What are /r/teaching's favorite Products & Services?

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We do it! One of my coworkers wrote a book on the topic as well! Mindfulness and breathing has helped my students and my classroom �� here is his book on breathing: Exhaling Anxiety: Managing Stress At any Age https://smile.amazon.com/dp/172396767X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.wEACb3VKYWR8

I buy the refill ink on Amazon: Sakura Color whiteboard marker refill ink HWBK # 49 black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FGGLS6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nNyeDbQSXDV14 One bottle lasts me a year or more... But I agree, it's a F-ING shame I have to beg for the basics I need to do my job.

One thing that really helped me my first year teaching is using Crash Course in conjunction with EdPuzzle.

I'm not sure what grade you teach, but Crash Course has really high-quality videos on a ton of different subjects. They're better for high school or sometimes middle school because they tend to have a lot of rapid-fire information (which can be both a pro and a con.) You can use the same Crash Course video to make different EdPuzzles depending upon how difficult you want it to be or what aspect of the topic you want to focus on.

EdPuzzle is an online service that allows you to take a video and add multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions, and comments. If you're in a 1:1 school / class, you can have students do it on their devices, or you can play it for everyone. I've done both and it's all great! (But if you're going to do the latter, I recommend making a handout with the list of questions on it so the students can see the question coming up.) It's kind of like taking guided notes.

Different people like different things, but overall my students enjoyed Crash Course and EdPuzzle together!

May seem hokey but I have my kids do this every class day. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-21-day-gratitude-chal_b_13952806

We actually do affirmations / gratitude / love every class day. This helps with putting things in their lives in perspectives. It also helps them calm down.

I had one student years ago who said everything was stupid. It took me 2 years to get him to stop saying everything was stupid. But once he did he believe that things were no longer stupid. He is applying for grad school now.

I work with low-level Inner City High School students.

And if any kids says that life is not worth living, it's an automatic visit to the social worker. Sometimes things like that trigger DCF calls. Other states call this CPS. I don't mess around with Suicidal Tendencies.

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-2170W-Printer-Wireless-Interfaces/dp/B0010Z3LGO Link to Amazon page. I also exaggerated on the page count per cartridge. But trust me, you get what you pay for. Buy three ink-jet over 5 years, or one of these for 10. Just to give you an idea, I bought mine 7 or 8 years ago, and it even was unplugged and gathering dust for 2 or 3 of those years. Inactivity is a death-sentence for an average inkjet. It is currently in my home, working just fine, and only on it's 2nd cartridge.

I've suggested this to my school several times. An air filter is a good idea. To stop Covid it'll need to filter down to 0.3 microns, and it'll need to be big. They're not cheap:

https://www.amazon.com/Winix-5500-2-Purifier-PlasmaWave-Reducing/dp/B01D8DAYII/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=high+volume+hepa+air+filter&qid=1595277545&sr=8-5

That one looks exactly like this Amazon one for $25

But I used a tote bag and had to switch back to my backpack because it killed my shoulder, especially carrying around my laptop in it

What you're describing there, is like, the classical ESL (English as a Second Language) situation.

You're best off completely ditching Swedish in class - use only spoken English, written English - even body language, and the tunes you whistle, should be English.

A lot of what I learned as an English teacher is nicely summed up and simplified in the book "Learning Teaching" by Jim Scrivener - a book that's since been made publicly available

It doesn't have a special section dedicated to ESL, but a lot of the ideas presented can be combined to forming a very good classroom routine.

I'm a subscriber to the natural order hypothesis - the idea that certain aspects of grammar are picked up in a specific order, that's the same for everybody.

Students start identifying the meaning of single words.
They then make short sentences.
They then pick up a few starting- and ending "chunks", ("Once upon a time", or "Yesterday, I was...")

Also, present tense is learned before the past tense (-ing form before -ed form) - stuff like that.

And you should plan your lessons accordingly.

I personally use https://ezgif.com/ for my stuff, since it's free and has no watermark, but what you're doing is taking a video that's under 120mb and converting it into a gif. Works fine for putting things on powerpoints, for example

The funny thing is, both terms originally referred to a mentally disabled person. Through use in a derogatory manner, they became insults (first idiot, then retard). Both have been used as clinical terms.

Source #1

Source #2

I have a Brother Laser printer that works well for printing 30-50 copies of double-sided worksheets at home. I have this one. I got it on sale for $80 on amazon, so if you look for deals you might find something.

Everyone else so far have been suggesting alternative ways to go about this, but if you want to go with your original set up you need one more piece of a equipment.

You'll need a USB Wii bar which you can from Amazon. I like dolphins one which you can find here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mayflash-W010-Dolphin-Bar-Wireless-x/dp/B00HZWEB74

You'll need some sort of PowerPoint macro to show each winner and then you'll probably need to use Autohotkey to convert the input from your remotes into a signal for your macro.

If this sounds too much that's fine. If you'd like to know more let me know and I'll see if I can help.

Here is my story. I was not a great high school student, but I was great college student. I now have my my masters. Make sure you are going to love being with students. I personally love being a high school teacher. :-) http://hubpages.com/t/26a6db

I’m in a similar boat currently as a sub and I just want to say hang in there! I’m sure between your experience and your colleagues’ $0.02 you’re all set on classroom management tips but as far as frustration in the moment I’ve found that meditating and practicing noting helps when I can feel myself getting flustered or taking it personally.

I’m sure you’re doing great! Having a sub can turn any kid into an eldritch horror plus at this point they can smell summer. You can do it!

