Teaching with Technology

Using educational technology to enhance the learning environment and increase student engagement!

Chrome Extensions: 2021 Edition

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Happy Monday, friends! I’m coming to you from my kitchen this evening, as a try out a new recipe for dinner. My daughters have VERY different tastes and are very picky – the only thing they can really agree on is that we must have steamed broccoli for dinner! – and my husband would prefer to just run through McDonald’s. Fingers crossed that this recipe is a crowd-pleaser, or at least tolerated by the crowd! As you can imagine, things have been quite nutty in the Petty household lately between school, work, Specialist classes, and carting the kids to and from all of their afterschool activities, I haven’t had much time to write! So, while dinner is simmering, here are a few of the most fabulous Chrome extensions that my students and I have been loving during this wacky and wild 20-21 school year!

NEW FAVORITES
When I last shared my favorite Chrome extensions with you, at the very top of the list was Share to Classroom. It was just beautiful. I could create assignments, announcements, questions, and material posts on Classroom without leaving the tab I was on, AND I could PUSH SITES TO MY STUDENTS. It was truly a thing of beauty. Then, in true 202

0-fashion, Google decided to pull the extension from the web store because of some reason unbeknownst to me. WHY, GOOGLE, WHY?!

While I’m still not over that (they pulled it in August, it’s now April) I have found an alternative that does at least PART of what Share to Classroom did –> Add to Classroom. This extension allows teachers to create assignments, announcements, questions, and material posts from the screen they’re on without having to go to Classroom first to create the post. Time saver!

I use Google Classroom to share assignments, activities, etc., with my students, but when I share resources I’ve created with teachers (like this one) I often forget to update the sharing permissions and am met with many lovely “request for access” emails. Since adding the Sir-Links-A-Lot extension, this is happening less and less! This extension provides users with the option to change the URL of your Google Slides, Sheets, Docs, Drawings, etc. Simply click the extension and determine how you’d like to share your file. Voila!

If you’re looking for a fun, yet useful extension, definitely check out Web Paint! This extension allows users (teachers and students!) to add text, images, lines, and even change the background color of the Google landing page. This can be GREAT for sharing instructions on the board, typing a link to a website you’d like students to visit (since Google took away our ability to PUSH SITES DIRECTLY TO STUDENT CHROMEBOOKS! I’m fine. Totally fine). This is a free extension, and you can snap a picture of your creation to download, print, crop, or copy to paste wherever you need it!

Speaking of adding information over a webpage, check out Crafty Text! I use this daily in my classroom to share text (mostly links) with my students. After launching this extension, Crafty Text displays the text you type in a larger size. No fancy fonts, colors, or sizes – it just gets the job done!

Another good extension that can serve a variety of purposes in the Classroom is Dice Thrower! This lovely extension does exactly what it seems – click it and roll a 6-sided dice! We roll “the great dice” frequently in my classroom (my students came up with the name!) to choose who goes first in games, presentations, or choosing research topics. I’m also cooking up a fun review game with dice … stay tuned!

A few of my other “can’t-live-without” extensions include …

  • Bitmoji
  • Joy Pixels Emoji Extension
  • Screencastify
  • MyBib
  • Grammarly
  • Edpuzzle
  • Momentum
  • Kami

What would you add?

Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic week!

 

Using Blooket in the Classroom

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Happy Sunday, all! I hope you’ve had a great weekend and are ready to tackle the week ahead. I’m making a point today to get my mind right, if you will, to focus on having a positive week because last week was … well, let’s just say it was a doozy. Do you ever have those days or weeks that leave you feeling mentally and physically drained? I came home Thursday afternoon and took a nap. That NEVER happens! Apparently, my body needed some rest! I also had a root canal Wednesday afternoon, so that may have had something to do with it! By the time Friday morning rolled around, complete with a department meeting that took nearly my entire planning period, I decided that I needed something new to boost my mood. This was the perfect day to experiment with Blooket in my classroom! Have you tried this newbie to the EdTech scene? Here’s how it works!

