ItsTheMitchell

Day uh 12? The chalk marks have started coming off my wall. Yep. I've missed a couple of days. More on that later, but first... Do you feel like the whirlwind is settling down yet? Hopefully, by this point you and your students are getting into a little bit of a groove. As you settle into what seems like it will be the new "normal" for the rest of the year, think about this. You are an amazing part of a team that is accomplishing the impossible. You are. Yes, You. Look, I'm not trying to throw anybody under the bus, but how many counties around us made the call to not even try to keep going? How many are giving packets that amount to little more than busy work to check boxes? How many are more worried about scheduling make-up days than what to do with the days we still have? That's not you. You're still teaching. You're still making a difference. You're still providing dynamic learning experiences for your students even while having to learn ...

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Day 9 - Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time. - Stephen Wright. I know you are all creating meaningful learning experiences for your students during our eLearning break. Consider the amount of time you are requiring of your students. Now consider the fact that they have three other classes. Don't ask your students to spend 90 minutes each day doing work that you wouldn't want to do yourself. Have you been outside today? It was beautiful here. I spent the first couple hours of my day with my family working from the back porch. It is a lovely day outside. If you haven't been there, you should go look. Yes, it's the place without air conditioning, and it has has gnats and pollen, but it is still worth checking out.

Welcome to day 1. Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see a shadow. - Helen Keller Today I'm working on an information packet that is aimed at students. It will contain simple instructions for Google Classroom login, and how to check student email. This information will be a part of the Chromebook sign-out packet, as well as pushed out through our social media avenues. I'm also planning to make time for my wife and kids today. There may be burgers on the grill later. Since there are already four of us at the house, some of you may come... but no more than six. What are you working on today? (This is NOT some kind of check to make sure you're working. I just figured some conversation with the outside world would be nice.)

Day 2 - The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do. - Kobe Bryant It's roughly 10:45, and we've handed out over ## Chromebooks. Things seem to be running smoothly, and according to plan. Now that I've said that, the wheels are going to fall off. With that in mind, I've got a plan B. How about you? I know we're all looking for that newest, latest, greatest, "I'm going to be the best eTeacher ever!!!!" lesson/website/activity, but what happens when that site doesn't work for students? Better have a good plan B. This morning I was told by the IT department that students can join video chats started by a teacher on Google Meet. Head over to meet.google.com to check it out. I haven't tested it myself, but I will soon. Starting next week, I'll be asking once each week what your favorite tool was for that week. While I do encourage you to stick with the core, (Classroom. Docs...

Day 3 - Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. - Will Rogers 4:45. We're up to ### Chromebooks off campus. Contact your students. Make sure they can get into your classroom. Connect with them. While I'm sure many of them are enjoying the time out of the building, I'd also wager many of them are feeling unsettled or just scared about the situation. A familiar voice from outside their house may be more comforting than you realize. What about you? Are you maintaining contact with people outside your household? Your family? Take the time to video chat with them. Talking is nice, but seeing them is even better. As the situation develops, several states have gone ahead and announced school closures for the remainder of the year. Are you planning for the long haul? How?

Day 4 - Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. - Confucius 7:18 - Much later than my usual post. I got home today absolutely exhausted. It's been a long time since I've taken a 2 hour nap. I'd love to say it felt good, but I"m still really groggy. How are all of you feeling? This is such new territory for all of us. It's important to remember that you're not expected to know everything about running a class online. Some of you have recent experience with taking collegiate level online classes. Don't make the mistake of thinking that is the perfect reflection of what you're supposed to be doing with your students. I hope he doesn't mind, but I'd like to give a huge shout out. Someone showed up on campus today, did some fishing, enjoyed some escargot, and went from zero to hero in Google Classroom, all in one day. You're the Man! Enjoy your weekend. Prep for Monday, but remember to take baby steps. The Ark wasn...

Day 7 - Difficulties mastered are opportunities won. - Winston Churchill Yes, I took the weekend off... and you should too. If you're not sure why, go back and re-read Squatter 7. Ya know those mornings where you have big plans, but you can't seem to get out of your email inbox? Yeah. Me too. Don't let that stop you from dropping a comment below... or emailing me if you've got that address. Speaking of video chat. For your video chat sessions with students, our recommended video chat client is meet.google.com. If you have students struggling to join a Zoom meeting, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to help. I didn't bring home a student Chromebook to help diagnose problems... although, in retrospect, I likely should have. Enough of the business talk, how are you holding out? For those of you of faith, were you able to "attend" a church service yesterday? I know our broadcast had some hiccups, but we'll get better every week. That...

I've written these for a Google Classroom that I use to serve one group of teachers I work with. I thought today it might be nice to also publish them to a wider audience. Enjoy. Feel free to leave comments and share how this is impacting your daily life. Day 8 - One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. - William Shakespeare I'm sure you've noticed how our current global situation has driven people apart. Social distancing is now a part of our daily language. People are regularly encouraged to stay away from eachother for safety. Hugs and handshakes are way down while handwashing and isolation are way up. As usual, the coin has another side. Now that we are geographically isolated, how are you staying connected? Have you found new tools that will allow you to "be there" without being there? When was the last time you saw a family member in person that does not live in your house? Remember, there is no ban on going outside. I don't know if you...

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This is a work in progress, so check back frequently. This is a list of resources for eLearning. There will be tons of stuff here, so click something that looks interesting and see if it will apply to you. Don't feel like you have to go through it all at once. As I add things to the Wakelet, they will automatically add to this page.

It’s GIF… not JIF. That being said, I found a tool online that I think could be used in so many different ways. Go check out brush.ninja. Yes. Brush (dot) ninja. Your students can use Brush Ninja to create and animate simple drawings. Have students create animations to insert in a timeline in Padlet. Create animations that explain scientific processes, or showing the steps of solving an equation. Truly, the limit here is your imagination.