Waffle Bytes

I've always enjoyed the movie "Apollo 13." There are so many good messages in it - about hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, about courage in the face of danger (and possibly even death), about creative problem solving for problems that are not "contingencies we remotely looked at." This scene is where we are right now with education - We have been asked to "invent a way to put a square peg in a round hole - quickly." And now we are in the room (or this course) looking at what is available to make that happen.  We have the resources, we have the tools...we now need to make it happen.  We are going to be innovative, creative, and make this work.  We are going to fail and have inelegant, imperfect solutions, but we will get solutions.  And we will continue to refine them until the emergency is over. One of my concerns is - and this is something often seen with students working on a problem - if we spend time on a solution that we think is goi...

(Part of our Stay-At-Home series focused on practical ways you can use a resource to foster creativity, connections, and collaboration.) ...or another new skill! There are many artists sharing weekly or daily lessons that anyone can access. Here are a few that you might want to check out: Draw Everyday with JJK - author & illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka has created a YouTube channel where he is sharing drawing lessons every day.   Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems - this Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence at Home; he even has some episodes where he shares what kids have drawn and shared back with him! Si ght Reading Factory - get your music on! Practice that instrument or sing a song - they are providing unlimited exercises!  Take Art Lessons - Artyfactory's free art lessons share the knowledge and understanding of art and design to improve your artistic skills and to increase your enjoyment in creating artworks. DIY Film School - impr...

(Part of our Stay-At-Home series focused on practical ways you can use a resource to foster creativity, connections, and collaboration.) There are many organizations that are offering video resource (or TV programming) each day which may be useful to parents and teachers.  Here is a short list of a few that are freely available you may want to check out: Public television (and their companion websites) are changing programming to focus on materials for K-12 Students at home until further notice.  PBS stations have blocked out time for each level - 7-9am is PBS Kids materials appropriate for 2-8 year olds; 9am - 1pm is for students Grades 4-8; 1-6pm is for students Grades 9-12. Additionally many have companion resources that can be used with the programming.  PBS Learning has resources and learning activities in most subject areas.  Students do need to make a (free) account if they do not already have one.  Discovery Education is providing daily learni...

(Part of our Stay-At-Home series focused on practical ways you can use a resource to foster creativity, connections, and collaboration.) Parents - There is a growing body of research that shows being outside in nature can have positive benefits for our mental well-being.  With what we are dealing with currently, I think we all can use activities that are good for our mental health. Go for a walk There are many activities that you can do while walking.  Here are some suggestions to make it an learning adventure: Make Observations Have kids share or journal what they experienced with their senses during the walk.  For instance, today I saw  our mating crane pair was back from the south, I felt  my face warm on one side from the sun and cool on the other from the wind, I heard  the frogs that have returned to the creek.  You could even showcase a sense a day! Observe the clouds, the weather, wildlife, insects, amount/types of traffic Look for...

(Part of our Stay-At-Home series focused on practical ways you can use a resource to foster creativity, connections, and collaboration.) Maybe during our stay-to-home time is the best time to travel to other states or even other countries, just to visit Museums that we may never get the chance to see in person!  Museums both have had, and have been adding, lots of resources for parents, students and teachers the last several years.  Some of these include: Virtual Tours Apparently there are now 2,500 museums that offer virtual tours from home.  It would take a long time to visit all of them! You can find many of them through Google Arts & Culture .  Take, for example, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.  You can view many of the paintings viewable there - without the crowd - and even learn a bit about them from information added on the page.  Or go to Rome and see the Sistine Chapel. Here are some ways to you might engage students throu...

(Part of our Stay-At-Home series focused on practical ways you can use a resource to foster creativity, connections, and collaboration.) Continuing to write can be very important for students (and adults) right now, not just for learning but also for our social/emotional health.  Writing can help all of us work through emotions, and deal with the uncertainty of the situation many of us find ourselves in currently.  Yet, as many teachers can attest, it can be HARD getting students to start writing. Here are some ideas/resources that can help encourage your child to write: Multi-day writing Journaling example-  COVID-19 Pandemic : "chronicle the changes you observe as your community, the country, and the world respond to Covid19" This document includes a variety of modification for elementary, students with special needs, and even one with added social-emotional reflection questions.  It can be helpful for students to process through their experiences and...

