Author: Cecilia Chung, Middle School Social Studies Educator

Stop scrolling for a second and look around you. What are you doing right now? Where are you? What are you thinking about? How are you feeling? For me, on a given weekday, I am often at school… with my laptop in my face, a pile of papers on my desk, and my phone in my hand, stressed and overwhelmed. 

The world of education, whether you are a classroom teacher, a coach, a counselor, or an administrative leader, can be demanding, overwhelming, and stressful. You often feel like you are juggling so many things that you don’t know where to start. You want to do your best and you know you are working hard… but you feel tired. You feel like you are losing the spark, the joy that originally came with the job. 

It’s not just you. There are many of us who are working hard and running fast… but running out of steam. We want to be here for the long haul but are finding the wear and tear of daily demands frustrating and challenging. To begin to cultivate a sustainable career in education, it is not enough to just “survive the week.” How can we not “just survive,” but thrive… and find joy in life and the work that we do? 

1. Take a pause.

Physically find a spot to just stop what you are doing. We are rushing, all of the time. We rush our words, our bodies, our minds - we rarely take pause to think and sit in the thought - we rarely stop to actually feel the feelings. This may be why the second a colleague asks you, “Are you okay?” you start bawling. Pausing needs to be integrated into our day. It also needs to be modeled for our students - we need to allow students and ourselves time to process what they are learning, and feel what they are feeling, not avoid or suppress it. For some educators, this pause might be during the first 15 minutes before school starts; for others, it’s an intentional step out of the room during a breaktime or even built into the class day as a “mindful moment” after recess and done with the class. 

2. Write it down. 

Process your thoughts. This does not always mean jotting it down with pen and paper. For some, it might look like typing it out or drawing pictures; for others it could be a quick voice recording on the phone. Whatever the method, allow your brain to process the day and the many thoughts swimming around. It might start simply with sitting down and listing out all of your thoughts. This processing can sometimes feel better with others around you doing the same thing: if you are looking for a local writing community of educators, Hawaii Educators Write Sessions are the last Wednesday of every month (more details at https://bit.ly/hawaiiwrite).

3. Set boundaries. 

Understand your current capacity for work and service. Education sometimes feels like a place where you have to give 110% and that’s still not enough. In the work we do, there is a sense of moral obligation to do “whatever it takes.” Your health and self is a priority. An amazing teacher and friend once said, not being everywhere and doing everything is very important in a sustainable work life. This is something I am learning everyday and something I still struggle with. Set boundaries on time or type of activity. For example, set an alarm at 3:30pm to leave work to go home and spend time with your family. It helps to have a partner or team of colleagues and friends at work to share the same boundary goal and hold each other accountable. Communicate your boundaries to others so that they can help you. One activity we do as a school team at the beginning of the year is to voice our boundaries and expectations so that our team knows how to support one another and understand each other better. 

4. Set routines. 

Is there something you do for yourself everyday or every week? Something you look forward to?  Just like how we help students to develop good habits and routines, we should not forget us, the adults! When life is crazy, and we know it can be, it feels like you are floating amongst the chaos. What is the one routine that grounds you? One thing I have committed to, is to go on a short hike every Sunday morning. This routine is like a promise I am making to myself, that I will take care of my body and health and make that a priority. Last week Sunday was my 27th hike and I am looking forward to future ones. Another routine, which can be more challenging as it is in the work week, is to walk outside every Wednesday. Sometimes the best way to start walking is to walk with a group who will hold you accountable! At our school, we invited any of our faculty and staff to walk to the nearest park - whoever is available comes out on Wednesday to walk and talk and clear our minds. It helps to ground us in the week. 

5. Find your people. 

In your current setting, who are your marigolds (check out Find Your Marigold, by Jennifer Gonzales)? Who are the people in your life you can count on and when you are with them, you just feel… like anything is possible? These magical friends may be at your workplace or they may be a network across schools. I’ve found that the #808educate family in Hawaiʻi is a welcoming place of educators who can be the shoulders you need to lean on or the boost you need to try something new. Finding your people might also look like reconnecting with those you haven’t spoken to in a while. Text a teacher friend right now and check up on them. Maybe they need a pick-me-up and maybe the conversation that happens today can help you both in the long run. 

