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Join me and other education speakers at Woodward Academy in Atlanta this summer From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter STLinATL is an exciting education conference hosted at Woodward Academy in Atlanta this summer July 26-27. I’ll be speaking along with Jay McTighe, Dr. Janet Zanida, Suzie Boss and more at this affordable conference ($295 including meals and conference attendance.) THE STLinATL CONFERENCE WILL FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING AREAS: Whole Child (e.g., mindfulness, brain-based learning, project-based learning, design thinking, social-emotional, equity and inclusion) STEM/STEAM Integration Assessment for Learning Contemporary Literacy Excellence in Physical Education, Coaching, and Athletic Development You are invited to submit a proposal and to register for STLinATL.  Proposals are due by 12 noon EDT on March 30, 2018 . All accepted proposals will be notified on or before April 15, 2018. For more information, visit s...

Sponsored by SMART Technologies From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Today, I had 15 photos on my interactive display at the front of the classroom. I’m teaching PhotoShop, and the students were analyzing which of the photos we’d just taken would be the best candidate for modifying an Avengers movie poster. The students pinched and zoomed in and out as they discussed the photos on the multi-touch board. When they voted to eliminate a photo, they’d remove it until we selected the final photograph. This activity represents a pedagogical shifts that my interactive display has made possible. In this post, I’ll be sharing seven pedagogical shifts that make interactive displays a key to a student-centered classroom. SMART Technologies sponsored this post. Shift #1: Students as Collaborators In my Computer Science classroom, students are collaborators and co-creators. My interactive display is the common workspace for the whole class. Studen...

The Flint River Project: An Exemplar Whole-School Project From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter If I had one wish for the classrooms of the world, it is that we would all leave the four walls and enter Classroom Earth. In Classroom Earth we will study nature in nature. We will take measurements that matter as citizen scientists. We will study and record history. As a result, we can train young leaders who appreciate the awesome stewardship they will inherit . This post is part of Cathy Rubin’s Global Search for Education . This month’s question is “ Our Planet has a Plan – Climate Change and the depletion of natural resources present a global challenge.  What is the Role of Education?”  The top global teacher bloggers will weigh in. This post is my reflection on this topic. You can’t teach conservation in a book. Well, maybe you can, but not in a memorable, life-changing way, I think. As a farmer’s daughter, I grew to love th...

Jacqui Murray on episode 235 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Jacqui Murray shares how we can encourage an improvement in writing using technology. These creative ways will help you think about how to help children, particularly those who struggle with handwriting and typing. Sponsor: The STLinATL Conference will be at Woodward Academy in Atlanta July 26-27, 2018 . I’ll be speaking with other amazing educators like Suzy Boss, Janet Zadina, Jay McTighe, Dr. Brendan Ozawa de Silva, Scott Sanchez, Dr. Ayanna M Howard and more. For $295, this all-inclusive event (except for hotel and travel) is an amazing opportunity to learn. www.stlinatl.com Listen to the show on  iTunes  or  Stitcher Stream by clicking here . For full notes to this encore episode, see:  www.coolcatteacher.com/e235 The post 5 Ideas for Writing with Technology appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vick...

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Students have reasons for how they behave, particularly if they have learning differences and learn in unique ways. Occupational and physical therapist, Suzanne Cresswell, helps us understand children and why some of them just can’t stop moving Sponsor: The STLinATL Conference will be at Woodward Academy in Atlanta July 26-27, 2018 . I’ll be speaking with other amazing educators like Suzy Boss, Janet Zadina, Jay McTighe, Dr. Brendan Ozawa de Silva, Scott Sanchez, Dr. Ayanna M Howard and more. For $295, this all-inclusive event (except for hotel and travel) is an amazing opportunity to learn. www.stlinatl.com Listen to the show on  iTunes  or  Stitcher Stream by clicking here . See the original show notes at www.coolcatteacher.com/e244 The post Why Kids Can’t Stop Moving: The Neuroscience Behind a Student’s Need to Move [ENCORE] appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki ...

Top Wonderful Classroom Wednesday in 2018 (so far) with Jodie Pierpoint From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Emerging administrator leaders and administrators are participating in an emerging leadership virtual mentorship program created by Jodie Pierpoint and many volunteers. Learn about this program, how you can join in, and how you can become a better mentor. Sponsor: The STLinATL Conference will be at Woodward Academy in Atlanta July 26-27, 2018 . I’ll be speaking with other amazing educators like Suzy Boss, Janet Zadina, Jay McTighe, Dr. Brendan Ozawa de Silva, Scott Sanchez, Dr. Ayanna M Howard and more. For $295, this all-inclusive event (except for hotel and travel) is an amazing opportunity to learn. www.stlinatl.com Listen to the show on  iTunes  or  Stitcher Stream by clicking here . To read this show notes, see the original episode at  www.coolcatteacher.com/e243 The post Virtual Mentorship for Em...

The top Edtech Tool Tuesday of 2018 (so far) with Richard Byrne From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Richard Byrne, author of Free Technology for Teachers, was a history teacher. It shows. In today’s show, he talks about top free tech tools to try in social studies lessons. This is one to share with your history department. Sponsor: The STLinATL Conference will be at Woodward Academy in Atlanta July 26-27, 2018 . I’ll be speaking with other amazing educators like Suzy Boss, Janet Zadina, Jay McTighe, Dr. Brendan Ozawa de Silva, Scott Sanchez, Dr. Ayanna M Howard and more. For $295, this all-inclusive event (except for hotel and travel) is an amazing opportunity to learn. www.stlinatl.com Listen to the show on  iTunes  or  Stitcher Stream by clicking here . Read the full show notes on the original episode www.coolcatteacher.com/e255 The post 5 Free Tech Tools to Try in Your Social Studies Lessons [ENCORE] appeared...

Day 67 of 80 Days of Excellence From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter You THINK you have problems, then your Dad goes in the hospital. You THINK you’re tired, then you pull a couple of all-nighters. You THINK you have a disagreement with someone and then a much bigger issue happens and you realize it was more about preferences than actual meaningful differences. Big deals always seem big until Goliath disquiet calls you to battle and you realize just how small your problems used to be. Life is too short to make big problems out of things that are really not. And when you spend all your time making small problems into big ones with big, overblown Super Freak moments, how do you get the attention of people in your life when something really epic comes along. When you sing or podcast or perform, you’re taught to be quiet at some points, so that you have the contrast of something to be louder. You can’t have forte without a real pianissimo...

The top Monday Motivation episode of 2018 so far with John Spencer 276 From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter John Spencer, coauthor of two different best-selling books, Launch and Empower , talks about the creativity (and test score) boosts his classes experienced when he began Maker Mondays. Sponsor: The STLinATL Conference will be at Woodward Academy in Atlanta July 26-27, 2018 . I’ll be speaking with other amazing educators like Suzy Boss, Janet Zadina, Jay McTighe, Dr. Brendan Ozawa de Silva, Scott Sanchez, Dr. Ayanna M Howard and more. For $295, this all-inclusive event (except for hotel and travel) is an amazing opportunity to learn. www.stlinatl.com Today’s episode is an encore episode. It is the top Motivational Monday of 2018! You’ll find the full transcript here:  www.coolcatteacher.com/e226 Listen to Episode 276 Listen to the show on  iTunes  or  Stitcher Stream by clicking here . The post Maker...