In the world of education, there is an ever-growing emphasis on the important role of STEM in the classroom that correlates with the need to develop 21st century competencies among our students. Critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills are seen as fundamental for students as they learn to apply core skills and begin to prepare to enter the workforce. Recognizing this need, a growing number of schools and educational facilities are providing more hands-on STEM-based learning opportunities to prepare students for the future. And to help find the right STEM school supplies, they can now turn to Staples Business Advantage.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and has more recently grown to include the Arts (STEAM). It is a cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning that, as defined by Bonnie Schmidt, "includes a diverse set of 21st century skills and characteristics — ways of thinking about (and solving) the problems that we all face as global citizens." 

When I think of STEM, I think of project-based, inquiry-based and even game-based learning. I think of makerspaces, flexible classrooms, design thinking, digital portfolios, innovation and problem-solving. I also think of augmented and virtual reality, robotics, 3D printing, and programming, among others. Bundle all of these elements together and you have a recipe for encouraging youth to pursue STEM studies and empowering them with the skill set they will need for their future.

Gearing up for STEM in the classroom can be somewhat overwhelming. Luckily, Staples Business Advantage has experts on hand to help guide you towards the tools and supplies that are best suited for your needs. One thing to consider is whether there is a need for a central makerspace that will act as a STEM storage hub for the school or if it would be better to outfit each classroom with a standard STEM toolkit. A more affordable option could be to create a mobile makerspace on wheels. Whichever is best suited for your school's goals and budget, here is a list of suggested materials and STEM toys to get started:

As part of the design process, students will need ready access to materials for brainstorming, collaborative design, modelling and creating iterations of their designs, many of which are already found in the classroom.

• adhesives (glues such as craft, wood or hot glue, tape such as duct or electrical tape)
• paper (printer paper, construction paper, card stock, aluminum foil)
• craft supplies (pipe cleaners, yarn, craft sticks, fabrics)
• modelling clay or plasticine
• colouring supplies (crayons, markers, paints and brushes)
• craft scissors and hole punches
• dry erase supplies (whiteboard markers, dry erase paint, mini whiteboards, adhesive dry erase surface)

Recyclable Materials

It is Computer Science Education Week and, in anticipation, Apple released new resources that will help bring coding education to more students throughout the world thanks to the Everyone Can Code program. This includes free Hour of Code sessions available at all Apple store locations from December 1 through 14. You can register through Today at Apple for coding themed sessions such as How to Get Started with Coding, Coding with Swift Playgrounds, App Design and Coding Basics, How to Program Robots with Swift Playgrounds and Kids Hour: Sphero Maze Challenge, designed for aspiring coders aged six to 12.

The new Swift Coding Club kit gives teachers, students and club mentors the tools they need to start their own coding clubs and gives students aged 8 and up the ability to collaborate, prototype apps and explore how coding can make a difference in their communities using fun activities from Swift Playgrounds and App Development with Swift on iPads. 

Swift Playgrounds is available as a free download in the App Store in 15 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and more. For teachers in the TCDSB, you will be happy to know that the Swift Playgrounds app is already available for download within the TCDSB App Store!

There are so many free Playgrounds you can download in app that guide students through puzzles to master the basics, so no previous coding knowledge is required. There is a complete set of Apple-designed lessons that kids will love because they get to use real code to guide a character through a 3D world while making their way from the Fundamentals of Swift towards more advanced concepts.

To help prepare and develop students for the workforce, Apple also unveiled new Advanced Placement curriculum and App Development with Swift certification. Students can earn a certification that recognizes their knowledge of Swift, app developer tools and core components of apps. The App Development with Swift Level 1 certification exams are offered through Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide.

It's the last day of March Break and I've been curling up with some good books. They're not the mystery or suspense novels that I typically enjoy but they are very much relevant in the world of education. These books have been piling up for a while so I decided to catch up on the ones I had yet to finish reading. They were written by innovative and inspiring educators throughout the past few years, and I have even had the good fortune of meeting some of the authors. Today I share a few of my favourite reads, all of which are available on Amazon.ca. And I've even thrown in a special giveaway, too, so you can check them out for yourself. Without further ado, allow me to present: 

The HyperDoc Handbook: Digital Lesson Design Using Google Apps by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, Sarah Landis

HyperDocs are the solution to personalized instruction using technology in today’s modern classroom. They provide innovative ways to engage students and package digital lessons on a Google Doc. The HyperDoc Handbook is a practical reference guide for all K-12 educators looking to transform their teaching into blended learning environments. This book strikes a perfect balance between pedagogy and how-to tips, while also providing several lesson plans to get you going.