These are just a few but the message is this: take care of yourself. We’re out here, HSTE family, caring for your health and well-being so please reach out and find community with us. Share out any other self-care strategies you do or encourage others to do. Tweet us at @hsteorg or directly message us on Instagram at @hsteorg - we would love to share out your ideas.

Author: Nicole Heinlein | Grades 6-8 English Learner Teacher and Coordinator

Reflecting on the 20-21 school year, when teachers were thrust into distance learning and had to figure out how to deliver digital lessons in an engaging way, we learned so much and tried so many different EdTech tools. But now as we move back to mostly in-person learning, some teachers have ditched those tools for their trusty paper/pencil activities from their old filing cabinet. However, I’m here to convince you that some of these EdTech tools are still valuable.

Google Classroom

Raise your hand if you’ve had kids out this year due to illness, close contact, quarantine after travel, visiting family, participating in sports tournaments, and even more. All of us have.

Using Google Classroom can help students keep up on assignments while they’re gone or even catch up once they get back. All students need support with executive functioning skills, and Classroom both reinforces and supports everyday learning by providing a common place to find resources. No need for that hanging file with missing work when students can do it digitally on their own time. Even if I have students complete an assignment on paper in class, I attach it as a Google Doc on Classroom for absent students to do at home. It also is helpful for students who lose that paper copy. I no longer have to rush and make more copies, I simply direct them to Classroom and ask them to complete it digitally. If you have Grade Book Sync set up, your Google Classroom can talk to your Student Information System and push assignments and grades from Classroom to your SIS. That’s a game changer right there, because you don’t have to enter grades twice. So even in this face-to-face, post distance learning world, Google Classroom is a piece of tech that I will continue to use going forward.

Pear Deck

This was my favorite EdTech discovery of 2020. Pear Deck is a Google Slides add-on that makes your slides interactive, making it a perfect compliment to my Google Classroom. The response options are: Text, Multiple Choice, Number, Website and with a premium subscription Draw, and Draggable TM. Other premium features include the option for the teacher to add audio to each slide (think audible directions) and an impressive immersive reader with translation options. As an English Learner teacher, I find that Pear Deck is so helpful both in and out of the classroom. In the classroom, I’m using Pear Deck for my 6th grade novel study. We are currently reading Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, a graphic novel about a family whose youngest child has cystic fibrosis and moves to a northern California town that is known for their Dia de Los Muertos celebration. I linked websites, such as YouTube and BrainPOP, to support background knowledge of cystic fibrosis, California Missions, and Mexican traditions. In our vocabulary development, I want students to attune to particular multiple-meaning words, so I can set the Pear Deck to student-paced for students to work independently on looking up synonyms, writing their own sentences, and drawing a sketch using the Draw option. After we read the chapter together, students can answer comprehension questions using the Text option. I can display student responses on my TV screen to highlight interesting ideas to spark our oral discussion. Allowing students to write their ideas first supports their verbal development. And I love that responses are displayed without names, so students are not embarrassed or afraid of getting an incorrect answer. Out of the classroom, students are supported to complete this activity on their own through the Pear Deck tools. I can record myself reading the chapter so students can read along with me and still get that support at home. I also love that students do not need to leave the Pear Deck session to complete the entire assignment, even though there are multiple parts. It helps keep students organized. There are pre-created Pear Decks on the website to help me get started, question templates, or I can create my own lesson on Google Slides. And if I ever lose access to the Pear Deck platform, the decks I created are still housed in my Google Drive and are accessible and owned by me.

Kahoot!

