How to Change Outlook Email Signature

Finally have an email signature created but not sure how to add it in your email? Once added correctly into Outlook, the signature will be automatically added after the body of the email. Follow these easy steps on how to do this in Outlook.

How to Change Outlook Email Signature Video Tutorial

Having an email signature is essential. This allows your audience to know exactly who you are and other ways to contact you in the future. It’s also an opportunity to add a face to the name. With your email signature, you want to make sure people know who you are when it’s best to reach you and other qualifications that make you stand-out and be memorable.

After changing the size dimensions of the Google Slide and editing, this can then be downloaded and inserted into your email platform. If for some reason the image turns out blurry after downloading, screenshot the image. This can sometimes get a more clear image for your email.

Email signatures can be added at the end of all of the message automatically. This isn’t something you need to do manually every single time.

Unsure how to do this?

Click here for the steps on how to create your photo email signature

Not an Outlook user? Click here for the steps on how to add a photo email signature to Gmail

Don’t feel like formatting the dimensions of the Google Slide on your own? I’ve saved you time with my Photo Email Signature Template. Just open, edit, download, and add!

Click here to grab this template for your email signature creation!

Winter STEM Activities Kids Will Love

by Naomi Meredith

Winter STEM Activities Kids Will Love

Try these Winter STEM Activities in your classroom that the kids will love. Make the chilly days feel warmer by sparking creativity. There are a variety of low-prep, hands-on activities to try.

This video originally aired LIVE on my Facebook Page; Naomi Meredith: The STEMTech Co.

Come and join in on the fun on Facebook, or watch the recording of this episode.

Here are the key takeaways from this episode:

Winter STEM Activities | Watch the recording down below:

Sphero Sleds

A Sphero Lesson Plan where students go through the Engineering Design Process. A lesson where students create a sled for Sphero and code to pull it through the Iditarod Dog Race!

Throughout this challenge, students will learn about sled design and apply that to their work. While coding through the race, the use of angles and sped will help determine if Sphero can successfully travel through the maze.

Click here to grab this lesson for your class!

Gift Wrap STEM Challenge

STEM activity with student Engineering Design Process printables & digital pages to help determine the most effective method for wrapping a gift. An area and perimeter activity that can be used year round.

Using the 3 videos provided, students are to pick one of the wrapping methods shown. Then, they actually wrap the gift with the method.

Afterwards, students will unwrap the gift and count how much tape was used, and the area and perimeter of the paper on the box. Encourage students to write on the wrapping paper to show their work.

Once students calculate their wrapping paper numbers, have students compare their results to determine which wrapping method might be best. There will be a lot of debate on this topic!

I found packs of smaller boxes at the Dollar Store for kids to wrap so that all the boxes were the same size. I had wrapping paper I bought on sale from the previous year. Or even asking for donations would be an alternative to get more wrapping paper for this challenge.

Click here to grab this lesson for your class!

Playdough Snowmen | 3 States of Matter & Measurement

Learn about the 3 states of matter & how to build the best snowman. Build your own snowman and use the corresponding states of matter activity and measurement activity.

Students will model what each of the states of matter are, according to a snowman.

For the next challenge, students will build a snowman as tall as they can and use different tools to measure their creation.

This is perfect for a station that students might rotate to throughout the week or even during a class party. The must-have material needed before getting started is playdough of some kind.

Click here to grab this for your class!

Toothpick Snowflakes | Angles & Symmetry

There is a lot of science behind how snowflakes are made in nature. Learn how snowflakes are made, build a snowflake with toothpicks and solve math problems by using your design!

After planning and building their snowflake design, students will modify their work and record the following math observations:

intersecting lines
acute angles
obtuse angles
right angles
straight angles
perpendicular lines
parallel lines
lines of symmetry

This lesson works well either whole group or as a math station that students travel to throughout the week.

Click here to grab this lesson for your class!

Ten on the Sled | STEM & Stories

STEM activity with student Engineering Design Process printables & digital pages to accompany the book Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman. A Winter STEM activity for Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd grades.

Connecting STEM & literacy is a great ways to boost students’ reading comprehension by helping them remember the story.

