The EdTech Coach Podcast

Monday, February 14, 2022

How to Get Students Excited About Learning

If you're a teacher, you know that it's not always easy to get students excited about learning. But it's important to find ways to motivate them, because a motivated student is more likely to be successful in school. Here are some tips for getting your students pumped up about learning:

Find out what interests them and try to incorporate those topics into the curriculum. If they're a sports fan, ask them about their favorite team, and you can use those facts as a jumping-off point for your lesson. If they're into music, consider playing songs to help them memorize information.

Make learning fun and interactive by using games, puzzles, and other activities. Use apps like Gimkit, Quizizz, or Kahoot to make learning fun and competitive!

Reward good behavior with positive feedback and privileges.Give students stickers or points each time they show you they can follow your classroom rules and expectations.

Challenge them academically by setting high expectations and helping them reach their fullest potential. For example, if students are working on a project, explain that you expect it to be done brilliantly and don't accept anything less.

If one of your students has a hard time paying attention during class or completing their schoolwork, consider giving them a short break from the lessons every once in a while. After a few minutes of free time, they might be more focused and better equipped to learn.

It can be a challenge to get students excited about learning, but it’s important to find ways to motivate them so they can be successful in school. By finding out what interests them and incorporating those topics into the curriculum, making learning fun and interactive, rewarding good behavior, and challenging them academically, you can help your students get pumped up about learning.

Apps Every Teacher Should Have on Their Phone

Technology has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives, so it’s no surprise that the education field has taken advantage of innovative technologies, too. Cell phones and other mobile devices are now commonplace in K-12 schools, and there are a multitude of apps that can help teachers enhance their teaching strategies and better engage with their students. In this post, I’ll highlight some must-have apps for teachers that can make their jobs a little bit easier.

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Why Teachers Should Embrace the Flipped Classroom



The flipped classroom model is becoming more and more popular in schools across the country. But what is it, exactly? The flipped classroom is a teaching method where students learn new material outside of the classroom and then come to class to practice and apply what they have learned. This model reverses the traditional learning process, where students listen to lectures and do homework assignments in class. So why should teachers embrace this model?

One of the main benefits of the flipped classroom is that it allows students to learn at their own pace. They can watch lectures and complete homework assignments on their own time, which makes it easier for them to understand the material.

The flipped classroom also gives teachers more time in class to help students who are struggling with the material, since they are not spending their time leading the students through a lesson. Additionally, the flipped classroom gives students more control over their education since they have time to process information before coming into class and participating in discussions or group work.

This model allows teachers to get feedback from their students immediately after presenting new material, which helps them prepare for future lessons better than if they used traditional methods of teaching where it might take days before a student has an opportunity to ask questions about what they just learned.

The flipped classroom also allows for more creativity in lesson planning. Since students are doing homework and watching lectures outside of class, teachers have more time to come up with interactive activities and projects that will help students learn the material better. This also helps teachers differentiate instruction for different types of learners, since all students will be coming to class ready to participate in discussions or group work.

So, why should teachers embrace the flipped classroom model? There are many benefits to using this method, including students being able to learn at their own pace, more time for interactive activities and projects in class, and differentiation of instruction. Give it a try!

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

The Importance of Student Engagement and the Apps That Can Help


Engagement is the key to any lesson. Engagement makes it easier for students to learn, increases motivation and fosters creativity. But engagement doesn't only improve academic performance. Engagement boosts self-esteem, confidence, and resilience in students as well. And this happens even more through interactive lessons.

Interactive lessons and engagement go hand-in-hand, and the best way to create engagement in your classroom is to use interactive apps. With Chromebooks and iPads taking over, there are multiple ways to incorporate engaging lessons into your classroom with the use of technology.

So what makes an app engaging? For one, it should provide students with instant feedback and rewards. It should also cater to many learning styles and engagement methods. 

Here's a  short list of engagement apps that can be used in your classroom tomorrow. 