I’ll admit, at first glance, I almost wrote off Blooket as a tool that was geared more toward the younger grades. Friends, save yourself the regret and DON’T DO THIS! I teach juniors and seniors and they LOVE BLOOKET!

To get started, obviously head over to Blooket and make an account. Blooket, like so many other fabulous tools, offers the ah-mazing option to sign in with Google. I normally suggest choosing this option to avoid having to remember yet ANOTHER username and password combo – let’s be honest, FORGET another username and password! – but, this is one of those tools that plays well with another favorite of mine – Quizlet! So, if you create your Blooket account with the same GSuite account that you used to create your Quizlet account … let’s just say it’ll make your life a bit easier 😉

Now that you have an account, it’s time to create your first activity! Here’s a step-by-step guide that can LITERALLY BE DONE IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES!

STEP 1: Create a Game
The create icon is the box & pencil image at the top right of the screen. At this first step, you’ll add a title and can choose a cover image for your game, add a description, choose a privacy setting, and determine how you’ll add content to your game. 

Choosing “manual” allows you to create your activity on Blooket from scratch, whereas “Quizlet import” allows you to … you guessed it … import from Quizlet! Whichever option you use, you’ll need to click the “Create Your Set” button to move forward in the process.

STEP 2: Import from Quizlet
While both options are super easy to use, when I created my first game on Blooket, I chose the Quizlet import option because, well, I was doing this about 5 minutes before class started! Here’s what you get when you click this option:

One of the best parts of this feature is that users can either choose a Quizlet deck that they have created within their own Quizlet account OR can search for the deck they’d like to use on Quizlet. No need to reinvent the wheel if you don’t want to!

If you choose the Quizlet option, you’ll be taken to your Quizlet account. Then, you’ll choose a deck that you have in your account and click on the three little dots on the deck to view additional options. Pick “export.”

The export option will bring you to this screen. Select the “copy text” icon which will copy your terms/definitions to your clipboard.

The third step in this process requires you to simply paste your copied work into the pop-up box and select “add questions.”

STEP 4: More questions? Yes? No? 
See! That’s really easy, right? Once you’ve added your questions, you’ll be brought to a screen that gives you the option to add additional questions. I use this option to add questions as we proceed through our unit. If you’d like to add more questions, click “add question.” If you’d like to import additional questions from Quizlet, select “import from Quizlet.” At this screen, you’ll also be able to set the time limit for each question, change the order of the question, or duplicate the question. If you’re happy with the questions, just save your set.

STEP 5: PLAY!!! 
See?! It really is super easy! When you’re ready to play the game, you’ll choose the game mode. Some of the game modes are available for “live” play, which is perfect for synchronous activities (in-person OR virtual learning), others are “homework” mode (you assign the game and share the code with students to play outside the classroom), or both! The current favorites in my classroom are Tower Defense and Gold Quest!

Give Blooket a try! Your students will love it!

Have a great week and thanks for reading 🙂

 

Pixel Art Review for Social Studies

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Happy Saturday, all! I’m totally celebrating the end of this week because not only was it our first full week of school in two weeks (thankful for snow/ice days!), but it was also my duty week! Yes, morning, lunch, and after school duty greeted me way too early Monday morning. I’m happy to say that, with the help of my daily Bible time, excessive amounts of coffee, at least one scoop of my pre-workout drink, and at least 2.5 miles on my treadmill a day, I did it! A few nights ago, as I was brainstorming review activities for my students, I dug around in a Facebook group I’m in, “Pixel Art Mysteries in Education,” thinking how in the world I could make activities like this relevant and meaningful for my high school Social Studies classroom. My initial thought was, “wow, this is cool!” but, I don’t really think it would work for my students. However, after playing around with the idea, tweaking my spreadsheet NUMEROUS times, and much trial and error, I figured it out! And my students loved it! Here’s what I did:

STEP 1: Create a Google Sheet
Don’t forget! Just type sheets.new in the browser bar for a brand new Google Sheet without going into your Drive!