After listening to the story, students will watch a video about sled design to inspire their creations. Next, students will build their sled that needs to fit all ten animals out of popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners and straws. I didn’t use tape to add an extra challenge and encourage kids to think about their materials in a way they haven’t before.

For the animals, I printed out the included images and had kids cut and tape them onto unifix cubes or LEGO pieces. This allows the animals to stand up on the sled.

Click here to grab this lesson for your class!

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy:

Best Robots for Kids for STEM & Technology Lessons by Naomi Meredith
Pumpkin STEM Activities & Technology Lessons by Naomi Meredith
STEM & Stories Lesson for After the Fall by Naomi Meredith

What questions do you have about these activities? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

How to Add a Timer to Google Slides

by Naomi Meredith

How to Add a Timer to Google Slides

Learn how to add a timer to Google Slides with this video tutorial. This tech tip can can help students manage time in your classroom. In just a few clicks, classroom productivity can be enhanced.

How to Insert a Timer to Google Slides Video

When picking the video timer to add to the slides, double check the timer sound first. There have been many occasions when I’ve had a timer that’s made the worst sound. Sometimes it’s even sounded like the fire alarm going off!

Google Tools Scavenger Hunts

Interested in growing your students’ Google Tools capabilities? These scavenger hunts are a great way to have students find and apply common digital literacy skills.

You and your students will get to enjoy [for each digital tool]:

Prompting for student learning and reflection
A pre-reflection sheet to rate comfortability with the technology tool
Organized places to write and take notes about the technology tool before using it

Student-led scavenger hunt tasks to learn basic functions in an authentic experience

12 Google Drive
8 Google Docs
18 Google Slides
18 Google Forms
Post-reflection sheet for students to write excitements, frustrations, and wonderings

Animated and full-color, Google Slide presentation to teach students…

What Google Drive, Docs, Slides & Forms are
The difference between the Google App and another similar tech tool
Where to access each Google Tool
Prompting and directions for student-led scavenger hunt

BONUS!

All slides & worksheets are 100% editable
A Black & White animated version of the mini-lesson is also included for ink-saving printing
Colorful anchor chart showing what Google Tools are like in real life

5 Remote Teaching Ideas To Try

by Naomi Meredith

5 Remote Teaching Ideas To Try

Teaching online and need a refresh? Here are 5 remote teaching ideas to try in your classroom. Mix it up and have fun with your students!

This video originally aired LIVE on my Facebook Page; Naomi Meredith: The STEMTech Co.

Come and join in on the fun on Facebook, or watch the recording of this episode.

Here are the key takeaways from this episode:

Remote Teaching Ideas | Watch the recording down below:

Welcome Slide as Kids Enter Meeting

Use the transition time into the meeting as a productive time. Ensure that students have all of the necessary materials prepared for the lesson; both the digital and physical items.

Some of those can include:

microphone on mute
sound on
camera on (if possible)
physical items needed for the lesson (notebook, something to write with, building materials…)

I’ll display these directives on a welcome slide which you can grab for free HERE

Hands-On Activities

It can be exhausting staring at the screen and listening to lectures all day. Consider having hands-on activities the kids can complete at home while in the virtual class setting. A favorite with my younger students are my Engineer Inspiration Boards. (You can see my growing collection HERE).

During virtual class, I’ll display the board by sharing my screen. Students have the opportunity to build any of the items with the material they have at home. I’ll typically email parents the day before to ensure student have something, anything, to build with. Even drawing is a great option.

While students are building, I’ll set a timer on my screen (video directions on how to do that here), and play music in the background. The Disney piano collection is a popular request!

When the timer goes off, I’ll have some students share. I also highly encourage the students to share their creations with me in Seesaw when class time is complete. Grab an extra month of Seesaw Plus for free by using my link HERE!

Randomize Calling Names

Definitely use the icons within your video platform as a way for students to raise their hand and respond. These are great digital tools. Sometimes mixing it up is fun too! Classroom Screen and Wheel of Names are free tools to try. Both have random name pickers. Just like a game show, it’s fun to see which name will be picked from the machine!