Hot off the digipress: my #HyperDocs definition #sketchnote. @edtechteam #gafesummit #edtech cc. @sylviaduckworth pic.twitter.com/JFtlNv7fr4

— Diana Mancuso (@TeacherMomOfTwo) June 27, 2016

After I had first heard about HyperDocs on Twitter, I was quite intrigued and signed up for their first HyperDocs Bootcamp online course. Now, it seems so many teachers have implemented HyperDocs into their teaching practice. They're a great tool for fostering creativity, collaboration and communication skills.

Code Breaker: Increase Creativity, Remix Assessment, and Develop a Class of Coder Ninjas! by Brian Aspinall

Crack the code for your students’ success! Future-ready students need to be creative. They need to know how to communicate their ideas and how to collaborate as problem solvers. And to master these and other twenty-first-century requirements, they will need to be critical thinkers. In Code Breaker, educator Brian Aspinall shares his insights on how to turn curriculum expectations into skills. Students identify problems, develop solutions, and use coding and computational thinking to apply and demonstrate their learning.

Listening to @mraspinall talking about his first #coding club experience. Now the whole #poopmissilealgorithm makes sense! #TCDSB21C pic.twitter.com/w6sDHFWsz1

— Diana Mancuso (@TeacherMomOfTwo) February 8, 2017

I had been following Brian Aspinall for quite some time. Not the creepy kind, but the social media variety. And then I was so fortunate to meet him and listen to one of his talks at a TCDSB 21C Innovators session just over a year ago. (Fan-girl moment!) While his musings on Mitch Resnick's and Seymour Papert's respective theories were quite interesting, he had me at "poop missile."

◈

The Google Infused Classroom: A Guidebook to Making Thinking Visible and Amplifying Student Voice by Holly Clark, Tanya Avrith

EdTech experts Holly Clark and Tanya Avrith provide a guidebook to help you use technology to engage your learners and amplify the learning experience in your classroom—with Google Apps and other online tools. This book focuses on 20 essential tools that will help teachers to easily make student thinking visible, give every student a voice and allow them to share their work.

This book covers a variety of topics that include formative assessment tools, such as Padlet and Google Forms, differentiation tools, such as Google Classroom and HyperDocs, methods for meaningful demonstrations of learning, such as screencasting and blogging, digital portfolios and more.

◈

Dive into Inquiry by Trevor MacKenzie 

Dive into Inquiry beautifully marries the voice and choice of inquiry with the structure and support required to optimise learning for students and get the results educators desire. With Dive into Inquiry you'll gain an understanding of how to best support your learners as they shift from a traditional learning model into the inquiry classroom where student agency is fostered and celebrated each and every day. This book strikes a perfect balance of meaningful pedagogy, touching narrative, helpful processes, original student examples, and rich how-to lesson plans all to get you going on bringing inquiry into your classroom.

Another amazing #SylSketch by @sylviaduckworth, popping up in @trev_mackenzie's live @RecapThat webinar. Quelle surprise! #edtech #inquiry pic.twitter.com/azOOE9Hx1M

— Diana Mancuso (@TeacherMomOfTwo) September 8, 2017

This book focuses on how to help students create authentic connections to the world while fostering student voice and harnessing student agency. Be also on the lookout for Trevor's newest book Inquiry Mindset, which will become available in the coming week.

Sketchnotes for Educators by Sylvia Duckworth

Sylvia Duckworth is a Canadian teacher whose sketchnotes have taken social media by storm. Her drawings provide clarity and provoke dialogue on many topics related to education. This book contains 100 of her most popular sketchnotes with links to the original downloads that can be used in class or shared with colleagues. Interspersed throughout the book are Sylvia's reflections on each drawing and what motivated her to create them, in addition to commentary from other educators who inspired the sketchnotes.