You can try KDEnlive. It's a free open-source video editor that can get the job done. You can blur out ("obscure" in the app) names, faces, etc. You can also edit audio, create transitions, add music, etc.

I got like 144 of them for around $9 on Amazon. Here’s the link

Dixon Golf Pencil, Hexagonal Barrel, Yellow Finish, 144-Count (14998) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GP02B6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_eRPvAb0KBW2W1

You can use dry erase marker on there. However more cost efficient are page protectors. You can write directly on them and wipe off as well as these handy folders:

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-reusable-dry-erase-pockets?deal_option

https://www.coursera.org/course/rookieteaching this might be of interest to you. I'd suggest that perhaps you need to be more strict with yourself. If you let things slide that you really shouldn't, that gives the students an impression of you that doesn't lead to good classroom management.

This is pricey but easily the best purchase I’ve made for my classroom.

Make sure you know what’s available in your classroom before spending money.

As far as subscriptions, I always subscribe to Flocabulary, kids love it!

Really? They won’t hurt you. Trap it with a cup and piece of paper and then let it go outside. Some of the tiny fragile ones I just leave alone and pretend I didn’t see them. You could also get one of these. My Critter Catcher - Spider and Insect Catcher https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0192MB5RS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_wwu-FbY24SR6N

Try checking if she might have a wishlist on amazon. I am a high school teacher and we get left out a lot but I made one as I run across things that would be cool but didn’t tell anyone because I don’t think anyone would care. Also, one of my favorite things I bought were white board paddles. I use them for games and quick checks of understanding. This is the set I have: https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Response-Whiteboards-Mini-Erasers/dp/B009R1GDHC/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=white+board+paddles&qid=1559148687&s=gateway&sprefix=white+board+pad&sr=8-4

Oh, good, it's not just me.

I've found a very small number of other books, but the one book that I tend to actually recommend to teachers is Teach Like a Champion . I'm not a fan of the title, but the actual content is -- shocking! - actually useful, actionable techniques.

They talk about their research methodology towards the beginning, but the nutshell version is that they found great teachers ( which, if I recall, they defined as teachers whose kids improved, and stayed improved ) and found what techniques they had in common.

A decent chunk of stuff is things you likely already know -- for example, tight transitions = good -- but it goes into some examples of ways to tighten up transitions, as well as similar routines that we might not think to teach explicitly, but will save headaches if you actually do ( example: how to put your paper in your folder to take home, how to hand out papers. It seems silly, but as an elementary teacher I have to actually explicitly teach ' take one, pass the rest back ' to my class every year. The fact that I don't tend to have straight lines of desks means I actually plan 'paper paths' so everyone gets one. )

Another example is equally simple but was a ' oh, duh ' moment for me -- putting the kids name at the end when asking a question. ( " What's 5x5 Johnny?" instead of " Johnny, what's 5x5?" ). I tend towards it naturally, but it was a reminder that no, that stuff can actually matter.

I'm in the middle of studying to take my CS cert! Man, 4 weeks sounds brutally short to get kids through anything like coding, whats your age range?

I think the idea of language agnostic lessons would be more beneficial for how little youll have them. If you focus on the concepts of language structure itll be easier for them to translate it to a language of their own choice. Cause frankly, 1 month? Theyre only gonna keep that stuff in their heads if they want too.

Unfortunately i dont have too many suggestions, however i found a game in the google play store that i thought would be great for students.

Its called "hacked". It frames basics of coding as puzzles. And you kinda construct functions as you go. For example, one level's challenge is sorting an array and after you solve that level you gain access to a sort function. I dont know if you have the resources to provide that to each kid but maybe it could be a good source of inspiration for you.

Good luck friend!

EDIT: found a link to said game

first, og to http://www.khanacademy.org/ It's Perfect for what you describe. It really helps when you are low on material and it also let's you track all Your students progress.

I remember an old Math teacher of mine, he had this four 4's game where we had to use four 4's to figure out that day of the year(the number...) say you use something like: 4*4-4+sqr4=14 (basic example) but it gets increasingly harder the longer out in the year you get. Sometimes the students find that creative problemsolving like this is more stimulating than just sitting and redoing the same Equations, albeit in different forms, over and over again.

Hope it helps.

Also: do your research on how you can make your teaching as up-to-date as possible. As much as we are still stick in the 1800s teaching (school year with summer vacation, bell schedules, keeping students in one grade per age), schools LOVE to talk about technology and cognitive development of kids in the facebook age. There is a great link on today's neuroscience subreddit about cognitive development in all ages of students (including preschool) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18789293/2/supp/S1

I'm not 100% sure what you're looking for, but I'd start browsing the course catalog and reading the course descriptions. You may want to cobble together a few that really round out your desired goals. I've heard that this one in particular really gets into the mind set of the online learning and how to cater to that.

I can't speak to the Praxis, but I HIGHLY recommend:

http://www.khanacademy.org/

if you want to brush up on some of your skills. My husband has been using this for his own edification as he learns programming and brushes up on advanced math while he tries to decide if he wants to go back for his master's and what in if he does. I also pointed my little sister in this direction when she was studying for her high school chemistry and geometry finals. She said she learned the entire semester of chemistry that she was supposed to learn from her teacher (evidently she didn't have a good one) from this resource.

Yes, you can find the link on my website : I believe it's in the "more math" section

https://sites.google.com/site/printworksheets/

This was never intended as a video, Youtube was just the only way I knew how to share it.