Guest Speakers

Is there a new science topic you’re wanting to introduce? How about a math concept that an expert uses daily in their job? Could an author speak to the class about their most recent book? Think about ways that guest speakers can be added into the virtual classroom setting. Your students will enjoy hearing a different perspective and gather deeper insight about the topic.

Virtual Field Trips

A lot of museums, zoos and public places have virtual field trip options. Use this as a tool to build background and observational skills in your students.

Consider changing your background within the video platform to get started. For example, if you’re learning about the ocean, change your background throughout the meeting with different ocean settings. Then, show students video clips of those places. This definitely would be a lesson that kids wouldn’t want to end!

Here is a list of virtual field trips to check out!

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy:

How to Teach Online For Home Learning by Naomi Meredith
Getting Started with Google Classroom: Video Series by Naomi Meredith
Ep. 7 Online Teaching Strategies for STEM by Innovative Teacher Podcast

What are some remote teaching tips and tricks you’ve tried that were successful with your students? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Spider STEM Activities & Technology Lessons

by Naomi Meredith

Spider STEM Activities & Technology Lessons

Add a little bit of spookiness with these spider STEM activities. These lessons not only compliment fall lesson plans, but even units that correlate with other creepy, crawling units. Check out these variety of ideas to add into your classroom!

*There are Amazon affiliate links in this post. When you purchase through my link, no extra cost to you but I get a kick-back in return. Thank you for your support!

Spider STEM Activities #1: Spider Pulleys

Help students learn about structure and design by building a pulley to pull the spider up the web.

Students will go through the Engineering Design Process to accomplish this challenge.

lWhen trying this with my K-5 STEM classes, I used:

Click here to get this challenge for your class!

Spider STEM Activities #2: Spider Life Cycle Coding

Teaching the life cycle of living objects is always fascinating. Why not make it even more fun by adding in an element of coding?

Help student solidify their new vocabulary by coding the life cycle of a spider by using robots.

Not sure which robots to use? Check out my robot recommendation list here!

There are 3 ways to try this coding challenge once the cards are printed out and laid out on a grid:

Teacher lays out the cards on the mat and students code the life cycle in order
Pair up students. Partner A lays the cards on the mat, Parter B codes in order. Then switch!
Same as above, but code the life cycle backwards.
Print & create the dice included ahead of time. Roll the dice and students code the robot to that location. Try adding in two dice for an extra challenge!

Click here to get this challenge for your class!

Spider STEM Activities #3: Spider Science Foldable Books

Integrate the theme of spiders in your literacy instruction! There are 3 interactive, foldable books for students to learn more about these arachnids.

The Spider Life Cycle
What is a Spider?
Fun Spider Facts

As students read, they will have a task on each page to help solidify their comprehension and vocabulary development. There are digital options as well, including pre-made Seesaw Activities, that can make using this lesson even easier.

I even added audio for every page to help support students and while learning new vocabulary.

Click here to get this lesson for your class!

Spider STEM Activities #4: Spider Digital Interactive Notebook

Help students’ build their online literacy skills by trying a digital interactive notebook for the week. I typically use these with 3rd grade and up since these types of lessons have a lot of multi-step directions.

Students will learn and respond about spiders from a variety of resources. All of the sources are linked within the entire notebook. No need to search for resources on your own!

Tasks include:

Before exploration reflection
Vocabulary
Videos
Photograph Observations
Individual Articles
Paired Selections & Comparison
Reading & labeling a Diagram
Map & Noticings
Podcast & Reflection
Digital Creation

Click here to get this lesson for your class!

Spider STEM Activities #5: Halloween Engineer Inspiration Board

Enhance your STEM & Makerspace stations with this student Engineer Inspiration Board. Use this board to inspire young engineers to build various things that represent Halloween.

Using any materials on hand, students have the opportunity to build:

cauldron
monster
candy
spider
candy bucket
ghost
witch hat
haunted house
pumpkin

This is a way to inspire students to be creative and imagine new solutions to design these items. Step-by-step directions are not included to tell students how to build each one.

As a bonus, planning, improving and sharing pages are included to help introduce the Engineering Design Process.

Click here to grab this challenge for your class!

