edTechCCPS

What is a LMS? What is an LMS and why should I use one?  You may have heard the term LMS (Learning Management System ) talked about in meetings, or read about in the board docs or ACTS notes.  Well, what is it? And more importantly, why are moving in this direction? An LMS is a learning management system that will provide a true one stop user experience for your teaching materials, assessment tools, projects, rubrics, learning outcomes, group conferencing,  etc. The learning management system we have chosen to purchase is Canvas. Canvas is a large company that currently provides LMS functionality to many major universities, the Virginia Community College System,  and the entire K-12 public school system in North Carolina. Canvas allows you to create assessments, manage instructional content, conduct group discussions or video chats/leave student feedback, create rubrics, and will auto grade your assessment materials.  Canvas integrates with ...

Watching math and science teachers integrate Makerspace activities into their classrooms has been both inspiring and confounding. Knowing how excited my students were by the opportunity to build, create, and innovate made me want to include Makerspace ideas in my lessons. However, I was stuck with the question, How do I give this a Language Arts spin ? Brainstorming and Preparation Process Once I set my mind to the idea of a Makerspace, I spent a great deal of time perusing Pinterest for different ideas for hands-on, Language Arts ideas. Finding a variety of activities was key for me, which had the potential to send me down a rabbit hole. Thankfully, I met with my integrator, Althea Hudson, as part of my brainstorming process as well. Between the two of us, we were able to find several different activities for my students. As another layer of my preparation, I met with two other teachers who had previously run Maker Stations in their classrooms. Their number one suggestion wa...

Why is playtime important for students? We often recognize the need at the elementary level, but even secondary students can greatly benefit from playtime during the school day. According to Dr. Hilary Conklin (Time.com) Playtime Isn’t Just for Preschoolers—Teenagers Need It, Too (2015). Meet Evo + Bit, ozobot.com/img/products/products/tile-color-codes.ab0d3c62.jpg. She says, “Giving students occasions to learn through play not only fosters creative thinking, problem solving, independence, and perseverance, but also addresses teenagers’ developmental needs for greater independence and ownership in their learning, opportunities for physical activity and creative expression, and the ability to demonstrate competence. When classroom activities allow students to make choices relevant to their interests, direct their own learning, engage their imaginations, experiment with adult roles, and play physically, research shows that students become more motivated and interested, and they e...