Collection of Digital Collaboration Resources for Teachers and Learners

Supporting the 4Cs in Learner-Centered Classrooms

My “why” for teaching and learning is centered on how the 4 Cs can be used to support student growth and engagement in my classroom. I believe skills connected to creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration must be skills that students practice throughout the process of learning. 

I have long believed that my content should support the development of student skills connected to the 4 Cs of collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity.

 
Today, I wanted to share our updated collection of digital resources to support personal and digital collaboration skills in our classrooms.

Collaboration Resources on the Web

Supporting the 4Cs in Learner-Centered Classrooms

Have an additional resource or want to share how you use one of the resources? 

Visit our Collaborative 4 Cs Wakelet Collection to share.

If you are curious about all of the 4 Cs, be sure to visit our 4 Cs webpage for more ideas and resources.

Additional Resources Connected to the 4 Cs

Developing a Future-Ready Classroom with the 4 CsRecommend Books Connected to the 4 Cs of Collaboration, Communication, Critical thinking, and CreativityISTE Standards for Students3 Simple Steps to the 4 C’sWhat are the 4Cs? – Common Sense Education

Google Carmen Sandiego Games on Google Earth - Critical Thinking and Curiosity

If you have haven’t heard, Google likes engage curious learners with resources for  educators and students. With this in mind, the Google Earth Team has created three fun Carmen Sandiego games that students and educators can play in Google Earth on the Web. These games are a great way to explore our world and inspire curiosity and critical thinking in all classrooms.

If you are looking for a quick activity to engage students in an exploration of Google Earth and our world, be sure to take on the challenge of catching Carmen with your students.

The Tutankhamun’s Mask Caper

The Crown Jewels Caper

The Keys to the Kremlin Caper

(I believe this is the last one for now.)

More Resources to Explore Our Planet with Students

Digital Mapping and Virtual Field Trip Resources for Teachers and StudentsVirtual Field Trip ResourcesTips for learning at home with Google EarthYour mission, gumshoe: Catch Carmen Sandiego in Google Earth

Exploring the World - City Guesser, GeoGuessr, and Virtual Field Trips

I am always looking for new and creative ways to open windows to the world for my students. Google Earth and Google Maps are two of my favorite resources to explore our world with my students.

Today I wanted to start by sharing two resources connected to Google Street View, Geoguessr and City Guesser. Both of these resources bring students into a Street View. As the students explore the locations they guess where they think they are. The closer the guess to the actual location the more points they earn.

City Guesser
City Guesser is a geography based browser game that currently supports video street view walks that get students thinking critically as they explore our world. There are single and multiplayer options. I highly recommend challenging yourself and your students with a few single player options before jumping into the multiplayer experience. 

A few times a month my students and I will jump into a live Multiplayer game together in a private room. These video street views are a great way to explore our world and we often find unique connections to our content. I also will encourage students to explore on their own if we have extra time in class. 

Right now City Guesser is completely free and without adds. You can learn more about supporting the resource on the About – City Guesser Page.

GeoGuessr
Similar to City Guesser, GeoGuessr has several different game modes that are worth exploring. While City Guesser is a video street view, The view in GeoGuessr allows students to explore in 360 degrees. Players explore and control their movement through the interface before guessing. 

You can use GeoGuessr once a day for free, but you will probably want to upgrade to Pro Membership if you plan on using the site regularly with students. As EdTech subscriptions, $23.88 a year is pretty reasonable.  There are also some limited ads in the free version. 

Additional Virtual Field Trips Resources 
Virtual Field Trip Resources – Bring The World to Your ClassroomExplore the World with Google Arts and Culture

How could you incorporate these into your student’s learning? What other digital mapping resources do you use? #BetterTogether #HappyLearning

Exploring Cultural Moments With Google Arts and Culture

 

Have you ever wondered which came first, the chicken or the egg? This question has been around for a long time and depending on which source your want to believe it could be either or maybe even both. That’s what makes it a great question, there might be more than right answer! This can lead to more questions! I Know I don’t know the right answer and I hope I am not disappointing too much by telling you now that this is not what this post is about. If you are only interested in the chicken and the egg,  I think this site has the best answer I’ve read. Right or wrong? You get to decide. 

