Class Badges to Promote Digital Literacy

Badge - I Teach Above the Line

Class Badges is a free online tool designed to help teachers use digital badges as rewards for accomplishing learning goals. The badges can be a useful tool for teachers to keep track of individual student accomplishments as they help learners focus on making progress.

I really like Class Badges because the badges serve as a useful reminder for teachers to work with students on an individual level to set goals and assess progress. If used appropriately, they can improve students' self-esteem as they work towards attainable goals. I believe this tool that can help teachers get a little closer to a 1-1  learning environment.

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73+ Ways to Use ThingLink by Donna Baumbach

Are you looking for ways to use ThingLink? Are you wondering if you should sign up for the Free Educator Premium Upgrade before December 31st?

Please view this extraordinary collaborative slideshow created by my talented friend, Donna Baumbach and follow her on Twitter @AuntyTech

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Grab Your Free ThingLink EDU Upgrade

It's no secret that ThingLink EDU is one of my favorite and most frequently used tools. I love ThingLink because it provides users with the ability to turn any image into a multimedia rich interactive graphic. Add video, images, audio, and links to any content on the web with the click of a button. Pack a lot of content into a small space and embed it into a variety of online learning platforms for easy access, 24/7. ThingLink is a user friendly and flexible tool that's just gotten better for educators!

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The Hour of Code - Join the Movement

We live in a computer powered world. Coding is the language our computers speak. 

Computer science is a top-paying college degree. Jobs in this market are growing at 2 x's the national average, yet the number of students pursuing computer science degrees has dropped in the last decade. In fact, it is estimated that by 2020 there will be 400,000 computer science students in the United States and 1.4 million computer science jobs. Women and minorities are extremely underrepresented in this group. Why such an enormous gap?

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Webinar Resources: SAMR Through the Lens of the Common Core

I had a lot of fun presenting a webinar today for Infinitec. Here is a link to the slideshow for review!

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4 Tools to Connect Students to Real World Math

On GettingSmart.com Today

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SAMR Through the Lens of the Common Core

One of my goals is to weave digital tools into the Common Core to design flexible, student driven learning experiences that are Above the Line as defined by the SAMR model. While this might sound like a mouthful of EdTech, I assure you that combining all that is on our crowded plates is far better than tackling each individual initiative in isolation. This idea is supported by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

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mQlicker – Create Interactive Presentations

mQlicker is an audience response system that that allows users to turn a PowerPoint into an interactive slideshow to engage audiences and collect useful feedback. mQlicker is free, flexible and definitely worth checking out for use in a variety of educational settings. This cool tool has a lot of potential for collecting feedback and fine-tuning instruction.

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Instructional Shifts to Support the Common Core

Are you looking for ways to effectively implement and manage the Common Core aligned classroom?

The CCSS identify a spiraling set of skills necessary to prepare students for success. The standards are designed to teach students how to think. They call for increased comprehension, synthesis of information and the ability to clearly express learning. To facilitate the deep learning experiences supported by the CCSS, a shift in instructional practices is necessary. 

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Google Tools for Teachers - Free Webinars on 11/16/13

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On GettingSmart Today: 8 iPad Camera Ideas for 1:1 Classrooms

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ThingLink: Design Engaging Learning Experiences

Nov. 12th @4:00 PM CST

As an instructional technology facilitator my goal is to weave together digital tools to design engaging, interactive learning experiences that support all learners and encourage higher order thinking. Of course, in order to be useful for teachers, these learning experiences need to be aligned to standards, initiatives and hot edtech topics.


ThingLink is one of the most frequently used tools in my digital toolkit because it is flexible, user friendly, and it can be used to help me meet my goals. I believe ThingLink allows me to create whatever I can possibly imagine! 

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