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…)
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
When teaching a STEM or technology lesson, what are the best robots for kids? Here is a list of recommendations by a current K-5 STEM teacher that are worth purchasing.
These robots aren’t listed in any particular order. However, all are favorites to use with elementary students.
This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the link, no extra cost to you, but I receive a kickback from purchases.
Of course, these little guys are ADORABLE! These chunky robots are easy to manipulate and code. They are perfect for any elementary student who is just starting out with coding.
With Bee-Bots, students can visually see where the robot is headed with the arrow keys. To deepen coding knowledge, students can write the code with the arrow cards that come provided or even write on a whiteboard.
There are separate mats grids that can be purchased separately. They aren't cheap, but they are very durable as well and you can place any content cards underneath the plastic top to integrate any subject area with your coding. You could try creating your own!best
This robot doesn’t require a device to be coded and there aren’t any updates to manage. As a classroom teacher, this is the best starter robot.
I have 5 of these robots on deck in my classroom and they have been used by hundreds of students. In Kindergarten, I disguised them as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Students rolled a dice with the food on it. They then had to code the “caterpillar” to the square that had the matching food. Even after the amount of use my Bee-Bots get, they still work beautifully.
Bee-Bot Additional App
Another added bonus, if you have access to iPads, there is a FREE iOS app that extends the learning with Bee-Bots. Again, this isn’t necessary for use with Bee-Bots.
Think of the Bee-Bot robot as the concrete representation of coding & the app is the abstract version. This is great to implement if stations are a part of your teaching; one group can work with the physical robots while another code on the app. You can even have a 3rd station where students use arrow coding cards and code their partner, the human robot. (You can grab this lesson here!)
The hardest part I’ve seen with the app is students understanding their left and right directions
This is Bee-Bot's older sibling. If you don’t have either one, Bee-Bot or Blue-Bot, I would recommend spending the extra money and going with Blue-Bot. This robot is the upgraded version and still doesn’t need a device like Bee-Bot.
What makes them a bit more “extra” is their ability to record sound and interact with other Blue-Bots. They also are clear so students can see the inner workings of the robot and spark their curiosity.
Best Robots for Kids #3: Dash
Robot Name: Dash
Price Range:
Type of Device Based Coding: Device required. Can be programmed with a tablet or computer
Again, these robots are super cute and durable as well. The best part is when they get plugged in after sitting uncharged for a while. They start talking your ear off and sound like the little aliens in Toy Story.
This is a product I definitely believe in. In fact, I am a Wonder League Ambassador (2019-2020, 2020-2021) #wondersquad Side note: I’m not getting paid to write this post. I just love these little robots so much!
This robot has many different apps to challenge students in a variety of ways in their coding journey.
If you are looking to host a STEM after school club, this robot is the way to go. You can create your own challenges, or use the challenges presented in the Wonder League Robotics Competition.
This competition is 100% free and your team has the option of uploading videos of completed challenges in action. However, that’s not necessary but having access to the challenges is wonderful.
When getting started, the Dash & Dot coding challenge cards are wonderful. I used these the first year my students ever used these robots. They are self paced and build off one another.
I only had two sets of cards, but a lot more kids than that! The cards are double sided so I took a picture of the front and back of two cards together. I then inserted all the images into a Google Slide and shared with students through Seesaw.
I had students code in partners; one robot and two iPads. One iPad was for coding the robot. The other iPad was logged into Seesaw where partnerships could swipe through the coding cards and also take video of their robot in action.
As a side note, Seesaw is one of my top favorite apps to use in the regular classroom as well as the STEM classroom. Seesaw is forever free, but you can get an extra month of Seesaw Plus by signing up with my link here.
Accessories
There is a wide variety of accessories that you can grab to enhance your experience with Dash.
If you are looking at cost and what to start with, the bulldozer is the best attachment to start with. Dash can kind-of push items without it, but it can cause other issues.
Here is another print file for a different bulldozer design. I haven’t tried them out quite yet, but I’m definitely going to print a set and see how it goes!
There is also an older sibling of Dash & Dot; Cue. This is for more advanced types of coding that some of your older students may be ready for. Having a couple of these on hand would be a great investment later down the road.