STEP 2: Resize your cells
Honestly, this step probably took the longest in the process of creating this review for my students. When I select the cells to shrink, I start in Column D. Why? I like to have some space on the side of the Sheet for instructions and, of course, the questions and answers. Grab Column D – Column Z … you can easily create more if needed! To resize your cells, either grab the rows then right-click and select “resize” (and do the same thing with the columns), or resize one column, then copy/paste the column to make more (and then do the same thing with the rows). Either way works!

STEP 3: Merge question/answer cells
You’ll notice that when you resize the rows for your pixel art/message section, the cells where you’ll place the questions and answers are SUPER tiny. If you try to resize the cells, your entire row height will change. ANNOYING. To avoid this, simply merge cells to create a larger space for your questions and answers! Then, you’ll copy/paste the merged cells to create more question and answer spaces. *I also like to put borders around my questions and answers – not required, just my personal preference! To do this, simply select the merged cells and click the border column. Then, choose the option to border the entire cell, and choose the line thickness. Voila!*

STEP 4: Create questions and answers
Here’s where the review part of the activity comes into play! Enter questions and answers for any topic you’re teaching. Reviewing Constitutional Amendments? Enter the amendment description in the question box and the amendment number in the answer box, or vice versa! Reviewing WWI? Enter important events, details, or concepts in the question box and the answer (duh) in the answer box. Super simple!

STEP 5: Draw your secret message
I was talking with a few colleagues yesterday about this activity and they asked me how long it takes to create. I said honestly, creating the message takes the longest, because it can be quite tedious, depending on what you’re trying to share! The first activity I made was for a review for my American History students who were studying the progressive era. The secret message I wanted to share was a question/clue that my students would answer on a Question in Google Classroom. It was really challenging to create!

The second activity I made was much quicker because I knew what I was doing, but also because I created the message in one color. The choice of color is up to you!

NOTE: You can create a secret message or an image for your students to uncover. I chose the message option because I wanted to make sure the activity was relevant for my students. Sometimes, we get distracted by cool and shiny things but forget to think about how it’s helping our students. A picture would be super cool for my students to uncover, but high school juniors and seniors would get more out of a secret message, a clue, or A SHORTENED LINK TO A WEBSITE or Google Form, which is what we did 🙂

STEP 6: Conditional formatting!
If you’ve read Illuminate (thanks!) you know two things about me. First, spreadsheets have always terrified me – not sure why, maybe because it’s too numbery for me – and, that I LOVE conditional formatting! It makes me happy! I geeked out about how I use conditional formatting to create color-coded formative assessment results here. Check out the video below for a quick “how-to.”

STEP 7: Try it out!
Make sure that your formulas work!

STEP 8: Assign it to your students!
Create an assignment on Google Classroom and add your Sheet. Be sure to select “make a copy for each student” before you share it!

That’s it! My students (juniors and seniors) LOVED this activity! They asked for more – WHAAAT??!

How do you use pixel art in your classroom?

Creating Interactive Self-Checks in Google Slides

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Happy Sunday, friends! I’m gearing up for my first day back to work in nearly two solid weeks – we had a half day the Monday before last, and that was the last time I was in my classroom! I imagine I’ll need ALL the caffeine and good vibes to power me through tomorrow! I’m getting ready to send out an email that is LOADED with Google Slides hacks, and I wanted to make sure I shared this idea with you first! I geeked out about it on TikTok last week … seriously, are you on TikTok?! It’s such a flexible and adaptable way to use Google Slides – you’re gonna love it!

Ok, Bethany. Calm yourself. What in the world are “interactive self-checks?” I’m so glad you asked! I love using frequent self-checks in my classroom, and most of the time, we use Google Forms, the Question feature in Classroom, Kahoot, Quizizz, Quizlet Live, or our station review. All of these are fantastic and give the data I need … I was just brainstorming new ideas to try because, heck, we’re in 3rd quarter, and everyone (this teacher included!) needs something to spice things up! Here’s how it looks:

Looks cool, right? To create your own self-checks for students using Slides, you’re going to use a simple, yet an underappreciated feature of Google Slides –> linking within presentations!

