Twitter is a great social media tool to use in the middle school setting. ​​It provides classrooms and schools with an opportunity to connect with stakeholders in the virtual world. Classrooms can share out pictures related to learning experiences. Schools can highlight events or disseminate important information to the masses. Here are five ways middle level educators can use Twitter...

There are so many wonderful ways to use Twitter in the middle school setting. It's a great way to inform stakeholders and highlight student and staff achievements. So what do you say? Take a risk and set up a classroom or school Twitter handle. It will change the culture you are a part of for the better. 

Imagine a world where students can collaborate on a document at the same time from two totally different places. Better yet, imagine using a program that no longer requires the user to click the save button. Google has made this a reality for people inside and outside the educational world. Middle schools near and far are going Google to make their environments more engaging and efficient. Here are five ways you can make Google work in the Middle...

• Create and maintain a Google Classroom for your advisory group. One of the main tenents of AMLE's This We Believe is that every child must have an adult advocate. Communicating and sharing in the virtual world can help further strengthen the relationships that have been established in the physical world.
  

• Monitor student's appropriate use of Google Drive with Gaggle. Anytime a student's content raises an alarm, Gaggle sends an alert to the appropriate school authority. A healthy conversation can then take place with the family of that child to ensure critical issues are addressed. It's less about "We gotcha" and more about "We care."
  

• Organize and run a one day Middle Level Google Summit for your own staff and also educators from outside the district. This event will provide your colleagues with a chance to share their innovative methods and learn from others. Need help with this? Contact the Evolving Educators at evolving@evolvingeducators.com.
  

• Go 1:1 with Chromebooks at your middle school to drive student creation, collaboration, and connectivity. Students should not have to learn in isolation. Technology has provided the educational world with an oppportunity to support environments that are real-time and interactive.
  

• Stay current with best practices in the Google worrld by following the #HackGoogleEDU and #GoogleEDU hashtags.
  

There are so many great opportunities for educators and students to leverage the power of Google tools in the middle school setting. Examine the ideas above and pick one to try out. The positive impact on yourself, fellow colleagues, and most importantly students, will be felt for years to come.

The August 12, 2017 #Satchat conversation guest moderated by Timothy Jaw focused on open educational resources. Here are five ways to learn more about this very important educational topic...

Cybrayman's Open Educational Resources Webpage

Wake County Moving to Free Online Materials

House of Edtech Podcast OER Episode

OER Commons Website

​#OER and #GoOpen hashtags

The new and improved Google Sites is really easy to use. Feel free to watch the six minute tutorial above. There are so many neat ways to use Google Sites in an educational setting. Students can show what they know about the topic at hand. Teachers can house important information pertaining to class in an interactive way. Administrators can keep stakeholders abreast of school and district happenings. What unique things do you do with Google Sites? Please share! Click on the image below to get your free sample chapters of #HackGoogleEdu.

The blog post originally appeared on the OnCourse Systems Blog...

The #Satchat Blog is a recurring retrospective on the tremendous insights and resources shared by educators from around the world. Learn more about the founders at www.evolvingeducators.com.

Recently on #Satchat, educator and author Denis Sheeran guest moderated a discussion on his newly released book titled Instant Relevance. Did you miss out? No problem, you can access the Participate Learn archives by clicking here. There is no doubt that relevance plays a critical role in classrooms, schools, and districts. It's what separates effective learning environments from highly effective learning environments. Throughout the hour long #Satchat discussion, it became abundantly clear that participants had a clear understanding of relevance, but also looking to enhance their toolbox of best practice strategies.

For example, Kevin Cullen, a middle school social studies teacher from New Jersey, tweeted out about the role of sharing personal stories, and Dan McCabe, principal from New York, shared an inspiring quote from Jean Piaget. Educator and Edupreneur Mark Barnes, from Ohio, highlighted the fact that we must meet kids where they are if learning is to be relevant and engaging. ​

Relevance in the digital world was also discussed in great detail during #Satchat. Kristin Kochheiser, a 6th grade teacher from Michigan, spoke to the roles that ownership and autonomy play in making learning relevant in student’s lives. Access to devices and online tools provide students with an outlet to gather perspectives, show what they about the topic at hand, and to share their work with others. There is no doubt that educators can leverage the power of technology to impact student learning through autonomy and differentiation.

Some of the most impactful parts of the book focus on applicable lesson ideas focusing on such things as the State of the Union Address, food and math, and integrating your surroundings into various units of study. Often what is relevant to students will engage them with the topic at hand in ways once thought unimaginable. Educators from all walks of life need to take risks, step outside of their comfort zone, and really ask themselves the question “is this relevant?”

Relevance will not be instant if educators do not build relationships with students, know their content, and implement effective teaching strategies. Furthermore, relevant learning environments will cease to exist if school and district leaders do not support efforts of teachers and students to do things differently. For educators, it's all about evolving one day at a time so the success of students will be promoted from now until the end of time.
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The #Satchat Blog is a recurring retrospective on the tremendous insights and resources shared by educators from around the world. Join the #Satchat conversation every Saturday morning at 7:30 EST on Twitter. #Satchat is moderated by Brad Currie, Billy Krakower, and Scott Rocco, Founding Partners of Evolving Educators LLC and the co-authors of 140 Twitter Tips for Educators. Learn more about #Satchat and other relevant professional growth opportunities by visiting www.evolvingeducators.com.