Seven things I learned from @sylviaduckworth's #sketchnote live webinar. #edtechteam #cdnedchat pic.twitter.com/qp4xA4jR4j

— Diana Mancuso (@TeacherMomOfTwo) May 16, 2017

I have been a big fan of Sylvia Duckworth for many years and I have her to blame for my obsession with passion for all things edtech. Most notably, I've been a big fan of her sketchnotes so I just had to have this book. It has a lot of thoughtful reflections alongside her sketchnotes and the book would make for a great teacher gift.

In The Innovator's Mindset, George Couros encourages teachers and administrators to empower their learners to wonder, to explore--and to become forward-thinking leaders. If we want innovative students, we need innovative educators. In other words, innovation begins with you. Ultimately, innovation is not about a skill set: it's about a mindset.

If you like this book, head on over to immooc.org where you can sign up for a free Innovator’s Mindset Massive Open Online Course to join in the conversation surrounding this and other similar books.

Win a $100 Amazon.ca Gift Card!

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Have you ever wondered what life on Mars could look like? On Wednesday, November 15, 2017, approximately 300 youth from the Greater Toronto Area will be doing just that at the Canada 2067 youth conference. Their challenge will be to envision what the future on Mars could be like, with the ultimate goal of re-imagining science learning in Canada. 

But before they get started, they will hear from youth and professional speakers about the STEM careers paths. Join them via livestream to hear from Bonnie Schmidt, CEO of Let's Talk Science, and speakers from organizations that are changing the world we live in today and helping to shape the future through space discovery, software innovations, and more.

Hosted by Canada 2067, a national initiative to shape the future of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning, focusing on Kindergarten to Grade 12, this day-long event is a unique opportunity for collaboration between inspiring youth, professional speakers and breakout groups of students.

Recognizing the growing need for critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators and global citizens, Canada 2067 will use the results from this youth conference as part of the Canada 2067 action plan and national vision for STEM learning that will ensure young Canadians will graduate with the skill set they will need to succeed in the rapidly changing world of tomorrow.

As select portions of the agenda will be streamed live, I hope you will be able to join in either on the Canada 2067 Facebook page or on Canada2067.ca on Wednesday, November 15 at 8:30 AM to noon EST to listen to the amazing speakers.

Canada 2067 is presented by Let’s Talk Science with founding partners including Amgen Canada, 3M Canada, H+K Strategies and Trottier Family Foundation. 

Several years ago, I attended a conference on 21st century learning and one of the keynote speakers made a comment that has stuck with me ever since. He pointed out that we are teaching in "the most disruptive moment in education," in a time of great change. As excited as I was to learn that the future of education promised great innovation, the thought also terrified me. There were so many questions, so many unknowns, so many variables to consider. How on earth could I possibly consolidate the ways in which I was taught as a student and the methodologies of my current teaching practice with the needs of my students, so that they may thrive in the ever-evolving world of tomorrow? [Insert deep breath here.] Though daunting as it may appear to navigate through these uncharted waters, there is one thing I know for sure: science, technology, engineering and math will each play a greater role than ever before in the future of our children. For this reason, I am thrilled to partner with Canada 2067, a national initiative to unite Canadians around a new vision for youth STEM learning, focusing on Kindergarten to Grade 12.

In order to shape the future of STEM learning across our great nation, Canada 2067 is using the perspectives and opinions of Canadians to develop an action plan for strengthened education systems that will better prepare youth for the 21st century. You see, we now find ourselves at a critical juncture wherein we recognize the growing need for critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators and global citizens and yet, there's still so much more we can do to ensure that they graduate with the skill set they'll need to succeed. We're so lucky to live in a country where our education systems are among the best in the world. But we still need to prepare for a future full of challenges. And this is where you come in.

Canada 2067 has identified six pillars as part of the Canada 2067 action plan and is seeking input from all Canadians. Whether you are a student, an educator, a parent, a policy maker, a business leader, or a government leader, everyone is invited to share thoughts and opinions on:

• how we learn
• how we teach
• what we learn
• who’s involved
• where education leads
• cross-cutting issues

By participating in the conversation, you will help paint a clearer picture of the current state of STEM learning in Canada, and inform decisions that will affect our youth over the next 50 years.

