful for time together. Thank you, Lost Levels Arcade.

Websites/Apps like Zoom, Flipgrid, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and more came to the rescue to allow family and friends to join together, even if only virtually. Create a family Flipgrid for birthday messages for grandparents, graduation well-wishes, leave video messages for retiring colleagues, there are so many options! The AMAZING Flipgrid Team even created a guide for families. Game nights with friends have now gone virtual using Facebook Messenger and Zoom. We started with Trivia Pursuit since we all had it at home and then moved to Jackbox games online.

August 2020

Months after starting the first draft of this post, we are grateful to be able to work from home as our state has high number of COVID-19 cases.

A guest bedroom has now become a home office, a tall dresser is a standing desk, an extra tv donated by a family member is on the guest bed on top of the unused dining room table insert for a second monitor and life goes on.

Do YOU have any DIY #WFH (Work From Home) tips to share? Suggestions on how to cope during quarantine? What hacks have you found that you would recommend to others.

Comment below to share your discoveries.

Recommended Children’s Books

Some favorites from my students and family members, links to authors and their work, and incredible blogposts by others

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http://www.thetututeacher.com/

Instagram @thetututeacher

Vera Ahiyya’s blog has a number of posts focusing on diverse children’s books. (Thank you to @StacyColby3 for the link!)

Mom of All Capes blogpost “Girl Power: Diverse Picture Books for K-4th Graders

@HistoryFrog told me about a YouTube live stream with Amber Coleman-Mortley and her daughters that was wonderful. @MomOfAllCapes is a former educator and currently works in ed tech.

Diverse BookFinder lists multicultural picture books. “The Diverse BookFinder is a comprehensive collection of children’s picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC). ” They have catalogued books published since 2002 and have a search tool on their website with an incredible list of categories.

If you know of other blogposts you would recommend, please comment below.

Below is my original blogpost from a few months ago.

When I saw this tweet,

If you are preparing an activity or lesson per deck, this one is a really fun template!
Let your students solve the case!https://t.co/txToYrgeGL pic.twitter.com/lp3T4fC3fF

— SlidesMania 💛 (@SlidesManiaSM) April 5, 2020

it reminded me of a book I used to read to my 5th grade students The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups so this post is all about children’s books and ideas for activities to go with them.

Many of these books can be found from online booksellers, but also at yard sales, from friends, or one my favorite places to go is the Goodwill Bookstore. The one near me has most children’s books for $2 for hardcover and $1 for paperback.

Need more ideas? Feel free to DM me on Twitter @Filibuster3.

Need to organize your collection? I use software called Delicious Library (only available for Mac) and, yes, our home library is organized by non-fiction (Dewey decimal) and fiction (author). With Delicious Library, I can easily create an inventory (saving me from buying duplicates), track books that I’ve loaned out, search by author, title, etc. It has been one of the best programs I have ever purchased.

Yes, we have a few books. I always dreamed of a ladder!

Books vs. Movies

The book is always better, right? Usually, in my opinion, but why not turn it into an activity? With the quarantine, staying home is important. Read a book then watch the movie. #FamilyMovieNight

My niece asked me to read The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson series) by Rick Riordan (and I asked her to read Emma by Jane Austen). Then I watched the DVD and my husband will attest that I yelled at the tv through most of it. Great writing activity, though! Similarities. Differences. Which did you prefer? Why? etc.

Some suggested book/movie combinations:

	Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (note that the Roald Dahl site had a pop-up for unsecure connection)
	Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming (yes, the same one who wrote Bond, James Bond!)
	Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
	Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
	The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc
	Paddington by Michael Bond
	Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg (also author of Jumanji and The Polar Express)

Read Alouds

With numerous nieces and nephews spanning a wide age range, we’ve done our share of reading to them such as #TrunkAndRead during COVID-19. I drove to visit my young nieces and nephew and sat in the hatchback while they sat in the back of their hatchback as I read to them. The next time, both of us went.

#SocialDistancing is not the key. #PHYSICALdistancing is!

