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Todd Finley shares research and best-practice from his classroom From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Learn about the newest innovations in testing and assessment. You can improve retention and lower anxiety . Try these simple strategies from Todd Finley. See Fresh Grade’s Free Assessment Tools 2 Power Assessment Tips:  Learn about how Todd combines social-emotional learning with formative assessment. Plus, he has powerful year-end strategies that reduce test anxiety. Listen to this show on: BAM Radio Network | iTunes | Stitcher Thank You Fresh Grade, Today’s Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Fresh Grade . They have a free tool that lets you create student portfolios. These portfolios can include video, sound, various kinds of media, text and more. You can even include student and parent comments! Use Fresh Grade for your student portfolios. Take time to test out Fresh Grade. It’s free for parents, students and teacher...

and a Link to a Free Resource with More Tips From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter So many of these tools are new to me. It is amazing how I use them every single day. Here’s what I’m using all the time in my classroom right now.   36 Tools I’m Using Right Now in My Classroom and Life Today I’m celebrating my friend Jennifer Gonzalez’s 2016  The Teacher’s Guide to Tech . I highly recommend this book. It is a simple and powerful tool any teacher can use. (She also has a  Technology Jump Start Course  with 8 modules to help get you comfortable with technology in the classroom.) At the bottom of this post, we’re giving away a sample including 5 tools just for the readers of this blog. Thanks Jennifer!  As I was reading The Teacher’s Guide to Tech  last week, I realized that it had been a while since I’d shared my own favorite edtech tools. These tools are not in any particular order. They are part of my tr...

A hard question we all must consider From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Each year I seek clarity for my teaching career. There are no easy answers here. Know this. The question is serious, “Should I teach another year?” As I ponder my own path, let me take you on a journey of thoughts. Dancing with Snakes. The Indonesian pop star, Irma Bule died at age 29 of a cobra bite she got while performing. She performed with pythons. In April 2016, the conference organizers provided a cobra. She thought it was de-fanged. It wasn’t. After a full performance with it draped around her neck, she put it back in the bag. As she performed, it slipped out of the bag. She stepped on its tail. It bit her. Not thinking she was in any danger — she kept performing. Forty-five minutes after she received the bite, she stepped off stage and died. I’m not sure why the snake handlers who knew the slithering performer was full of venom (and fangs) didn’...

Practical Tips for Rigor, Fun, and Retention From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Sometimes small changes can take a lesson plan from “OK” to “Yeah!” By improving the rigor and fun in each lesson, you can improve student learning and make your classroom more exciting . Learn practical tips from super-teacher Laura Candler that will help you make your lessons more engaging and memorable. This is a must-listen for elementary teachers. Learn about the JTouch Interactive whiteboard Click to listen to this show on: BAM Radio Network | iTunes | Stitcher Thank you JTouch by InFocus, Today’s Sponsor My Interactive White Board (IWB) is gone, and I’m never going back. In today’s show, I’ll tell you how I’m using the Jtouch Interactive Display Board in my classroom. It is much more than an interactive whiteboard. (In some ways it is like a massive touch screen computer .) But with Airplay and also a cool tool called LightCast, every single d...

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Doing work that matters. All students should be able to be part of that. No longer working for the teacher’s wastebasket, students across the world are connecting and sharing like never before. They are led by teachers unafraid of the world but who escort their kids out to meet the future. While a recent poll showed 9 out of 10 teachers do not use social media in the classroom, there are teachers who are. Social doesn’t have to be a distraction and kids can be safe . Let’s dive into ten ways teachers have used social media in the classroom to enhance learning. These are some of my personal favorites among many. Please share yours in the comments. This question is part of CM Rubin World’s question of the month, “ What are the best examples you have seen of teachers using social media to enhance learning?” Check out her blog for all the answers.  1. Jacques du Toit and the Tweeting Aztecs Aussie...

from a Montana teacher with 32 straight titles in a row! From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Matt Stergios has been coaching a debate team that has won their state championship in Montana since 1984 . We why debate is important. He also shares one of his big secrets: how he convinces key students to join the team . You’ll learn strategies that coaches can apply to any team. Click to listen to this show on: BAM Radio Network |  Stitcher   Matt shares how participation on the debate team has opened doors for his students in college and life. He also talks about the pressure of having so many wins and how he talks to his students when they are worried about being able to win again. Debate coaches and coaches seeking to build a winning tradition will learn a lot from this episode. Who is Matt Stergios? Matthew Stergios has been teaching the last 35 at Loyola Sacred Heart High School in Missoula Montana. He teaches His...

The art and craft of great teaching From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Paganini was here to play his great work “Napoleon.” His violin glistened. As he broke every string. But one. He looked to his shocked audience and held up his violin. He yelled, “Paganini and one string!” Paganini proceeded to wow them with the entire piece played on just one string. While his audience marveled, no one left the theater and redesigned the violin with one string. The violin is still a violin although Paganini could play a masterpiece on one string. That is because Paganini is a master. Everyone in the audience knew that one string was not dripping with talent . Nor was that one string possessed. That one string was played . Played by a master. And so it sung. There are master teachers. They can teach with just their voice. Or a stick. Or a book. Or a computer. Hand them one string and they’ll make learning sing. These craftsman teachers — they ...