Have Your Say

When it comes to math, I find that students either love it or hate it. Personally, I have always loved math but few of my classmates were of the same accord. My daughter does not like it but my son seems to really enjoy it. If only we could get every student to feel the same way as he does. As an educator, I feel it is of utmost importance that we make math fun. Using interactive web sites such as Mathletics.ca can help do just that. Not only is Mathletics interactive and engaging, it can help students improve their results. Plus, it is targeted towards Provincial Curricula across Canada.

Last summer, my kids had the opportunity to try out the home version of Mathletics. As a result, I noticed a marked improvement in my daughter's attitude towards math. She seemed so motivated to achieve gold status for each set of math activities and did not feel the frustration she would often feel when completing pen-and-paper math homework. In fact, it gave her a sense of accomplishment and helped to boost her confidence. This is why I feel that Mathletics is an ideal resource for Canadian classrooms. I have come across quite a few online learning sites in my time but Mathletics has to be one of the most thorough and comprehensive digital resources I have seen thus far. Not only is it an excellent tool for students that adapts to their ability level and provides them with instant feedback, it is also an indispensable tool for teachers as well, providing an effortless solution to differentiated instruction, automated testing and real-time data to support learning outcomes.

Rich Learning Tasks can be accessed from the Teacher Console under "eBooks" and are marked with Dr. Marian Small's "One, Two, Infinity" logo. There you can access the teacher view, student view, videos and interactives. 

Also included in the eBooks is a massive library of printable eBooks and worksheets. In fact, there are over 150 comprehensive workbooks, all available at your fingertips. As an added bonus, there are various Mathletics eBooks available in French. Bravo! All of these eBooks consist of Canadian content and can be used to introduce a new concept offline or as support or extension material. 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by 3P Learning, the makers of Mathletics. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Most educators who keep up with the latest trends in education will likely agree that computer science is more than just a trend. Computational thinking is largely becoming recognized as a crucial skill that our children will need to succeed in the future. Steve Jobs once said, 

With computational thinking becoming a core literacy, the argument in favour of computer science as a separate subject, both in primary and secondary education, is stronger than ever before. Hence the growing interest in learning and teaching children to code. 

Typically, coding requires the use of computer screens or tablets, but what if we want to limit screen time or avoid the risk of little hands dropping an expensive tablet? NYU professor Rudi Cossovich decided to tackle this problem by designing Plobot, which allows for physical coding and interactive learning beyond the computer screen, toting it as an "antidote to excess screen time".

Plobot is an Arduino-based robot for 4 to 8 year-olds and is designed to be a child's first encounter with coding concepts. It is unique in that it uses cards and storytelling, as opposed to syntax and computer screens, to teach kids to navigate Plobot through a maze of obstacles, play music, light up with different colours, and even sense nearby objects. Using a built-in RFID scanner, kids can trigger actions by swiping command cards in sequence and stringing together a "program" that Plobot follows. The "Play" card works as an execute function and modifier cards mimic loops and conditionals, changing the effects of the other cards. 

The concept behind Plobot fascinated me so much, I was compelled to support Plobot Team's Kickstarter project. I have only ever supported one other Kickstarter project, which was for Team Kano's physical computing project that teaches kids how to build a smart camera, a speaker and a light board, which can be used to learn how to code photo filters, songs, data and more. The whole idea of being able to build and code devices from scratch is incredibly exciting to me, and yet, I can't help but feel a sense of regret that this was never quite an option for me as a child of the '80's. Oh, to be a student in this day and age! Fingers crossed that Plobot reaches their Kickstarter goal.