Some of their favorites:

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Humpty Dumpty Egg-splodes by Kevin O’Malley

The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone

Books with Suggested Activities

Your child can create their own version after reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

My Head is Full of Colors by Catherine Friend The artwork in this is AMAZING! Maybe it will inspire a budding artist to create their own.

Snow White – The Untold Story by Catherine Heller tells the traditional fairy tale from different perspectives. Follow it up with books like The Stinky Cheese Man or The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and encourage your child to rewrite other fairy tales from the view of the “villain” or another character.

As mentioned earlier, The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups by David Wisniewski. My 5th graders each created their own “secret” to be displayed for open house. I created my own at the time, but later found this blogpost with the image linked above. (Side note: Need an idea for Open House? Use Flipgrid so parents can tour a “virtual” classroom of projects and messages from the students.)

Children’s Books for ADULTS!

When you need a break or you want to read something that you may need to edit for younger children as you read:

It’s a Book by Lane Smith Perfect for those who are a little attached to their screens and seem unfamiliar with “a book”.

 

Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath HIGHLY recommended, especially if you have daughters. These are TRUE stories so some might have content you might feel your child isn’t ready for, but the author has marked the stories to let you know. He also has another book, Tough Mothers, perfect for a late Mother’s Day gift! His website store has options for autographed copies. I ordered one for my sister-in-law and he drew a sketch for her, too!

Help! My kids are home and I’M THE TEACHER!?

Schools have closed around the world due to COVID-19. If you now find yourself with school age children at home, this is for you.

First of all, hopefully your children’s schools realize you are probably not a teacher. Give yourself a break if you are feeling frustrated. Your primary goal is to parent: keep your children fed, safe, healthy, and feeling loved.

You may feel like this dad, ready to hide:

This dad has talent!👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/r0GTPNbyeP

— Fixing Education (@FixingEducation) March 18, 2020

or maybe overwhelmed like the video of the mom featured in this tweet:

I am with her. I really am. I think it’s a ridiculous expectation personally, some will spend months mucking about, others will have a phd from uni of parent by the end… Gap. Widening. pic.twitter.com/gV3RMkDByP

— Mrs O 🙋‍♀️ (@kateowbridge) March 21, 2020

 

Learning needs to continue, if possible. Will it be Common Core Standards based? Probably not. Will it be beneficial? Why not? Learning how to learn is as important as memorizing facts, if not more so.

Need ideas for continuing your children’s learning? We’ve got you covered. Between us, we’ve taught elementary, junior high, high school, and special education and all subjects. You can view the list of website ideas by subject below or visit the full collection in Wakelet.

Do something as simple as building forts out of couch pillows, imagining that giant cardboard box is a space vehicle, organize your closet and donate items you no longer use. Bake! (For an amazing tool for recipes, check out our video discussing CopyMeThat.)

Share books you enjoyed as a child with your children. Take turns recommending books to each other. One niece introduced me to the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and I introduced her to Emma by Jane Austen. (Check out our other post with book recommendations.)

For techie ideas, check out our YouTube channel with videos like:

or math tips using Microsoft Whiteboard:

Need ideas to keep them busy that don’t require technology? No problem.

Thanks to @ProWiseUSA, you can help your children learning coding by physically coding each other using these printable flashcards. Directions and more downloads are at their CodeWise site.

Product suggestions

The images below are linked through our Amazon Associates account if you’d like to order. We get a small percentage if you order through our links and it is appreciated!

This book is wonderful! My young niece and nephew giggled and wanted me to read it over and over!

 

Even better, they recently came out with a version your child can personalize with their own goofy words and phrases. (Shhhh, don’t tell my niece and nephew they are getting their own copies!)

 

Makey Makey kits encourage exploration and experimentation.

Have a Harry Potter, Star Wars, or Frozen 2 fan at home? Check out the coding kits from Kano. As of 3/22/20, all were marked down.

Are you a child of the 70s with Schoolhouse Rock songs stuck in your head? Share the joy!

