Part I: Edcanvas

I don't know if it's just because I'm attached to my iPhone, which makes tasks so effortless, or if I just inherently crave ease, but I am always looking for ways to make the classroom more efficient and productive. Last week I decided to try something new, and I'm implementing it this week. I'll let you know how it goes and if the students like it! The first part of it has to do with Edcanvas.

Edcanvas is my new favorite toy/website. It's pretty amazing. The way it works is that you set up a canvas (basically a template) and from there you can drag and drop pictures, video links, Word documents, PowerPoints, Prezi links, YouTube videos...pretty much anything you want! It's something I always wanted for my students, but didn't know existed. The reason it is so wonderful is that you can have all your resources in one place for students, and easily share them. If a student is going on independent study, or he or she wants more extension activities, or if another teacher wants to see your resources, everything is available from one link.

I use resources from many different sources during my classes. I typically have a PowerPoint open for my standards and learning targets, a CD with the reading, a PowerPoint or Prezi for the content questions, and possibly a short video clip to introduce the material, to name a few of the resources. This can be confusing and hard to switch between seamlessly, especially if something goes wrong and I have to restart the computer! Edcanvas makes it easy to have almost all my resources just one click away, and anywhere I go with internet access.

One of the best things about Edcanvas is its easy share options. It only takes a click or two to save the automatically generated QR code (more on that in my next post!) or to share via Edmodo, Twitter, Facebook, or email. I love the design of the site, the ease of use, and the possibilities to make my life (which is far too full of both electronic and paper files!) easier.

Here is the link to my canvas on Holt's American History textbook chapter 11 on the North prior to the Civil War:

http://edcvs.co/W0i6Bk

CNN Student News

Have you ever wondered how to get your students excited about current events, or how to spark an interest in reading and listening to the news? CNN Student News is a great program that provides a quick 10 minute overview of the news, including important international and domestic events from the day before, as well as some light news. The program engages students with a bit of humor and short quizzes, and brings in topics that relate to students' interests.

I've been using it often in my 8th grade class, and the students really enjoy it and have become more informed about current events. They now tell me about news that they read or watch at home, and are growing a larger knowledge base about the world. It was particularly useful for 8th grade American history during the election cycle as it explained all about the Electoral College and detailed the campaign, election, and inaugural process.

Since there's never enough time in any given day, I use it sparingly, however I do feel like it is a worthwhile use of time. I signed up for the daily email, and that has been very helpful. The night prior to the broadcast, they email with the content of the show, so I can see if it relates to a 7th or 8th grade topic.

In addition, they have some literacy materials that go with each lesson, so this can be a great way to add some discussion or writing to the lesson. The "Media Literacy Question of the Day" along with a short quiz can be found on the main page and can be printed out as well.

Let me know if you find it useful, or have any other tips for engaging students in current events!