Google Sheets Poster Printing HACK!

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Google Sheets Poster Printing Hack

Years and years ago (like first year teaching years ago) I used to use Microsoft Excel to create multi-page posters that I could piece together to have great professional-looking typed posters without having to pay for poster printing. You should know, I am also a font snob and I am not in love with the font choices provided in the Microsoft suite (we can’t add fonts onto district computers). Ahhhh but the font choices in Google Apps… FANTASTIC!!! I haven’t had a use for this old poster-making hack again until recently, but thought it was worth a share in case you ever need to print a poster or large multi-page title in a pinch and/or on a budget! Continue reading →

Google Forms + Student Self-Reflection for Coaching Students to Own their Learning!

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Self-Reflection

John Hattie and his team (learn more at visible-learning.org ) have done some amazing research on what instructional strategies have the most impact on student growth. One of the top strategies is called Self-Reported Grades – which has a 1.33 effect size! This is a HUGELY effective strategy! Check out how Hattie describes this strategy in the short video below: Continue reading →

Use Your Desktop to Reinforce Positive Behaviors

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desktop header

Every minute we have with our students has value. I am always looking for ways to get the most out of every moment. As an elementary school administrator, I walk through numerous classrooms each and every day. Something that inevitably occurs in every class, even with the best planning and execution, is the teacher’s desktop from his or her computer is occasionally projected big and upfront for all to see. Even if it is only seen for a couple seconds while switching between programs, often all students see this image (or something similar) multiple times per day: Continue reading →

Create a Purposeful Plan for Procedures

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Purposeful Plan - Header (1)

I think we can all agree that it is so important to explicitly think through and teach expectations and procedures in our schools and classrooms in order to set ourselves up for a successful school year, yet we often don’t take the time to do so (or take the time to do so well – by reteaching and practicing with students) for fear of falling behind on the ever-increasing curriculum requirements.

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Meredith’s Favorite Time-Saving Keyboard Shortcuts

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Keyboard Shortcuts HEADER

This week I was in a training for a specific online tool and the trainer shared that we could zoom out to see the box we needed to click by pressing the control and minus key. I was so excited about this keyboard shortcut, I showed at least 5 people that same day when I returned to my campus! Why? I love any ANYTHING that will save me time and help me to be more efficient and the right keyboard shortcuts can do JUST THAT! Continue reading →

5 Quick Ways to Share Positive Feedback

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5 Quick Ways to Share Positive Feedback (1)

I love creating and sending quick notes of encouragement to teachers and friends. My favorite go-to for creating these was an eCard type app (it was called Red Stamp), but it is no longer available in the app store, and it stopped working (boo). I haven’t found any other ecard app that compares and have been looking for creative ways to pass on positivity and praise. Whether you are experiencing the same sadness over this particular app, or you just want some fresh ideas for sharing feedback, read on for 5 ways to quickly and easily provide positive feedback. Continue reading →

Level Up Professional Learning, Growth, and Sharing with Gamification

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Level Up (3)Gamification of learning is an exciting trend in education. I’ve heard of many different schools and districts that are using ideas started in the classroom to gamify Professional Development by offering learn-on-your-own modules that teachers can complete to earn points or badges. I have been interested in this idea and have even started developing ideas for setting up a choice menu and badges for a summer professional development offering for my staff (more details to come 😉 ), but this morning, after listening to a couple of episodes of the Well PlayED Podcast on my morning run, I was inspired to gamify EVEN FURTHER! Continue reading →