Best Robots for Kids #4: Dot
Robot Name: Dot
Price Range:Prices vary $80
Type of Device Based Coding: Device required. Can be programmed with a tablet or computer
Typical Age Range Used with: Kinder-2nd grades (but can be fun to interact with Dash in the older grades and extra challenges)
Most common question I get from my students, “Is Dot the head ripped off of Dash?”
The answer is “No” (with a side of laughing). You CAN take off the stand Dot sits on which makes him into a little ball.
This robot actually doesn’t move around on it’s own, unlike the robots described above. There are a variety of apps also available for Dot, just like Dash.
Dot and Dash can interact with one another, but you don’t need one without the other. If you are trying to decide between the two, go with Dash. There is more you can do with Dash cross-curricular lesson planning.
The coding cards that I mentioned using with Dash when first starting out with Dot is also a good fit. The challenge card sets are for Dot & Dash. They are labeled clearly as to which robot to try the challenge with.
On the Wonder app or in the Creativity Kit there are some fun games that can be played with Dot. These are great for whole group lessons for younger students. This can be a way to introduce different coding elements, a class incentive to earn or an indoor recess game.
Accessories & Apps
There aren’t as many accessories for Dot and most of them are costumes to make it look even cuter. The best accessory is the Building Brick connector which can be used with Dash as well.
Once your students have some coding experience, either with other robots or even coding online with Scratch your students can be successful with Sphero.
There are many different types of Sphero out there. I had the original Sphero first (the white ones) and they stopped charging and connecting to my devices. If you can afford newer ones, go with that option.
There are a few apps to choose from. I found that the Sphero Edu app worked best for a classroom setting and used “real” coding. It can be overwhelming at first for elementary student eyes, but with anything, start slow to go fast!
Lesson Ideas
Inside the Sphero Edu app, there are ideas to try. With my 5th grade students, we went through the Engineering Design Process (EDP) while learning about the Iditarod. Students were posed with the challenge: How can you create a sled that Sphero can pull through the Iditarod race?
After going through the (EDP) students came up with interesting designs which posed new challenges when coding. This lesson had high engagement and the 5th graders the following year asked if we could be doing “that sled lesson”.
Another lesson I taught in 4th grade with Sphero was snowflakes. Again, another Engineering Design Process challenge where we explored the science and math behind snowflakes. The coding involved a lot of angles and symmetry.
Additional Accessories
There are a few accessories to try with Sphero (listed above). However, when getting started with Sphero in the classroom, accessories aren’t necessary.
One accessories that is worth the investment are pool noodles. These can be used to block off various corners and exits for Sphero. There are moments when there is a bug in the code and Sphero will quickly roll away and hit something. The noodles will keep the robot safe from knicks and impacts.
If you have never tried integrating robotics, have a very limited budget and/or don’t work with a large amount of students during the week, this is a great robot to start with with younger students.
On the flip side, if you are the opposite to the above statements and have a larger budget, Bee-Bots or Blue-Bots are a better investment. They are pretty much the same concept when it comes to its directional coding buttons.
I have some Code and Go Mice in my classroom that were purchased prior to my hiring and they don’t get used very often. I have them on hand if there is an odd number of students when using the Bee-Bots. However, the wheels wear out quickly with a higher amount of use. Also, when the battery dies, you’ll need a small screwdriver on hand to take off the panel and replace them.
For my students who want a Bee-Bot at home, I actually recommend to them the Code and Go Mouse. Parents are more willing to spend its inexpensive price (in terms of a robot), and it doesn’t typically get as much use as it would in a classroom.
Type of Device Based Coding: Device required. Can be programmed with a tablet or computer
Typical Age Range Used with: 2nd-5th grade (If used every year, 4th and 5th might get tired of them)
Types of batteries: Consumable batteries. Can use rechargeable kind.
Additional {Optional Attachments}: Can purchase replacement parts or use other LEGO
Why I recommend them:
There is no doubt that most kids love LEGO. This kit is a great combination of building and coding. While the kits are expensive, they are extremely durable and have a familiar feel with kids. Of course, they can be used year after year if the pieces stay organized and separate from your LEGO mixed buckets.
