DT With Mrs B

Kia ora, fellow educators and parents! Today's blog post takes a slight detour from our usual content to introduce a game-changer for teachers who are also parents, especially those with younger children. Meet SquareOne , a Kiwi-created app designed to revolutionise the way we manage pocket money. As a teacher and a parent preparing for an upcoming family trip to Australia, I found myself on a quest to instil financial responsibility in my 12 and 14-year-olds. The challenge was to discover a digital tool that not only facilitated money management, but also made the process engaging and educational. SquareOne emerged as the answer to my quest. This New Zealand-developed app allows parents to set chores and allocate corresponding amounts to their children. The beauty lies in its simplicity – kids submit completed chores, and parents approve payments through the app. The real magic happens when the money is transferred from the parent's account to the child's account. SquareOn...

Kia ora, fellow educators! 🌟 Have you ever eagerly clicked on a hyperlink, only to find yourself stuck on a 'share request' page? Annoying, right? Let's tackle that inconvenience and make link-sharing a breeze. Clicking on a link that leads to a 'share request' page can be frustrating for both the document creator and the person trying to access it. But fear not, there's a simple solution to avoid this digital roadblock. Prevention is Key: Adjust Sharing Settings Before creating links, ensure your documents are ready for sharing. You can modify the access settings for individual documents or go big by making an entire folder sharable. This way, any docs linked from that folder will automatically grant access without the pesky 'share request.' Quick Steps to Share without Stress: 1. Open your Google Doc (or any Google app). 2. Click on the 'Share' button in the top right corner. 3. Adjust the access settings to either 'Anyone with the link...

We've all used Kahoot, right?  But have you used Gimkit yet?  If not, this post will change your teaching world... Gimkit, a digital quiz game (similar to Kahoot, yet soooo different), offers a dynamic approach to introducing, reviewing, or assessing various subjects. It brings an element of fun and engagement to even the most challenging topics. Gamification blends game elements into non-game contexts, making learning tasks more enjoyable. It adds elements of competition, challenge, and reward. Gimkit embodies gamification with features like: - Competition: Students compete to answer questions correctly and earn points. - Challenge: Questions can be tough, but students can earn power-ups to help them answer correctly. - Reward: Students earn virtual currency for right answers, which they can use to buy power-ups or compete in other games. Source: re:ed tech Gimkit can be used for: - Introducing New Concepts: Use it to introduce topics in a captivating way, like teaching cell ...

  Kia ora! In today's post, we'll unveil the versatility and practicality of Google Lens, a tool that has the potential to reshape the learning landscape for both educators and students. What is Google Lens? Google Lens is a remarkable visual recognition application that harnesses the power of your smartphone's camera to identify objects, text, and landmarks. This technology has the potential to revolutionise the classroom experience by providing instant access to information, fostering curiosity, and promoting interactive learning. Features for the Classroom Google Lens offers a plethora of features that can be leveraged to enhance teaching and learning in a variety of ways: Text Translation: Google Lens can seamlessly translate text from one language to another in real time, offering students a dynamic way to explore languages and broaden their horizons. Plant and Animal Identification: In science classes, Google Lens can act as a botanical and zoological guide, facil...

Kia ora, fellow educators! Today, let's dive into the world of Minecraft Education Edition (EDU), a fantastic game-based learning platform that I, as a Minecraft EDU Global Mentor, absolutely adore in the classroom. This tool is designed specifically for teachers and students, offering a multitude of benefits for diverse subjects like math, science, history, and the arts. Engagement: Minecraft EDU is an incredible engagement booster. It transforms learning into an interactive adventure, captivating students' attention and making subjects more intriguing. Collaboration: Collaboration thrives in the Minecraft world. Students team up to construct projects, tackle challenges, and learn from each other. Creativity: Minecraft EDU is the canvas for boundless creativity. It empowers students to bring their wildest ideas to life, from simple structures to intricate machines. Problem-solving: This platform sharpens problem-solving skills. Students must conquer puzzles and obstacles to ...

Google Smart Chips Unveiled Google Smart Chips are like the magic glue that effortlessly connects all your teaching resources in one place. They're all about simplifying your life as an educator and making teaching a breeze. Imagine this: You're planning a unit, and you want to link a relevant document without all the fuss. Google Smart Chips got you covered. They allow you to embed links to Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms right in your lesson plan. No more endless searching or copying and pasting links. It's as easy as mentioning the document's name, and the chip does the rest. YouTube Clips Integration YouTube is a treasure trove of educational content, but finding and incorporating clips can be time-consuming. Google Smart Chips come to the rescue again. By simply mentioning a YouTube video's title or keyword, these chips embed the video directly into your plan or document. It's like having a personal YouTube curator at your service. Google Apps Harmon...

In today's digital age, the effective integration of technology in the classroom is not just about substituting traditional methods; it's about transformation. Google Slides, a versatile tool within the Google Workspace suite, offers educators the opportunity to move beyond mere substitution and truly transform their teaching practices. Let's explore how Google Slides can be used transformatively, following the SAMR model, to create a dynamic learning experience for your students. Source: PowerSchool 1. Substitution - Traditional Slideshows: Starting at the base of the SAMR model, we often use Google Slides as a substitution for traditional paper-based slideshows. While this brings some advantages like easy sharing and access, it doesn't fundamentally change the learning experience. To truly transform, we need to go further. 2. Augmentation - Adding Multimedia Elements:  Moving up the SAMR ladder, we can augment our teaching by incorporating multimedia elements like ima...

For today's 'tech tool', let's delve into the world of captivating slide decks for your classroom using two fantastic tools: SlidesMania and SlidesCarnival, alongside Google Slides. As an educator, you already grasp the significance of engaging presentations. Let's explore how these platforms can help you achieve precisely that and more. SlidesMania: Unleash Your Creativity SlidesMania offers a wealth of free, customisable templates that breathe life into your presentations. Whether it's a lesson about history or a project related to science, SlidesMania provides themes that resonate with your subject matter. Navigating the platform is straightforward – select your preferred template, click, and start adding your content. These templates are beautifully crafted, saving you valuable time while ensuring a polished final outcome.  Here's an example: SlidesCarnival: Elegance and Simplicity On the other hand, SlidesCarnival is renowned for its elegant and minim...