In the description section on the Youtube page it says:

This is a powerpoint I have converted to video. It works better in Powerpoint because you can control when the slide switches. If you would like the actual powerpoint (for free/no registration required) please check out my site at:

https://sites.google.com/site/printworksheets/

Look under the "more math" section.

Maybe I should make that an annotation if people aren't going to see it. Anyways good to know- Thanks.

If I just played this video for my students they would probably start throwing their pencils at my head. Once a person downloads the power point they have the choice in what slides to show, plus they can print the slides and make flash cards. The reason I turned it to video is because it was the only way I could get it on Youtube and I wanted to share it.

By the way, I've never downvoted and I don't plan on doing it now.

For programming, HTML etc, I recommend Codecademy or any other of a number of sites which teach about coding languages. Photoshop tutorials are all over youtube, as are tutorials for many other difficult programs.

If you need more help, you could try chatting with IT, either at your school or on Reddit. They know their stuff, and they're used to having to explain things people who just don't get it, so working with someone who does will be a breath of fresh air for them.

I taught 5th graders JavaScript starting with Khanacademy. It was a little hard for some students, so I think that middle schoolers would do great.

https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/hour-of-code/hour-of-drawing-code/a/how-we-teach-coding-on-ka

The students had already done Hour of Code, so I just continued down the lessons. You don't have to use the videos if you want to teach it yourself. My students made it to basic animations and mouse drawing tools in about 4-5 hours of in-class lessons. Many students were pretty motivated to learn on their own and just utilized Khan's video stuff.

Don't discount visual programming like Scratch.

https://scratch.mit.edu/

It is highly motivating for students to make their own animations. I had a bunch of boys make their own Naruto fighting games.

You could also start with some computational thinking games or robots. This gets students to start thinking about coding. There are tons of them for Android and iTunes. I have my 6-year-old play them for fun.

• When you begin working on the edTPA, the edTPA handbook is now your life.

• Use the rubrics! Use the requirements for a score of 3,4,5 as an outline before you start drafting your commentary. This helped me out immensely by both helping me understand what I was being assessed on, and providing a working format that was easily read by the graders.

• WORK WITH A GROUP. I made a core group of friends in my credentialing program and we made plans to work every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We downloaded this app http://selfcontrolapp.com/ (bans you from using websites that you enter for a period of time) and put our phones in a designated area. We all kept each other accountable for showing up and actually working, something which I would have failed miserably on my own.

• Have a goddamn schedule and give yourself 2 weeks to spare (which will end up being more like 3 days). I had a giant calendar and planned out which days I would have to finish Task 1: A, B, and C etc. This also forces you to look at the requirements and length of each task.

• Have someone proofread your shit. I guarantee you, by the time you are done drafting the commentary for each task, you won't want to look at it again. . . ever. . in your life. This is where having a core group comes into play, we all switched and edited each others work.

Also, keep in mind that so far, the edTPA has a 98% pass rate. That doesn't mean that you should slack off, but it should reduce some of your anxiety. The only (2) people who didn't pass in my cohort were the ones who missed the deadlines. They only gave themselves a week to finish a 50-90 page assessment.

have you heard of edmodo? This might be a good site to check out and see if there are already schools looking for culture exchanges. Sounds like a great program. good luck with it!

I use Schoology. It has a good interface which is teacher and student friendly, imo. It can used free by yourself and students. I use it to post notes, assignments, general information, and we also take our assessments on the site.

Have you heard about Padlet? It's a sort of virtual wall where your students can "hang" messages, and they can do it anonymously.

Here's an article about how to use it: http://www.coolcatteacher.com/how-to-use-padlet-fantastic-tool-teaching/

I believe that they would need the premium version too in order to share (but I could be wrong on that) Here's an article about educational pricing. https://evernote.com/schools/for_schools/ If I'm being honest, I am much more comfortable in Google Drive. It is free, simple, accessible on all devices, etc.

I bought one of these amps for myself when I was having to teach with mask inn and with kids spread out. I didn't have to tell for the whole room to hear me out when we were outside, and turning it on and off clearly differentiated when I was speaking to an individual student or small group vs when the whole class needed to be listening.

ZOWEETEK Voice Amplifier, Portable Voice Amplifier Microphone Headset and Waistband, Personal voice amplifier, Mini voice amplifier,Voice amplifier for Teachers, Elderly,Coaches, Tour Guides, Training https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R8ZQ4KS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XZPBVSQ313T2MF2QJNNJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I got mine on Amazon healing hands Purple Label Women's Tori Pant - Five Pocket Cargo Scrub Pant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R6UTBVQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_ZCCZEY3BHHDSMWCRFHX7?psc=1 but I think you could find similar somewhere they sell scrubs

https://www.amazon.com/X-ACTO-Commercial-Electric-Pencil-Sharpener/dp/B00006IEI3/ref=sr_1_6?crid=G6R78XYL4IPL&dchild=1&keywords=xacto+pencil+sharpener+electric+teacher+pro&qid=1625617752&s=office-products&sprefix=xacto+pe%2Coffice-products%2C199&sr=1-6

this pencil sharper - I recently did summer school in a different room and loved it. I took pictures and looked up. I plan to buy it.