If you are a classroom teacher, it would be worthwhile to get 12 sets for your entire grade level to rotate and share. If you are in the STEM or Technology classroom, these kits are HIGHLY recommended and worth the investment 100%.2-3 students working on a kit is the most successful option.
Lesson Ideas
The app comes with a wide variety of lessons and starter builds when working with this kit. With the time I have with students, I’ve done the beginning builds that are offered on the home screen for students. This is a great lesson all about following directions in order, collaboration and fixing mistakes when things don’t work the first time.
The app is designed for students to go through the building directions then adding in the coded elements. As of now, the coding isn’t super complicated and is block coding.
LEGO also has an annual competition that you can register for: First LEGO League Jr. There is the option to sign up to participate in a local competition. Upon registration, there is the option to purchase the WeDo 2.0 kit. These kits don’t need to be returned and are kept by the club leader.
When thinking about classroom supply budgets, this could be a great way to get the kits into your room for future use after hosting the club.
What I liked about this club is it was all written out for you as a leader and didn’t require extra planning. Make sure you have A LOT of club sessions; the building and collaborating is time consuming.
When I first walked into my K-5 STEM classroom, I was shocked by the limited amount of resources that were in my room for the younger students. There were Bee-Bots on hand, which is amazing, but I knew my brand-new Kinders needed a different jumping off point with robot coding. I also didn’t want them to tire from the Bee-Bots so quickly either.
Students attach different segments to the Code-a-Pillar’s main body. Once the student presses play on its back, the Code-a Pillar will read through the code and light up each section as it is being played out.
Emojis are a modern day version of hieroglyphics; they visually convey a lot of meaning and emotion. Learn how to use the emoji chrome extension, and bring this tool into the classroom.
Emoji Chrome Extension: Getting Set Up
First, add the extension in your Google Chrome toolbar. Chrome extensions are like little apps that you can use to enhance your experience only when using this web browser.
{Optional} Close out of Chrome & restart computer to ensure extension was added properly with full functionality
Emoji Chrome Extension: Organizing your Google Drive
Google Drives can get messy fairly quickly. However, there are ways to streamline organization and keep it visually appealing and easy to access. Of course you can color code your folders (which you can watch that video tutorial here)
Why not make your Google Drive organization EVEN BETTER by adding in an emoji in the title? With color and a picture, it will make searching for your go-to files so much easier (and a little more fun!)
Struggling readers and even strong readers love pictures. No matter what reading level someone is, having a visual to match the words increases reading comprehension.
Use emojis when labeling assignments and directions. My favorite places to do this are in Seesaw and Google Classroom. While I love both of these platforms immensely, both streams can get overwhelming quickly. Try and match the emoji to the assignment name and the kids will be even more excited to click on the assignment.
Often when I am swiping through student posts on Seesaw while watching The Bachelor, I’ll throw in some emojis to help students pay attention to the comments I am giving them. The emoji keyboard on your phone is also great asset for the classroom!
Emoji Chrome Extension: Student Responses
For most written assignments, I don’t encourage students to use emojis within their work since the goal is to have them write in complete sentences. However, when it comes to quick assignments where I want to know their thoughts on a topic, using an emoji might be more appropriate.
This is a topic as a classroom teacher you want to be very clear on the boundaries and when emojis are/aren’t ok on certain assignments.
I love the creativity and rawness when students record their own videos. For most, it takes a lot of practice to be comfortable on camera. {Of course, you have those students are a complete natural and you know they are going to be on TV one day.} To help students be confident in what they are trying to say and not hide behind their script, here is how you can create your own teleprompter in your classroom.
For items you see in this post, these are my Amazon affiliate links. When you purchase through my link, it's no added cost to you and I get a little kickback in return. Win-win! Step 1: Beforehand, students can type their script. Have script displayed on computer in a Google Doc. Make the screen fairly large so it’s easier for them to read. **If the script isn't typed, that's ok! We have just taped the script right onto the iPad stand as close to the camera as possible so their eyes are looking up for the video.
Step 2: If there is more than one person talking, highlight each person’s lines in a different color.
Step 3: Connect a wireless mouse (USB or Bluetooth) and have one of the students scroll down on their script as they are reading so they can control their pace. Step 4: Practice, practice, practice! I had them practice without recording first, then record a round. They then watched and decide on what changes to make for their final recording.