Other blog posts you might be interested in:

Fall STEM Activities by Innovative Teacher Podcast

Pumpkin STEM Activities & Technology Lessons by Naomi Meredith

Best Robots for Kids for STEM & Technology Lessons by Naomi Meredith

How to Use a Digital Interactive Notebook in the Classroom by Naomi Meredith

Have you tried spider themed activities your classroom? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Prime Day 2020 STEM & Technology Shopping Guide

by Naomi Meredith

Prime Day 2020

Stock up during Amazon Prime Day 2020 on your favorite STEM & technology tools to add to your classroom. This is also a great way to grab presents for the special kids in your life before the holiday rush starts.

Below are some great deals and resources I recommend:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad

Prime Day 2020: 3D Doodle Pen

Don’t have a 3D printer in your classroom? Having a 3D pen station is a great start. The pen works just like how the extruder of a 3D printer works. Students can understand the concept of 3D printing by creating layers (like icing a cake) to create their design.

Prime Day 2020: Playdoh

Stock up! Especially when sharing is limited in classrooms during this time, this is a great time to add to your Playdoh collection.

Prime Day 2020: Osmo Coding Starter kit

Have students interact with coding in a hands on way. All you need is an iPad and these attachments. There is a Kindle Fire version as well for a different price.

LEGO-Like Base Plates

Perfect for Stop Motion Animation projects (you can read my blog post about that here) and min-STEM challenges.

New Robot Friend: Botley

Add a new robot friend to your classroom. Perfect for students who are learning the basics of coding. This is a device-free robot; not external tablet or computer needed.

Apple Air Pods

I am obsessed with my AirPods and I love how they connect easily to my iPhone and Apple Watch. (Click here to read a blogpost about using the Apple Watch in the Classroom). Use these during your virtual meetings, remote teaching and while listening to professional development podcasts.

Personal Laminator

During one of my birthdays during college, as I was pursuing my teaching degree, my mom bought me a personal laminator. I still have it to this day! The quality of the smaller sheets is a lot sturdier than the school laminating. Perfect for keeping your STEM station materials sturdy after many uses.

Small Plastic Drawer Storage

Organize unique pieces that are small in the STEM classroom: batteries, extra LEGO parts, 3D printer tools. Know exactly where these items are at all times.

Pumpkin STEM Activities & Technology Lessons

by Naomi Meredith

Pumpkin STEM Activities & Technology Lessons

Fall is here and it’s a perfect time to try these pumpkin STEM activities and technology lessons in your classroom. All lessons have a printable and digital option to meet all types of classroom needs.

*There are Amazon affiliate links in this post. When you purchase through my link, no extra cost to you but I get a kick-back in return. Thank you for your support!

Pumpkin STEM Activities #1: Pumpkin Bridges

Help students learn about structure and design by building a bridge to hold the most amount of pumpkins possible.

Students will go through the Engineering Design Process to accomplish this challenge.

When trying this with my K-5 STEM classes, I used:

If allergies, cleanliness or cost are an issue, unifix cubes work great for pumpkins! They take on a “Minecraft” pumpkin feel!

Click here to get this challenge for your class!

Pumpkin STEM Activities #2: Pumpkin Life Cycle Coding

Teaching the life cycle of living objects is always fascinating. Why not make it even more fun by adding in an element of coding?

Help student solidify their new vocabulary by coding the life cycle of a pumpkin by using robots.

Not sure which robots to use? Check out my robot recommendation list here!

There are 3 ways to try this coding challenge once the cards are printed out and laid out on a grid:

Teacher lays out the cards on the mat and students code the life cycle in order
Pair up students. Partner A lays the cards on the mat, Parter B codes in order. Then switch!
Same as above, but code the life cycle backwards.
Print & create the dice included ahead of time. Roll the dice and students code the robot to that location. Try adding in two dice for an extra challenge!

Click here to get this challenge for your class!

Pumpkin STEM Activities #3: Pumpkin Science Foldable Books

Integrate the theme of pumpkins in your literacy instruction! There are 3 interactive, foldable books for students to learn more about this fruit.

The Pumpkin Life Cycle
Types of Pumpkins
Fun Pumpkin Facts

Click here to get this lesson for your class!

