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🤔 Thought Bubble

I came across the above image on Twitter a week or so ago.

It made me think.

First, that there is perhaps some truth to it. Second, it’s probably exaggerated for a wow-factor. Pacman’s mouth should probably be open more. Third, how do we make Pacman’s mouth open wider? and how do we make learning more relevant to students’ lives now and in the future?

Let’s start by Rewilding Your Attention.

What’s that saying? “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” Or as the cool cats say, “GIGO.” The quality of output is determined by the quality of the input.

We can control the input:

• What are we reading?

• What are we watching?

• Who are we reading from?

• etc.

I’m guilty of looking for quick fixes or getting stuck on certain authors, but maybe it’s time we find different inspiration: inspiration from others in the trenches doing the dirty work right alongside us.

I asked some of my Five Star colleagues to share some Humans Worth Following that might not be as mainstream or EduFamous. I received some shares, but I’d love for more to be added to the Wakelet collection. Who inspires you?

Maybe it takes, as Seth Godin says, more effort.

• Expending more effort than most people think is sufficient.

• This is attention to detail. Care in design. Follow through in customer service. This is an embrace of elegance and wabisabi and the opposite of laziness. This is bringing care (which is rare and precious) to work even if most people would look for a shortcut instead.

• More effort creates beauty and magic and remarkability.

• Perfectionism is a false hope and a place to hide.

• Effort, on the other hand, is our best chance to do work that matters.

But, I know and you know that everyone is tired, effort-ed out, and your plates are full. So, as you go about looking for ways to design lessons, create content, or make school more relevant, toss out the garbage that doesn’t move us forward. Focus your attention and input on the end goal, but zoom into those things that make the most impact. Perhaps less is more?

Rewild Your Attention.

🤔 Thought Bubble 2

The Gap.

Fight Through it.

It took me at least 5 years to even somewhat feel sort of comfortable in the classroom. Really though, every day is new. So, do we really ever feel comfortable? We’re always experimenting, changing things up, looking to improve, never satisfied, have new standards to implement, have to teach during COVID, no sub shufflin’, and on and on. It’s a daily battle to find your own personal creative voice. And yes, you are a creative.

Do stuff that makes people look longer, think deeper, or even slow down a little bit.

Reach out if you need anything or want to collaborate.

May your day be great.

Stay Curious.

Give more than you take.

Try something new.

Matt

🏗 PBL - Project-Based Learning

• Why PBL Outperforms Traditional Instruction

🏡🏘️ Teaching / Learning / Leading Resources

• Ditch Summit - Free PD from the real Matt Miller :)

• Media Literacy Resources - Elem and HS links within

• Make Units more inspiring with Vision Boards or possibly use them for making goals for new year resolutions

• The Hook, The Bait, and the Fish - how to teach thinking

• Some Eric Curts Sessions

  • Google Tools to support all learners

  • Engaging ELA Activities with Google Docs

  • Google Tools for Math

  • Jamboard for Teaching and Learning

  • Awesome Uses for Google Drawings in School

  • Docs Calendar Templates for 2022-2023

• Have you ever played “Paperback?”

• Self-Regulation in the Classroom lesson

• Native American Heritage Month

• 5 of the Best Pieces of Parenting Advice I’ve Ever Received

• Escape Room Design

• 11 Artists Share Their Bedtime Rituals that Keep Them Creative

• Trevor Ragan from the Learner Lab is putting out a free audio book on Learning. I have really enjoyed listening to these.

• Ask the Teachers

• Power of Visualizing as a Tool for Creativity

• 25 Useful Thinking Tools

• Laurie Anderson’s 5 Questions to ask to figure out whether what she’s working on is any good or not.

• A State of Flow

• Photographer Recreates Movie Scenes as Incredibly Detailed Table Top Models - I’m sure there’s some life lesson in this somewhere.

• Teachers are Barely Hanging On - Here’s What They Need.

• From Grades to Growth

• InstructureCon(ference) Videos. Lots of things in here beyond just Canvas. (Instructure makes Canvas)

👩‍🏫👨‍🏫 Teaching With Tech Links

As much as I love tech, good teaching and learning should drive your instruction. Technology is simply a piece of the car getting you to your destination. This is a collection of links that I find in my travels that might have some benefit to you.

• NaNoWriMo - How to write a novel using your Chromebook for National Novel Writing Month - Has a ton of links to help in the ELA world. Also, Ms. Paradise at the HS is a NaNoWriMo veteran :)

• Google Sheets Menu Enhancements

• Google Earth and other Geo Tools

  • Create Custom Maps with Nat Geo Map Maker

  • Video

  • Nat Geo Resource Library

• Pixar’s 10 Rules for Teaching and Lesson Planning

• Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

• Storytelling Templates

• 21 Different Websites to Spice Up Your Study Breaks

• Canvas Betterizer - A way to make Canvas grading better. I’m interested to see your thoughts on how well this works if you install it.

• Jamboard Background Templates

• Canva Create Online Conference or this link

• Google Translation Tools

• Don’t forget about Prezi Video - they’ve added some new things

• 20 Canva Templates To Use in Class Tomorrow

• How to Use Canva Templates in Slides

• Adobe and Khan Academy have teamed up on the Adobe Education Exchange

• Speaking of the Adobe Education Exchange - some really good ideas here

• 20+ Blended Learning Resources that Teachers Can Actually Use

• Add Image Watermarks in Google Docs

• Working Smarter Not Harder using Templates

• Focused and Diffuse: Two Modes of Thinking

🔆 Spotlight : STEM Day

• 6 Fun STEM Day activities to encourage 21st Century Skills

• Amazon Future Engineers Tours

• STEM and STEAM Day

• 10 Ways to Celebrate National STEM Day with NASA

✏ Making Thinking Visible

How are students showing their thinking?

• Visible Thinking Routines

⚔ #CadetArchitects

If you post anything about your learning experiences and put them on social media, please use the hashtag #CadetArchitects that way we can see and learn from each other.

• Here's the #CadetArchitects feed.

• This is the MCCSC list of those on twitter. Don't see your name? Let me know and I'll add you.

📰 Old Newsletters

• #CadetArchitects Newsletters HERE

• 2021-2021 - Quick Tech Text Newsletters HERE

• 2020-2021 - Quick Tech Newsletters HERE

🦄 Imaginary Bonus Points!

• 4,962 IBP for asking a colleague how they’re doing.

• 12,368 IBP if you try something mentioned in this newsletter.

• 32,429 IBP for telling someone how grateful you are for them and why. This can be used for each occurrence that it happens.

🙏🏻 Thanks for reading!

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