Bonus Steps! Record in front of a green screen. Use an iPad stand to keep the filming steady. Place your “Teleprompter” directly in front of the iPad stand. The best app that is easy for students to use and is worth the money is Green Screen by Do Ink. How have you used a teleprompter in your classroom? Let me know and send me a message on Instagram @marvelousmsm
Stay marvelous! Naomi from Marvelous Ms. Meredith
P.S. Love the iPad stand in the pictures? You can grab it here and also see it in my {free} downloadable list of Top 20 STEM Station Must Haves.
Every year as a classroom teacher, I always stressed out about having the perfect gift for my students to give to their families during the holidays or at the end of the school year. As a person who enjoys giving gifts myself, I try to ensure that my gifts are purposeful and unique. I believed in the same concept as to what I was going to have my kids make. While I am a big fan of crafting, with 24 children, it can go bad real quick. Also thinking about how much it was going to cost each student to make their gift can get expensive! After some thoughtful planning, I thought of a way to integrate students' use of technology into their family a gift to save time, money and still create something personal.
That's where I came up with the Selfie Station Calendar. With a new year approaching, a calendar is very useful! I know that teachers will often times have their kids decorate each month with a little art project, but honestly, that seemed like a lot of work to me.
Instead, each month was decorated with their child and different props to represent each month. My first year doing this project, I brought in some items like sunglasses, hats, and all sorts of crazy stuff and a parent helped me take 12 different themed pictures of each child. As this project evolved each year, it's been more student centered and less work for me. After all, it's THEIR gift that that students are giving to parents! What did you use for the calendar? I created a calendar template for each month using Google Slides. The top portion I left empty for students to insert their pictures. I shared this template with the students in my class using Google Classroom so that it made a copy for each one of them. This also was great management when students needed tech support and I could hop onto their piece and work with them to solve the problem.
When the calendars were finished, I could easily find each students' name and print. Another added bonus was for students who had divorced parents, I could easily print multiple copies and they didn't physically have to make more than two. What did you use for the props? As I mentioned in the beginning, my first year doing this project, I brought in all sorts of random stuff I found at home and in my classroom. Any costume item that I owned was in my room for over a week. As this project evolved, I actually created my own printable props that were themed for each season of the year. This actually turned out a lot better because students had more prop choices for their photos, I could store them easier in just one file in my filing cabinet, and they actually turned out to be more vibrant and photogenic!
I printed and cut out each theme, sorted them by months and wrote in pencil on the back which month the prop represented. I then sorted the months around the room and students would grab one prop at a time to take their photo for that month. How did they actually add their pictures?
Students helped one another face their computer camera at the proper angle to take a picture for each month of their calendar and then insert in to template. You can have students make their own calendar or work together collaboratively and have a class calendar! That way, you will only need to print one! How did you manage their projects to ensure they were finished in time? Since my 3rd graders hadn't ever done a gift like this before, there was a huge amount of buy in. They also thought that the props and my example calendar was funny so they were super excited to make their own. I also started this project the month before break so I could print and bind each calendar and then have students wrap them. That way if students were absent, I had plenty of time for them to make to make it up.
As far as the prop management went, I told students that they didn't necessarily have to go in order for their calendar. That way not all the January props were gone at once!
We worked on these for about 30 minutes a day for 3 days and the majority of my class was finished. Those who finished quicker were able to help others or even type in important events within their calendar. How much did this gift cost you? Zero dollars. That's right! Since I made the props and calendar template myself, it was free-99. I also had the benefit of having colored card stock paper to print on for the props and binding I could use to bind the calendars. I did have to print in black and white a couple of years because of restrictions we had on our school's color printer. They still looked really cute! I also told the kids that they could definitely print in color at home and send to other family members as well.
I know that the cost might vary for different classrooms, especially if you use my template and props to get you all set up. Overall, this is a low cost project that is highly engaging for your students. There was a reason why I did it many years in a row. The families absolutely LOVED them!
How have you used a selfie station in your classroom?Let me know and send me a message on Instagram @marvelousmsm
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.
In this video tutorial, the steps for creating an email signature with an image will be shown. All creation is done within Google Slides and then exported as an image.
Email Signature Picture Tutorial Video
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.
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!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
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!
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.