Here’s how it works (from scratch):

Step 1: Open a New Slides Presentation
Super simple step alert! Just open a new tab and type slides.new into the URL bar. BAM!

Step 2: Choose a Background & Create a Title Slide
Just as easy as it sounds, you can either upload an image from your Drive or computer or add an image from the web. Then, you can add text boxes on the title slide or use a premade slide template.

Step 3: Create a Question/Answer Slide
Add a text box for your question, then add 3-4 text boxes for your response options. 

Step 4: Copy/Paste Question/Answer Slide
In this step, you’ll want to copy/paste your question/answer slide 3 times (4 if you have 4 answer options, 5 if you have 5 answer options, etc) in your presentation. To do this, select the slide on the left of the screen, click CTRL C to copy (COMD C on Mac), and then CTRL V to paste (COMD V on Mac).

Step 5: Linking Options in the Presentation
Here’s where the magic happens, friends! In this step, you’ll need to hyperlink each answer box to one of the slides you copied. In my example, I linked the first response option box to Slide 4, the second to Slide 5, and the third to Slide 6.

Step 6: Bitmoji Time!
Of course, I’m adding Bitmojis to this activity! Add a Bitmoji on your linked slides for correct and incorrect responses. 

Step 7: Linking Bitmojis
You’re almost done! Next, you’ll want to link your Bitmojis, based on which response students choose. If they chose the incorrect response, link your Bitmoji on that response back to the original question slide. If they chose the correct response, link your Bitmoji on that response to the next question, or a slide that provides instructions on what to do next.

The possibilities with this activity are ENDLESS! Instead of linking incorrect response Bitmojis back to the original question, you could link them to a YouTube video, podcast episode, or article with additional/review information for your students. OR … you could link it to an Edpuzzle lesson! When students have answered all of the questions correctly, you can link the correct response Bitmoji to an extension activity, bonus XP (read Chapter 8 of Illuminate for tips on that!), or a virtual field trip using Nearpod or Google Earth. To up the interactiveness (is that a word?) of this activity, you can embed additional activities for your students to complete right within Google Slides!

If you’d rather check out and make a copy of my activity instead of making your own from scratch, go for it! Click here for a force copy link for FREE! The requirement for using this FREE template is that you simply give credit where credit is due, and keep my information on the slides. That’s it! Also, please don’t attempt to sell this activity on any website 😉

I hope you have a fantastic week!

Thanks for reading 🙂

How to Create and Pin Images to Google Slides

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Happy Monday, all! And happy President’s Day to my American friends! I’m celebrating this fantastic Monday coming to you live from my recliner, in my favorite hoodie/leggings combo, snuggled up in a super soft blanket. Our forecast is predicting 8+ inches of snow today, and another 6(ish) inches of the fluffy white stuff Wednesday into Thursday! Ahhhhhh. Also, I ran my Monday 5k a bit later in the morning today, since I didn’t have to get up for work. This 5k was one of my fastest times (27:22) and was my 11th Monday 5k in a ROW! This is a huge accomplishment for me, as someone who has bad knees, was in an ankle boot this time last year because of crummy ankles, has asthma, and is prone to shin splints. Oh, and I’m a 35-year-old mother of two.  YAY! Before I turn in for my afternoon nap (yup, it’s happening!) I wanted to share a quick tip for creating and pinning images to Google Slides which is SUPER HELPFUL if you use Slides to create interactive notes/activities. It’s super easy!

 

STEP 1
Open a new Google Slides presentation – TIME-SAVING TIP  – just open a new tab and type slides.new into the search bar and, voila! A brand-spanking-new Google Slides presentation is ready to go!

STEP 2
Create your interactive assignment/notes/activity as you normally would for your students. Click on the GIF below for instructions!

STEP 3
Add a new slide to the presentation. I always choose a blank slide, but whatever floats your boat!