It's official! On October 22 and 23, I will be presenting two sessions at the second GAFE Summit to be held here in Toronto. This year, the Summit is being hosted by Crescent School and is sure to be jam packed with amazing sessions, a super fun demo slam and keynote speakers that will include the one and only Sylvia Duckworth. In case you missed it, I wrote about why I loved attending my first GAFE Summit and how much I am looking forward to reconnecting with my tribe. This time around, I will be presenting two beginner level sessions:

bit.ly/GAFTor16

In the meantime, I hope to connect with many of the attendees on Twitter so if you've bought your ticket, send me a tweet at @teachermomoftwo and I will add you to my Twitter list. Don't forget to tweet about your excitement using the #GAFEsummit hashtag and 

Last year, at the first Toronto GAFE Summit, Sylvia Duckworth introduced us to Breakout EDU. With Breakout EDU, you can bring the escape room experience into the classroom with games that are engaging and help to build teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking and troubleshooting skills. Each game includes challenges that "ignite their natural drive to problem-solve" within a predetermined time limit. Adaptable to any subject area or grade level, Breakout EDU promotes collaboration, inquiry-based learning and communication skills in a way that is fun and interactive. 

You can use it as an icebreaker activity, or to introduce or reinforce a topic.

I love Breakout EDU simply because it's tonnes of fun and a great way to get kids out of their seats. I've tried a series of games available in the sandbox collection with some of my classes, during which I heard one student shout out, "See! I told you math was useful!" The students loved it so much, I decided to host a game at my son's 8th birthday party. I have also lead a game at one of our TCDSB 21C Innovators sessions and a couple of games at our TCDSB 21Camp last spring. The feedback has been great and I am happy to announce that it is now available for order through our board's online 21C catalogue. 

Here is the preso I made to introduce Breakout EDU to my colleagues:

Given that there only a few games available in French that I can find, I decided to make one for the FrEd Matters symposium last week to introduce it to FSL teachers. Since I was expecting a room full of about 30 people, I created red clues and blue clues which made me think of the Matrix, and divided the group into two teams. Please note, the materials I used below are not all available in a single kit. I found the black and pink toolboxes on sale at a hardware store and the blue fishing kits I found at the dollar store for $3, I believe. I was also testing out some new Master Lock backpack locks that I received for review.

I also took the liberty of tweaking the signs and clue cards available in the Breakout EDU facilitation preso so that I could use them in French class. Click on the image below to access the "view only" copy of the Breakout EDU signs en français which you can print directly, or make a copy to edit as you see fit.

Once I have compiled all the game instructions for "La matrice," I will be sure to share it to the Breakout EDU sandbox and post a link on my blog as well.

While the original version is a lot of fun, it can be quite costly if you're paying out of pocket. I ordered my own kit last December because I loved it so much but the price has since gone up a lot. An alternative is the digital Breakout version, which is free. I have yet to try it but I imagine it's still a lot of fun. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

According to George Couros, a well-known Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership consultant and school principal from Alberta, reflection is part of your work as a teacher. His blog post entitled, "Another Reason to Blog; Proactive Through Reflection" underlines the importance of making the time to thoughtfully reflect on our teaching practices and narrowing our focus. As I begin on another journey by way of a second additional qualification course on Integration of Information and Computer Technology, I am tasked with sharing my own reflections through blogging. 

While I am no stranger to blogging, I have to admit that I haven't written many blogs that reflect upon my own teaching practices. With that said, I welcome this opportunity to share open reflection on my learning throughout this course. I completely agree with Couros that reflection is an essential part of our role as a teacher. In this way, we can model to our students the how and the why of self-reflection.

If there is one thing I have learned from blogging throughout the past ten years, it is that you can only get better with practice. You see, English class was one of my least favourite subjects. As a student, reading and writing proved to be more difficult than I cared to admit. In fact, I hated writing. I struggled with organizing my thoughts on paper and always wrote the bare minimum. While my English grammar improved thanks to my extensive undergraduate studies in French, Spanish and Italian, it wasn't until I made a regular habit of blogging that I finally felt confident in my writing skills, which, by no means, are perfect. My personal goal, therefore, is to embark on a journey of reflective blogging as I continue my professional learning in the years to come.

Learning Experience #1: Program Development

During our first learning experience in the course, it was interesting to see how different schools set up their technology differently, whether it be using a centralized model where technology is stored in one location such as a computer lab or whether they follow a model of technology integration. One observation that keeps standing out in my mind is the varying degrees of access to technology and the types of technology that have been made available in some schools. It has inspired me to better advocate for the need to supplement the current ICT resources in our own school so that all students have an equal opportunity to put their 21C skills into practice.

