App for learning a new language

Duolingo is a free app for learning a new language.  Great resource to review core French vocabulary. At the beginning, the app tests your current proficiency in the language you have chosen and then designs lessons to build upon your skills.

Arts & Culture Teaching

Here is a great website for studying Art and art appreciation.

Google Arts & Culture:



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A great accompanying Google application for this is "Google Art Project"

Digital Leadership

As educators, we must remember that there is a fine balance between being safe on the internet and building up a positive social media presence, which is something employers are looking for.  So, how can we make social media a positive thing in the classroom so that our students develop digital leadership?

Digital Leadership can improve the lives and well-being of others. The key is to find a passion.  We can show kids the possibilities of Social Media to voice what they are most passionate about and affect change in the world.  Here is a TedTalk video by Curran Dee who founded DigiKids.com.  In this video, he talks about how Social Media has changed his life by allowing him to connect with the world.  I like his quote, “The journey began with a tweet”.  

We can help our students navigate social media and guide them to use it in a digitally responsible way.  Of course, we must first ensure that parents are on board with introducing students to Social Media. Twitter and Facebook are not the only entry points, as mentioned in my IT course today, Google Sites and TodaysMeet are two safe and controlled ways to begin introducing students to social media.  I also think encouraging students to create their own blog where they can share their voice is another way for students to begin their digital footprint. Why I think Social Media is so important for our students is that it allows students to have a voice and share and receive ideas from the global community.

Makey Makey

Today I had the good fortune to participate in a Makey Makey Workshop presented by Mario Stamegna.

Makey Makey is a simple invention kit for kids to use in the classroom, at home, and anywhere you have a laptop.  With this tool, you can turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet to play games, produce music, etc. You learn how to create circuits to make your touchpads work using the circuit board, alligator clips, everyday objects and your body. Fantastic,fun and inexpensive (it can be purchased for $30 online). I had a lot of fun today using Makey Makey.  Below is a photo of me playing Tetris by creating a circuit using potatoes.  What a great way to teach kids about electricity. I will be investigating using this tool in the new school year.

Thank you Mario Stamega.

The Third Teacher

Today I saw a video called “The Third Teacher”.  

The third teacher is about how the learning environment (e.g., the classroom) acts as a third teacher for students.  The other two teachers are the actual teacher and the students’ peers.   The video stresses the importance of having the flexibility of space in the classroom.  It is unrealistic to expect students to sit in uniform desks for extended periods of time in rows and maintain full attention.  

The video talks about the importance of designing spaces where students can explore and interact in more natural ways.  One concrete example is allowing students to move around and move their desks to form groups for learning.  Placing desks in a semi-circle to allow for full group interaction is another example.  It is important to set up our classroom in such a way that students can feel comfortable.  Taking students outside to learn is also important, some schools have an outdoor classroom with benches for students where students can connect with the outdoors.  Where going outside is not an option, hallways can be used as learning spaces for students who need to move around or require a quieter space (with adequate supervision).

Interestingly, Google’s headquarters, Googleplex, is an amazing example of an environment that fosters creativity and productivity for its’ employees.  Google provides its’ employees with a variety of perks.  Employees can sit in bean bag chairs for comfort and are allowed frequent breaks and free access to eateries within the Googleplex.  While some of these things are not feasible in a regular classroom, this definitely gives me food for thought as I set up my classroom for September and do my programming.

How to Use Choice Boards to Differentiate Learning - The Art of Ed

Here is an article I came across about  how to use choice boards in the classroom to differentiate learning.  It includes a great example of a choice board for an art history assignment.

How to Use Choice Boards to Differentiate Learning - The Art of Ed:



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Ms. Quintal's Classroom Site

Ms. Quintal's Classroom Site:



'via Blog this'    Here is my classroom google site.  It is under construction... stay tuned.

Kahoot - a fun learning game teachers can use

During my AQ today I learned about a really fun teacher resource where you can create learning games for your students.  A great tool to use to review content with your students or to energize them.  Students can play a game you have created in real time, competing against each other or in teams.
Here is a link to a simple game I have created, find a friend and enter game code 188716 if you want to try it out.  Enjoy!

The Golden Rule

In September, as I am co-creating the classroom environment with my students and establishing our classroom principals I always share with them "the golden rule" I learned as a child: treat others the way you want to be treated.  We discuss what that means as a class, and more importantly, what does that look like in our learning environment.  Students share their thoughts and ideas and together we create a concept chart that includes student generated examples of the golden rule.  At it's core the golden rule stresses the importance of being kind and caring and the students recognize that.  We discuss the importance of being kind and caring people and how that impacts not only us in our classroom but how it impacts the world we live in.

A wonderful picture book that illustrates the concept beautifully is A Circle of Friends by Giora Carmi.  The book is wordless but it's illustrations convey the story clearly and can be appreciated by all elementary students.  In the story a little boy's act of kindness inspires a cycle of kind acts that inevitable comes back to the boy.

I also make a point of sharing this video called the kindness boomerang.  This video was introduced to me by a colleague who uses this video to inspire her students to perform random acts of kindness.  A follow-up activity you can have your students do is challenge them to perform a random act of kindness for somebody and have them share (in whatever medium they prefer) how that random act impacted them and the person they were kind to.  The video link is below, enjoy!:

Created my first blog!

Just created my first blog.  It's a whole new world.