Click on the image to view the GIF

STEP 4
Add your newly created image as the background of your new slide!

Click on the image to view the GIF

STEP 5
Either add textboxes or tell your students to add them where they are needed. You can also add images to hyperlink, or take advantage of the space outside of the slide for additional instructions/activities.

That’s it! Easy peasy, right?

Creating images from the slides you’ve created and adding them as a background is SO MUCH easier for our students because they don’t have to worry about moving a textbox or image when they’re adding their work. Much less “CTRL Z” to undo the mess!

Have a fabulous week!

 

Interactive Notes for Secondary Students

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Happy Monday, friends! I hope your week is off to an amazing start, and that you’re staying safe and healthy wherever you are in the world. I’m coming to you tonight, as I normally do, while I’m watching one of my daughters’ many activities. Lately, sitting on some super-comfortable bleachers is my only time at my computer! The time I normally spend writing has been spent working out, running, or binge-watching Bridgerton – seriously, have you WATCHED BRIDGERTON?! As my students were wrapping up the first mini-unit of the semester last week, I asked them for feedback as I frequently do. Their main constructive feedback revolved around taking notes on the instructional videos. The notes they typically create are disorganized, missing information, and hastily written, which result in notes that are not USEFUL for my students! So … I decided to try something different … interactive guided notes!

 

Now, before you panic and say, “no, Bethany! Not guided notes!” let me explain. Guided notes, at least in my opinion, have gotten a bad reputation in the world of education. Most guided notes I’ve seen focus on fill in the blank type activities, that don’t offer any choice (you know I’m a huge fan of student choice if you’ve read Create!) or opportunities for extension or application. The interactive guided notes I created include components of traditional guided notes, like an outline that mimics the presentation I use for the instructional videos, as well as space for students to record important information that I share in the videos, and extra space for any additional thoughts.

To make the guided notes a bit more interactive, I embedded extension and reflection opportunities in the notes, along with very specific, detailed instructions.

Check out the images below to view a portion of interactive notes:

I created the interactive notes using Google Slides, changed the orientation to 8.5×11, and added a custom background to mimic notebook paper. Then, I added text boxes, images, links, etc., to encourage extension and reflection. I also made use of the extra space on the Google Slides presentation to offer additional “sticky notes” for notes or thoughts, and additional information/instructions for my students.

The feedback I received today was FANTASTIC! Students felt more organized as they were viewing instructional videos and found that they were paying more attention because they knew what they were “listening for.” One of my students told me that it was “kind of like a test where you look at the questions before you answer them.” Woohoo! Others said that they weren’t as anxious because they knew they could listen to the information and add their notes as they went through the video.

I’ll count that feedback as a win!

If you’d like to use my template (NOTE: images used on slide 2 of this template are of our elected legislators from Missouri), please feel free to do so! Make sure to give credit where credit is due and DO NOT attempt to sell this as your own.

Have a great week!

Fabulous Features of Google Forms #4

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Happy HUMPDAY friends! I’m coming to you live from … my oldest daughter’s basketball practice! Yes, that’s right! I lead a super-glamorous life! 😜 It’s been a bit since my last post because life has been a tad on the hectic side! I know you understand! Next week, the online educational technology class that I teach for pre-service teachers starts, and the following week my specialist classes begin. I feel like I’m taking the last few deep breaths before the real nuttiness commences! I’m in the process of refreshing one of my favorite seminar presentations relating to Google Classroom and, in looking back through my notes, I realized one of my favorite features of Google Forms is often missed. What is it, you ask? Check your preferences!

 

That’s right! No, I’m not talking about your settings wheel, but preferences!

When you open your preferences, you’ll be able to establish a few settings or *ahem* preferences, that will “stick” to all of the forms that you create (in your Google Drive). One of these preferences is … AN ESTABLISHED POINT VALUE!

If you’ve taken advantage of the awesome quiz features in Google Forms, you’ve probably realized that you have to select the correct answer (duh) and enter a point value for each question. This can be a time-consuming process. However, if you select the “default quiz point value” option, you can enter the point value for each question on quizzes you make! Time saver!

Warning: setting the default point value will make EVERY QUESTION worth points! Even the name! So, you’ll have to go back and delete the point value for questions such as name, class period, attempt, etc. OR you can always deal with the “ummm, how’d I get my name wrong on this?!!” or my favorite, “sweet! I got three points for my name!”  🤦🏻‍♀️

I hope this tip is helpful and that you’re having a fabulous week!

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

One Word: 2021 Edition

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Happy New Year! Thank goodness, right? What a year, 2020! I hope you were able to have fun ringing in 2021 and maybe, you even stayed up late enough to watch the ball drop in NYC? My husband and I were able to enjoy dinner at my favorite restaurant (everyone was masked and seating was socially distanced, don’t worry!) while my daughters and my nephew spent the night with my parents. As we were leaving my parents’ house, my mom asked what our plans were for the night. I said, “a 6:30 dinner reservation and probably in my pajamas by 8.” And … I was right! Gone are the days of staying up to watch the ball drop in my household, and I’m totally ok with that! A few years ago, I started choosing a word to guide me into the new year instead of choosing a resolution. I’ve rarely had success with a resolution, but choosing one word as a focus throughout the year has been fantastic!

In 2018, I chose to focus on BETTER throughout the year. I was starting to refocus on my health and fitness efforts, and being a BETTER version of me for everyone in my life.

In 2019, my word was GRIT, which really piggybacks from BETTER. In 2019, I focused on continuing to strive to be the person I wanted to be.

In 2020, my word was PROGRESS because I was happy with the steps and accomplishments I was making and wanted to continue to do so.

What’s my “one word” for 2021?

Drumroll, please …

Throughout 2021, my focus word will be …

INTENTIONAL

Yup! That’s right! By choosing INTENTIONAL to be my #oneword for 2021, my goal is to continue to be better, live my life with grit, and make progress in all areas of my life by being INTENTIONAL.

INTENTIONAL in my time in my Bible.

INTENTIONAL with my family.

INTENTIONAL in making good choices for my physical and mental health.

INTENTIONAL when my feet hit the floor each morning!

While 2020 was definitely unprecedented and uncertain, my family and I found many blessings throughout the year. We were able to enjoy so much time together during the shutdown of March-May. I snuggled, played outside, crafted, and napped with my daughters who were in 1st and 3rd grade at the time – we hadn’t spent so much time together during the school year since maternity leave! I was able to teach from the comfort of my basement while wearing running shorts and a hoodie. I started my Specialist degree – because what else do you do during a pandemic?! – and was able to continue presenting seminars, webinars, and workshops to teachers all over the country. My students talked my into making a TikTok account and were THRILLED when one of my videos reached 1 million views (they say that makes me TikTok famous?). I wrote and published my 2nd book, Create, in 2020, and found out that I’ll be getting another nephew! I was accepted into the Google Innovator Academy, which had long been a goal of mine, was chosen as the Missouri Council for the Social Studies Secondary Teacher of the Year, and learned that I had been nominated for two additional state awards in education. I’ve been so blessed!

So, while 2020 was definitely one for the history books (goodness, can you imagine having to TEACH about the events of 2020? I’ll be retired before then!), my family and I are safe and healthy, which means I have SO much to be thankful for. I’m ready to take on 2021 with an intentional mindset!

Blessings to you and your family for an amazing 2021!

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

NEW Review Activity!

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Happy Friday, all! I’m coming to you from the middle of the last week of our semester. A week filled with review games, finals, and makeup work, along with SNOW earlier this week! I absolutely LOVE snow days, as do many teachers, and was extremely bummed when the snow didn’t quite stack up to the forecasted amounts, and I had to put actual pants on to go to work, instead of staying in my leggings at home. Oh, well! The break is upon us!

