Tag: Technology

Phone Notifications: Distraction vs Focus

We live in an age of distraction, especially with all of the notifications we receive on our personal devices such as phones and watches! These distractions are taking place at home, in school, and at the workplace preventing us from giving our full attention to people, tasks and even our surroundings. While some schools have gone to a no cell phone policy, many have not. This Phone Notifications: Distraction vs Focus lesson explores this problem using a variety of simulations and then aims to share strategies to minimize them.

Top 10 Lists…Video Style

Some of you may remember the Late Show with Dave Letterman! One of his regular features included his infamous top 10 lists in descending order from 10 to 1, adding his own a touch of humor and sarcasm as he shared! I have been using written top 10 lists for years and was excited when Matt Miller of Ditch That Textbook shared his version utilizing Flipgrid. This Top 10 Lists…Video Style post shares how to present the lists via Flipgrid with some of ideas for topics. Help add to the list by sharing additional topics!

FCS Related Podcasts

Below is a list of topical FCS Related Podcasts for your summer listening pleasure! I will admit that I have not listened to all of these, but I’ve been accumulating the list for over a year and most of the suggested podcasts came recommended through educational sources. If you discover any that should not be on this list, please let me know. Additionally, if you have suggestions of podcasts that should be included, please let me know and I will update the list.

TikTok: Non-Verbal Communication Project

During an interview, the messages our non-verbal body language convey can speak as loudly and clearly as the words coming out of our mouths! My students love Tiktok and begged me to create some projects that utilized the app. This TikTok: Non-Verbal Communication Project: 10 Non-Verbals to AVOID during an Interview was one of them! Because my students had so much fun with this, I thought I’d share it so you could try it out with your students!

“UnBoxing” Video Topics for the FACS Content

I recently watched an episode of Adobe for Education and Matt Miller author of Ditch that Textbook (affiliate link) was on as a special guest. This episode focused on being creative while teaching remotely. His advice was to think outside the box, provide a fun twist when asking students to recall or share what they’ve learned about a particular topic. He suggested students share what they’ve learned in an unboxing video! How creative is that! My wheels started turning and I thought of so many ways that this could be used in our content. So join me, if you will, as I share “Unboxing Video Topics for the FACS Content! As always, if you have other ideas or you develop a specific project or assignment, please share and I will add them to the list!

Plotagon Credit Card Scenarios

Scenarios are great tools to engage students! However, sometimes you have a group of students who love to role play and perform skits and other times you have groups that are as quiet as church mice. When that happens let Plotagon Story, a free animation app, come to your rescue. Sharing below how I incorporated it into a Take Charge Today credit card activity titled “What Would You Do?” into Plotagon credit card scenarios.

Starter Pack Meme Ideas

My son recently introduced me to “starter pack memes” which I had to look up! He had to create one for a college “get to know you” activity and once I knew what it was, I thought it would make a great, fun and interactive activity. So, below you will find my starter pack meme ideas for topics that can be used in a variety of different content areas along with instructions for creating.

Kitchen Hazards Flipgrid Style

Before I even think about letting my students into the kitchens to cook, I want to be sure they have a good working knowledge of the do’s and don’ts associated with kitchen safety. Kitchen Hazards Flipgrid Style is just one of the activities I use to convey and reinforce that concept. There are a lot of things I like about this activity. First, it’s mostly student-directed, secondly, it uses technology and third, it involves a variety of the 4 C’s: collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.

Food Preparation Video Project

There’s a big push in education to incorporate more technology into the classroom!  Because of this, Kara Emig of Oxford, PA  wanted to develop a project that would be interesting to her students.  She also wanted them to  be able to add their own element of creativity.  The fun and engaging food preparation video project she designed has students creating their own recipe videos just like the ones you see all over social media!  Kara’s students created their videos during the cookie unit, but the beauty of this project is that it is versatile enough to use with any food unit!

Family Definition Media Activity

Many years ago, I was given a definition while taking a graduate course about the family.  Through the years, I have often used it as a poster project lead-in to my family unit.  However, since going 1:1, I decided to try this assignment a new way, using technology…aka iMovie!  While I’m not an expert with this app, my students are and they were eager to assist their peers when necessary.  I even surprised myself by creating a YouTube channel so I could share a couple of student samples with you!  Not a 1:1 school or have access to technology–no worries!  I’ve included my original poster assignment (see attachments), which by the way could be easily modified for the differentiated classroom. I loved seeing how each student interpreted the family definition and how unique and diverse each movie was…just like families!