Other Resources:

Need more ideas or recommendations? Let us know! You can find us on Twitter @gktechies or my account @filibuster3 or our YouTube channel. I’m a bibliophile and former librarian with a passion for books (as evidenced by our home library.)

77 MORE Simple STEM ideas from @dailystem

Coronavirus collection of articles, videos to share with kids, and resources

Keyboard shortcuts to benefit you AND your kids

Since many of us will be online more than usual, it is always good to remember proper netiquette.

In need of a laugh yourself? Is this how you feel? Like you are going into battle? Just make sure you have enough red pens!

COVID-19 and School Closures – It Isn’t Just About Academics

THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

Schools around the world (61 countries have closures, 39 nationwide as of this posting) are closing due to coronavirus (COVID-19). Tweets are flowing with online resources, educational technology companies offering free services to closed schools, lesson ideas for #RemoteLearning, but there are a few areas that don’t seem to be discussed much.

Internet access:

In this digital age, we can be connected more than ever, but not all students have technology or decent internet. Below are some companies stepping up to assist with the internet/data part.

See the list of 550+ companies that signed the FCC’s “Keep Americans Connected” pledge.

Charter/Spectrum 

…beginning Monday, March 16, Charter commits to the following for 60 days:
Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To enroll call 1-844-488-8395.

Comcast/Xfinity

We will make it even easier for low-income families who live in a Comcast service area to sign up by offering new customers 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month.

Loving all the 60 day free internet offers for students and families, but what about teachers who may have limited access, slow speeds, or are on a tight budget who don’t have children and are expected to teach remotely? #TeachersNeedInternetToo #COVID19 #CoronaVirusEdu pic.twitter.com/CZYbIe1RDv

— Karyn Fillhart (@Filibuster3) March 14, 2020

Unlimited Data offers

Comcast is the largest home-Internet provider in the nation. AT&T, the second-biggest home-Internet provider that enforces data caps, announced that it would waive the caps yesterday.

T-Mobile also issued an announcement late Friday, saying it will upgrade all current customers to “unlimited smartphone data for the next 60 days (excluding roaming).” This applies to any T-Mobile plan or Metro by T-Mobile prepaid plan that has a monthly data cap. Additionally, T-Mobile said it is giving all customers “an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot/tethering service for the next 60 days.” Sprint, which is being acquired by T-Mobile, is taking identical steps.

Food:

Please figure out ways to feed students who usually get their meals through free/reduced lunch programs. Love this tweet from one district on their plan:

Due to school closures, Nutrition Services will offer FREE breakfast and lunch grab & go meals to ALL students.

Monday–Friday @RomolandTigers and @ChaseScorpions
Breakfast: 8 am to 9am
Lunch: 11:30am to 12:30pm

Learn more on our website here: https://t.co/r1gd4AhxoX

— Romoland School District (@RomolandSD) March 14, 2020

Books and Materials:

Try to be careful of home assignments that involve supplies. Not everyone has books at their reading level or construction paper or glue or even writing paper. Maybe publishers and sellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble will consider donating children’s books to food giveaways, charities, and places of worship to distribute.

@WHO has declared #COVID19 a pandemic. 22 nations closed ALL schools. #RemoteLearning
Many Ts said Ss don’t have digital access, let alone books to read for at home learning.@amazonbooks @BNBuzz & publishers, how about sending books to food giveaways & charities to distribute? pic.twitter.com/NejnJIUKCa

— Karyn Fillhart (@Filibuster3) March 12, 2020

Offline activities:

Remember that not all families have decent internet or even internet at all or technology available except for maybe a shared smartphone. I’ve listed some ideas by subject for no tech activities that require little to no materials. There’s also a quick video on our YouTube channel about it.

Final Thoughts: Not all have childcare. Not everyone can work from home. Teachers may be expected to teach from home, but have their own children at home, too. Nothing like this has happened during their lifetimes. Encourage, build up, support each other and your children (students) and reassure them that this is precautionary and you will be there for them.

