Elementary school algebra lesson plan – May’s Quest of the Month
Introducing Classcraft’s second Quest of the Month! Each month at Classcraft, we’ll be choosing one awesome quest to promote. Our pick for the month of May is Amanda Moore (@teachforthewin), the creator o
Explore history with ‘Open Heritage’ interactive 3D library
Google Arts and the nonprofit organization CyArk have come together to present the Open Heritage initiative, which enables anyone to tour historical monuments and locations across the world from the comfort of their own home — or classroom.
The joint venture currently offers virtual access to 27 world heritage locations set in 18 different
2018’s top 8 classroom challenges, according to teachers
Being a teacher is HARD. Whether you’re just starting or have taught for decades, teachers everywhere in the world are faced with similar challenges. The obstacles you encounter can arise from many directions: with students, parents, administrators, or with the many roles and responsibilities you have to maintain.
We took note of
Apple’s ‘Everyone Can Code’ helps disabled students learn coding
Apple is making its "Everyone Can Code" curriculum available to blind and deaf students in a new partnership with several U.S. schools. With these courses, Apple wants to empower students with assistive needs to learn Swift, their streamlined y
5 best VR video lessons to engage your students in the classroom
Digital media is a powerful tool in the 21st-century classroom, and for many teachers, virtual reality is the latest tech to make the list. Here are five of the best 360-degree VR video lessons from Discovery Educator Network that you can use in your classroom today. You can access each of these diverse and engaging experiences through a VR headset if you have one — but for the budget-conscious, you can
Try our free VR lesson plan powered by the Discovery Educator Network
Classcraft and the Discovery Educator Network are giving back this Teacher Appreciation Week. Starting May 6, teachers everywhere can access exciting 360-degree VR video experiences through engaging “choose-your-own-adventure” lesson plans for students.
Classcraft’s Discovery Educator Network Quest provides all the learning activities you need to jump in right away. Students explore 360-degree video experiences, from swimming with s
March’s Quest of the Month: Teacher Steve Isaacs’ game design lesson plan
Introducing Classcraft's first-ever Quest of the Month! Each month at Classcraft, we'll be choosing one awesome quest to promote. Quests are personalized, self-paced, choose-your-own-adventure lessons for students. Our goal is to spotlight the amazing educators who inspire us and share creative, teacher-made content with our global community of forward-thinking educators.
If you use Classcraft, you can submit quests you'
Future-ready education: The lessons students need to learn aren’t taught by textbooks
New to the world of edtech, I arrived at the 2016 SETDA/ISTE conferences in Denver, Colorado, as the chief academic officer of the New Jersey Department of Education. I was there to celebrate two New Jersey educators who were being recognized for their work fostering student voice.
The conference began with “speed dating” rounds, where educators could learn more about companies looking to partner with and support their work with students. The kickoff began with each new company giving an
88 seconds of video that show video games are about more than violence
In response to a recent video that promoted only violent scenes from video games, Games for Change has put together a video of equal length that shows video game moments at their emotional best.
The original 88-second compilation came from the White House and showed only scenes from M-rated video games (the equivalent to an R-rated movie). It in
How assessing student types helps me individualize their learning experience
When assessing my approach to teaching and my relationship with students, I never once forgot the first piece of advice I received. It was my cousin who told that the one thing every good teacher needs to have is "eyes in the back of their head." It was true back then, and it's still very much true today, even with the huge technological development we are witnessing in schools.
Whether or not you use new techniques in teaching and classroom management, the best thing you can do is to be awa
Spring CUE 2018 review — Event highlights
CUE 2018 has come to an end — and so has The CUE Adventure. As we leave Palm Springs, California, and head home, here's a little overview to remember the conference by.
Missed our other recaps? Here are all the best moments from #CUE18 Day 1 and
Spring CUE 2018 review — Day 2 recap
CUE 2018 is well underway as thousands of teachers from across the country meet in Palm Springs, California, to connect with other educators, learn from expert thought leaders — and start their CUE Adventure.
Missed yesterday's recap? Here are all the best moments from #CUE18 Day 1
Spring CUE 2018 review — Day 1 recap
CUE 2018 has officially begun, and thousands of teachers from across the country are gathered in Palm Springs, California, to connect with other educators, learn from expert thought leaders — and start their CUE Adventure.
We've collected some of the best moments from Day 1 of the conference below. But first ...
What is The CUE Adventure?
This year, Classcraft (b
What you need to know for #CUE18
We are super excited for Spring CUE 2018 in Palm Springs, California! As we pack our bags and set sail on this awesome adventure, we thought we’d share some things to help you get ready, too.
Bring your appetite!
Wondering where you’re going to eat during CUE? Looking to host a meetup over some tasty treats? This
How I use Dungeons and Dragons in the classroom
Let me start off by saying that I hate Dungeons & Dragons. No, let me rephrase that — D&D has caused me more heartache, lack of sleep, troubled dreams, and loss of focus at work than my ex-wife! … And that kind of power is exactly what makes it such an amazing tool to use with students in the classroom.
