Adobe Spark provides free resources that allow teachers and students to easily create and share their work digitally. One tool that I particularly like is the Adobe Spark Video app. It is simple to use and a great tool for narrating a captivating story, presenting a report, explaining a concept, or telling a personal story. Students can choose their own images to add to their videos or select from the thousands that are available. There are also options to add text, music, animation and more. Discover how you might use it in your classroom by watching the short videos below:

Adobe offers many free courses for educators. One of these is called Digital Storytelling with Your Class. The program is described as follows:

"This free online course is aimed at all educators looking to get started using digital storytelling to engage students, and learning to tell compelling digital stories with Adobe Spark. The course is self-paced, so you can learn at your own speed, and should take no longer than 3 hours to complete.

No prior knowledge of Adobe tools is required to take part.

Throughout this fun and easy course, you’ll explore:

• Short video tutorials by expert educators which give you the technical skills required to create your own digital stories with Adobe tools
• Information on using digital storytelling in your curriculum to produce exciting outcomes for you and your students
• Basic principles of digital storytelling

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Successful graduates of this course will receive an Adobe digital badge and a certificate accrediting 3 hours of professional development."

Looking for inspiration? Check out sample student work and teaching resources.
Questions? Read the Adobe Spark Educator's Guide.

The Great Thanksgiving Listen is an initiative that is encouraging and empowering students to create an oral history of the United States by recording interviews with their elders using the free Story Corps app. And while the program requires students be over 13 to publish their work using this specific app, the curricular ideas (check out the toolkit at the bottom of this page) can be modified and used by students of all ages. Discover more in this quick 1 minute video.

The best way to learn more about this movement is to listen to some the heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking, stories. Below is a video of one animated story, as well as a link to many of the stories Story Corps has captured over the years. You can sort the stories by collection (i.e. justice, military, parenthood, etc.), date, and more.

Check out the toolkit and podcast below. There are many great resources that you can put to use right away.

In short, HyperDocs are interactive, digital documents (i.e. Google Docs or Slides) containing links to activities, videos, and resources that drive and engage student learning. HyperDocs take the teacher lecturing in the front of the room  off stage and encourage students to follow the paths that ignite their curiosity. While students are navigating a HyperDoc playlist, the teacher is able to move about the classroom, working one-on-one or in small groups with students. Discover more in this short video created by West Ada School District, and check out this template for a visual.

How might HyperDocs support your curriculum? Could you create HyperDocs for fast finishers to access? Are you interested in modifying a unit so one day consists of student learning being guided by their choices? Or do you want to make HyperDocs a more regular part of your teaching? Learn more about how HyperDocs could change the way you teach by checking out the examples below. 

Check out the free templates and additional resources below.

What is the Global Read Aloud? The Global Read Aloud is designed for all age groups and was started by Pernille Ripp in 2010. She had one ambitious goal, and that was to have a single book connect the world. Since its launch, GRA has created millions of connections in more than 86 different countries, and now is the perfect time for your class to connect globally and join the fun. Discover more by watching the short video below.

Learn more about the Global Read Aloud below. Contact me if you want a copy of the flyer.

It's time to get started! Sign up to receive updates via e-mail and check out the weekly schedule. Then, order the texts and join the conversation using  the 2019 Twitter hashtag. The links are provided below.

It's time to spruce up your family history project with the use of Google's Tour Builder. Tour Builder allows you to create interactive digital stories by bringing together Google Earth maps, photos, and videos. Discover the power of this tool by watching the brief introductory video and viewing the sample tour project below (the example is not family history related).

Imagine using Tour Builder to map out historical events or settings in historical fiction books.

Learn how to use Tour Builder in your classroom by watching the video below.

Below are two sets of directions to help you get started. There are step-by-step directions for you and a student handout for your students.

Task cards are a great way to support your students in adding meaningful work to their Seesaw journals. The below video is lengthy, but if you zoom forward to 15:00, you will discover how one teacher uses task cards during Daily Five.

Learn awesome ideas for task cards by exploring below.

Use Google Slides to create task cards. Learn how below!

If you think the only use for Google Slides is presentation creation, you're in for a treat. From virtual museums to interactive notebooks to stop motion videos, the possibilities are endless. Watch the video below to check out some examples in action.

Learn how to take Google Slides beyond presentation software by clicking here.

Get inspiration from the examples below or consider using one of the following templates with your students. First, share a template with your students. (Learn how to share a template on Google Drive here.) Then, have your students access the shared template by clicking Shared with me in Google Drive.

Discover the many ways this third grade class uses Seesaw to bring learning to life:

Follow this link to explore many other ways to include Seesaw in your classroom.

New to Seesaw? Visit "Seesaw - Digital Portfolios" to learn how to get started.