I used this book to study for the English CSETs: https://www.amazon.com/English-Subtests-Online-Teacher-Certification/dp/0738612022

Ive only taken subtest II so far and i passed so I’d say it prepared me well. It mostly goes over grammar, the history/development of the English language, and strategies to teach English

A portable mic will change your life. After that you need to question why the kids won’t listen in the first place. Do the other teachers that can’t handle them have soft voices as well?portable mic from Amazon

I have a Swingline Paper Cutter. I am a K-12 Art Teacher and I have been using it for 3 years and it still works as well as the day I bought it. I am adding the link to Amazon, just so you have an idea of what it looks like and the details. https://www.amazon.com/Swingline-Trimmer-Guillotine-Capacity-ClassicCut/dp/B0006VS18Q

If your door opens inward, the Amazon door lock bar is a GREAT deterrent since it's "almost" impossible to open the door from the outside. It makes me feel a lot safer.

Master Lock Security Bar, Adjustable Door Security Bar, 265DCCSEN, 1-pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YUX8I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZqRMAb6MVPNEJ

I bought this printer.

Brother Wireless Digital Color Printer with Convenience Copying and Scanning (HL-3180CDW), Amazon Dash Replenishment Enabled https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016AT5WES/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lc-wBbD9B3964

I got it for my classroom so I can make a quick copy if needed and colored stuff for the kids and the walls. If you don’t need the scanning function, you can get a printer that’s cheaper that just prints. I think those run about $200. It’s a lot up front, but the ink lasts a long while.

This isn't for daily use because they are pricey, but I love paint pens for semi-permanent signs and butcher paper posters in hallways. They're great for when you want to make thick letters, or drawings where you want to fill in a large field of color. You're putting down a consistently solid streak of paint, not like ink pens where the color thins out and looks like crap. You have to be super careful about staining clothing, etc. though.

I don't know where you buy them online, Amazon has some third party sellers. I buy them occasionally at a local restaurant supply store because they can be used on windows. I assume (?) you scrape the paint off using a razor blade. The brands I've bought before are NeoMarker and Posterman. Always broad trip, not chisel tip.

I found it at the dollar tree actually, it's made for whiteboard markers. It's just a little box that is probably 6 inches wide and one inch deep. It has a really strong magnet on the back that sticks to my whiteboard. It fits 6 whiteboard markers and I store them upside down. I put contact paper on it to match my classroom.

Here's an Amazon link to a similar one but mine was significantly cheaper:

Magnetic Dry Erase Marker Holder, Pen and Eraser Holder for Whiteboard, Magnet Pencil Cup Utility Storage Organizer for Office, Refrigerator, Locker and Metal Cabinets (2 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K79TZFY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ctMeDbS4J43RP

The various interactions between your own personality, whole school systems, and the various different needs of your students are too complicated to explore easily. I can say, bearing in mind that people are advising relationship-building, that a mistake I made was that I thought that relationship-building meant investing time in, y'know, activities to build relationships. Don't do that. Your role is 'teacher' and you build relationships by teaching well. Start with having excellent content and assume that everyone wants to get on with it.

The best book (though I don't agree with it all in my particular context, but it's generally very good) I have found on the matter is this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Know-Fair-Rule-Strategies/dp/1408296012/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=you+know+the+fair+rule&qid=1595926633&sr=8-1

You mention label maker, but I bought an engraver (like this one) to engrave my classroom supplies like calculators that have a tendency to walk off.

I read Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut with my 10th graders, but I know it is commonly used in middle school. My students responded really well and are still talking about the story months later. There's also a phenomenal short film adaptation (about 25 minutes long) called 2081.

If Youtube isn't blocked, then stream to Youtube. Twitch likely is always blocked due to being a gaming-centric site.

Use Open Broadcaster Software, or OBS to stream to Youtube. Very robust, easy-to-implement, and it's free. https://obsproject.com/

Well I broke my leg in two places just before school started.

There’s no way to make it easy, NGL. I was in a wheelchair, then knee scooter, then boot. I had my partner set up ny room so I could work from my desk, and I sat on my butt and did my best from there. Ideal? No. But I wasn’t risking problems walking for the rest of my life over it. I’m FINALLY out of the boot and walking, but I still do A LOT of sitting when I can so I don’t overdo myself.

Ibuprofen is what you want in terms of a painkiller. Take it regularly throughout the day so the pain doesn’t get too bad. When you get home, ice and elevate. I got basically an ice boot on Amazon- put it in the freezer and then it wraps around your whole leg/foot/ankle

Students were also very willing to help with passing out/cleaning up, and my middle schoolers were actually really empathetic about it.

This screaming goat toy is quite effective.

Do you teach a subject in which the kids could grade their own papers (or at least part of them) before handing them in? That would speed up your returning them and ease some of the clutter. I also really like these. Kids can turn things in and keep stuff tidy. It’s easy for you to grab the folder you need to work with out of them as well.

Hello! Dark mode is definitely on my todo list -- In the meantime, maybe try downloading f.lux (https://justgetflux.com/). It adjusts your screen temperature at night to be easier on your eyes. I use it code into the wee hours of the night.

I started a new practice last year of tossing this ball towards a table group and whoever caught it got (or had) to answer. I set loose rules for it, like "If you already answered a question this round pass it to a neighbor". I could see by their eagerness to participate if they were struggling or uncomfortable. This is also a great way to build buy-in because most of them want to catch the ball even if they don't want to answer the question. Then I'd ask the next question and say "Pass It" and they got to choose who to throw it to. I had a 3-second rule for how long it could take them to make a decision and a student who's job it was to count down the 3,2,1 if the passer was taking too long. This was honestly one of the best strategies I implemented and it was completely on accident one day when the balls were on my desk for another activity.

