Switching up your final exam can have some great added benefits. Your students develop skills with other tools that will be useful for them in the future and in my experience, their engagement and motivation improves! And their audience of one increases! Here are some recommendations:

• Create a Blog in MS Sway. This easy to use tool has so many uses, and with it's beautiful image library, a blog can encourage writing, expressing opinion and demonstrate knowledge. Other free blog tools are Wordpress and Canva.
• Podcast: I have heard very encouraging examples of teachers switching from written papers (that have an audience of ONE) to Podcasts. The students learn recording skills, reach a larger audience and are forced to be creative in how they share their thoughts and arguments in a recorded setting.
• Website: Create a website (use a free tool like Google Sites or Canva) and students can share all they have learned in a tool that can be targeted at a specific audience and be useful!
• Video: There are so many free video making tools where a student can demonstrate knowledge and also hone their production skills. Adobe Express, Apple Clips, iMovie are just a few that we use here at ICS.
• Interactive Timelines: Using a tool like Sutori or Padlet where students can add images, links, and video allows them to create detailed timelines loaded with information. These can be used later as teaching tools as well!
• Interactive Maps: Students can create interactive maps with tools like Google Earth to show where historical events took place, adding their own analysis and insight.
• Interactive Bulletin Boards: Padlet is the king tool for online bulletin boards. Students can add all sorts of media to these board and also allow interaction (commenting, etc) from others, creating discussion and explanation.
• Develop a class lesson: "You don't know something until you have to teach it." When I taught AP Spanish, I always made my students teach something to show mastery. They used intearactive digital whiteboard tools such as Educreations and Explain Everything. They can also use our LG CreateBoards for developing these lessons!

Stop by to see me if you'd like to explore any of these.

Our 5th grade students recently showcased their learning on books they had read and analyzed. Each student created a movie trailer for their book using iMovie on the iPad. They highlighted the key characters, the plot and what they felt was important in the book to create the pull for the reader. They developed their movie making skills as well!

Here are four useful tips to help you get the most out of Microsoft OneDrive:

1. Enable Folder Backup: Automatically sync your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive. This ensures your files are backed up and accessible from any device.

2. Use Version History: Restore previous versions of your files if changes are made that you need to undo. This feature is available for up to 30 days after the file was modified.

3. Collaborate in Microsoft Teams: Access your OneDrive files directly through the OneDrive app in Microsoft Teams. This keeps all your work in one place and makes collaboration seamless.

4. Utilize Personal Vault: Store sensitive files like social security cards, passports, and other important documents in Personal Vault for added security.

   
   

Looking for something different during final exam week? Have your students create their own video lesson using our LG CreateBoards. Borrow one of our USB Microphones, Open the screen record tool on the side menu, then let the students loose on the Notes app. They can describe, write, annotate and create their own lesson showing mastery of a topic.