The guys at EDUDEMIC have sent out another great article this time on engagement in the classroom. Whilst none of it is new or ground breaking its great to be reminded from time to time about the simple things that can easily be forgotten from time to time or know that  your current classroom practice is isn’t sending the kids to sleep. 

Do you look out at your class and it seems as if only two or three students are listening to you? The rest are thinking about lunch, how to beat the next level on the video game, or when is your class going to end? Here are some ideas that might help you stimulate your classroom. Will it end all daydreaming? Of course not! But it will create a classroom environment where a higher percentage of your students are engaged.

1.      Move!

Get away from the front of the room! Get away from the teacher’s desk! I rarely stand in the front of my classroom. I am constantly moving. If you continue to stand in the front of the room, the Teacher’s Edition clasped tightly in your hand, and your voice drones on endlessly, what do you think the results are going to be?

Let the students know that you just might walk over to their desk and catch them texting, doodling, or daydreaming. When you are standing next to a student, there is a greater possibility that you will get their full attention. Give students the chance to get out of their seats. Movement does wonders for the brain! Our local Home Depot donated carpet squares, and my kids have the option to sit wherever they choose, as long as they are working.

  Don’t Be Afraid to Make Them Think!

Raise your expectations about what your students are capable of! Tear yourself away from worksheets with 50 Math problems. The higher level students will finish in ten minutes, and the struggling students will become frustrated. I use material that involves problem solving techniques to supplement the Math curriculum. The lower end of Bloom’s is not where you want your class to function. A great tool I use in my classroom is the Ipad app, Stick Pick. Stick Pick allows me to choose students randomly and it provides questions starters for students using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide. Create situations where your students create and design, and not only answer questions 1-5 in the textbook. Challenge them!

 Real World Applications

Why am I learning this? “Because it is on the test” is not the best answer. Giving a student examples of when or how they might apply a skill in “real life”, makes it more meaningful. Real world interactions also increase the level of engagement. Edmodo and Skype in the Classroom are wonderful sites to make those connections. When we read a story about a marine biologist last year, I used my Twitter PLN to connect with a marine biologist and we Skyped with him. The students used the story as a base to create questions, and it was an amazing experience! The biologist brought the pages in the book to life!

 Integrate Technology

Here’s the thing to remember though, it’s not about the technology. Develop an engaging lesson, and then enhance it through the use of technology. For example, I participated in the Global Read Aloud Project 2012. While reading the book, I integrated technology through a number of methods. We connected and collaborated with different classrooms using Edmodo, Twitter, and Skype. My students “talked” about the book, while I read, using Today’s Meet. They answered questions via Wallwisher.  They created virtual flyers protesting Ruby’s (an elephant), treatment in the circus and embedded them on their blogs. Integrating technology into a lesson or unit provides endless opportunities to engage!

Move, create critical thinkers, make real world connections, and incorporate technology as part of your classroom environment, and you should see your classroom come to life!

It seems fitting that as I am about to give a presentation on the usefullness and popularity of Tumblr in an educational setting that it is announced that Tumblr is now in the top 10 sites visited in the US.

To see how chuffed the people are at Tumblr click HERE and to look at the demographics and statistics with this milestone click HERE

The guys at EDUDEMIC just posted a great article outlining 10 must have educational apps for iPads in the classroom. For a link to the full article click HERE or see their must have list below.

1) Today’s Meet~ A backchannel website that helps you connect with students in real time. Can be used as a communication tool for collaboration, exit slips, assessing prior knowledge or understandng of lessons.

(2) Corkboard.me ~ A website that allow students to collaborate in real time with the use of sticky notes on a board.

(3) Study Blue ~ This app and website provide students with the opportunity to create online flashcards to use as review. Students can review with the flashcards or take a practice test.

(4) Fotobabble ~ Fotobabble can be used as an app or website to allow students to use photos and a voice recording to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. This works great in math. Students can work on a problem, take a screen shot of the work, and record the steps they took to solve it.

(5) Sonic Pics and (6) Doodle Buddy ~ This duo is a perfect pair. Students can create and annotate pictures in Doodle Buddy then use those pictures in their Sonic Pics presentation. Students can also add a voice recorder to explain each picture.

(7) Poll Everywhere ~ This is a great digital tool that allow teachers to create multiple choice or open-ended assessments or surveys. Students can use these assessments or surveys on their iPads, mobile phones, or the computer.

(8) Evernote ~ Evernote is a wonderful free app and website for students to be creative and stay organized. Evernote provides students with the opportunity to create a digital file of their notes, projects, assignments, and more.

(9) Socrative ~ This fun assessment tool is a smart study response system that allows teachers to assess students in a creative way. A generated report is provided with student responses.

(10) Fakebook ~ A wonderful education form of Facebook. A great site with many possibilities, collaboration, discussion boards, projects, assignments, parent communication, and more. I have had much success with these digital tools with my students.