Also, even when I used the popsicle stick method, I'd call a different number than what was pulled if I knew that child had anxiety or struggled with the topic at hand. Students also had the freedom to phone a friend if they were unsure of the answer - the rule was, a friend can tell you the answer but you have to then tell me what the friend just said. There were times we had a 5-chain phone-a-friend going and I knew I had to re-teach the concept or rephrase the question, etc.

If you build a community of respect these things aren't an issue. But if they tease each other for not being able to catch, getting scared of the ball, throwing too high or hard, this won't work.

I have had good luck using the principles found in this book Backtalk. It is written from a parenting perspective but has realistic ways to solve behavior problems. Good luck!

Ooooh, you will ove this: https://www.amazon.ca/Are-All-Completely-Beside-Ourselves/dp/0142180823/ref=sr_1_1?crid=28UC37FFLTC91&keywords=we+are+all+completely+beside+ourselves&qid=1661917803&sprefix=we+are+all+com%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1

What about these silicone trivets?

If you have bulletin boards, you can definitely buy backing and a matching flag border.

Example: https://www.amazon.com/Fun-Express-Educational-Classroom-Decorations/dp/B07QGG1MJS/ref=sr\_1\_2\_sspa?crid=1CKIQQDWE0W9A&keywords=flag+bulletin+border&qid=1660065720&sprefix=flag+bulletin+bor%2Caps%2C314&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&...

<em>Stella Díaz Has Something to Say</em> is my suggestion for a more age appropriate book. My third graders loved hearing me do a read-aloud of it and it sparked great discussions.

I use these vinyl numbered stickers and I put a piece of transparent packaging tape over the sticker. The kids do eventually pick off the tape/sticker but I've only had to replace like two. And the pack comes with lots of extras.

https://www.amazon.com/Stickers-Classroom-Organizing-Measures-Diameter/dp/B07R9K2JH4/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=wAxWi&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.bbb6bbd8-d236-47cb-b42f-734cb0cacc1f&amp;pf_rd_p=bbb6bbd8-d236-47cb-b42f-734cb0cacc1f&amp;pf_rd_r=MMXN6A3MFKXRH7WC7DEB&amp;pd_rd_wg=l5BrT&amp;pd_rd_r=011668d6-3aae-47b8-a738-06b095521827&amp;ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

You are so sweet, and your partner is so lucky to have your support! On the extremely concrete and practical side of things, I have to say that the book Ace Your Teacher Interview was, hands down, the most helpful thing I used to prep. I stumbled on it after I blew a round two interview with an amazing district. I'd thought I should speak from the heart when interviewing and be my best authentic self. Turns out I was mistaken? I read the thing cover to cover and have, like the title says, pretty much aced every teacher interview I've had since.

I found out I should in fact be exacting and ruthless at marketing myself- crystal clear on why I'm better than the other interviewees and dead set on convincing the admins of that. It's got literally any question you could be asked, then it coaches you on exactly how to answer them in a way that leverages your strengths and lets the interviewers hear what they want to hear. A lot of the questions are quasi-personality test questions, and they are listening for specific things.

Anyhow. I recommend you get the book, then hold practice interviews with your partner.

How about kindergarten pencils for your back ups? They are a pain to sharpen, but there are very few people who would want to be caught with one. My kinders don't even like using them.

You can buy it here

or digital version here

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:pixelpad

What I liked about it is I can give it to a classroom of 30 and have them self-pace themselves through the course.

The content is really well organized and designed.

Sorry, I didn't think of it as stealing, I thought I was just sharing.

I’ve been a teacher for 15 years. The worst teachers I ever had were during my student teaching. University professors would get eaten alive if they tried to teach actual students.

It is a system where people that can’t teach are teaching you to teach.

Fuck ‘em. Play whatever game you need to get certified and promptly forget 90% of what they told you.

And buy this book book

This is an inspirational TED talk about the miracle that is our minds and how we perceive/interact with the world. It's not exactly related to insect life or the microscopic world but you can make that connection. I think it's a good contrast.

Depends, what are your goals? What platform(s) do you want to make it for? How deep do you want to go and how much time are you willing to invest? Here are some tools that could get you started: http://mashable.com/2013/12/03/build-mobile-apps/

> improper fractions

You even call them improper? Heck, I never understood why in this day and age almost all sums throughout primary and secondary education should use nice numbers. I get that it is easier to learn arithmetic at first. Once you get the basics, however, why not use realistic numbers (in realistic contexts). If needed a computer can support the actual calculation.

Seriously, children appear to live under the 'linearity illusion' (see, for example: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475204000453 ) and assume that the world around them is fundamentally linear in nature.

My best organizational discovery was an alphabetizer. Students turn in their work and it is in alphabetical order which makes grading so much easier! The best part about this system is that when you pull the assignments out of the alphabetizer staple them together. This is the true magic! If you staple it together then you can't loose someone's paper unless you loose the whole classes assignments and no one can sneak a paper in late. As a new teacher I was somewhat disorganized and gave students the benefit of the doubt that I might have lost their paper so when ever someone told me they turned it in I would look through everything to make sure I didn't have it and waisted so much time because the vast majority were telling me they turned it in when they didn't but I knew I was disorganized and it could be a possibility. At the start of the school year, I show students how to hand in papers and show them that I can't loose their papers without loosing the whole classes. The number of students that try to claim I have lost their paper are almost nonexistent now. It has been my number one time saver!!! Here is a link that shows the one that I use: https://www.amazon.com/C-Line-All-Purpose-Document-Sorter-30526/dp/B0006HWA2I

If she can’t read or write, her education level is far below 5th grade (though I understand she was probably pushed through). Makes me wonder if she’s ever been tested for a learning disability, such as dyslexia. In that case, there are wonderful programs specifically designed to work for her, but finding a Tito is costly.

