Washington Tech Tidbits

On May 18, during our Wednesday QIT time, we will be teaming up with the Carpenter staff to participate in a Breakout EDU experience! Breakout EDU games promote critical thinking, collaboration, and complex problem solving. They can be used in all content areas.

Each school in District 64 has its own Breakout EDU kit that holds endless possibilities to get students engaged and learning in a unique way. Each kit includes one wood Breakout EDU Box, 1 three-digit lock box, 1 directional lock, 1 word lock, 1 key lock, 1 four-digit number lock, 1 hasp, 1 flash drive, 1 UV flashlight, and 1 invisible ink pen. During a Breakout EDU game, participants find clues and solve riddles & puzzles to open locks and achieve a goal.

The May QIT meeting will also be MY first time participating in a Breakout EDU experience. I am looking forward to learning more about this innovative teaching tool with you!

For more information about Breakout EDU, sign up at breakoutedu.com/beta. Check out the video below to see Breakout EDU in action!

When you have a moment, check out District 64's summer professional growth workshops. If you're interested in taking a course, please register by Friday, May 6th.

*I will be teaching Get to the Head of the Class with Google Classroom on the morning of Wednesday, July 20th. Sign up if you'd like to learn more about using Google Classroom with your students!

Although Google released several new Slides templates last year, you may still be looking for a way to spice up your presentations. Slides Carnival is a third-party site that offers a large array of FREE Slides templates. Their collection features many different looks and colors, which will help you set the perfect tone for your presentation. Slides Carnival will help you (and your students) create a presentation that will stand out! It's definitely worth a look!

(Click here to use the template shown on the left.)

Looking to spice up your review game? Check out these Olympics-style review games by Matt Miller. So many great ideas! My favorite is Flyswatters. Divide your class into 2 teams. Display a list of vocabulary terms on your SMARTboard or white board (check out this grid for reference). Give one student from each team a flyswatter, then read out a definition to one of the terms. The first person to swat the correct term gets a point!

The First Annual District 64 Student Technology Showcase will take place on Monday, May 23rd from 6-7pm at Emerson Middle School. A small group of students from each school will be highlighting ways in which they have used technology this year to support the 4Cs of learning. Feel free to come on by and listen to our students, as they reflect on ways they've communicated, collaborated, shown creativity, and demonstrated critical thinking with technology!