The last program that I will continue to use is Kahoot!, a gamification learning platform. Kahoot! is great for a quick quiz, a pre-assessment to see what students already know, or even a fun way to let loose! In my classroom, I often use Kahoot! for a quick comprehension assessment. I teach a reading intervention program that includes an oral quiz at the end of each level. I turn those into Kahoot! games and we play it together in class. Kahoot! tells me what each student scored individually, whether they played it live in class or at home on their own. I find more students participate and they have more fun than the oral quiz from the curriculum. My husband, a 7th grade PE teacher, also uses Kahoot! with his homeroom that meets in my classroom. On Fridays, he’ll pick a random game from the platform, then the winner gets to pick the next topic. They have played games like Harry Potter trivia, American football rules, and Japanese anime. It's a fun way for them to bond and wind down after a long week. We have also played Kahoot! around the dinner table at home! We each get out our phones and take turns picking a game to play. We even got Grandma involved during her last visit! Taking the opportunity to turn a quick quiz into a game or just having fun together as a class, Kahoot! will stay in my lesson plans and pacing guides moving forward.

In an effort to support and engage our students in a relevant way, what programs and platforms have stood the test of time over these past two years for you? Tag us @HSTEorg on Twitter and @hsteorg on Instagram to share your thoughts on your favorite EdTech tools that continue to be in your practice - We’d love to hear!

Author: Kristi Oda | O'ahu Island Educator & HSTE Board Member

In the spring of 2020, a time that seems so long ago, educators were thrust into global pandemic and resistance spread like wildfire. We hoped all would be ‘just fine’ when returning from spring break. What seemed to be a promise of a return to normalcy after the extended lockdown turned into after the summer, then after first-quarter…after winter break…after the delta variant… after omicron, and so on. To most,  the adjustments came nauseatingly  fast, pivoting as information and procedures changed daily. The overwhelming concern for family, colleagues, and student well-being burned in our minds while we continuously sampled the offerings of the distance learning buffet. However, supportive relationships, greater networks, and successful online instructional experiences made the difference between disagreeable and palatable.

In tune with the needs across the state, the Hawaii Society of Technology in Education and the partnerships of Hawaii State Department of Education Leadership Institute quickly scrambled to engage and empower teachers who called for timely, peer-to-peer instructional support. Nurturing connections through the rapid transition helped stressed staff move forward with purpose, wrapping it with love for students. Together, so many stepped up or stepped back to empower many educators emerging as digital designers acquiring a mindset to innovate, share, ask questions, stretch and adapt. It was not a perfect shift, but with a marked improvement, teachers took back rightful ownership of the instructional strategy and pacing decisions to serve the students in front of them. It was less “follow the leader” and more “rise up” to do the necessary teamwork and growth, driven by a deeper understanding of the value to support our families and school communities.

Yes to Online Learning?

On the cusp of a new season in which we are called to live our lives with a virus mitigated by vaccine doses and masking, denial has been extinguished. We are taking concrete steps of acceptance, soberly considering the possibility of expanding public Virtual School.  We require an investment beyond the temporary distance learning options via support of bills such as SB 3094. We are not talking about the same hasty remote learning rollout experienced or a haven for gamers to play without restraint, but a thoughtful space where students choose their differentiated courses from an array of online options offering transformative experiences and a plethora of tools for collaboration.  A space where students can engage with students/teachers from communities outside of their immediate reach. One that offers the same possibilities to those in rural or small schools such as the Kaiapuni program. What if we can design online learning that can adequately serve the medically fragile in time of need, differentiate across the ocean and sharpen students whose career pathway requires more significant online expertise? There are simply students who thrive in an online environment. How can we go beyond considering and move to effectively organizing and improving a permanent Virtual School for an even more robust system? With this upcoming generation having immense access to frequent online communication, there is no stopping them via Discord or FaceTime and no denying how learning and cementing solid relationships go hand in hand, even when not face to face. 

Losing with Virtual Schools? 