Pumpkin STEM Activities #4: Pumpkin Digital Interactive Notebook

Students will learn and respond about pumpkins from a variety of resources. All of the sources are linked within the entire notebook. No need to search for resources on your own!

Tasks include:

Before exploration reflection
Vocabulary
Videos
Photograph Observations
Individual Articles
Paired Selections & Comparison
Reading & labeling a Diagram
Map & Noticings
Podcast & Reflection
Digital Creation

Click here to get this lesson for your class!

Pumpkin STEM Activities #5: October Engineer Inspiration Board

Enhance your STEM & Makerspace stations with this student Engineer Inspiration Board. Use this board to inspire young engineers to build various things that represent the month of October.

Using any materials on hand, students have the opportunity to build:

apple
scarecrow
candy
spider
fall leaf
sweater
corn
rake
pumpkin

This is a way to inspire students to be creative and imagine new solutions to design these items. Step-by-step directions are not included to tell students how to build each one.

As a bonus, planning, improving and sharing pages are included to help introduce the Engineering Design Process.

Click here to get this challenge for your class!

Other blog posts you might be interested in:

Fall STEM Activities by Innovative Teacher Podcast

Best Robots for Kids for STEM & Technology Lessons by Naomi Meredith

How to Use a Digital Interactive Notebook in the Classroom by Naomi Meredith

After the Fall STEM Activity by Naomi Meredith

Fall Teacher Self Care by Obsessed with Learning

Halloween STEM Relay by North Dakota Teaching

7 Gratitude Activities for your Classroom by The Gypsy Teacher

Looking for October Content? Here’s 3 More Engaging STEM Activities for Your Kids by Sprouting S.T.E.M.S

How to Create Engaging Halloween Activities that Support 5 Literacy Skills by Inspire Teach Grow

4 Fall Science Activities that are Easy and Fun by The Average Teacher

Have you tried pumpkin themed activities your classroom? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

How to Use a Digital Interactive Notebook in the Classroom

by Naomi Meredith

How to Use a Digital Interactive Notebook in the Classroom

When I was a classroom teacher, I needed a way to integrate non-fiction resources to help build background about topics for literacy and science.

There were plenty of books in the school library that we were using, but I also wanted students to access information using online resources.

Soon, I came up with a digital interactive notebook template that I could send to students with a variety of resources to engage and learn from.

These can be an asset in your classroom and be used in any content area.

Digital Interactive Notebook: What is it?

A digital interactive notebook is a way to combine all of your digital resources for students in one file that is already organized for you! Students have access to all the links and places to respond within one paperless platform.

There are still benefits to interactive notebooks that involve cutting and pasting. Having digital options allows for less prep time and assigning quickly to students.

Using this technology option also helps build students’ digital literacy skill; copy & paste, resizing images and toggling between website tabs are just a few skills students will continue to practice.

Digital Interactive Notebook: How Do I Prepare One?

I prefer creating my templates in Google Slides and save the template as the background. I then add the moveable and editable pieces on top that I want students to access.

The same templates I create in Slides can also be downloaded and used in Seesaw or Powerpoint.

If you are using a premade template, there are some steps I typically go through to make sure the content fits my needs.

Delete, add & duplicate slide templates that you think will work best for your content
Layer & link your content over the top
Delete any unwanted text boxes and tables. The design in the background is ‘glued down’ to protect the rights of the original artists
If you are worried about the original being shared with students, make a master copy of your edited notebook as a backup.
Share your final notebook with your students on the digital platform of your choice
If possible, the checklist on the last slide works well printed out. However, this isn’t necessary and can be filled out digitally.

Digital Interactive Notebook: How do I assign it?

There are many ways to share digital interactive notebooks easily with students. Here are some of my go-to ways:

Share the link with students in Google Classroom, Seesaw, Schoology or other platforms your school uses!
When posting in Google Classroom, make sure to click ‘Make a Copy for each student’ before posting!

Click here to watch my free, 3 part video series all about Google Classroom.

Create an activity in Seesaw. With Seesaw Plus & For Schools, you can create multi-page activities that work well for digital interactive notebooks.
When using PowerPoint, share in Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Teams using other Microsoft tools.

Digital Interactive Notebook: Are there templates I can use?

