Virtual learning called for a new type of interactive notebook. I took my students' interactive notebooks and went virtual. This notebook was created to help students continue to keep track of their notes and learning whether they were at home or at school. The notebook consists of a combination of digital assignments as well as uploaded documents.

The ability to offer students familiarity with a notebook while incorporating technology and different activities allowed them to stay engaged.

Students explored Spanish heritage in Texas History by examining architecture. Students were hired by a company to create a Spanish-inspired building. Students used TinkerCad to create a building model before printing their model on the 3D printer.

As part of their enrichment, My Brainiac class (DISD 7th grade STEM students) participate in a nine-week-long course on drones. In the course, students learn basic flight controls, FAA regulations, drone repair, teamwork, patience, and more. The course concludes with a competition between teams to see who has mastered their drone skills.

Data walls are just as they sound. They show us the data of our classroom. It is important that each student is able to see their individual data, however, I have found that it is beneficial for them to see the class data as well. This allows students a no-risk way to see how they compare to the class or even other classes. Color coding is a great way to help students understand and visually see how their class is doing. The most amazing part of these walls is the ability to watch classes work together to grow their learning by analyzing their scores. This collaboration between students and their excitement to grow their learning is unlike anything else.

Virtual Reality in the classroom provides students with a new way to interact with the curriculum. I have found it to be especially engaging in history classes. Students are able to put themselves onto the virtual battlefield with James Fannin and his soldiers or stand in the audience as Abraham Lincoln gives the Gettysburg Address.

This lesson uses students' own devices, materials, and Real History's app in conjunction with Carboard by Google.

Augmented reality on the other hand provides students to digitally impose elements into their existing world. A great example is the Battle of the Alamo Experience by Experience Real History. They have created a great resource for teachers and students to have the Alamo come alive on their desks right in from of them.

This lesson used students' own devices and Experience Real History's app and materials.

Google Slides is a great tool for students and teachers to create presentations, assignments, and more. Slides allow students to work collaboratively or independently. Using templates can be a great way to get students excited about learning. This example uses a Netflix likeness to create a listing for a Texas History related event. Students had to demonstrate their learning by creating a preview slide, episode to come, and more.

This template was modified from edtechpicks.org

Flipgrid is a website and app that allows teachers to facilitate video discussions. Students are organized into groups and then given access to discussion topics. The flexibility for both teachers and students makes this a great tool to use in the classroom. Collaboration is also possible by adding co-teachers. In my classroom, we have collaborated with other schools by having shared discussions. This allows students to see the same assignment from other perspectives.

Blooket gives teachers and students a new take on trivia and review games!

The way it works is that a teacher/host picks a question set and a unique game mode. Then, a game code is generated that players can use to join the game on their own devices. After the game starts, players answer questions to help them win. Throughout the game, there are opportunities for students to sabotage each other, gain power-ups, and more. After the game has concluded the teacher can view a report that shares student progress and scores. Blooket offers a variety of games to keep students engaged and excited! They even have special holiday themes.