The opposition may contend that although virtual school is possible, much will be lost further down the road if public schools offer this route. Virtual schools are often thought to lean away from a humanistic society, where youth are struggling between a paradox of a vast unknown or contained within a stifled, pre-programmed slot. A virtual school can be an illusion of safety between the abyss and a sheltered bubble. Youth need love and experiences of a communal classroom to belong to and thrive away from their home environment and I wonder, can the online one sustain them? As many of us moved online to work, we saw our limitations in isolation and strained connections. The fundamental in-person school experience in our own childhood development is our bias. To give up that security can propel us into a future of unintended consequences, realizing fears of an unbridled boon for technology and a bust for taxpayers. Does Hawaii need to ground our vulnerable and precious youth community in an inclusive space where we learn how to connect, care for and share life with our fellow humans of diverse backgrounds? Would we be investing in an insular bubble that keeps us hypothetically safe from the others riddled with imagined or real contaminants? If masks prevent spread and Hawaii already has the mask mandate, then are we ever going to be safer than this? When will we ever feel safe enough again? Is it when we are back to the elusive pre-pandemic 2019? The risk of negative consequences of not attending in-person school as a child is different for each of us, yet as we embrace our 2022 reality, we are called to make these decisions about our responsibility for future generations. 

Technology Moves Us Forward

As a State Office Teacher, I have seen it is possible to create communities of solutionaries across schools, complexes, and islands with the click of a video conferencing button. And yet, as an elementary school parent, I want my only child to be learning in-person with other children, in front of another human being who can pick up the nuances and interactions that give exponential clues to what is genuinely going with a whole child. I imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t go to brick-and-mortar school and how that would have affected my social-emotional development. It propels me to advocate for a world where we would feel safe to resume all in-person interactions and yet leverage technology and time to prompt equitable and pro-social learning environments. I don’t want children using Chromebooks simply for i-ready assessments. I want them to use technology collaboratively in constructive and meaningful ways that advances their thinking and skills. Schools need to be and can be the space for this learning to happen when open to the new 2022 world we live in. Therefore, solutions must be discussed in depth and carefully selected in a way that brings us together, facing new challenges with the strength of our diverse talents we are developing as we endure the hardships of the pandemic. 

What do you think? Are virtual schools the way to go? Why or why not?

Comment here or Tweet your ideas @kristioda

Author: Shane Asselstine | O'ahu Island Educator & HSTE Board Member

It’s a typical Sunday morning, I grab my coffee and turn on my computer. I open my Google Classroom and set up my screens to begin scoring PDE3 assignments. Each time I do this, I am reminded about why this routine exists. It has been an honor and a privilege to share the learning journey with each and every one of the teachers taking this course. Not only were they facing the struggles of the pandemic, but they also challenged themselves to take that next step in preparing our keiki for the future. It’s hard to believe that in the past two years since COVID-19 has hit, over 450 teachers across 85 different schools have attended computer science training.

Throughout the professional development, these teachers were engaged from the very first slide on a topic that for many causes anxiety and hesitation. After reading countless reflections, it is apparent that we are not comfortable with the unknown as teachers. Over the course of the three days, these brave teachers were exposed to a wide range of activities to help support them. On day one, we focused on the definition of computer science and the many misconceptions. This was followed by modeled lessons, equity goals, and small group discussions on the pedagogy of teaching in a computer science class. By the end of the day they were identifying barriers to implementation and then making a plan to overcome them.

“I felt very safe and comfortable learning new materials because our instructor set the culture to not be afraid of making mistakes.”

“What supported my learning the most was the modeling of a CS lesson, then discussing the components and what we noticed about how/what was being taught.”

“I really enjoyed having time to plan a lesson and collaborate with colleagues. It was very helpful discussing with others especially since most of us were from different schools. I also found the breakout collaborations very helpful. I had absolutely no familiarity with coding so it was nice to experiment with a partner and discuss different strategies to deal with debugging issues.”