I have created a growing collection of templates that you can edit and use to fit your content needs.

These sides are already organized for:

Before exploration reflection
Vocabulary
Videos
Photograph Observations
Graphs & Analysis
Individual Articles
Paired Selections & Comparison
Maps & Noticings
Podcasts & Reflection
Scientific Process
Engineering Design Process
Data Analysis based on Observations
Labeling an Image
Analyzing quotations
Digital Creation

As a bonus, there are student checklists to help students keep track of their progress for each slide. There are also video tutorials to share with students (or use while you’re creating) to help you with Google/PowerPoint creating.

Creating & Editing a Text Box
Using the Shape and Line Tools
Inserting Your Own Images
Inserting Images from Google
Adding & Duplicating Slides

Each template includes various digital file types to meet your sharing needs: Google Slides, PowerPoint & Seesaw.

All Seesaw files are pre-loaded into activities. Upon purchase, you’ll get the share link to copy & edit and add to your Seesaw Activity library, then assign to students. I saved you A LOT of steps!

Grab your favorite template style here from my shop!

Digital Interactive Notebooks: Are there any that are already created for me?

Yes! I also have content specific digital interactive notebooks that have all the resources linked inside for you. Check out my growing collection here!

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy:

Getting Started with Google Classroom: Video Series

How to Teach Online for Home Learning

Have you tried digital interactive notebooks in your classroom? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!

Dot Day Ideas for STEM Classrooms

by Naomi Meredith

Dot Day Ideas for STEM

This post contains affiliate links. When purchasing through the link, it’s no extra cost to you, but I get a kick-back in return.

What is Dot Day?

Dot Day is an international celebration of inspiration and creativity. After reading the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, help students express their creativity in a variety of ways by creating their own ‘dot’.

Click here to read more about it on the official website.

Creativity is such a large component of success in STEM. Here are 3 activities that I tried that went well in my K-5 STEM classes that your students will love as well!

These were all one day, 45 minute lessons, which is just enough time to celebrate! After reading or listening to The Dot, try one of these experiences with your class.

Dot Day Ideas #1: Augmented Reality

I taught this lesson to my Kindergarten and 1st grade classes. This lesson requires tablets and having the free app, Quiver, downloaded before-hand.

Next, print out the free Dot Day coloring sheet. Make sure to have extra printed because students will want to color more than one! I printed mine 4/page to save paper and to make it easier for students to capture the whole image on their tablet camera.

Discuss with students the difference between virtual reality and augmented reality. I have this anchor chart and response sheets that you can use to make it easier to explain!

This dot will be transformed into augmented reality; it will look like the object is in OUR world.

Students will color their dot page. Markers work best and really make the colors stand out. Within the app, they will hold the camera over their dot and see it magically appear in the classroom!

Dot Day Ideas #2: Spirograph Dots

I taught this lesson to my 2nd and 3rd grade classes.

There is so much beauty and symmetry to well designed spirographs. This lesson helps students so much with their touchpad control.

Beforehand, figure out how you will share this link with students for this online spirograph. When I taught this lesson, a login wasn’t required.

If you don’t want to use the digital version, I’ve snagged plastic spirograph sets from Dollar Tree before.

Explain to students what spirographs are. You can use the anchor chart from this post I made that you can use with your students to help explain this concept!

This video also shows artists who create spirographs for a living which is interesting for students to see.

Finally, students will create their spirograph dot. If they want to save their design, taking a screenshot works well and uploading to the platform of your choice (Seesaw, Flipgrid, Google Classroom…).

Dot Day Ideas #3: Dot Launchers

I taught this lesson with 4th & 5th grades.

The Dash robot is a wonderful asset to have in your classroom. If you happen to have the launcher accessory, this lesson is for you!

Students will launch their ‘dot’ (the ball), aiming towards a STEM identity word that they view themselves as. Some words include: mathematician, innovator and creator.

Aiming for a target with the launchers is more challenging than you think! If possible, have students in groups of 3 and assign roles and have them rotate through:

Driver: Tapping the code on the device
Navigator: Ensuring that they agree with the code and give suggestions
Retriever: Finding the balls once they are released

You can get the target board here from my shop (with other ways to use these STEM identities in your classroom!)