I’ve heard really great things about this book and is probably an affordable starting point without further support: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671631985/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_NZVBVQWMMZEN6W5VRVRH

If you are interested in early archeology, I read a book that I recall having a title like "seven skulls that changed history" or something like that. It focused on seven different skulls and what it said about them in early pre-human society. I remember it talked about Lucy and the Piltdown Man hoax.

I tried to find it again to recommend it for you but the title wasn't coming up with anything but this book sounds kind of similar. There is a Kindle version as well.

Missing Links: In Search of Human Origins https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0199276854/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_CXXMHMAWZNJ6GR69D9BN

I inherited a Media Literacy class last year and this book has been an immense help. It's a college text and we don't get anywhere near covering all of it, but it has given us some structure and a critical framework to focus the class: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/mobile/p/media-culture-richard-campbell/1114702713/2691863349436?st=PLA&amp;amp;sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Textbooks_00000000&amp;amp;2sid=Google_&amp;amp;sourceId=PLGoP20436&amp;amp;k_clickid=3x20436&amp;amp;kp...

I also have a Dropbox folder full of stuff I inherited and stuff I've made over the past few semesters. I can PM the link if you'd like. Fair warning: my district is all Mac, so just about everything is Pages/Keynote.

Edit: grammar ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Oobleck! It's corn starch and water, and you can mold it into different shapes but once you let go it starts to "melt" back into a liquid. I worked in an after-school science class with 1st-5th graders and they LOVE this project.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

TLAC 3 is out and I think it’s a fantastic upgrade on the classic: https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Champion-Doug-Lemov/dp/1119712610

Check it out, I still think it’s the best resource for new teachers.

Middles eat up philosophy! I taught it as a club years ago, used this book: Philosophy for Teens: Questioning Life's Big Ideas https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593632029/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_6Q11TN6W1J9K5NZQ4PDA?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1

Limited-time deal: ZOWEETEK Voice Amplifier with UHF Wireless Microphone Headset, 10W 1800mAh Portable Rechargeable PA system Speaker for Multiple Locations such as Classroom, Meetings, Promotions and Outdoors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KJ3TD6W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_dl_535YJ6Y66F7VFSYQWSHX

Don't yell. I co-teach in a room with 50 kids. The other teacher yells frequently. I don't. I can control the room and she can't. She nearly has an anxiety attack daily because of it.

You have to come up with your own system of rewards and consequences that the students actually care about individually. I take my 8th graders outside once per week to just play sports or do whatever they want on the track. They know that when I ring my high pitched chime, they have three seconds to stop talking. If they don't, I write down the names of the offenders and they don't go out at the end of the week. You should get some kind of high pitched noise because everyone hears it regardless of volume. If you try to use your voice, you have to be louder than the entire class and it's hard to do that without yelling. I use this one

The trick is to not let anyone know who is on the list until right before you go outside. Otherwise kids who are on the list will just say fuck it and torture you all week. They won't remember talking at an inappropriate time, so I make sure to write down "Jeremias -- talking to Alyssa after chime," in case they accuse me of lying.

Also, and this is where I disagree with the top comment--do not use blanket punishments. If 20 kids are doing great and the same 5 kids fuck it up for everyone, not only is it not fair to punish the 20 kids, but they will stop caring because they'll know there is a high chance that they're going to lose their privilege anyway through no fault of their own.

Two Barney & Animals Books, Barney's Animal Homes, & Barney's Farm Animals ... http://hubpages.com/literature/Reading-Barney-Books-to-Children-A-Great-way-to-Grow-a-Childs-Imagination I am not as good of a reader as I once was back in the 1990s when my children were small, but I am glad I kept all their old childhood books to share today, what wonderful memories each one has inside it covers ... Barney's Animal Homes, It is fun to Read with Barney ... A Lift and Peek Book (Barney's Animal Homes, Go with Barney has he discovers where each animal lives. Lift and Peek.) Written By Donna Cooner, and illustrated by June Valentine-Ruppe, 1998 Lyons Partnership, Lyrick, and Barney Publishing, board book, children book, picture book, preschool fun ... Barney's Farm Animals, 1993, It is fun to Read with Barney ... Barney is a purple and green dinosaur. In this story he and the farm animals visit a farm and learn about the animal sounds. Copyright 1993 by the Lyons Group, Allen Texas, and Barney Publishing,. Written by Kimberly Kearns and Marie O'Brien and illustrated by Karen Malzeke - McDonald ... Children Books, Picture book, preschool fun, board book. I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (http://www.youtube.com/editor)

http://hubpages.com/literature/Reading-Barney-Books-to-Children-A-Great-way-to-Grow-a-Childs-Imagination I am not as good of a reader as I once was back in the 1990s when my children were small, but I am glad I kept all their old childhood books to share today, what wonderful memories each one has inside it covers ... Barney's Hats, Reading is fun with Barney, Published in 1993. THis book can be enjoyed by children of all ages. Younger children will enjoy and become familiar with the simple, repetitive phrases, encouraging them to "read" along with you. Older Children, as beginning readers, will fell successful when they are able to read the simple, predictable text. Children of all ages will enjoy having fun with Barney and his friends. Barney Pbullising, The Lyons Group. Writen by Mary Ann Dudko, and Margie Larsen, art director Tricia Legault published in 1993. Children's Books, Picture books, Barney Books. Preschool reading