Throughout the professional development sessions it is amazing to watch as anxiety, fear, and hesitations transform into confidence, purpose, and clarity. They truly leave prepared to teach computer science. Here are some of the takeaways:

• Everything around us has been impacted by computer science.
• Computer literacy is like riding a bike, computer science is like learning to create, test, and redesign that bike to meet the needs of the rider.
• Computer science is less about “coding” and more about creativity, problem solving and thinking.

As I return to scoring portfolios, it is a good time to reflect on this thing called computer science. So let’s all take that first step together during CSEdWeek and make computer science a priority for our students. Commit to providing all students with equitable and inclusive access regardless of the demographics or economic status. Be that change for them and open those doors to opportunities they may not see on their own.

Here are some great opportunities to learn more this during the CSEdWeek:

• 2021 Hawaii CSEdWeek [LINK]
• Tutu's Family Code Dance Party: [LINK]
• CSEdWeek Events [LINK]
• Hour of Code Activities [LINK]

Join HSTE this week for CSEdWeek and get involved, then seek out training to prepare yourself to teach computer science. 

Author: Dagan Bernstein - Hawai'i Island Educator & HSTE Board Member

It was 3:30 am when I finally logged off Zoom. I checked the mug on my desk and it remained filled with the lukewarm coffee leftover from at least an hour ago. Still energized from the 3-4 cups I had consumed since 9:30 the previous night, the spectrum of colors scribbled on my iPad looked like a kaleidoscope.

This is what professional development looks like in the year 2021. A potentially unhealthy mix of odd time zones and way too much caffeine. But it is not all poor sleep patterns and poor beverage choices. Video conferencing technology has provided educators the opportunity to connect with others from all around the world that they would have never been able to meet. In the last year alone I’ve collaborated with people from Estonia, Sweden, Finland, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Uganda, and many more. Sometimes all in the course of one night, and always from the comfort of my own home.

However, this is not about the potential for Hawaiʻi educators to develop their pedagogy through online professional development or the appeal of connecting with new people. It is about the opportunity presented in these online spaces for Hawaiʻi-based educators to share their perspective. A perspective that is rooted in relationships, ‘āina, and community.

Initially, it was not clear to me that my voice had value in these global conversations. But over time I have realized that I have something unique to offer in these discussions. That I have a kuleana to both share my thinking and to make sure that I am honoring the people and place of Hawaiʻi as the source of my knowledge. I have also recognized that to fully hold space with this kuleana there is additional work that I have to do to unpack my own identity as a white settler in this pae ʻāina. This means I have to ask some deep questions about my role in this power structure.

The first step is to examine my impact as a white settler in a colonized land. I have to acknowledge the damage done to Kānaka Maoli through colonization, as well as how I may be perpetuating the pain and inequities through my own narrow lens as a white educator. While this has been uncomfortable, I have leaned into the discomfort with the goal of being able to recognize my blind spots and to understand the steps I can take to dismantle the Euro-centric narrative of learning in our Hawaiʻi classrooms.

I would like to offer some of my experiences that have helped me to re-center myself.

• Practice kilo (observation) when participating in ʻāina-based learning experiences

• Connect with and learn from the ʻāina and ʻāina-based educators in order to seek to better understand ancestral/indigenous knowledge

• Reflect on how this knowledge can be used to change a system that privileges the holders of power

• Humble myself to my limitations as one who is privileged by the system

Through this re-centering, I have re-evaluated my curriculum, content, and pedagogies. Iʻve asked myself, how am I perpetuating a history of control and power through the manner in which I structure my teaching? How are students, particularly Black, Brown, and Indigenous students not given voice and agency in the classroom? And what are the specific actions I am taking that may or may not be supporting student agency?

The answer to all these questions comes back to a concept that is the center of all Hawaiian cultural practices–aloha ʻāina. During this process of understanding my kuleana, I have actively sought out teachers around me that are rooted in Hawaiian-based cultural practices. This has allowed me the opportunity to observe how they operate within the systems of oppression that have been forced upon them.