This first learning experience was also a great way to connect with other like-minded educators who understand the need, and the benefits, of pursuing professional development in the area of information and computer technology. In particular, as a blogger of ten years, it was really nice to see so many fellow educators taking the leap into blogging. I know how overwhelming it can be at first but imagine how empowering it will be for students to learn from someone who has experience in blogging and customizing their own site! Well done!

Learning Experience #2: Special Needs and Technology - Part 1

Necessary for some, good for all.

If there is one thing I've learned over the past year, it is that technology that has been designed to assist those with special needs can indeed benefit others as well. Take, for instance, the voice typing tool in Google Docs. For those who are unable to physically type on a keyboard, this tool is indispensable. However, for my FSL students who may be reluctant to write in French, they can easily change the language and dictate their responses directly into the document. What I love about this is that the tool automatically adds accents when needed and the students don't have to worry as much about spelling. They can simply focus on getting their thoughts and ideas recorded in writing.

Learning Experience #2: Special Needs and Technology - Part 2

Last fall, the Toronto Catholic District School Board jumped on board the GAFE train and launched their Google domain for elementary schools. In anticipation of this exciting change, I decided to do some online training and obtain a Google Educator certificate. This consisted of completing a series of five online competency tests. There were four mandatory tests on Gmail, Calendar, Sites, and Google Docs/Drive, and as my elective, I chose Chrome. It was a great learning experience and a step towards possibly becoming a Google Certified Trainer. Unfortunately, they no longer offer this certification and my certificate will expire in October. Now I am tinkering with the idea of following in the footsteps of my French teaching hero Sylvia Duckworth and applying to become a Google Certified Innovator. For that, I would need additional certification as a Google Certified Educator.

This new certification program is broken down into two levels. Level 1 validates fundamental competencies in using Google Apps for Education and standard technology implementation skills. Level 2 validates advanced technology integration skills. The good news is that, if you are a super user, you can by-pass Level 1 altogether and complete the Level 2 online test, which is what I opted to do. Keep in mind, though, that you only have three chances to complete an individual test and there is a waiting period in between attempts if you fail. I know this because I first attempted the Level 2 test in April and did not complete all the tasks within the three hour time limit. Therefore, I received a mark of 75% which fell short of the 80% requirement for a pass and had to wait at least two weeks before attempting it a second time. Yes, it was disheartening since I could have completed it all if I had had an extra 30 minutes but at least the cost to take the test is only $25 and I felt much more confident the second time around. I re-took the test last night and am happy to report that I completed it successfully with 30 minutes to spare!

UPDATE (May 2019):

I have been officially re-certified as a Google Certified Educator: Level 2 and just recently received certification as a Google Certified Educator: Level 1. I'm working my way towards becoming a Google Certified Trainer. Fingers crossed!

If you yourself are interested in Google for Education certification, visit the Google for Education Training Centre online for more information.

Over the next few weeks, I will be participating in a HyperDocs Bootcamp online course delivered by the EdTechTeam and learning all about a transformative digital tool that will take student learning to a whole new level. The HyperDoc Handbook: Digital Lesson Design Using Google Apps, which is currently on sale for half price, was written by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton and Sarah Landis and aims to shift our teaching practice as well as the student learning experience by replacing the worksheet method of delivering instruction. The course is a study of the book taught by the authors themselves via Google Groups and Google Hangouts and will give participants an opportunity to transform their lessons into an interactive and engaging HyperDoc experience that will allow for greater creativity and collaboration. 

Our first assignment was to find a creative way to define HyperDoc and we were given free reign to select an edtech tool of our choosing. I opted to draw a sketch note in the style of the uber talented Sylvia Duckworth using the Tayasuii Sketches II app on my iPad. Le voilà!

Click here for a French version of a HyperDoc template.

It's a #MyLittleDreamer Twitter Party!

