Lemon Tech Tidbits

5 CLASSIC TED-TALKS EVERY TEACHER SHOULD WATCH It is getting to be that time of the year when all teachers can see the end of the school year and enthusiasm can start to wane. This is especially true with all of the days of testing, student apathy is on the rise, and senioritis quickly spreading down the halls. To help keep up the moral, watch one of these 5 classic TED talks for teachers recommended by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning.  Every Kid Needs A Champion : Rita Pearson shares how important it is to believe in your students. How To Escape Education’s Death Valley : Ken Robinson explains with humor 3 principles needed for young minds today to achieve greatness. Key to Success Is Grit : A video over perseverance and to never give up. Puzzle of Motivation: Dan Pink explains how traditional awards are really not the best to motivate others. How Great Leaders Inspire Action : Describes a powerful model for inspirational leadership based on other great leader...

GOOSECHASE Goosechase is an interactive scavenger hunt game you can use with students and/or with your teachers and staff for Professional Development. Goosechase allows you to “blend the tried-and-true fun of a scavenger hunt with mobile technology to create a learning experience unlike any other.” You can sign up for a free account. There is also a paid version that gives you more choices. Some of the scavenger hunts are already available and ready for you to copy and use. For example, one of the games is called Simple Machines and requires students to take pictures of one of the six simple machines being used around the school. In another game called ELA Review, students must record themselves acting out different vocabulary words. For more information, visit: https://www.goosechase.com/edu/

FACEBOOK GROUPS TO FOLLOW This summer, I started to follow several different library groups in Facebook. This has made a world of difference in my professional life. I have learned so much simply by following these groups. Here are a few Facebook groups recommended for teachers to follow. *Some groups are more active than others. We Are Teachers -First Years 6-9 ELA Teachers NGSS Biology Teachers Reading Roundup The PreK Spot Lucky 2nd Grade Teachers Not so Wimpy 3rd Grade Teachers Upper Elementary Planning & Implementing Project-Based Learning High School Teacher Helpline Art Teachers: Beg, Borrow, and Steal Classroom Freebies Teachers - Sharing ideas and resources These are just a few. There seems to be at least one for each subject, grade level, or core area. Let me know if you want me to find the right Facebook group for you.

I have found myself multitasking more and more as the school year winds down. This is the time of the year when I am either running on full-stress ahead mode or find myself doing tasks that are mind-numbing such as scanning in every single book and item to complete inventory. To help break things up.....and to use my time as wisely as possible, I have started to listen to  webinar podcast  while I work. When I am scanning in books or driving long distances, listening to podcast helps keep my mind active and I find myself learning while I work or drive. I have my guilty pleasure podcast that are purely enjoyable (looking at you Hardcore History and Working by Slate) ....but I wanted to share one designed specifically for educator’s..... YouMediaNetwork Learning Labs . YouMedia Learning Labs is “an open community of educators & mentors who share knowledge, questions, and collaborate with colleagues... across the network.” They have several webinar podcast you can ...

This summer, why not sign up for  FREE  professional development webinar’s offered on  edWeb.net ?  edWeb is a place where teachers can sign to create a personal learning network. On this network, teachers and educators collaborate, share ideas, and more. Many of these are through webinars. Each day, there is a new webinar that is usually an hour long over technology and best practices for education. All webinars are free and many are hosted by experts in the field. After attending one, you will receive a CE certificate for attending.  Some of the upcoming webinar’s include: “Fake News” and the Case for Media Literacy Across All Grades Making the Most of Math Models Strategies for Encouraging Reading Readiness in Young Children   For more information:  http://home.edweb.net/ 

You are already familiar with the Google Apps tools, why not show everyone what you know by getting your Google Certified Teacher level 1 and level 2 badge? Here are the steps: Login to  https://goo.gl/LhEfpC Take the  Fundamental’s Training sessions.  Each session is broken up into many small lessons with a short quiz to check for understanding at the end. You don’t have to go through them all to take your final certification test but I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU DO....even on lessons over topics you have a high comfort level. When you are done, sign up to take the Educator Certified Level 1 exam. This exam cost $10.00.  When you finish level 1, repeat to take Level 2. The level 2 exam cost is $25.00.  •  The exams will take around 3 hours. You will be asked permission for Google to use your camera - this is how they check to make sure you are in fact the one answering the questions. Feedback on how you did is very quick. For more informatio...

Getting Going With G Suite - An Online Course for Teachers (graduate credit is available). From Practical Ed Tech for Teachers and Richard Byrne is an opportunity to earn PD points and/or College Credit while learning all about G Suite (Google Apps). This is a webinar series so you can attend while sitting at home in your pajama’s. The cost is only $147.00 to participate ($450 with college credit). There are four different sessions so you can pick which one works the best for you. This online course will cover: •  Basics and Tips over  Google Drive • Google Calendar •  How to create a  Google Sites  (website) & use it as a blog •  Basics and Tips over  Google Classroom For more information: https://goo.gl/jGqqrf