http://hubpages.com/literature/Reading-Barney-Books-to-Children-A-Great-way-to-Grow-a-Childs-Imagination I am not as good of a reader as I once was back in the 1990s when my children were small, but I am glad I kept all their old childhood books to share today, what wonderful memories each one has inside it covers ... Barney's Christmas Wishes, It is fun Reading with Barney ... In this Christmas story, Barney, Baby Bop, and BJ make a visit to the North Pole to see Santa Claus just before the big day. BJ and Baby Bop are each able to ask Santa for one special gift . . . and their choices lead to a heartwarming surprise on Christmas morning! Young children love the winter holiday season, especially the tradition of exchanging gifts. In this heartwarming story, BJ and Baby Bop experience the joy that giving is as rewarding as receiving. Barney consider books to be lifelong gifts that develop and encourage the love of reading. I hope you enjoy reading along with Barney, BJ and Baby Bop. and Happy holidays! Written by Stephen White and illustrated by Darren McKee, Barney Publishing, Allen Texas, 1997 The Lyons Group. Children Book, Picture Book, Christmas Book, Preschool Fun. Barney's Christmas Wishes is a Barney Book that was released in September 1997.

http://hubpages.com/literature/Reading-Barney-Books-to-Children-A-Great-way-to-Grow-a-Childs-Imagination I am not as good of a reader as I once was back in the 1990s when my children were small, but I am glad I kept all their old childhood books to share today, what wonderful memories each one has inside it covers ... Barney & BJ Go To The Zoo, 1999, It is fun to Read with Barney ... Children are fascinated with animals, from puppies, kittens and fish to bears, elephants and penguins. Going on a visit to a zoo or aquarium with the family is a fun and magical experience,making memories that last a lifetime. Many people working in zoos are there because their families took them to the zoo, and they simply feel in love with the animal world! Zoos today not only showcase the wonder of wildlife and their habitat to the public, but they also work to conserve animals and their environment. Zoos are committed to teaching people what can be done to ensure that a lively and exciting natural world will be around for the next generation. Barney visiting the zoo helps children and all of us understand the importance of zoos and the animals in their care. Written by Mark S. Bernthal and photographed by Dennis Full. Barney Publishing, Scholastic, 1999 Lyons Partnership, Hit Entertainment, children's book, picture book, preschool fun ...

http://hubpages.com/literature/Reading-Barney-Books-to-Children-A-Great-way-to-Grow-a-Childs-Imagination I am not as good of a reader as I once was back in the 1990s when my children were small, but I am glad I kept all their old childhood books to share today, what wonderful memories each one has inside it covers ... Barney, I Did It Myself! 2000, It is fun Reading with Barney ... From getting dressed to feeding themselves, little children show Barney the purple dinosaur the new skills they have learned, in a board book that combines photographs with colorful illustrations. was released April 1, 2000. It was written by Sandra J. Payne, and photography by Dennis Full. Barney Publishing, Lyrick Publishing, Children Book, Board Book, Preschool fun, Picture Book ...

I love using https://skribbl.io! It’s like Pictionary but free and perfect for a virtual context. My 8th graders loved it in the spring, and my elementary schoolers are excited to play this week after hearing about it. :)

You are very lucky. I would just find some videos or books on computational thinking. That is what you are teaching kids. We had the author from this book (https://www.amazon.com/No-Fear-Coding-Computational-Curriculum/dp/1564843874) skype with our teacher group. I think you are already getting there, but she makes a pretty good case for block-coding like Scratch and Code.org.

I think it helps to show kids videos of "cool" people talking about coding. There is a bit of a stereotype about how coding is for nerds. It does really depend on the grade level though. At this moment, I am working with 6th graders.

I know that Scratch just released a version specifically for Makey Makeys and I have some plans for students to create interactive displays for projects. We shall see. To start you can have the kids make their own piano to do funny stuff with the Makey Makeys. I made this one with my 1st-grade son to figure it all out (https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/246522183/). Click the "see inside" to see the very minimal amount of coding I did.

I am not the OP, but I recommend looking at Scratch coding. It teaches computational thinking and everyone is successful. They have Scratch Jr. (App) that works really well with youngsters to get them going.

Another option is just letting kids mess with Code.org. Set up your class and let them go to town. It works for pretty much any age group.

I taught myself basic coding (JavaScript) using Khan Academy. I ended up doing some of the Khan modules with a 5th grade group last year. It was pretty challenging, but the kids liked it. I then found out about Scratch.mit.edu and it is much easier. It also pairs really well with Makey Makeys (which are pretty affordable) to do some cool stuff. I had a kid make this for our Punny Card Contest for V Day. https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/286747453

I bought this one about six years ago. It was well worth the money. I had it break once because someone put a pencil that was too small in it. I just opened it up with a screwdriver and took it out. Never even had to use the warranty. Highly recommend. I still use it every day!

I don't know at all if it's still around, but I was taught through Mario Teaches Typing. Its super Mario bros, but the blocks are letters that you need to break to advance, teaching you to type in the process. I learned my homerow in 1st grade because of it, and attribute my typing skills today to that game. It made it fun.

Edit: found it. Free.

http://www.myabandonware.com/game/mario-teaches-typing-1gl

Get him to try Education Perfect and Quizizz

There's no way to be sure a student is not cheating, so assessment is out of the question. That means he will need to abandon class rankings for the time being and simply trust that his students will focus on learning rather than on trying to impress him.

