Ed Tech Tips with E. Mosier

Now that the school year is in full-swing, the meetings are piling up, student behavior is all over the place, and the demands of teaching are beginning to mount. It is completely normal to feel overwhelmed and unable to keep up. It's a part of the job, and each year, it seems to feel deeper and deeper. There are a few things that we can do to, hopefully, help the burdens feel a little lesser. Whether that is the use of classroom management tools using technology or things that we can do personally to help, anything we can do to lessen the stress is welcomed. Below are a few of my favorite tech tools and personal tools to use to monitor classroom behavior and ensure that we take some time for our own personal wellness as the days wear on.

A super fun and visually-appealing site is Bouncy Balls. This site shows a large number of bouncy balls on the screen. Using your computer's microphone, they bounce up and down to indicate the noise level in the classroom. This can be customized in the upper right-hand corner of the screen using the Sensitivity slider. There is also an option to adjust the number of objects that appear on the screen. The best part about this site is that it allows several different objects to be selected. Everything from eyeballs to numbers to emojis, this can be intriguing for students of all ages. There's even an automatic noise sound that can be applied that will automatically remind the class when they've reached the desired volume.

If you're unfamiliar with the website Classroom Screen, it's definitely one to check out! It's a board that allows widgets to be customized on it for a variety of classroom processes. Widgets like a random student selector, stopwatch, etc. But, what's really nice is the option of a Sound Level. This widget allows the teacher to customize the noise level with a slider at the bottom. Then, there's a minimum and maximum meter that is a nice visual for students to determine their noise level. A benefit of using this as opposed to Bouncy Balls is the option of having this noise meter visible along with those other widgets for classroom use.

A huge shoutout to Ms. Wheeler, 3rd grade teacher at Garfield, and Principal Mrs. Evans for sharing this bubble resource. She shared a few videos from YouTube of bubbles that can be used to calm students. These could be placed on a screen as students are working, after returning to the classroom from lunch, or even when students seem to be just a little bit out of control. After viewing the three of them, it's easy to see how they could help students. Even better that these could definitely be used in any grade level that is taught! The three videos that were shared are linked below:

Calming Sensory Bubbles -Morning Music for class

Bubbles and Calming Music - Sensory Therapy

Bubbles Therapy with Relaxing Music

The Calm app and website are two great resources to utilize in the classroom. However, there's a really nice Teacher Resource site that they've developed. What I really like on this page is that there's a 30 day guide for activities that can be done in the classroom to increase mindfulness. There are several opportunities for yoga and other mindfulness activities, but this is a short and nicely organized bank of activities that are free for teachers to use.

Before it became hidden behind a pay wall, Calm had a really nice resource called "Do Nothing for 2 Minutes." It was simply a video of a beach scene with waves crashing on the shore that forced you to, literally, do nothing for 2 minutes. If you moved the mouse or touched the keyboard, the timer restarted. It was a nice way to be forced to decompress when working at the computer. So, if you find yourself in need of quick relief, just do nothing for 2 or 3 minutes. There are several videos on YouTube that promote this and are geared towards teachers. So, don't forget to take care of yourself before you're fully able to take care of the students in your classroom!

Sometimes, a flashback to our childhood is just what we need to take care of ourselves. The ever-awesome Eric Curts shared this awesome resource that allows you to Build Yourself as a Lego Minifig. To celebrate the release of the newest Lego movie, and in conjunction with Pharell Williams, you can use this site to create your own minifig. This could be a cool activity in class, too, where students could explain their minifig's details, personality and a story about it!

Have a question about a tip, trick, or tool? Have an idea for a future Ed Tech Tip newsletter? Send it via email below!

Email: mosiere@davenportschools.org
Website: sudlow.davenportschools.org
Location: Sudlow Intermediate School, East Locust Street, Davenport, IA, United States
Phone: 563-445-5150
Twitter/X: @emosier3