(This is the start of our new Stay-At-Home series focused on practical ways you can use a resource to foster creativity, connections, and collaboration.) There are a variety of companies providing eBooks and/or Audiobooks for parents and educators while students are not able to attend their schools.  But, what can you do with them - or any book for that matter? Teachers : Here are some ideas for ways eBooks or Audiobooks can be used to connect with your students. Share a link to one of your favorite books in your communications with your students, along with why it is one of your favorites.  Invite students to read or listen to it, and invite them to share back a link to one of their favorites. Encourage students to create their own "audiobook" recording of a book for elementary school students (you may give some examples of appropriate books), which you can then share with your elementary teachers for sharing Inspire students to create a book report on what they are...

Over 1500 new or updated resources have been added to #GoOpen Michigan! Check out these additions which provide more for every curriculum area - NEW International Astronomical Union (57 resources) - set of activities/lessons bundled under Astro EDU set NEW Code.org (342 resources) - includes lesson plans for CS Discoveries, CS Fundamentals, and CS Principles NEW National Endowment for the Humanities (405 resources) - EDSITEments set with a variety of resources including lessons, activities and readings NEW US Census Bureau (62 resources) - K-12 activities from the Statistics in Schools project UPDATED CK-12 resources (798 resources) - updated flexbook resources

Learn about REMC's Virtual Courses, and below that find several face-to-face professional learning opportunities - REMC’s Virtual Courses Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of REMC’s free Virtual Courses. These courses are specifically tailored for educators, by educators.  The classes provide a convenient way for education professionals to learn and collaborate while reducing the time and expense of traveling to a seminar or workshop. All REMC courses are open to all Michigan school personnel. No registration or SCECHs fees. Seven courses are offered in June and begin on Monday, June 3.  Deadline for registration is Friday, May 31.  Each course is open for three weeks and consists of two (2) one-hour webinars and four (4) to eight (8) hours of resource review, assessment developments and written reflection.  SCECHs are available, ranging from 6 - 10, depending on the course. Enhancing Instruction for All Learners Increasing Efficiency and Productiv...

To add an assignment in your Google Classroom, first select the Classwork tab at the top - Then click on the blue +Create button - From the drop-down that appears, select Assignment - Enter in the assignment information on the screen that appears.  These are the areas of the screen: Title of assignment Any instructions or other information you want to include with the assignment Point value (can be No Points) Due date (can be No due date) Any attachments/Drive files/Youtube videos/hyperlinks you want included Assign and Trash buttons If you click on the arrow to the right of Assign, you get the options to schedule the assignment to appear on a future date, or save it as draft to complete later -

Science teachers have the opportunity to attend an intensive and residential one-week experience that will let them explore world-class research in nuclear astrophysics!  They will get to spend time at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University - a facility used by scientists from all over the world.  What: Physics of Atomic Nuclei program When & Where : July 15-19 at Michigan State University Cost:  FREE More Information:   at  https://www.jinaweb.org/ educational-outreach/physics- atomic-nuclei-pan/ There is also a program for high schools students - information about it is also on the website above.

From the  Raspberry Pi blog  - This week we also launched the brand-new Code Club Book of Scratch , the first-ever print publication from the team at Code Club. You can learn more about the book on the Code Club blog , and you’ll also find it in the Raspberry Pi Press store , and in bookstores alongside The Raspberry Pi Beginner’s Guide. You can download the free PDF here , but the print version of the Code Club Book of Scratch is rather special. As well as being stuffed full of amazing Scratch projects to try down at your local Code Club, it also comes with magic glasses that reveal secret hints in some of the guides. It’s spiral bound, so it always lays flat, and there are 24 exclusive Code Club stickers as well! The pictures here don’t really do it justice – it’s a wonderful book, even if I am a bit biased.

From the Raspberry Pi blog - [T]his week, we’re pleased to announce the release of The Official Raspberry Pi Beginner’s Guide, a 244-page book that will help get you well on your way to Raspberry Pi domination. The Official Raspberry Pi Beginner’s Guide From setting up your Raspberry Pi on day 1, to taking your first steps into writing coding, digital making, and computing, The Official Raspberry Beginner’s Guide is great for users from age 7 to 107! It’s available now in the Raspberry Pi Press store, with free international delivery. As always, we have also released t he guide as a free PDF .

A powerful, new resource for K-5 educators Introducing   MiTechKids , a new   resource for integrating technology into activities in the classroom, preparing students for real world success. The  MiTechKids site was formerly known as 21Things4kids.net and over the summer, received an easier-to-remember new name. MiTechKids  was developed by a team of Michigan-based education technology and media specialists from ISDs and local school districts to provide important technology learning and lessons for K-5 students. The resources are organized by grade level and support the  Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students (MITECS)  competencies and the International Society for Technology in Education ( ITSE ) standards.  MiTechKids  is provided by the  REMC Association of Michigan , and free to everyone. MiTechKids  provides short activity lessons (20-30 minutes) created for teachers that provide ideas and resources fo...