• 2 x $250 travel voucher, courtesy of iTravel2000
• 1 x Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" Tablet (ARV $200), courtesy of The CMR
• 2 x $100 Visa Gift Card, courtesy of Heritage Lending
• 1 x $100 Indigo gift card, courtesy of Heritage Education Funds
• 1 x $100 swag prize pack, courtesy of Heritage Education Funds
• 1 x $100 book prize pack, courtesy of DK Canada

New to Twitter and/or Twitter parties? I have written the following tutorials to help you out, complete with screenshots:

For the longest time, I have been thinking about how I can share useful websites with my students and their parents to help them practice their French at home. This is guaranteed to be on every parent's mind when they come in for curriculum night and parent-teacher interviews. In the past, I have resorted to providing a brochure with some links typed up but the urls were often lengthy or, in some cases, they would no longer work. Then there was always the possibility of the brochure being misplaced. For the most part, I would list general sites since in any given year I could be teaching grade 1 all the way to grade 8. This was clearly not the best option for sharing online resources with parents. This is why I am making the switch to Symbaloo EDU. 

Symbaloo EDU is a free social bookmarking site that allows to you manage all your resources in the cloud by creating visually appealing webmixes that can be shared, updated, and even embedded into a web site. They can be accessed anywhere through the Internet and on any device. You can also created "lesson plans" that will guide students from tile to tile, where you can direct them to a useful website, have them watch an embedded video, embed a file from your Google Drive and have them complete a quiz before advancing to the next tile, all at their own pace. Finally, teachers can create their own Personal Teaching/Learning Environments and use them as their homepage for quick access to educational sites and resources.

Above is an example of Symbaloo EDU webmix I created for my Primary French students complete with fun videos and several Quizlets on key vocabulary we cover throughout the year. The best part is that I can add to or edit it whenever I like and they will always have the most updated links. 

Tip: You can create a customized shortened url so that parents and students can easily remember it. I use bit.ly: bit.ly/prfrench

If you've been using Symbaloo.com and are curious about how it differs from Symbaloo EDU, the main difference is the content that you start with. SymbalooEDU accounts come with preset educational webmixes preinstalled that are continuously updated with the latest and greatest educational sites recommended by Symbaloo Certified educators, such as yours truly.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to attempt my first French Symbaloo EDU lesson plan. If you are an FSL teacher who has already completed one, feel free to share via the comments below.

Sometimes I think I make a better student than a teacher. And I am pretty much convinced that, if I were a student in this day in age, I would be thriving and having the time of my life. It's the geek in me that finds herself drawn to all things techy and for that I make no apologies. But information and computer technology has changed a whole lot since I was a kid where keyboarding was an actual course you could take in high school and Qbasic was the code of the times. I know. I just dated myself. 

Yet, here's the thing: How can we possibly prepare our students for a future that will be so tech driven, in a world where the careers they will pursue likely don't yet exist, if we fail to embrace educational technology into our teaching practices? This is why I was so eager to complete an additional qualification on Information and Computer Technology part 1 last winter. I am also planning on taking part 2 this summer, updating my Google Educator status to Google Certified Educator and completing an online EdTechTeam bootcamp course on HyperDocs. So when I learned that Symbaloo EDU offered a certification program, I had to jump right on it, too. It was fairly straightforward and easy to do but it also inspired me to try new things with Symbaloo EDU. I can't wait to play around with their new Lesson Plans feature! In the meantime, you can read about how I plan on using Symbaloo EDU to share useful French sites with parents and students, and have a peak at my Personal Teaching/Learning Environment.

A few months ago, while attending a TCDSB 21C Innovators workshop, I bumped into a former teacher candidate who is now teaching her own class and uses iDoceo 4 for record keeping and planning. It was the first time I had heard of iDoceo and, based on her experience, I thought I would give it a try. Up until that day, I had been using an Excel grade book for recording marks and my day plans were designed using Word. The idea of going paperless and having an electronic grade book has always been appealing to me, especially given the current trends in the education sector. But the fact that I could carry my iPad with me to class, easily record marks and anecdotal observations on the go, and backup my data to Google Drive was something I was willing to spend $13.99 to try. Certainly, with such a high price tag, the iDoceo 4 app would be worth it, right?

There are so many other great features, such as the ability to e-mail student reports to their parents, and I'm still discovering the many other built-in features. Given that the cost has gone up by three dollars since I purchased it in January, I know it may not be an option for some teachers but I would highly recommend it if you don't mind the cost. As such, I am giving it the Toronto Teacher Mom Seal of Approval.

Have you tried iDoceo 4 or any other similar apps for teachers? I'd love to hear your thoughts.