A Wacom tablet. I annotate PDFs and other digital stuff with it using Xournal and could absolutely not do without it.

Have you thought about incorporating digital whiteboard? I have been using Explain Everything for over 3 years now and I'm satisfied. If you need some inspiration this is worth reading. https://explaineverything.com/11-creative-ways-to-use-a-digital-whiteboard-in-the-classroom/

Maybe Explain Everything? It's an interactive whiteboard. As far as I remember it's available on Chromebook and other platforms. Definitely worth to check it out if you want to play with videos, recording, audio and sketchnotes.

I'm not familiar with Canvas or MS Teams, but https://screencast-o-matic.com/ is free and allows you to set what will show in the video when you record it. I'm not sure if you can then upload the video to those sites or not.

I don't know exactly.

But they'll need more contact hours than 6 hours a week (20% of normal) and a LOT more parent involvement. Plus, if a lot of my parents get back to work, I'll likely have less parent involvement and kids in school less.

^(Edit:) And printed materials need to be sent home. This online conversion/scanning/photographing and parents not having printer is a hassle all around.

I think I'd need to make more recorded lessons, so they could watch at any time (and rewatch). But it'd need to be organized differently. Maybe like a Udemy.com course, so you've got an outline. Maybe each week would be one course...? Maybe every 2 weeks?

It's got to be in manageable bits somehow and for them to know if they are behind or ahead (I'd rather do a whole math unit as a course but having 7 and 8-year-olds jumping around between different courses gets difficult).

A problem is building video lessons and posting on-line, probably has copyright issues with the curriculum that we pay for. It's one thing for 10 weeks during a pandemic, but by next year some teachers (not me of course!) who have been playing it fast and loose with copyrighted materials, might not feel as comfortable with a whole year of it.

My wife used this setup for a couple years now

Surface pro i5, typecover, surface pen, surface dock, and a large monitor, or even plug the dock into a TV. Surface pro comes with oneNote which she uses constantly for almost everything.
You can plug a printer and a backup hard drive into the dock if those things are needed, then they will all connect instantly just by plugging the dock into the surface pro.
He will be able to draw on the screen of the surface pro directly which might be easier to understand then having a separate device.
You can press win+p and choose duplicate for the monitor to see the same thing on your surface and the monitor.
Or you can choose extend and have your video conference on the monitor and share your surface pro screen with the students.

You can detach the surface pro from the dock and take it with you and use it anywhere as well

Also can use https://docs.google.com/forms/ to create "tests", and they are graded automatically

Install AnyDesk on it to allow you to help with computer remotely
https://anydesk.com/en

Wife loves this setup so much she thinks every teacher should have it.

We use Faronics Insight as our classroom management software for chromebook, and by far, we successfully deployed it in 7 schools. The secret of its stability and efficacy lies with its powerful Tech Console which can be centrally managed. Thus, we can view the summary information related to all hardware components and software installed in each student machine from one central computer. Keeping a track on the IT inventory and asset has also become an easy job. We can also review and analyze reports on application usage and list of websites visited by students. As there is a single console at play, we can provide remote support to both the teachers and students. Thus, the number of IT service requests have gone down remarkably. In my opinion, Faronics Insight (http://www.faronics.com/products/insight) works quite well for Chromebook.

It's more of an assessment but you could use Kahoot! to get students involved. You can present new and old information so they're not only self-assessing but they're also challenging themselves with new information. You could have groups create their own as a presentation alternative.

I use an app Unified RemoteUnified Remote that lets me use my phone just like a mouse. I can move the mouse, scroll, click etc. It's got a lot of other features that I don't use a ton but are useful like typing, changing volume, opening files etc.

I just found out that you can request a free pro account for educators which removes the 40 min limit!

https://zoom.us/docs/ent/school-verification.html

>Zoom is a great free option that can record up to 40 min at a time in the free version. I just made a video of how you can record your screen and share the video using Zoom if it's helpful.

I'm pretty sure you can have multiple 40 min sessions in a day, it just kicks you out of the free version after 40 min. I've heard that Zoom opened up access for educators due to the swift move to online learning - here's a link to request a free pro account for educators which has unlimited video time: https://zoom.us/docs/ent/school-verification.html

Hey,

I work in education in China. My company has been given classes online for about a year, and we’ve struggled to get students to engage (or even turn their cameras on to show that they’re present, in some cases). Some of my colleagues give lecture-style classes (they speak for the full hour) and just hope kids are listening. I break my classes up with quizzes (multiple choice questions)- we use ZoomZoom , so students can answer in a chat box or by writing on the screen.

If the platform you are using has breakout rooms, you can set students to discuss things individually or in groups. You won’t be able to check up on all of them to make sure they’re doing what you asked, but at least you know you’re trying.

In terms of not knowing the kids, that sounds tough. If you’re teaching a grade where students have important exams coming up, you can trust they’ll be hanging on to your every word, even if they’re shy and don’t respond. If you’re teaching younger kids, maybe you can set them a homework task which “helps you get to know them”, such as “write about your favourite [something related to course content]”. Personalise the class following that task and mention some of the things they wrote about. If you also share you own favourite whatevers, you might be able to build up some rapport with them.

You must have a VPN if you’re on Reddit. I recommend downloading some educational videos and building them into your classes if possible. It’ll help to break things up a bit.

Good luck! It can’t be fun being new in China right now. Fingers crossed this’ll be over soon and you can teach IRL.