Second Roundup of the year. Hope you found something useful in week one!
WRITING PROMPT FROM THE NEWS:
It's gonna be heard to beat "They were on the spaceship. And that's when the noises started coming from the radio..."
THEY HAVE TO OWN THEIR OWN RESULTS:
I'm pretty bullish on the idea that online grading portals have had a net detrimental effect on education, as we all know that parent who squats on the gradebook all day and intervenes in ways that diminish the student's grasp of autonomy and agency
So I really dug the way this teacher uses a simple email template to deliver the message to both parents and students. She provides the template, and has students periodically email their own grades home, along with an explanation of how they arrived at that grade and what they plan do next. To use this approach, just click file> make copy and begin using it in your own classroom!
WRITING IN MATH CLASS:
I tell the pre-algebra kids constantly "math is not a set of recipes; it is a language you're learning to speak." So I particularly enjoyed this short article on using writing in math class to deepen comprehension and evaluate student progress.
KEEP LEARNING
I'm currently learning to play the drums using Coursera, but they have courses on (quite literally) everything. If you're interested, they're running a 30% off special this month for their "access to everything" plan.
COMPLETELY OFF-GRID
If you really hate technology, did you know there is a section of the United States where airborne signals are forbidden?
We actually have a book in the library in which this is an important plot point! Simon Sort of Says was the best middle-grade book I read last year; I thoroughly enjoyed it, even as an adult, and I recommend it to every student who asks for a book recommendation.
ChatGPT MAY MAKE YOU DUMBER
Take it with a grain of salt; I've certainly used it productively, and I think like most tools the efficacy lies in the skill and intent of the user.
But if you're looking for a way to caution students, you may have a good discussion in class around this research, which found that students using ChatGPT to study actually performed worse.
MAYBE USELESS BUT PRETTY COOL
Nerds are amazing, and they're most amazing when they make something we probably don't need just because it sounds neat.
Here's a generator that will create an image of any word you give it, using satellite imagery of the earth's natural features.
I asked it to spell EAGLES. It delivered.
Comments