In this week’s episode of the Ditch That Textbook Podcast, Matt and Karly dive into digital escape rooms, 2024 vision boards, design prompts, and other ready-to-use resources to get you through those snowy winter days.
News and updates:
Background remover is coming to Google Slides!
Big idea: Digital Escape Rooms
A digital escape room is a type of online game. It’s typically a digital version of a physical escape room, where participants are “trapped” in the room. They must solve puzzles and riddles to escape the room (or complete a specific task).
Our Digital Escape Room resources:
-More than 40 free digital escape rooms on our digital escape rooms page.
-Step-by-step instructions to make digital escape rooms
-Enroll in our online course: Getting Started with Digital Escape Rooms.
-Check out our newly updated Digital Escape Rooms Wakelet collection where you can find ALL of the resources above plus even more. (You can also get our Wakelet collections sent straight to your inbox by clicking on the subscribe button next to our name!)
Tech Tips:
-Create your own Lego Minifigure with Microsoft Designer
-Save time with Gmail template responses— Did you know that you can create templates in Gmail for emails you write often? They are easy to create and could save you lots of time! (Click on the settings wheel / settings / advanced / enable templates … then compose an email to create the template … three dots / templates / save draft as template … in email: three dots, templates).
Quick Teaching Strategies:
-Hopes and Dreams HyperDoc: This online lesson includes videos, quotes, and prompts to get them thinking and talking about the future. They will even use tools like Google Drawings or Canva to help them create their own special quote. After that, they can write a letter to their future selves and even create a vision board as an extension activity.
-Host a rock, paper, scissors tournament— Turn a fun, simple game into a fun ice breaker, brain break, or team-building activity. This post from Guide, Inc has everything you need to know!
Template of the week: Canva Vision Board
Welcome 2024 by designing a vision board or a single word/phrase that represents a goal or focus for the year with Canva EDU. bit.ly/CLCchallenge24
155: 5 FREE virtual field trips to check out
154: Student podcasts in Google Slides
153 Your Google Classroom secret power
152: Google Slides templates and fixing them
153: Ask this question for better results
152: Upgrade that textbook with augmented reality
151: Classroom tech: Should I use it?
150: More Google Classroom organization ideas
149: A new social media for educators
148: Bringing tech into the library
147: Flipgrid, information literacy and coaching
146: You CAN do that with Microsoft! with Scott Titmas
145: Offering custom PD with Stacy Saia
144: Social media-inspired learning without the app
143: Real-time classroom translation for free
142: Brain-based ways to reach diverse students
141: Three phases of learning for the long term
140: Take the Flipgrid 5 for student accessibility
139: Free music/sound effects for class projects
138: 3 things I'm loving about Quizizz now
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