Other blog posts you might enjoy:

5 EASY WAYS TO INTEGRATE AUGMENTED & VIRTUAL REALITY IN THE CLASSROOM

Best Robots for Kids for STEM & Technology Lessons

What Dot Day activities have you tried in your classroom? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!

5 Tips for Video Recording in the Classroom

by Naomi Meredith

5 Tips for Video Recording in the Classroom

Video recording in the classroom doesn’t have to be stressful as a teacher. In fact, this is your moment to shine as a budding YouTube star! When creating videos for your students, you’re providing opportunities to listen and learn from you as often as they would like. In fact, it extends your reach even more as you can be in two places at once.

Through my years of recording videos for my students, both teachers and children, here are my top tips to easily create high-quality videos that are engaging and useful.

#1 Video Recording in the Classroom: Easy-to-Use Platforms

Complicated software isn’t needed to create great videos. As long as you have a cell phone and an embedded web cam in your laptop, that’s all you need to get started! Other tools will be mentioned later to adding to creation, but not entirely necessary.

My go-to tools for video creating are:

Video Camera App on my iPhone: That’s right! Use the tool you already have on hand! The video quality is great. I’ll use a phone holder, like this one, to keep the camera steady.

Screencastify
- Google Chrome extension that allows recording the screen, screen & face at the same time, and just face. All videos are saved automatically to your connecting Google Drive account.

Educreations

- iPad app that allows adding in own content and recording voice on top. Also record the process of writing and solving problems. Great for showing mentor examples and solving problems. All videos are saved within the cloud service of your choice.

WeVideo

- Web-based video editing software. There is an app as well. Easily combine videos and layer text, audio and images. There are also screen recording and green screen capabilities as well.

#2 Write an Outline

Whenever I try to start recording off the top of my head, I always forget something and mess up. Which then results in more time spent re-recording content.

Before recording, create an outline of the topics you want to cover in the video. This can be as detailed as you want, especially when first getting started with video recording in the classroom.

Having an outline will help guide your thinking and also keep the video moving along.

#3 Chunk Content

Shorter videos are better. In fact, according to Panopto, best video engagement is between 2-5 minutes.

Think of them like quick mini lessons. Target exactly what you want to say in smaller chunks. This can lead into a video series that students can work through. Having a collection of shorter videos helps with differentiation and having segments that connect directly to a student’s needs.

In fact, recording shorter videos is so much easier to make than longer videos. If you mess up, it’s easier to re-do rather than sift through 30 minutes of content.

#4 Batch Record

After creating a sequence of videos you want to create along with their outlines, batch record in one setting. This will allow your brain to focus on the content during that setting.

This doesn’t mean you need to edit during this same time; this can be saved for another time.

If recording your face, I like to switch my shirt for each video segment. This helps when I am editing and assigning videos since they will look visually different at first glance.

#5 Video Recording in the Classroom: Great Lighting & Sound

There are a lot of things that can be fixed when creating videos, but bad lighting is a hard one to undo.

Use as much natural light as possible. When recording your face, facing a window is super helpful!

If recording your hands, small ring lights can help add more exposure into the space.

Here are two external lights I like using. This one clips onto my phone while the other stands up on a flat surface.

Increasing audio quality is also helpful for your videos. When recording on my phone, I’ll wear my Airpods to enhance the sound. While on my computer, this simple external microphone works well. For more of an investment, I’ve had great success with this Yeti.

These tips will not only help you when recording videos for your classroom, but also your students. Check out my video tips that I use in my K-5 classroom to help with their video quality as well.

Click here to check out this resource to use in your classroom!

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy:

How to Teach Online for Home Learning by Naomi Meredith
7 Tips for Creating a Classroom Website for Teachers by Naomi Meredith
Getting Started with Google Classroom: Video Series by Naomi Meredith
Ep. 7 Online Teaching Strategies for STEM by Naomi Meredith
Ep. 9 WeVideo Tips, Tricks & Lesson Plan Ideas by Innovative Teacher Podcast
eLearning Best Practices: How Long Should Training Videos Be? by Panopto

Have you started recording videos to add to your classroom instruction? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!