Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

ClassClimate is an easy to use online tool to track students' moods throughout the day. Create an account using email and verify through the email link sent after registering. (Be sure to check your junk mail or spam folder if you don't receive the link in your inbox). Obtain student's feelings through the use of emojis in one of two ways. Share your class code and ask students to register or send a "Speed Read" link to all students. ClassClimate collects data for up to a month for your use in evaluating the mood of the class.

tag(s): classroom management (155), emotions (37)

Pinside is an online bulletin board for sharing notes privately and publicly. Register using email to begin using Pinside. Choose "+New Note" to add a sticky note to your board. Add text to the note and an optional link to an image if desired. When finished, click "Add Note" to share your note to the bulletin board. Drag notes to any position on the board, delete unwanted notes by clicking the x by your name. Use Pinside's settings to add members using email addresses. Share your board with others using the URL of individual boards.

tag(s): bulletin boards (19), organizational skills (121)

Build an emoji with Bitmoji. Bitmoji is an Android and Apple app, also available as a Chrome extension. Use email to create an account then follow prompts to create an emoji with your likeness; save it as a png to your computer, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive. The fun starts after creating your emoji! Choose from countless options to share your Bitmoji in emails, messages, as an avatar, or anywhere you communicate online.

tag(s): creativity (118), DAT device agnostic tool (177), emotions (37), faces (4), images (284)

Make classroom management easier with the Mega Seating Plan seating chart creator. Import student data from a spreadsheet and set up the layout of your classroom. Choose to create a random seating arrangement or boy/girl setup. Drag and Drop students to adjust as you like. Include additional data, if desired, on the spreadsheet to show on your seating plan such as reading level or current grades.
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tag(s): back to school (58), classroom management (155)

Thrively is a free tool that gives strengths and interests assessments in an engaging and entertaining way. Based on 23 factors and developed for children, you receive a profile that is personal, positive, and celebrates each child's core strengths and unique talents. Children, teachers, and parents all have a dashboard displaying activities and videos selected specifically for the child's strengths and interests. Explore a comprehensive activity index with over 120,000 activities and hundreds of videos designed to inspire. The videos feature interesting ideas, leaders, and a range of insights into careers and opportunities that are a good fit for the child's unique strengths. The Activity Boards are a way to discover and research the activities and collect them all in one place. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Online-Convert, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.
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tag(s): back to school (58), differentiation (46), multiple intelligences (9)

Seesaw is a digital portfolio that is totally free for all devices and on the web. Students can showcase their work, videos, text, drawings, and images, and get feedback from teachers and parents. Create a class blog in your Seesaw for students to write blog posts. Teachers create an account with email and then start creating as many classes as needed. There is no limit on the number of students a class can have. Give students a "join" code for their class, and they sign up from there, choosing to access their account through a Seesaw generated QR code or their email. Teachers can enable or disable student likes, comments, and editing. Blog post and comments must have teacher approval before becoming public. Students will be able to reflect on their work with a voice recording or text, and can share artifacts from their portfolio by clicking the red button at the bottom of the screen and then either print or get the item QR code. Once you have an account, click Help & Teacher Resources to find Getting Started Tips, Tutorial Videos, FAQs, and Activity Ideas grouped by grade level. If your district blocks YouTube, the tutorials may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Online-Convert, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

tag(s): blogs (83), DAT device agnostic tool (177), digital storytelling (154), portfolios (31)

Rearrange and design your classroom without having to move a desk using Classroom Architect! This online tool allows you to customize a design for your classroom layout using your dimensions and objects you want to include. Follow the directions to select your basic dimensions and drag and drop items in place. Free-draw items not among the ready-made objects. When finished, print your design. There is a save option in Classroom Architect; however, it only saves to the computer where you create the design. The site suggests taking a screen shot to paste into a document as the best option for saving.
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tag(s): architecture (84), back to school (58), classroom management (155), measurement (180)

Everyone wants to start a new school year on the right foot. Be sure to avoid these behaviors that might get you in hot water with your students and colleagues. This quick slide show reminds us to put down social media in the classroom, dress appropriately, and to get to know students before dumping big assignments on them. Although the information is common knowledge, the information has relevant reminders for both new and returning teachers. Most topics also include a related article link to find more information.
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tag(s): back to school (58), newbies (15), professional development (162)

Class Setup Tool is a resource for planning and designing your classroom for maximum effectiveness. Click to begin. Follow each step in the planning process beginning with choosing your classroom shape. Drag and drop items from that point including windows, doors, desks, etc. If needed, rotate or resize items for proper fit. After all furniture is in place, add student names on the seating chart then drag and drop into place. When finished, choose the print button to print and use your completed classroom setup!
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tag(s): back to school (58), classroom management (155), map skills (79), measurement (180), preK (286)

HappyClass is a FREE automatic classroom seating chart maker. HappyClass creates charts in minutes based on your students' needs and relationships. Type or paste your class roster into the website and configure the virtual desks to look like your physical classroom. The contextual menu provides options to make sure relationship factors are prioritized as well as student needs (like front or back of the room). Need a student to stay in the same seat? Pin them to the seat (not literally of course!). Edit each student's unique needs at any time as your students change throughout the year. The happiness indicator automatically determines if the student is sitting in an ideal situation. A smiley face means all is well, a so-so face means it could work, and an uh-oh face means the current seating configuration could lead to a negative classroom environment. Seating chart results are immediate with one click of a button. Not happy? Generate a completely new configuration with another click. Print your chart in a snap for your lesson plan book. The free version (Lite) includes an unlimited number of students in one editable class roster and one room setup at a time. You can add, edit or delete students, rearrange the room, or change relationships and needs of that one class over and over. The freebie limits make this well suited for self-contained classes, not teachers who see different classes throughout the day.
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tag(s): back to school (58), classroom management (155), gamification (87)