1.  This is a great resource to teach your students how to use Google Sheets.   Set up a cell treasure hunt. Students need to locate the different cell references from the start point and change the cell colour to find the hidden treasure. Copy the spreadsheet from this link.

2.  This is a resource shared by Gail Moore.  Check out Math Mashup!  Click on the image to the left for a copy of that mashup or click this link for even more!

3.  March is National Women's History Month! Here is a Hyperdoc that was shared with me on a Facebook page I follow. This one is the Math and Science Edition. Click the image to Make, Take, Bake, Eliminate on your own copy!! 

4.  Reminder from quite a while back.  Check out Sumdog for adaptive learning activities.  This would make a wonderful anchor activity.  

5.  Monday Night Movie -  Love Eddie B!

1.  Kicking off March with this digital Breakout.  Let's plan something for your little peeps!  In the meantime, click here to see if you can breakout.  (BTW, feel free to let your students try this too.)

2.  Google Classroom Tip:  Did you know that many PDFs can be opened in Google Docs when stored in Drive? Formatting may be altered, but it is still a valuable conversion option in some circumstances.  You could then scan some of your old resources into pdf format and open them in Google Drive.  Make any corrections or alterations you need to update the resource and then post to Classroom.

3.  Did you know that you can adjust the resolution of a chromebook with a keyboard short cut?  Just click and hold the "ctrl & shift" and tap the "-" until it doesn't change any more, then tap "+" once. This should take you to 100% resolution.  So quick and easy!  Thanks to Sarah Kiefer for the tip.  

4.  Digital Choice Board-Many of you are beginning to delve into using Google Classroom more and more.  Like the real classroom, there are always students who will finish early.  I stumbled across this digital choice board.  This one is for 2nd grade but the idea could be tweaked for any grade level.  To get your copy of this, click on the image.  When the document opens, go to FILE->MAKE A COPY.

5.  Monday at the Movies:  Here are two really cool videos shared with me from Wendy Gordon.  Thanks, Wendy!

This week is a little different.  I am going to share 5 videos that explain Leap Year to students.  

1.  

2.  

3.  

4.  

5.  

1.  Folks, this was shared with us last week by Joe Goldman, Supervisor of Technology.  Clever has backup codes in case a student's log in is not working. In a nutshell, it's a way teachers can get their students into Clever when there is a problem such as the student forgot their Google password. Why would we need this? It could come in handy during a time crunch situation where the teacher can't wait on help from others like IT. Check out the short article below.
https://support.clever.com/hc/en-us/articles/222752827-How-do-teacher-assisted-login-backup-codes-work-  

2.  This resource is specifically designed for younger students who are asked to drag the box cars on to the track to create a pattern.  To download your own copy, just click the image.  I created this using Google slides.  If you would like to create your own games, just let me know.  I can show you how!

I was recently on a Facebook site for STEAM teachers where these books were being promoted.  If you are looking for ways to incorporate literacy into your math instruction, check these out!  

4.  This resource will be a game changer!  This educator has created a spreadsheet (with directions) that will help you sort your students into various groups for reading, math, or group project using data.  Please let me know if you want to play around with this and need assistance.  

5.  Monday Movie:  Just because I can.  LOL!!

​

1.  In honor of Black History Month, I feel it is important to recognize all the contributions to science, technology, engineering, art, and math by African-Americans.  Here is a list from A-Z of Black Inventors!  Thanks to these amazing individuals for all that they have given us!

2.  There is a really awe-inspiring picture book entitled, Through My Eyes.  This is an autobiography of Rosa Parks.  This would be a perfect read aloud for grades 2-5.  Students in grades 4 & 5 may be able to read it for themselves.  If you can get your hands on a copy of this book, pair it up with this hyperdoc!  To get your own copy of this document, just click on the image.  

3.  This resource, created and shared by Charles Preston, may provide some outstanding resources beyond what you have previously used.  The resources cover a wide range of history and people that may or may not be familiar to you.  This is a community contributed to work, so you will also see resources contributed by addition people.   Charles Preston is a motivational speaker who shared this resource out through Twitter.    Click on the image to access his folder.  

4.  Recently, Derek Adam was looking for a YouTube Downloader and I sent him my page with lots of links on it - including a link to a website to download a video from YouTube.  The original request went to all of Central Elementary and during that conversation, Emily Hawk, a kindergarten teacher also suggested a resource.  Here is another amazing tool called ViewPure!  It filters the ads from a YouTube video.  

