​Transforming your existing paper or Word document materials (i.e. printables) has never been easier.
Thinking about my first year of teaching, visiting the photocopy shop once a week, and recording the audio tapes (cassettes) from the library, I dreamt of having something quick and handy that would at the same time be interactive and multimedia. Twenty years later, I feel like teaching is no longer a job, but an exploration of possibilities: for my colleagues and my students. Among so many available options, the only downside is that we don't have enough time to try them all out. I suppose the choice will always be somewhat random, because there are new tools coming out every season, the old ones being upgraded, and the payment plans becoming more and more attractive. ​FYI, I am updating my ONLINE EDUCATION TOOLS MINDMAP weekly!
But, you can't have them all!
Today, I will share with you only three ACTIVITY creating websites (platforms) which seem to be popular among my colleagues. All these three platforms offer a vast public library of ready-made activities, and you can start with them while learning how to create ones from scratch. I can easily integrate them into my Nearpod lessons via WEB content, where I just paste the link. ClassKick
Might be slightly confusing for beginner creators because the interface is not self-evident. You first create an assignment, and then start adding activities. The creation experience is very designer-like and there is a small learning curve until you find your way around it. The upload procedure is not very smooth, it requires three clicks to upload one single manipulative. By the time I uploaded #5, I decided to upload less than what I had planned. It took me at least half an hour to create one sorting activity. Finally, there is only a link or code to the assignment, and no possibility for embedding, like the next two.
Live Worksheets
This one has been around for some time, and I remember teachers mentioning it a few years ago. And this is what it looks like: some nineties enthusiastic teacher learned how to code and created the website. The truth is probably far from it, but the grain of coding remained. However, everything is explained clearly in words, pictures and videos, so the learning curve is not steep. The variety of activities is astounding, and you can find examples, templates and ready made worksheets for just about anything.
The best part is that it's all free. If you're a parent searching for some additional practice, this might be your go-to place. The finished product might look a bit amateurish, clumsy and not aligned to the tee, but all of those whose eyes don't hurt if the boxes are not the same size will thrive on this platform.
Spell'n'Slide Level 1, an interactive worksheet by YOGAteacher
liveworksheets.com WordWall
You will find yourself creating your first activity in less than five minutes, and the end result will be so awesome that you will want to do it again and again. You can 're-create' the same study set with different learning interface. For example, by just one click you'll transform this anagram into a wordsearch or true or false. Wait, there are eighteen different types of activities available with the free plan. BUT - you can only do FIVE of them!
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Students as avatarsThey can 'play' in teams, encouraging teamwork and collaboration. They choose one of the three types of characters. Each type has different characteristics and powers. Teacher is a game masterDecide which behaviour is going to be rewarded and which punished. Involve students in the decision-making process. Organize Tasks into QuestsThis is where the fun starts! The Quests are placed on a map, giving the students a sense of space and orientation. The locations are as magical as the characters and the ready-made stories. A Quest is a logical unit of tasks you would do in a week or two. They can be a discussion, assignment - writing, quiz (link to Google Forms); or something they need to do offline. You can create multimedia tasks, embed videos and other content, format text, use colors, attach documents,... The great part is that you can create branching, so that the students who need more or less support do not have to 'walk the same path'. Just having a spatial representation of progress is beneficial enough for students with learning difficulties. And guess what - there are also quizzes they can do in class! Boss Battle![]() It can be a team or student, random or chosen. However, the free version only gives you one monster to fight. It's all too overwhelming?Don't worry, the Classcraft team have excellent Teacher Support, and they even provide free training. You will be able to do a quest to get certified. They guide you through each task and step, and if you just invest some time and imagination, you can become a game master!
Start today and enjoy this exciting fantasy with your students!
These are only five most typical classroom activities translated to the online setting. You can, of course, adapt them using your preferred online tools.
Here's a tip: use thinglink to create interactive reading and writing material for your student who struggles with those skills! They have a great voice-reading feature as well as breaking down the words into syllables. You can create virtual tours, link videos and websites to your pictures.This day has come, you are switching to online teaching!If you are apprehensive, there is not need. Actually, using technology is much more dyslexia-friendly than books, paper and pen.There are a lot of online tools that help students with reading and writing difficulties, and make their learning process much more enjoyable. In your online teaching environment, your students will have challenges with reading and writing, like in a traditional classroom setting. However, in the classroom, we were very much relying on the multi-sensory teaching, little objects, tokens, tactile stimulation and physical activity. This will mostly be absent in the online lesson, so you will need to compensate for it with interactive and animated tools, as well as your voice, exaggerated facial expressions, gestures, and your hands.
ReadingWhen it comes to reading, there are online features, add-inns and applications like changing the background color and an immersive reader option (like in the MS Word), giving the audio version of the written text. Remember to always present the text that is not black-on-white, with a large font, expanded character spacing, and line spacing of about 2. Use colours and coloured annotations as much as possible. WritingSome students will find typing much easier than writing, especially those that have poor hand-eye coordination. Typing even with spelling mistakes is less emotional, because it is easy to delete and there is no trace of the mistake on the page. Encourage students who suffer from severe spelling difficulties to use the 'dictate' feature in the word document. They can copy-paste that word in the chat box during the online lesson, or even use it to create their own text. The overall communication will be quite similar to the classroom setting. Remember to use your hands and arms to give the student clues and supplement your speaking, especially when giving instructions. Use the kinaesthetic approach as you would in the classroom. Constantly elicit feedback and student reactions. It's easier to get distracted when they are not with you in the room. ![]() This is a perfect time to take advantage of teachyourmonstertoread.com - an exciting application that the student may download on their phone or tablet. There are even digital phonics cards there which you can also use in the online lesson. I am including here a short list of some digital tools you may find useful when working with the students with reading and writing difficulties. Explore them and decide which works for you. Research the web to find some others that may be more appropriate for your students.
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AuthorMartina Matejaš is a teacher of English and Yoga. She is keen on understanding the mind-body connection as well as cracking the 'code' of thoughts-emotions-behaviour matrix. Archives
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