Snapchat! Carpool Karaoke! SAMR! Your Winter EdTech Links

Every so often, I share the best of what I've curated from the web. I usually come across these links on Twitter and in those cases, I've included the source so you can follow along.

Booksnaps-Snapping for Learning
By: Tara Martin
@TaraMMartin on Twitter

Snapchat! The forbidden fruit of social media, referenced as a learning tool?!?! That's right, Snapchat, for all it's tumultuous press, especially in education, can function as an engaging, productive tool for many classroom activities. Caroline Milne (@MrsMilneBiology), a Barrington 220 teacher, uses Snapchat for her students to demonstrate learning during labs and more. In this article, @TaraMMartin describes several ways she uses Snapchat in her classroom.

Classroom Environment Ideas (Padlet)
By: Laura Meehan
@laurameehan04 on Twitter

Our very own Barrington 220 iDAL coach, Laura Meehan, in conjunction with a few other iDAL coaches, began curating some great ideas for teachers to maximize their classrooms as learning spaces. Laura and others have gathered different types of furniture and examples of learning spaces and added them to a shared Padlet document. One of Apple's Five Best Practices, flexible learning environment, can help foster student creativity. Keep some of these ideas and more in mind during our upcoming Blueprint 220 meetings.

5 Resources to Make Your Next Presentation Pop
By: Steven Anderson
@web20classroom on Twitter

I've referenced ideas from @web20classroom before. This blog post offers some great tips and resources for creating presentations. Both direct instruction and self-directed learning can lead to student learning from watching a presentation. Students can also build their own presentations to demonstrate learning.

My favorite ideas mentioned in the article include adding intentionally chosen flair to presentations using the SlidesCarnival presentation templates, using icons for slides and infographics from The Noun Project, and setting and using sharing licenses properly as outlined in Creative Commons.

How to quickly and easily record video of classes online step-by-step
By: Matt Miller
@jmattmiller on Twitter

This article outlines steps teachers and students can take to hold a collaborative, online presentation, meeting, or discussion—and record the session for future use. Kimberly Foster-Thomas, our Barrington 220 Elementary RtI Coordinator has already held several online MTSS meetings simultaneously with representatives from every elementary school using Google Hangouts.

Google Hangouts can also be recorded to offer access to the meeting for anyone unable to attend. Following these steps automatically uploads the video recorded from the Google Hangout to your YouTube channel when configured offering instant organization. Students, teachers, and administrators can all benefit from this workflow.

SAMR Flow Chart
By: Mark Anderson
@ICTEvangelist on Twitter

Also receiving another mention is @ICTEvangelist, who created a "key" to help determine where an activity might fall on the SAMR ladder. 

To address a few misconceptions, Redefinition lessons are not always good lessons and Substitution lessons are not always bad lessons. SAMR refers to the level of technology use, not necessarily to the quality of instruction. 

Also, using specific apps does not automatically mean a lesson meets a specific level on the SAMR ladder. For example, using iMovie does not always equate to Redefinition and using Kahoot! does not always equate to Substitution.

Carpool Karaoke Edu Edition
By: Brian Aspinall
@mraspinall on Twitter

I love @mraspinall's creativity in these videos. He captures the captivating and humorous nature of the carpool karaoke popularized by James Corden on the Late, Late Show and adds an educational spin. In his initial video, above, Mr. Aspinall shares some of his insights into instructional strategies and more.

I chose to subscribe on YouTube by searching for "mraspinall" and tapping the "subscribe" link so every time a new episode drops, I receive a notification.

Dealing with Digital Distraction in the Classroom
By: Common Sense Media
@commonsense on Twitter

Common Sense Media provides teachers, students, and parents with excellent resources related to responsible use of technology. This video (and subsequent articles and charts found at the link above) focus on strategies all users of technology can implement to help deal with digital distraction. During our One to World measurements, Dr. Matt Fuller (@mattjfullertech) and I conducted many student focus group interviews. Many students mentioned their struggles with digital distraction. I deal with it as an adult! Dealing with digital distraction is a skill we all need to continually learn, and this article addresses a few solutions and strategies.

If you're looking for additional resources and accounts to follow on Twitter, you can always investigate my Edu Twitter list.