5.  Monday's Movie - I NEED SOME SNOW!!

A year ago the ITRTs went to a conference and received a rocketbook to take notes in.  I didn't play with it much at the time.  If fact, I gave my notebook away.  Recently, however, on a Google site I follow I was reading a comment by a kindergarten teacher who was lamenting the fact that her students were not allowed to use G-Suit apps.  She had tried out Rocketbook in her classroom with her students.  She bought a couple of notebooks and cut the pages out so that she could give each of her students a couple of pages each to use.  
With Rocketbook you download an app to your phone and then you can draw on a special notebook with a Frixion pen.  You write in the notebook and then scan it with the Rocketbook app.  The app sends a copy of the page straight to one of 7 places.  You decide where to send your page.    Check out the video below on how Rocketbook works.
There are several reusable notebooks out there and I have read the reviews of all of them.  Rocketbook seems to be the best reviewed.
One of the pluses of Rocketbook is that they give you free paper to use.  The free paper of course is not reusable like the notebooks are.  Of course, I think it would still be better than buying a notebook and tearing out the pages as did our kindergarten teacher above.  That could get expensive!  

I am looking forward to using my Rocketbook app and resources even more.  Look for more resources coming soon!

1.  I love STEAM education and am excited to share the idea for older grade teachers trying to teach prime numbers.  Frugal Fun is a blog that I often follow.  This week focuses on math.  Check this out even if you are looking for ideas for younger students.  She is amazing!

2.    Tech You Can Do is another blog that I have shared about before.  Check out her latest entry showcasing a Valentine's Day choice board.  Use this as it is or ask for for help in creating your own!

3.  The kiddos love Breakouts!  And since you love the kiddos, how about giving them some time to learn to love problem solving.  Let them attempt to help this little gal find her Valentines before her party starts!

4.  Have you ever closed out a tab without knowing the address by accident?  In Google Chrome, you can re-open your last closed tab with this simple keyboard shortcut:  Control + Shift + T.  Holding down all three of these keys together will reopen your last tab!  

  Monday's Movie - This was shared with me by Elon LMS, Wendy Gordon.  She knew this would touch the tinkerer soul in me!  Thanks Wendy!  Can you imagine the patience and problem solving it took to build this!  Amazing!

In one of my buildings we are doing a research project about past presidents of the United States of America.  The project is being taken on by third through fifth graders.  Third graders are sweet and just handle the idea.  "We are going to learn about presidents.  Ok.  Let's go!"  In each of the 4th and 5th grade classrooms this project has been presented to so far, we have started off with discussions about respect for the Office of the President of the United States.  This discussion has been driven by the fact that they want to argue about whether or not President Trump is a good president.  And some of their comments make me hang my head in shame at the thought of what we as adults are modeling for our children.  

I am not going to get into a discussion about what I think of our current president.  I was told as a child that opinions, like tailbones, are common.  Everyone has one and most of the time it should be sat on.  I am sitting on my opinion of our current president.  

This is, however, what I told my students.  Every person who has taken office, I believe (truly), has done so in order to do a good job.  Their intent is to make things better and even if you disagree with the manner in which they carry out their job you can learn something from them that will help you make a decision when the next presidential election rolls around.  We need to remember that a person is only elected for 4 years, after those four years we have an opportunity to try again to get our preferred person into office.  If it doesn't work out, then the person who is re-elected only has four more years and then that person HAS to leave office.  We should never give up on a lifelong family member or a friend just because they feel differently about a temporary political policy or a politician.  

So where does that leave us as adults when we disagree with our national/state/local leadership?  I think it is absolutely appropriate to share who we want as president or senator or delegate (or any other position).  In fact, I believe it is important that we do so.  I also feel that we base it off of issues that are important to us and leave it at that when we are conversing with our children.  It is absolutely appropriate to say that we are voting for John Smith because he is pro-life.  We can also say that we are voting for Jo Smith because he is for intelligent gun control laws.  What I strongly object to is when we attack the other party, especially in front of our children, by name calling and stereotyping.  I also strongly object to lumping all voters who support the other candidate into that same stereotype.  Come on now!  Not every member of the Democratic party is a baby killer.  Not every member of the Republican party is a racist money lover. 

We need to do better than this when we are speaking to our children.  They pay attention to our actions much  more than our words.   If I shared even half of the conversations that came out of this research project, we would all hang our heads in shame.