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- 🍎 Our big back to school email
📲 New school year … new APP!
The back to school countdown is ON. (Unless, of course, you’re already back … in which case, you have my sympathies.) 😭
Today’s issue is PACKED with lots of great back to school ideas.
But first … a bit of news …
This email newsletter now has an APP. 🎉 Here’s why I’m thrilled:
It can send you a push notification whenever there’s a new email newsletter. No worrying about getting caught in your spam filter.
ALL of my previous email newsletters are searchable on the app. Search for and find anything quickly.
You can like and comment from the app — something you can’t do directly from the email. (Sharing is super easy, too.)
Here’s how you can get the app (which I HIGHLY recommend):
Go to the newsletter homepage.
Log in (with the button or the three lines “hamburger” menu button).
Open the email and click to confirm.
Add the app (button in the three lines “hamburger” menu button).
When you open the app, open the menu in the top right and ensure that push notifications are turned on.
OK, once you’ve installed the app …
… let’s dig into our BIG back to school email! 💃🏾🕺🏻
Inside:
🪞 MirrorTalk: Deep learning fueled by AI
👀 DTT Digest: Toolbox, podcast, Kami, Brisk Teaching
💡 The Big Idea: 80 back to school ideas and activities
🎯 Quick Teaching Strategy: The “rules of the game”
😄 Smile of the day: If I had a nickel …
👋 How we can help
🪞 MirrorTalk: Deep learning fueled by AI
This message is sponsored by Swivl
MirrorTalk is one of the very few AI education apps I’ve seen that really levels up teaching and learning.
Students tell MirrorTalk what they’re working on — or learning about.
Then, MirrorTalk asks students custom questions about their learning. Students dive deep by responding to those prompts.
Afterward, get an AI analysis summary of your students’ responses.
🎁 BONUS: Get a WHOLE YEAR of premium MirrorTalk features when you join with this link!
👀 DTT Digest
4 teaching resources worth checking out today
🧰 Make Your Own Teacher Toolbox — Jen Roberts recently shared her teacher tool box resource. She stays that it is the most useful thing in her classroom.
🎧 Balancing human and artificial intelligence — Listen to my interview on Lifelong Learning Defined Podcast with Jorge Valenzuela where we explore practical strategies for educators to integrate AI into teaching.
📚EduProtocols are now available in the Kami library — If you’re a big fan of EduProtocols (like us) and Kami (like us) then you will be as excited as we are to see these new additions.
⏰ The Busy Teacher's Guide to Saving Time with Brisk Teaching ebook —Learn how to use Brisk to make the most of your precious planning and teaching time.
💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡
🍎 Templates, games, icebreakers and more!
Back to school time is always unique!
You’re getting to know your students.
You’re trying to set a routine and culture for the year.
Your students are all wound up for the new beginning.
Eventually — maybe sooner, maybe later — you’ll get down to business as usual with new content and lessons.
If you’re looking to start the school year on the right foot, you’re in the right place! Our mega back-to-school post is packed with:
Templates to copy and assign to students
Activities, games, and icebreakers
Tech tool intros and refreshers
Here are a few of my favorites:
👋 The “Meet the Teacher” template
🙋♀️ The “Find Someone Who …” class bingo game
🔎 The interactive scavenger hunt
🗄️ The “design your locker” template
🔐 The “Mission: School Blackout” digital escape rooms
… and that’s just scratching the surface! You’re bound to find something that your students will love when they come back to school.
🎯 Quick Teaching Strategy: The “rules of the game”
AI image created by Ideogram.ai
When you create learning objectives for students, ideally they should …
not be too specific
be adaptable to students’ own objectives (so that teacher’s and student’s goals align)
Sometimes, there’s misunderstanding on what’s expected. Here’s a quick fix to that, according to Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa in Making Classrooms Better:
“Great teachers check for comprehension of the ‘rules of the game’ before they begin,” she writes.
An easy way to do that: ask students to articulate what’s expected in their own words.
It’s a simple step, but it’s a powerful one to make sure everyone’s on the same page.
😄 Smile of the day
🪙 If I had a nickel for every time …
h/t u/dgtrekker via r/teachermemes on Reddit
👋 How we can help
There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:
Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.
Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.
Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!
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