Since some closures were without much warning, students may not know how to use the online systems and don’t forgot those who usually receive special education services. . How are you meeting their needs? This is an opportunity for communities to come together, show support, and STOP HOARDING TOILET PAPER!

More Resources

 

My Data – MINE. MINE! MINE?

I was surprised by some questions from adults concerning data privacy while I was talking to students about internet safety and digital citizenship. Thus the inspiration for this post.

• Terms of Service
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy

How often have you read them? I encourage you to read ALL terms of service agreements. Why? Who do you think those terms are meant to protect? (Hint: It isn’t you.)

Key point – If something is free, ask yourself why? How are they making money? Someone spent time and effort creating that app/website or setting up the “free” wi-fi you are about to use. People must eat, live, etc. Even if something is NOT completely free, they may decide to make more money off your data. Last year AT&T (DirecTV) changed their terms:

Keywords that jumped out at us: perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, modify, and publish. Here was the fun part. So I talked with customer service. Trying to explain to DirecTV why this was a problem was challenging. First, “irrevocable”. So if we agree, according to this, we cannot change our minds later.

Second, the section about modifying our profile and publishing it (which they insisted they don’t do).  In theory, DirecTV could modify our profile to make it appear we watch shows we don’t watch. Why is this a problem? Years from now, we, or you, might want to run for public office. Ha ha. 😊 But seriously, they could increase the price of advertising by making it look like more people watch a show than are actually watching. The price of a Super Bowl ad is significantly more than other football games because of viewership numbers.

DirecTV is a service we PAID FOR so why do we have to give up our privacy? We don’t. CANCELLED. While writing this, I noticed they recently changed their privacy policy and my first thought was, ‘They listened!’ Then I read it.  The keywords listed above are gone, but there’s this:

Web browsing and app information includes things like the websites you visit or mobile

apps you use, on or off our networks. It includes internet protocol addresses and URLs,

pixels, cookies and similar technologies, and identifiers such as advertising IDs and device

IDs. It can also include information about the time you spend on websites or apps, the links

or advertisements you see, search terms you enter, items identified in your online shopping

carts and other similar information.

Items in my online shopping cart? You mean DirecTV wants to know about the baby items I ordered as a gift to send me targeted advertising? No, thank you.

Next up, free apps! They need to make money so what are people giving up to use them? The best example I share with students is Snapchat. Do a quick search for some of the words mentioned above and check out section 3 “Rights you grant us”:

• perpetual? ✔
• irrevocable? ✔(irrevocably)
• transferable? ✔
• modify? ✔
• publish? ✔

Snap.com can delete your pictures or publish them without your permission. It is a jaw dropping moment for many. 

Free games. I used to enjoy mindlessly playing Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery on my iPad until the terms changed:

“…pages you visit before, during, and after using the Services.” !!!!!!!

Another point to consider is how you log into websites. Some allow you to log in with your Google or Microsoft account. I noticed that the Microsoft permissions were less intrusive than the Google permissions. Often, there is a line that the app permissions include being able to “permanently delete” all your files. Recently that seems to have changed, but still something to watch for.

(If you’ve seen similar intrusive permissions, we’d love to know. Comment below.)

Something to consider from Tools and Weapons by Brad Smith and Carol Ann Browne (#RecommendedRead):

Ethics should be taught in schools, and not just at the university level. Not everyone creating apps attends university and not all care about your privacy.

Another gem for keeping your information safe: Don’t make it so easy. If a website gives you the password reset question options for mother’s given name, pick your favorite cartoon character. They need to know that you know the answers to your security questions, but we fail to see why they need to know answers to questions that may be on credit card applications. Also from Tools and Weapons, hackers search emails for the word “password” which often contain your password.

And the next time you are prompted to change your password YET AGAIN and add special characters, respond with this link: Best practices for passwords updated after original author regrets his advice. 

Speaking of passwords, after all that doom and gloom, here’s something that might make you smile: