TODD’S TECH TUESDAY: Watch-and-learn assistive tech solutions

Thank you ADHD & Autism Resource Blog! Today’s post on assistive technology is brilliant. It not only features many different tech tools that can be used in the classroom and beyond (e.g., apps, low-tech writing solutions), but video clips of each idea “in action”! If you are a visual learner and a teacher seeking more […]

I am Ida B. Wells

You may have seen the “I Am” poem generator at How to Write an “I Am” Poem. It asks for how a person feels, what they dream about, worry about, and so on and turns these responses into a complete poem. This tool will offer a fun alternative to traditional pre-writing tasks for all learners, […]

FUN FRIDAY: Swats o’ fun

As summer has turned to fall, you may be looking for uses for those classroom fly swatters. Well, Dr. Branstetter is here to help! Over at Notes from the School Psychologist, she is featuring rules for a game that (in her experience) is a real winner for students with ADHD and others needing a lot […]

TODD’S TECH TUESDAY: Fun with stickman

Be prepared to lose hours of your life to doodling once you click over to Draw a Stickman. How could you use this in the classroom? To teach and reinforce vocabulary for ELL students, to assess the following of written directions for children with disabilities, to inspire a reluctant writer, to teach young students how […]

TODD’S TECH TUESDAY: Microsoft Word can do that?

One of the easiest ways to differentiate written products, use of technology, and the writing process is to explore the options available on your computer. If you run Windows, there are many adaptations built into the software. Some of these are most appropriate for the teacher to employ (e.g., highlighting key words) and others will […]

Spelling with stones

As part of the Daily 5 in her classroom, Laura at The Grade Two Zoo gives students a box of small stones to “write” their words.  Students can work independently or with a partner. Try having students spell words individually before revealing their “creations” to a partner or you can have them build one word […]

I am Ida B. Wells

You may have seen the “I Am” poem generator at How to Write an “I Am” Poem. It asks for how a person feels, what they dream about, worry about, and so on and turns these responses into a complete poem. This tool will offer a fun alternative to traditional pre-writing tasks for all learners, […]

FUN FRIDAY: Lovely lines

Today’s idea is from an art teacher but classroom teachers can use it too. Students in Natalie’s smaART class made some lovely and unique artwork after learning about lines. Each student was first photographed pretending to blow a bubble. The photographs were glued to paper and the students were encouraged to create different types of […]

TODD’S TECH TUESDAY: iPads in young hands

iPads are so great for motivating students to study new material, try new tasks, and collaborate with others to apply their knowledge. Young users, however, will need help in learning how to care for and use this delicate teaching tool. For help with this, check out Langwitches Blog; here you will find ideas on how […]

Blackout poetry

Want to move beyond Haiku and sonnets? Try Blackout Poems! In this method, students take a page from a newspaper and search for possible words for their poem. They circle those words and color over the rest of the page with a marker. This leaves them with a smattering of words that become their creation. […]