Digital Learning Day - Flip it!

Digital learning day . . .

is February 17, 2016! If you are looking for some ideas on how to recognize this day, I invite you to Flip it! Instead of planning extensive activities, why not see what your students already know? I guarantee you will have a few surprises, and you may even learn a few new tricks.

Hopefully you have access to a variety of devices. Be mindful of the fact that though more people have access to cell phones than clean water in this day and age, not every student will have Internet access at home or up-to-date devices. If there are a few students that are eager to share their knowledge, let them. If you notice others hanging back, don't assume they just don't want to participate. They might not have skills they can share - but that doesn't mean they can't learn from their peers.

This is always such a FUN thing to do. I often make completely ludicrous statements when I want to get my kids to open up and share their knowledge. Using humor is also a great way to break the ice and let your students know it's also okay to laugh at yourself. Try using technology terms incorrectly so they can explain the correct usage. Do they know what rebooting is and what a footprint is? If you are wearing boots that day, you can tell them you wanted to create lots of footprints with your new reboots. What?! Or perhaps you can coin a new term, rebootprints, and have your students come up with a legitimate definition for it. 

You can even have scissors and paste out on your desk because you heard that cutting and pasting were important tech skills to have. These might work better with your youngest digital learners, but that doesn't mean they have to have all the fun. Tell your older students your RAM is maxed out, so they will have to take over the teaching reins today.

It's inevitable - we all make mistakes using technology, and the older we get, the more likely this is to happen. Being able to laugh at yourself and move on is an important skill, so model it well! Now for the really fun part:

Student learning happens best when THEY are teaching

Wait, what? It's true, though. When you can really explain something to someone else, that is when you know you KNOW it. You will not believe what your students already know! It might be a shortcut, or a great app they use that you've never heard of, or even a great tip like how to extend battery life. Use some of the questions above if you get stumped. Looking for even more ways to let your students take the lead? Visit this article from teach thought:

7 Creative Apps That Allow Students To Show What They Know

Try Something New for Digital Learning Day

Last but not least, why not try something new! Are you paperless? Are you thinking about incorporating more digital learning in your classroom? Why not try a resource specifically designed for use with Google Drive™? Your students will continue to learn important skills they learned on paper, but it will be paired with technology learning that is increasingly more important in the 21st century. While I am new to creating educational resources for the digital learning market, I'm excited to show you my latest creation for learning Fractions on a Number Line:

This resource can be used with Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. You can set this up as a math station, or if you are a 1:1 classroom, each student can work on their own copy at their own pace and work through the activities.If you have a Google classroom and are working on this skill, I hope you check out this activity! You can find more digital learning resources by searching #tptdigital at Teachers pay Teachers.

Fractions on a Number line with Google Drive

There are 5 different levels with 38 different slides for practicing halves, fourths, sixths, and eighths. A great introduction for third graders in particular, but even my second grader loved this one! One great thing about using a digital resource is that it can be colorful without using a ton of ink. In this resource, I have color-coded all of the fractions. As shown above, sixths are always in blue. This helps as they progress through the material to differentiate between the various fractions, particularly in the comparing fractions activity. In addition to a "back end" activity, where your students can manipulate the 38 slide presentation, there is also a digital interactive notebook (DINB) and a game! With the digital interactive notebook, your students can show what they know about fractions on a number line. Using activities like this (which require their input) in conjunction with practice activities like the game will solidify the concepts for them in a real and meaningful way.

You can click the image below to go directly to the newly updated Fractions on a Number Line resource:

I hope you have fun "flipping it" for digital learning day!