Data from Project Tomorrow's recently released  Speak Up Survey  shows teacher preferences for face-to-face professional learning conferences declining from 47% in 2010 to 40% in 2017,  according to eSchool News . The same survey found that teachers aren't comfortable with new practices like using digital tools for student collaboration, personalizing learning for each student, or creating project-based experiences. REMC is here to help! Check out out free Virtual Courses, open to all Michigan educators. September and October session topics include: Inquiry and Questioning with Technology, Google for Learning, Literacy and Technology, Social Media, Open Education Resources (OERs) and more. Sessions take place over a three-week period. Free SCECHs available.  Register here . Still have questions?  Contact us !

I'm looking for some teachers in Branch or Calhoun county (Michigan) that would like to participate in an end of the year challenge! Challenge Title:  Why We Celebrate Memorial Day Challenge/Problem to Solve :  Challenge your students to explore why we celebrate Memorial Day.   Type: Multimedia Challenge Challenge Parameters : Challenge is limited to 10 teams Students must create all elements for the challenge The student product must meet the following criteria: Utilize the green screen to support the project Be equivalent to a G or PG movie rating (for instance, in use of language and dress) Possible Ideas: Historical news cast about Memorial Day Reenactment of historical event related to Memorial Day Public Service Announcement related to Memorial Day Interview of vetern(s) - what Memorial Day means personally Opposing Viewpoints panel - should we celebrate Memorial Day Time Frame : approximately 4-5 weeks April 30: Deadline to sign up...

Black History Month Library - Google Drive Folder This resource, created and shared by Charles Preston , may provide some outstanding resources beyond what you have previously used.  The resources cover a wide range of history and people that may or may not be familiar to you.  This is a community contributed to work, so you will also see resources contributed by addition people.  Please note : many of the shared works are copyrighted, you be aware of Fair Use guidelines in using them with your students during classroom activities.  (The works that are creative commons licensed or in the public domain works have no such limitations.) Thank you to Charles Preston for sharing this out via Twitter - he may be someone you should follow.

If you are a Michigan Educator and you use MeL with your students, you should be aware of the following: From Christine Schneider, K-12 Education Specialist Michigan eLibrary Free Webinar: Meeting the Needs of Middle School Students with Gale’s Research In Context January 31, 2018 @ 2pm EST Register: https://cengage.webex.com/ceng age/onstage/g.php?MTID=e20bc09 8540255aef948a3f5d92914497 Research In Context, available through Michigan eLibrary, is created specifically for middle school level researchers.  It brings together authoritative content in a variety of formats on one modern, student-friendly, and mobile-responsive interface. Join us in this webinar to learn more about how to use Research In Context as a classroom tool, as a homework helper, and for entry level research projects at the middle school level.  Please register soon and share widely. I will post the recorded version on MeL Teachers as soon as it is available.

Recently I read about a post by Adam Llevo ( @MrAdamPE ) about creating and using interactive Drag & Drop worksheets for students.  With drag & drop questions being a part of our current state assessments, this intrigued me.  Upon checking it out, all I can say is...WOW!  There are so many applications for this idea - here are a few that I thought of initially: drag & drop the appropriate equation on a variety of graphs (Algebra) drag & drop the parts of a flower (3rd grade Science) drag & drop the appropriate word into sentences (Upper El ELA) drag & drop to label a map (Social Studies) and of course, Adam's examples show how to use it in Health & PE! The applications for this are boundless.  And if you are using Google Classroom, turning your prepared document into a template that is share with students is so easy! Check out his blog post & examples -  From Adam Llevo's blog post " Using GDrawings in #PhysEd...

If you are looking for some activities for Digital Citizenship Week (Oct 16-20), check out the resources from CommonSense Education !  From CommonSense Education: Get Dig Cit-Ready Digital Citizenship Week 2017 Help students think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly online. Internet safety? Creative copyright? Fake news? With so many topics on your "to teach" list that go above and beyond the core curriculum, it's essential to have a game plan. For Digital Citizenship Week 2017 (Oct. 16-20), we've gathered a few stellar resources into one place. Whether you're just getting started with digital citizenship, are looking for resources to share with colleagues or parents, or are ready to lead a school- or districtwide program, Common Sense Education is here to help you get it done. Ready, set, go Dig Cit!