When I began reflecting on my experiences with online professional development during the past year I thought I would primarily be focusing on the strategies I have gained as an educator. But I have gone much deeper. It is not just my pedagogy and practice as an educator that has changed. I have been given a new lens to view the world around me, and my place in it. 

I have developed a new strategy because this lens has provided me with a voice. A voice as a Hawaiʻi-based educator that reminds me I have a kuleana to live and share the tenants of Aloha ʻĀina. And the knowledge that with this voice I must help to teach others how they can shape learning across Hawaiʻi and across the world.

Dagan Bernstein

Author: Celeste Endo | Technology Teacher/Coordinator | Queen Ka‘ahumanu Elementary

Last year, a whole lotta good people worked extra hard to pass SB242 and woot woot did y'all hear that Governor Ige signed ACT 158 into law?! Cheehoo!! This ensures that all K-12 Hawai‘i students will be given the opportunity to learn computer science. To prepare, many teachers have been taking Computer Science (CS) Fundamentals PD Courses led by Shane Asselstine and the Pearl City-Waipahu Complex Area (PWCA) team. Anyone who doesn’t think we can teach CS in all schools by 2024-2025, has got to see and understand this team’s promising vision.

Gratefully, I was a part of CS Fundamentals Training in Cohort 5 and got to learn from brilliant everyday heroic teachers! We were just one of seven sub-groups of teachers across the state of Hawai‘i that went through training together. PWCA teachers were the role models in our Cohort 5 who came with CS skills and were totally schooling the rest of us! Wowee, during planning time, the PCWA teachers came prepared with plans they just had to tweak a bit for their respective schools, while many of the rest of us struggled to plan from scratch! 

Page 4 of the Code.org Curriculum Guide (link requires a verified Code.org teacher account) says, “We design curriculum with the idea that the instructor will act as the lead learner.” The code.org Lead Learner mindset is that one person doesn’t have to know everything, we totally are learning from each other! 

We learned from PWCA that we need to work with stakeholders. Admin needs to understand the impact of CS. Educators need to realize how we can be CS lead learners. Families need to understand how to support their children and teens in CS endeavors. Our youth needs to be convinced of computer science’s relevance to their lives. 

Another big take away from CS Fundamentals is realizing the importance of Unplugged activities. With the challenge of not enough time, I skipped teaching most Unplugged lessons. Now I realize that the unplugged serves as scaffolding for students to better grasp CS concepts.

This reminded me of a ladder I saw on Twitter that started me wondering. What if we gifted our haumana a vision of a Lead Learner Ladder on our computer science quest? To help my school ‘ohana visualize what we are embarking on, I tried to create a ladder in usually user-friendly canva.com, but totally failed! It was too hard. Then I tried another method and found value in unplugged paper, pencil, & pens.

Recently I got to witness one of life’s miracles. Within a few weeks, my baby nephew had gone from crawling to walking. Yet it was no magic wand that helped him bravely step ahead. It was a tremendous effort from him and those who love him. It took consistent practice, praise for doing well, and feedback to correct mistakes. He may stumble and fall, yet with a “no scared ‘em go gettum” attitude, he picks himself up and keeps on going. Just like my nephew learning to walk, with the help of many Computer Science supporters we will keep trying and grow from our CS experiences.

Since taking the CS Fundamentals Training in Cohort 5, my school has found a way to schedule the 20 weeks needed for upper grade code.org lessons that includes Unplugged! Once other grade levels and the whole faculty see the computer science presentation, they will buy in and become a part of our Lead Learner Ladder interactive chant. These are small steps yet hopefully we will help to move our haumana up the ladder together.

We can all strive to be lead learners and hopefully many will be courageous to step up. It might feel like baby steps at times, yet every step is one step toward growth. As we start a new school year, this child at heart is looking forward to joining the legion of lead learners moving up the ladder together and creating small steps along the way.