But before I tell you about how I’ve incorporated Dungeons & Dragons into the classroom, I’d like to take you back … way back (Hey! I’m 48 years old!) ... to m
Researchers conduct study on Assassin’s Creed educational mode, Discovery Tour
A professor and other researchers at the University of Montreal have tested out Assassin's Creed Origins' "Discovery Tour," an educational mode that enables players to explore the historical game world in a museum-like context.
The Discovery Tour, w
Webinar event: How educators can crowdfund resources for their classroom
Classcraft is excited to announce our upcoming webinar with crowdfunding platform PledgeCents this February.
The webinar, "How to Crowdfund the Classroom Resources You Need," will take place on Wednesday, February 28 at 8 PM EST and is available to anyone who'd like to attend. Special guest Andyshea Saberioon, the CEO and co-founder of PledgeCents, will head the prese
Teaching with technology: How, when, and how much?
Technology is to the classroom as a costume is to a superhero. Superhero in this context will be defined as someone with abnormal quirks that allow them advantages over the typical human. Many superheroes use their powers without any sort of accessory, but their suit often serves as a modifier, enhancing or structuring abilities so that they can take down villains with ease. It is important to remember that the suit is unique to the superhero.
Like a suit, technology should be unique t
Latest game reviews
How to measure social emotional learning
Social emotional learning (SEL) is a key factor in ensuring students are prepared for future success. It’s one of the top determinants of their performance in the workplace, where they’re expected to be team players who can communicate effectively, manage their emotions, and adapt to changes easily.
But if there’s no set curriculum to teach social emotional learning, how do we know our kids are acquiring the skills they need? Where do
New global festival invites K-12 students to submit short films
Submissions are now open for the Global Student Voice Film Festival launched by EdTechTeam. For this English-language competition, K-12 students all around the world are invited to create a two-minute film responding to the theme “In Another’s Shoes.”
ED Games Expo 2018 to help students learn about game design
The ED Games Expo 2018, an event showcasing educational games and learning technologies, is happening on Monday, January 8, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Children, teenagers, and adults will learn more about games and technologies covering a wide range of topics in education and spec
How to use flexible seating to maximize your classroom
Flexible seating is one of the hottest new trends in education today. Teachers around the world have been looking at adding exercise balls, couches, and standing desks as a way to maximize engagement and provide a new environment for students to work in.
But the process can be intimidating, and figuring out how to manage your new learning environment can be overwhelming. Here is how to get started with flexible seating, a
How to implement cooperative grouping in the inclusive middle school classroom
Young teenagers in middle school grow at very different rates and, in this period when they are figuring themselves out, have an “intense need for social interaction and peer affiliation.” It’s no wonder the development of students’ interpersonal and social skills has been identified as a key goal of middle-level education in the National Middle School Association’s position paper, “
4 steps to promote real-world practice with Quests
To celebrate the release of his new book, Game-Based Learning in Action, educator Matthew Farber is sharing his four steps to promote real-world practice using Classcraft’s Quests for personal
Make Learning an Adventure, Gamify your classroom today!
5 incredible student-designed games and experiences
The ETC Festival 2017 this week showcased some of Pittsburgh’s best student-designed games and experiences using technology such as virtual reality, mobile devices, and occasionally the more bizarre — like a fully functional Egyptian tomb.
I attended the festival at the Entertainment Technology Center, part of Carnegie Mellon University, where more than 25 student-created games and experiences were on display. Many are part of Jesse Schell
Political Animals review
About the game:
Political Animals is a game where mice, reindeer, goats, and other animals live together as citizens, and any one of them can become an elected representative in their government. Students must compete to win an electoral campaign using various means.
https://youtu.be/nSn_QP02gFM
How it works:
#GivingTuesday 2017 – PledgeCents Style
Republished with permission from PledgeCents, a Classcraft partner. To view the complete article, please visit the PledgeCents blog.
The Day of Giving
Every year, #GivingTuesday has grown more and more popular around the world. People are sharing and contributing to the social needs that mean the most to them. This year,
This research-backed video game is good for health recovery
Researchers at Imperial College London have made a new mobile game about controlling balloons that helps patients suffering from physical impairments make a faster, healthier recovery. Yes, it's a video game that's both good for your health and for furthering education and research.
In Balloon Buddies, which runs on a tablet, a "healthy" participant supp
Minecraft releases new tutorial to teach students coding basics
As part of its partnership with Code.org, Minecraft Education has just released a new Minecraft Hour of Code tutorial called Minecraft: Hero’s Journey. Available on iOS, Android, and Windows at no cost, th
How school leaders and teachers can prevent bullying using PBIS
In a paper titled “Bullying in secondary schools: Action planning using a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support framework,” Tory De Shannon Lawrence suggests ways to incorporate proactive initiatives into a PBIS framework to prevent bullying behavior.
Lawrence, a PhD student at Liberty University in Virginia, has worked with several schools to create action plans that address problematic student behaviors. In her paper,