195: Snow days ahead? Ideas you can use in class or remotely

195: Snow days ahead? Ideas you can use in class or remotely

Author: Ditch That Textbook January 15, 2024 Duration: 29:47

In this week’s episode of the Ditch That Textbook Podcast, Matt and Karly dive into digital escape rooms, 2024 vision boards, design prompts, and other ready-to-use resources to get you through those snowy winter days.


News and updates:

Background remover is coming to Google Slides!


Big idea: Digital Escape Rooms

A digital escape room is a type of online game. It’s typically a digital version of a physical escape room, where participants are “trapped” in the room. They must solve puzzles and riddles to escape the room (or complete a specific task).

Our Digital Escape Room resources:

-More than 40 free digital escape rooms on our digital escape rooms page.

-Step-by-step instructions to make digital escape rooms

-Enroll in our online course: Getting Started with Digital Escape Rooms.

-Check out our newly updated Digital Escape Rooms Wakelet collection where you can find ALL of the resources above plus even more. (You can also get our Wakelet collections sent straight to your inbox by clicking on the subscribe button next to our name!)


Tech Tips:

-Create your own Lego Minifigure with Microsoft Designer

-Save time with Gmail template responses— Did you know that you can create templates in Gmail for emails you write often? They are easy to create and could save you lots of time! (Click on the settings wheel / settings / advanced / enable templates … then compose an email to create the template … three dots / templates / save draft as template … in email: three dots, templates).


Quick Teaching Strategies:

-Hopes and Dreams HyperDoc: This online lesson includes videos, quotes, and prompts to get them thinking and talking about the future. They will even use tools like Google Drawings or Canva to help them create their own special quote. After that, they can write a letter to their future selves and even create a vision board as an extension activity.

-Host a rock, paper, scissors tournament— Turn a fun, simple game into a fun ice breaker, brain break, or team-building activity. This post from Guide, Inc has everything you need to know!


Template of the week: Canva Vision Board

Welcome 2024 by designing a vision board or a single word/phrase that represents a goal or focus for the year with Canva EDU. bit.ly/CLCchallenge24


Ever feel like your classroom materials are holding you and your students back from more meaningful, engaging learning? That’s the conversation at the heart of the Ditch That Textbook Podcast. Hosts Matt Miller and Karly Moura, from Ditch That Textbook, don’t just talk about theory-they dive into the practical, often messy work of reimagining education. Each episode feels like a planning session with colleagues who get it, focusing on how to leverage technology, spark creativity, and foster innovation in ways that genuinely connect with learners. You’ll hear real classroom stories, straightforward tech tips that won’t make your head spin, and honest discussions about moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. This podcast is built for educators who are tired of the status quo and are looking for actionable ideas to make their teaching more dynamic and less reliant on prescribed resources. It’s about building confidence to try new things and designing experiences that stick with students long after the lesson ends. Tune in for a regular dose of inspiration that you can actually use tomorrow, all centered on the empowering idea that the best learning often happens when you look beyond the book.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Ditch That Textbook Podcast :: Education, teaching, edtech :: #DitchPod
Podcast Episodes
174: What to do on video calls (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:52
lots of educators are using video calls to do remote learning. But once you and your students are on a video call, what can you do? In the previous episode, I shared three ideas. In this episode, we take it to the next l…
173: What to do on video calls (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:13
lots of educators around the world are connecting with their students through video calls. There are lots of different platforms to use. But once you get on a video call, what will you do with your students? There's so m…
172: Step by step instructions without video [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:49
When we want to give students step by step instructions, sometimes we turn to a screen recording video. Those videos are clear, but they can be big files that are hard to access for students with slow internet speeds. An…
171: Recording video for slow internet speeds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:05
When students have a slow internet connection at home, remote learning can be difficult. It's especially difficult if teachers are providing large video files for them to watch. there are some steps we can take as educat…
170: eLearning activities: #3 video activities [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:18
if we want to keep learning going at home, having some ideas for learning activities can be helpful. In this four-part series, I am sharing some activity types that you can use when your students are learning from home.…
169: eLearning activities: #2 creative slides ideas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:10
there is so much that students can do to learn from home! Whether they have internet access or not, slide presentations offer lots of options. And they don't have to look like the standard oral reports we have done on sl…
168: eLearning activities: #1 graphic organizers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:16
As we try to wrap our brains around what distance learning looks like, it's helpful to have some ideas and examples. In the next four episodes, I'm going to share several different types of activities you can provide stu…
167: Empowering students to own learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:19
When students take control of their learning, amazing things can happen. They go from being compliant followers to commanders of their own future. In his session at the NCTIES Conference, author John Spencer shared tips…
166: Finding game hooks to use in class [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:21
We love games, and so do our students! When we can pull elements of games into class, it has potential for great engagement. North Carolina educator Chris Goodson shares some of his favorite game hooks in this episode. W…
165: Creating in VR with Darcy Grimes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:20
virtual reality is beginning to spread, and so many of its uses have to do with consumption. What if students were able to create with VR? Darcy Grimes, a North Carolina educator and former state teacher of the year, sha…