A new experiment from Google Art’s and Culture is the reason why the chicken and the egg question entered my consciousness. I  think this experiment could serve as a quick digital brain break or maybe as a jumping off point for a research project. I also think the answers can lead to more questions for the curious at heart! Be sure to also explore the additional Arts and Culture Experiments linked at the end of this post.  

The “What Came First?” Google Arts and Culture Experiment is a game that challenges the player to to guess which of two cultural / historical events happened first. Points are rewarded based on how fast the correct answer is chosen. After each response the player can learn more about each of the events. The game ends when the player is wrong 3 times. 

Here is an overview of the experiment found on the “Experiments with Google” page.

Which is older? The white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur in Paris’ Montmartre district or the painting “The Yellow House” by Vincent van Gogh? Comparing seemingly unrelated facts can help us put things in perspective and think differently, which was the inspiration behind the game.

The rule is simple: the faster you correctly click on “what came first”, the higher your score! If you want to know more about the options presented, tap on an item to reveal further information. 

The dataset used in the experiment comes from the knowledge graph with a subset of more than 400 popular items. The dataset is split in 6 categories: visual arts, music, films, architecture, inventions, celebrities.

How would you use this with students? If you have a creative idea, I’d love to have you tag me in a tweet. @WickedEdTech

Looking for more Google Awesomeness? Here are a few recent posts connected to Google and teaching and learning.

Create Your Own Art – Google Arts and Culture ExperimentGoogle Arts & Culture Puzzle PartyBlob Opera – Creative Brain Breaks for Students and TeachersGoogle Secrets – Exploring Awesome Teaching & Learning ResourcesNew Google Classroom Video Series – Awesome Tips and Ideas for EducatorsGoogle Chrome QR Code Creator – “Create QR Code for This Page”Learning with Google – A Summary of the New Google For Education (Workspace?) Updates and Resources

We Were Made For This!

 

Learn. Believe. Change. Grow. Become. Succeed.

I personally have struggled as a teacher and a learner this year. It’s been hard, but I am always reminding myself that this is a learning experience. I’m not saying I love remote learning or the hybrid experience, but I have to believe that all of this will help me become a better educator and that is always my goal. I believe in you!

That’s all I have today, other than this playlist. Just a little something that helps keep me inspired. 

Inspire Teaching & Learning YouTube Playlist

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” Winston Churchill

#HappyLearning

Digital Agendas and Calendars - For All Classrooms

Many educators upped their digital agenda game during remote learning and I think this is something we should continue to build on as we return to face to face learning. Last year I wrote this post to support keeping students organized during remote learning.

Remote Learning Daily Agenda Templates – Organization for Teachers, Parents, and Students

Today I wanted to explore some agenda resources that we can use to continue to support students as we get ready to head back to our classrooms with our students.

Up first is a calendar template in Google Docs that can be copied and modified. I also shared a nice version created by Vertex in this folder. 

2021 – 2022 Google Docs Calendar Template

We’ve also shared a collection of Agenda and Calendar Templates from a variety of sources in this folder. 

2021 – 22 Calendar & Agenda Templates

Do you have a favorite agenda or calendar template you love? Please share in the comments below! #HappyLearning #BetterTogether

Inspire, Motivate, or Just Have Some Fun - Happy Friday Videos for Students in 2021 - 22

 

Happy Friday Videos are Back! After a year where I didn’t have all of my students on Fridays we are ready to have our Happy Fridays back! 

I am always reminding myself that no matter how much I love my content, the most important thing in my classroom is that I provide my students with opportunities to grow as humans. I understand my responsibility to engage students in content, but I try to remember that it is not the only thing my students need. This post is about one way that I use videos to engage my students as lifelong learners every Friday. 

Today I wanted to share our schedule and the YouTube playlist where I will add a new video each week.

I call these Happy Friday videos but each video is usually connected to something I think we all need. Kindness and empathy are two of the biggest themes and I always try to find videos we can talk about. Sometimes the videos are just for fun. 

You can follow along and see some of the upcoming videos and the list from last year in this document. 

Happy Friday Schedule 2021 – 22

I wanted to share the list with everyone, maybe there is something here that you can use with your students? I will also continue to update this doc as we add videos this year.

If you have a video or list of videos that you love to share with students, would you consider sharing with us in the comments below? #BetterTogether #HappyLearning