As we were reviewing this week, my students started asking if we were playing Kahoot, Quizizz, Quizlet Live, or Heads Up to review. These tools are wonderful and fantastic, and we use them daily. However, I like variety! So, I did some research and found another pretty awesome website that my students can use to review content. Enter WORDWALL!

Wordwall, similar to other educational sites, provides teachers with the opportunity to sign in with Google (don’t worry about forgetting another username and password!) and to create free activities for their students, with the option to upgrade to a premium account to unlock more features.

Unlike other game-based learning sites, Wordwall allows teachers to create an interactive activity, share it with their students by link or through Classroom, and then lets their students choose to play the game in a different format. Here’s an example:

I created a game about expressed powers of Congress using the “whack-a-mole” option and then shared it with my students. 

After they played whack-a-mole, they asked if they could try the other game options. Of course, I said, “GO FOR IT!” They were able to choose from a few different options to play individually on their device or with a partner.

I’m glad to say, they enjoyed Wordwall! This will be a great individual review activity test, and is definitely something my students can create to demonstrate learning, too! If you’ve read Create: Illuminate Student Voice Through Student Choice, you know I’m a HUGE fan of providing my students with options to create products that demonstrate understanding. Wordwall is super easy to use and definitely a tool to add to your toolbox!

I hope your break is in sight and you have a fantastic and restful time away from the classroom!

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

 

Bring STEM to Your School with Samsung!

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This post is sponsored by We Are Teachers

Happy Tuesday, all! Every now and then, I hear about opportunities for teachers and students to participate in amazing programs that can bring new ideas, fresh perspectives, and possibilities for future content-related growth. Last year, for example, I found a program that would allow me to bring my students to the Hamilton play while gaining a deeper understanding of our founding era, and applying what they have learned in new ways. Sometimes, these opportunities can form a foundation for hobbies, a passion, and even a career! When they’re coupled with relevant and exciting professional development for teachers, well, that’s the icing on the cake! Enter the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest!

What is Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow?
This is the eleventh year of Samsung’s initiative to promote the intentional use of STEM in the classroom to solve problems within communities. Who knows better about issues communities are dealing with than students who are living it on a daily basis? The Solve for Tomorrow contest provides winning applicants with up to $100,000 to spend in their effort to create solutions to a problem within their community. Recent winners of the Solve for Tomorrow contest developed products to combat the effects of flash flooding, provide a quick indicator of the potential for fire in particular areas, devices that measure weight in vehicles to avoid hot-car deaths in children, and an app to help people separate recyclables and non-recyclables. What problems can your students solve? Check out how the students at Omro High School in Omro, Wisconsin worked to educate their community about safety on frozen water!

How to Enter
With the possibilities that the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow program presents, you’re probably wondering how you can enter! So many teachers are deterred from entering contests and participating in programs like this, not because we don’t want the opportunities for our students, but because the entry process is long and cumbersome, and teachers just don’t have time for that! To enter this contest, simply be ready to share how your students might solve a problem to promote positive change within their communities. Also – it’s only 5 questions! After you’ve submitted your application (these are due by December 13!), wait patiently (hard, right?!) to see if your school is named as a semi-finalist!

FREE Professional Development
As a teacher, I know how important solid and applicable professional development is, and how it’s sometimes tough to come by! Samsung has partnered with mindSpark learning to design awesome professional learning opportunities for ALL teachers who apply – yes, ALL! Even if you aren’t chosen as a semi-finalist (or beyond) you still have access to 6 hours of FREE professional development which is full of strategies for whatever your learning environment currently looks like. These PD offerings cover awesome topics such as design thinking (the process I used during my Google Innovator project!) and problem-based learning.

 

 

Did I mention this is an online opportunity?! Yes, that’s right. The events of 2020 probably wouldn’t allow this contest to take place face-to-face, so Samsung has decided to bring this contest to the virtual world. Also, this contest is open to all public school teachers of grades 6-12 … even if you’re not a STEM teacher!

Definitely check out this contest not only to bring an awesome STEM program to your school but also to give your students the opportunity to develop and execute solutions to problems!

Thanks for reading 🙂