Teach with Tech
Monthly Newsletter
Hour-of-Code: December 2-6
Even with the prevalence of generative AI, coding is still an important skill for students to know and understand. Hour-of-Code, a website and movement, is a great way to introduce our students to coding and get them interested in computer science.
What is it? The hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge to give students a fun introduction to computer science. It has expanded and grown to be a global learning event with a variety of one-hour coding activities in over 48 different languages for children from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. There are a variety of activities for different grade levels, ages, and coding ability levels. There are even non-computer activities to introduce students to the concepts of coding and computer science.
When is it? The Hour-of-Code takes place during Computer Science Education Week; this year, that is the first week of December. But the coding activities are available year-round, and I encourage you to explore them with your students.
Why participate? The purpose of creating an "event" is to generate excitement for coding and computer science. Turn your activity into an official Hour-of-Code event by registering it here- and receive a variety of resources and tips to make the event successful.
Resources:
Google Classroom Update: Grouping Students Made Easy!
Great news! Google has listened to educators and finally introduced the ability to create student groups in Google Classroom. No more manually selecting the same students for every assignment—this new feature saves you time and simplifies your workflow!
How to Create a Group
There are two easy ways to create student groups:
From the People Tab:
- Go to the People tab in your class.
- Select Groups, then click the blue Create a Group button.
- Name your group and choose the students who will be part of it.
While Creating Assignments:
- As you're setting up an assignment, quiz, question, or material, click on All Students in the left-hand menu.
- At the bottom left, select Create Group.
- Name your group and add the students you want to include.
What Can You Do with Groups?
With student groups, you can quickly assign tasks—whether it’s assignments, quizzes, questions, or materials—directly to specific groups with just one click. This eliminates the need to individually select students each time, making differentiated instruction more seamless.
AI Idea Generator
Do your students constantly complain that they have no idea what to research? What to write about? What to focus their project on? If yes, then this easy-to-use generative AI website is for you. No sign-in is required and the program is free.
The AI Idea Generator is a versatile tool that can empower students to take an active role in their learning by encouraging creativity, independent thinking, and problem-solving. By integrating this tool into your teaching practice, you can inspire students to generate their own ideas for projects, assignments, and research topics, fostering a more student-centered learning environment.
Here are a few ways you can use the AI Idea Generator as a teaching tool:
Project Inspiration: Assign students a topic or theme and have them use the AI Idea Generator to brainstorm unique project ideas. This promotes ownership and creative thinking as they explore possibilities beyond traditional approaches.
Independent Inquiry: Encourage students to develop research questions or experiment ideas using the AI Idea Generator. This can be particularly effective for inquiry-based learning, where students drive their own investigations.
Group Brainstorming: Use the AI Idea Generator to facilitate group brainstorming sessions. By inputting different prompts, students can collaborate on new ideas and solutions, making the learning process more engaging and interactive.
This tool can be used across the spectrum of content areas (these ideas were created by the Idea Generator):
- Use in English to generate essay topics and other writing ideas.
- Using the idea generator in history class to spark discussions on alternative perspectives of historical events.
- Applying the idea generator in science class to inspire innovative solutions to real-world problems.
- Incorporating the idea generator in math class to encourage students to think outside the box when solving complex problems.
- Utilizing the idea generator in art class to generate unique concepts for creative projects.
- Integrating the idea generator in physical education to brainstorm new fitness challenges and activities.
- Employing the idea generator in music class to prompt students to compose original songs or melodies.
- Using the idea generator in geography class to explore imaginative ways to tackle global issues.
- Applying the idea generator in technology class to generate ideas for designing new apps or digital solutions.