Mahalo

Celeste Endo

• Lesson Plans and Activities should meet the ISTE Standard of Facilitator: Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings

• Winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card to support their classroom needs

• Winners will share during a Peer-to-Peer Power Sessions

When: 

• Submit your lesson plans and activities by February 14, 2021 at midnight

• Winner will be announced soon after!

Where: 

• To submit go to -

• • https://hidistancelearning.org/hste-challenge/

Why?  It’s important now more than ever to collaborate with each other, share what we are doing, and see what’s possible.

With a new year and a new Board we thought it was time to make a few updates for the HSTE organization! The new HSTE Board met for it's annual Board Retreat on January 28, 2019. One of our top agenda items was to refresh HSTE's Vision and Mission statements to align better with ISTE and our 2019 goals and beyond!

Here's HSTE's new Vision and Mission statements!

HSTE Vision

Leverage technology in education to accelerate a more innovative, resilient, and sustainable Hawaii.

HSTE Mission

HSTE inspires educators to use technology to innovate teaching and learning, encourage best practices, and solve tough education problems. Through shared knowledge and a supportive community, we strive to empower learners and create equitable technology access.

Our new Vision and Mission statements can also be found on our "About HSTE" page. We have even more updates and changes coming in 2019, so stay tuned!

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are one of the hottest new EdTech trends in education!

The Top 5 EdTech Trends 2019 - AI, AR, VR, and more!

2019 EdTech Trends: Here's What 10 Thought Leaders Think

What Gartner's Top Tech Trends of 2019 Mean for Education

One of HSTE's goals for 2019 and beyond is to help provide our membership and educator's across the state of Hawaii with more professional development opportunities. Kicking off 2019 we're offering our first opportunity: HSTE AR & VR Educator Workshop!

The AR & VR Educator Workshop is a full day, deep dive into one of the hottest new EdTech trends, Augmented and Virtual Reality. Attendees will explore a variety of AR & VR applications and creation tools for all grade levels and all subjects! You'll also spend time learning how to apply the SAMR model and the ISTE Standards towards the use of AR & VR in your classroom through a lesson design process.

Included with registration:

• 1 registration ticket for the AR & VR Educator Workshop
• 1 ISTE Book: "Learning Transported: Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality for All Classrooms" by Jaime Donally
• A custom designed AR & VR headset
• A MERGE Cube
• A delicious lunch, drinks, and snacks!

GET YOUR TICKET NOW!

Each month we're bringing you a new Technology-related tip or trick for your classroom! Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Let us know if you've tried it out and what you think.  We're excited to hear from you!

Looking for technology to integrate into your ELA Classroom?

I'm always looking for ways to bring technology into my English class so when I found Inky, I felt like I had found a little slice of heaven! Ink Script was created by Inkle Studios, the developers of interaction fiction apps like 80 Days and the Sorcery! series. Ink Script is open source and can be used with the downloadable application called Inky.  Ink Script is compatible with Unity, so you can write interactive fiction that can then be published via Unity to Steam and the mobile app stores. 

If your students can download and install software on their computers, Inky is the free editing app that they want.  If you are Chromebook, there is an online version (inklewriter) for you here. (https://writer.inklestudios.com/)

The first excellent thing about Inky is that it is “play as you write” so, like Alice (with drag ’n drop in the left panel and Java in the right panel), Inky shows whatever you are typing in the left panel and what it will look like to your user on the right panel.  That right panel is completely interactive so you can test your game as much as you want as you are writing. Play as you write.

Second, Inky tells you that you’ve made a mistake right away.  As I’m writing my story, if I’ve left something undone or a connection unconnected, Inky highlights that for me and tells me what it needs me to do.  It’s talking to me!

There are lots of cool Inky things but those are the two that attracted me.... in addition to being free, that is.

If you love teaching your students how to write and they enjoy Choose Your Own Adventure stories [or they love text-based video games (Zork, anyone?)] they will love writing their own stories with Inky or InkleWriter.  

P.S.  If you have younger kids in your classroom, there's a story-writing website that is really cute here.