Nearpod:  Nearpod is an app that lets teachers post  interactive lessons online or using the Nearpod app, which students can download on their personal devices. It allows the teacher to add activites to slides. You can upload your old and tired slides and modify them to make them more engaging or create new one's right in the Nearpod app.

Pear Deck:  Pear Deck supports the work of teachers in that it makes your Google Slides more engaging by allowing the teacher to insert questions, videos, and other interactive activities. It's an engagement app that gives students a better way to participate in classroom discussion and lectures.

Quizlet Live:  Quizlet Live iallows students to take quizzes and tests right on their devices. Teachers can also use it to give live feedback to their students on topics.

Quizizz:  Quizizz lets students play live quizzes with other classmates. It's a great engagement app that can be used to review for big tests or practice the material that's currently being studied. 

Gimkit:  Gimkit is an app that lets students make their own quizzes while they learn. It's perfect for engagement with lessons that require some form of test beforehand, such as history lessons. 

Kahoot:   Kahoot takes live quizzes and turns them into engaging games. It's perfect engagement app for review before big tests or just to introduce engagement with new topics.

Socrative:   Socrative is an app that allows teachers to create their own quizzes or practice problems right on their devices. It's a great engagement app for quizzes after a lesson has been taught, or simply to introduce engagement with new  material. It also has a game element where students comptete in answering the correct answers to questions. Students can participate online or through the Socrative app.

Kahoot, Quizizz, Gimkit, and Socrative are engagement apps that allow teachers to create their own questions or quizzes for their students, while Pear Deckand  Nearpod are engagement apps that let teachers create engaging lessons using slides for their students. 

And Kahoot, Quizizz and Socrative can be used to review material before a test. 

Classrooms have gotten a lot more interactive since the rise of technology. As you read, there's a wide range of apps that you can use to interact with your students and get them motivated in learning. Make your class engaging today!

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Teachers, Don’t Be Boring! Make Students Want to Attend Class.

Some of the Best Education Apps Are…

The Five Best Ways to Use Technology in the Classroom

1) Use Technology To Aid In Instructional Delivery


Using technology to aid in instructional delivery allows for the teacher to save time when organizing lesson plans and assessing students understanding. Teachers can utilize an assortment of educational media such as videos, online animations ,  and digital presentations to help deliver their lessons. By using technology in the classroom, instructional time is not wasted delivering information "the old fashioned way" and students get a more engaging delivery of class information.


2) Use Technology To Assess Student Learning


In order for learning to take place, it requires students to have an understanding of what they  are learning. Technology offers a variety of assessment tools, such as multiple choice quizzes, open ended response questions and for more in-depth projects – project based curriculum. Teachers can use technology to assess student understanding by creating tests and quizzes online using tools such as Formative, Socratic, and Google Forms. Digital grading tools allow the teacher to save time on grading written work and give them the ability to provide  instantaneous feedback. 


3) Use Technology To Engage Students In The Learning Process


Students love to use technology! As a result, teachers find that students are more engaged when the teacher has incorporated technology into their class instruction. Utilizing software programs such as Gimkit,  Kahoot and Quizizz allows for interactive classroom time where questions can be delivered  to the student in a variety of ways. 


4) Use Technology As A Tool For Differentiation


All students are different learners. They will not learn at the same pace, or in exactly the same way. By utilizing technology to differentiate learning opportunities for students, teachers can ensure that all their students are understanding content at their own level and  in their own way. Technology allows the student to learn in a mode and pace that works for them, such as watching video lectures at their own pace or proceeding through a presentation at their own pace using a tool like Nearpod.


5) Integrate Technology Into Your Curriculum Planning


Integrating technology into curriculum planning is becoming more and more common place. Teachers can use apps such as Google Classroom and  Edmodo to create a digital class roster, post assignments and communicate with their students. Administrators are finding that teachers who can effectively utilize technology in the classroom have higher test scores from their students. 


Technology is transforming the way we learn, and it’s important for educators to stay on top of these trends. The five best ways to use technology in the classroom are just a starting point. The future of education is digital – it's important for educators to adapt to this new way of learning.