Margaret Harris-Shoates

Here’s your annual reminder: If there is a microphone, USE IT!
#accessibilitymatters 🎤

Digital Activities to Help You Relax and Chill – TCEA TechNotes Blog Summer is a great time for educators like you to step back and de-stress from the busy school year. Here are some fun digital ways to relax! Explore this and more at TCEA TechNotes Blog, your go-to so...

blog.tcea.org/relax-and-ch...

For the record: 10-hour workdays are just not it.

Oh, we’re definitely playing AI karaoke at our next AI PD session 😏
#notatISTE #ISTELive25 @hookertech.bsky.social

Using a Learning Map to Build Exemplary PBL Units By developing—and revisiting—an instructional roadmap that connects standards, activities, and skill development, these teachers put students on a path toward mastery.

Project-based learning is complicated, and making sure students are learning the content and skills connected to the unit is no small feat. This team of teachers uses a learning map to keep everyone on track. 🗺️

#PBL #ElementaryTeacher #EduSky

Why Students Don’t Ask for Help—and How to Change That These three simple shifts can help students realize that asking for help is an expectation in your class and boost their self-efficacy.

"The key here is that if we want students to ask for help, we can’t just tell them to. They need to see it in action."
@cathleenbeachbd.bsky.social via @edutopia.org
www.edutopia.org/article/gett...

Keeping up with Ed-Tech is really hard, but this should help 😀

Yesterday we asked 225 Tech coaches and leaders, "What's your one best thing in Ed-Tech right now?" Here are their responses all organized! 🔥

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

#edusky @quizizz.bsky.social @forwardedu.bsky.social

Did you know? Extending your waiting time after asking a question makes room for methodical thinkers and shy students—and can improve class participation rates by as much as 30%. Meanwhile, asking students to think-pair-share before soliciting answers can boost participation rates up to 70%, compared to immediately calling on students. Sources: Mundelsee & Jurkowski, 2021; Rowe, 1986

That awkward silence where every second feels like an hour actually has its benefits! ⏳ 🙌

#EduSky #teachers #ClassroomManagement

My kid just came back from the grocery store and announced that “muffins were on sale: 2 for $5” and if there were ever ANY doubt that this is my child…

Are Your Slides Too Cute? 3 Presentation Tips That Center Student Understanding | KQED Learn how to create accessible, focused classroom materials to better engage diverse learners.

These are great practices to embrace for adult learners, too! (👀 you, PD providers!)

www.kqed.org/mindshift/65...

College Uncovered: The Revenge of the Humanities - The Hechinger Report American higher education is approaching a sharp drop in the number of college-aged students — a trend known as the demographic cliff. At the same time, following decades of declining enrollment, humanities...

College Uncovered: The Revenge of the Humanities

Do people in other professions go through life accumulating “forever colleagues” (the people you don’t actually work with anymore but you collaborate like you still do)? Or is that just an educator thing?

I’m determined to be at least conversational in Spanish… so here we are.
@duolingoverde.bsky.social

I had totally forgotten about these and now I’m excited all over again 😁

My colleagues & I were discussing how much students dislike grammar instruction just the other day!
Lots of interesting approaches in this episode 🙂

The window for proposals to present at #vste25 is now open!

Our conference is a success year after year because of all of YOU! Consider sharing your ideas with others across the state!

Find out more on the conference site https://vsteconference.org

#EdTech #EduAI

My English teacher heart loves this!

“One big misconception about teaching is the idea that it's ‘passing out papers and kids doing work.’ People don't understand how much mental, physical, and emotional performance is required, nor how much time it takes to study, create, practice, prepare, reflect on, and revise that performance. We are ‘on’ all day.” – Kelsey Francis, Teacher

#teachers

🔬 Did you know the reciprocal teaching strategy can also be used in science class?

Find out how to use it with text, videos, data, & more ➡️ bit.ly/47QQNAj

#STEM #scied #k12 #edusky

IXL has a teacher assistant tool - Spark Studio & one of the features is a AI-generated Jeopardy game! Like those Jeopardy PowerPoints we would spend ages putting together back in the day 😂 #edusky #edtech #educoach

(…of course I launched a Jeopardy game mid-meeting. That should go without asking.)

Canva Whiteboard Sticky Note Sorting – TCEA TechNotes Blog Canva Whiteboards now have a sticky note option that's perfect for all your brainstorming, collaboration, and interactive project needs! Explore this and more at TCEA TechNotes Blog, your go-to source...

Shared this with my team this morning, and we’re 😍
Thanks, @tcea.org!

blog.tcea.org/canva-whiteb...

The Real Way to Stop Cheating in an AI World AI didn’t create the cheating problem—but it might be the push we need to build a stronger culture of learning.

“When students are involved in determining the definitions of academic integrity, they are much more likely to adhere to them… The simple act of having the conversation with them—and truly hearing their viewpoints—makes a huge step toward creating a climate of integrity.”

ascd.org/blogs/the-re...

My coworker just handed me this note, and… Same, girl. Same.

Small Changes to Make Your Classroom More Neurodiversity-Affirming Everyone's brain is different, and if we set up our schools in a way that makes room for many variations, we'll all be better off.

This week, I talked with @emilykm-lpc.bsky.social and @amandamorin.bsky.social about four actionable changes teachers can make right now to reshape their classrooms into spaces that are more affirming for neurodiverse students. Really good stuff!

www.cultofpedagogy.com/neurodiversi...

🖍️ Library Girl Reading Challenges: February 2025 Last year, just for fun, I started creating monthly "reading challenges" that: • focus on authentic reasons for reading (instead of having kids log page numbers, etc), and... • couple reading with col...

Just for fun, I create FREE monthly reading challenges/coloring sheets for readers of all ages b/c both #reading & #coloring help reduce stress.

You can download the February updates here!

Happy reading AND coloring, y’all!

#TLSkyChat #TLSky #EduSky #Skybrarians

How Do You Teach A Kid To Be ‘Good At The Internet’ Now? The internet I grew up with as an elder millennial is wildly different from the one my daughter will experience — for better or worse.

“Teachers themselves are woefully undertrained…”

tbh sometimes I don’t even feel “very good at the internet” 🥴

www.romper.com/parenting/ho...