One of the things I love most about coaching is that I have the privilege of experiencing so much phenomenal teaching. I am humbled to be welcomed into the classrooms of many passionate, talented, and resourceful teachers. These collaborative relationships I develop with educators are reciprocal; while they learn through our reflective, transactional discussions, I also learn from their experience. Every classroom is different, each student is unique, and every year we as educators adjust our pedagogy to meet the distinct and varied needs of our dynamic classrooms. My pedagogical repertoire has expanded as I have engaged in a myriad of experiences across the country, in diverse demographics and settings. I am incredibly thankful for all those whom have helped me improve my practice, and have provided me with insights and tools to share with other teachers. We learn so much from one another, and I am honored to be able to celebrate teachers and their contributions by spreading their knowledge to others.
There has recently been a call for new, innovative websites in our classrooms, and recent adventures into districts have illuminated some great new resources that I would love to share! I have selected a few to highlight below:
Nearpod: www.nearpod.com This website helps teachers facilitate lessons and assessments with ease, as they can either import their own lessons, or select from a range of lessons designed by experts already made available on the app. What I love about this forum is that it allows teachers to quickly assess for student understanding in an interactive way. Students can be on classroom computers, iPads, or tablets, and the teacher can ask a question that directly appears on the students' screens. Students can respond and the teacher can either review the responses individually, or share responses so students can peruse each other's answers. I love this because it gives every student a voice. Students have time to sit and reflect before responding, and students who are reluctant to raise their hand and share are more likely to respond, providing the teacher with more insight into student learning.
Autodraw: www.autodraw.com This is a fun one for students and teachers. Autodraw takes virtual drawing to the next level by anticipating what you are trying to draw. I am not an artist, but I can effectively visually convey a message through this virtual platform. It is a fun tool for teachers adding illustrations to texts, such as providing visual aids for English Language Learners. It is also good for inferring, or visually depicting metaphors. Students can use this for projects, creating visual metaphors, and to facilitate understanding around complex topics. An added bonus is that it is fun to use!
Edpuzzle: www.edpuzzle.com I was floored when I saw this website in action! Teachers can make educational videos, and/or customize existing videos to align with their practice and students' needs. Teachers can take a video and add commentary, focus questions, and pauses for student reflection. Student engagement with the teacher-generated videos can be tracked, and students can respond and provide feedback about their progress and understanding. This is a great, interactive way to engage students and provide various facets for learning. Another perk is that the base program is free to teachers and students.
I know there are many more, and eventually I would love to compile a more comprehensive list to share, but I wanted to throw a few new ones out there in case you have not yet had the pleasure of checking them out. I am always looking for new ideas and tools to add to my toolkit - feel free to send some my way to share out!
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