🗑 New: Digital learning mini course

🎥 Free classroom videos + lesson plans + activities

If you’re an English or social studies teacher, you need to check out Retro Report. Their free resources include:

• 300+ trusted documentary videos for the classroom (sorted by subject and topic)

• Pre-created lesson plans with lots of additional resources

• Comprehensive ready-to-assign student activities

Here are some timely Retro Report collections for the end of the school year …

• Global Cold War Collection

• Environmental Education Collection

• AP Collections, including …

  • AP US History

  • AP US Government

  • AP Environmental Science

  • AP Human Geography

  • AP Psychology

  • AP African American Studies

💻 TECH TIP 💻

🌱 How AI can support you as a teacher

Sure, you can use an AI assistant to help you brainstorm and look up information. But can it help you teach?

Absolutely. In fact, there’s a new device that can serve as your co-teacher. It’s called M2. It can sit on your desk — or on your students’ desks — to facilitate teaching …

• Instantly accessing the perfect prompt to spark engagement when you need it

• Providing a concise explanation to clarify concepts when you ask

• Delivering a targeted question to push student thinking when you request it

The co-teaching prompts in our latest post help support you in your teaching journey. Whether you use M2 or not, you can use these prompts to drive learning forward.

🎁 BONUS! You can be a part of the M2 Spring Tour! Get an M2 to try out in your classroom this spring — for FREE. Get details and apply here.

💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

📢 Introducing the FREE Digital Learning 101 minicourse

It’s been a while since we released an online course.

This is a minicourse — and it’s a little different than our other courses!

It’s called Digital Learning 101, and here’s what you can expect:

• An email-based course (where you get all of your lessons in your inbox)

• Five lessons focused on getting the most out of digital learning

• Links to our best digital learning resources

• Practical ideas you can use in class right away

An overview of Digital Learning 101

Here’s what to expect in this 5-lesson course …

Lesson 1: Welcome to Digital Learning 101

This lesson introduces the Digital Learning 101 course and emphasizes prioritizing student well-being and core learning while offering initial tips for integrating digital tools.

Lesson 2: Optimizing Your Digital Workflow

This lesson focuses on streamlining the digital teaching experience by choosing one platform, streamlining communication, providing detailed instructions, and organizing digital spaces.

Lesson 3: Creating Interactive Digital Activities

This lesson explores how to create engaging activities using PowerPoint and Google Slides to increase student engagement and active learning.

Lesson 4: Upgrading Your Existing Activities

This lesson discusses transforming traditional worksheets into interactive digital experiences by adding interactivity, multimedia, and feedback.

Lesson 5: What's Next on Your Digital Learning Journey?

This lesson recaps the course content and encourages continued growth and innovation in digital learning through experimentation, reflection, and connecting with online communities.

Use this invitation to email your teachers

If you’re a tech/instructional coach or school leader — and you’d like to invite your teachers to join this course, here’s a quick copy/paste invitation and summary you can customize and send …

Do you want to save some time AND get some creative, engaging activities you can plug into your lesson plans right away?

You should check out the Digital Learning 101 email course by Matt Miller of Ditch That Textbook.

This course will empower you to:

Save Hours: Learn how to optimize your digital workflow and automate tasks, freeing up valuable time for what truly matters—connecting with your students.

Increase Student Engagement: Discover how to create dynamic, interactive activities using tools you already have, making learning more exciting and memorable for your students.

Transform Worksheets into WOW-Sheets: Breathe new life into your existing lessons and watch your students’ enthusiasm soar.

It’s an email-based course, so you’ll get a new lesson in your inbox every day for five days. That’s it!

Imagine having a toolkit of strategies to make your digital teaching more efficient and effective. This course is packed with actionable advice, templates, and resources to help you succeed.

Ready to transform your teaching and see the benefits firsthand? Check out the course details and enroll for FREE here.

Or use this short link: http://ditch.link/dlcourse

I'm here to support you every step of the way. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!