Monday Minute
March 24, 2020
How's It Going? What's Working? What Questions Do You Have?
So many tough questions, many seemingly with no answer:
- Review or new material?
- eLearning or No School?
- Online or packets?
- Synchronous or asynchronous?
- Graded or nongraded?
- What about students without internet access? School supplies?
- Are we meeting the needs of our students with IEPs?
- What about students no one has been able to contact?
- Zoom or GoogleMeet/Hangouts or Microsoft Teams... or no Video?
- Food pick up or delivery?
- When/will we go back?
But, at the same time, we're amazed at the great, creative things teachers have done already! From online spirit weeks, to teacher parades, fun check in questions, parent participation, fun shirts, singalongs, home science experiments, student choice, passion projects, heartfelt sharing.. our teachers are amazing!
Resources for Online/Remote Learning
We continue to update the resources on a special page of the IMLEA website. AMLE is also adding many, including this crowd-sourced, curated resource page. You are welcome to submit suggestions. Another way to see what others are doing (including internationally) is by following #RemoteLearning on Twitter.
What about the Emotional Wellbeing of Our Students?
The file below is a great example of a page a district in Montana is using to track and maintain contact with their students. Thanks to Superintendent Laurie Barron for sharing it in last week's AMLE webinar; you may remix to make it your own.
Steve Hartman from CBS is offering "Kindness 101" this week on Facebook, with a new episode at 2 pm each day. Here is episode 1.
Updates on Online Read Alouds and eBooks
- Audible Audiobooks-includes some popular titles, no sign in required
- Abdo Digital eBooks-thousands of eBooks, no sign in required, most non-fiction, many science and social studies, three different levels
- Junior Library Guild-eBooks in three different levels
- Teachingbooks.net. Indiana residents already get free access to Teaching Books through our State Library, but they have added extra explanations. They also have over 1000 complete books and poems on their site. Some things are available in Spanish.
- Actively Learn. They have also purchased the rights to some novels (it's where one teacher found Lord of the Flies for all) Request access here.
- First Book/Open eBooks: If your school is Title One, you can request log ins. They even have a middle level collection. It includes many popular, multi-user books.
If you have questions about particular titles or permitted use, ask your school librarian. The teacher librarian Facebook groups and other networks have been very busy sharing! (as have many others!) The bottom line is, there are thousands of free books out there!
Rose-Hulman Homework Hotline Adds New Daytime Hours
Ditch That Textbook Summit: All Videos Now Available
INSPIRE3 eLearning Edition
Highlights included in this weekly INSPIRE3 Update for 3/23/20: Thank You for sharing these Updates with your staff as they would be helpful with their e-learning efforts. Many of these resources would also be helpful to parents while they are at home with their kids.
- LTG - Generosity and Service while practicing Social Distancing
- Suggested service-learning projects students can do while at home
- LTG Toolkits that include K-12 online lessons, projects, resources
- generationOn website Project Ideas, Book lists, Fact sheets on 13 Issue Areas
- Snapshots of Service-Learning Stories posted with adaptable projects students can do at home
- PowerPoints and Tutorials available on our INSPIRE3 Digital Resource page
- All INSPIRE3 workshops and school visits postponed until further notice
- Visit our INSPIRE3 page on the IMLEA website HERE or the IASP website HERE and Connect
- INSPIRE3 contact information – free assistance with resources
Learning Opportunities
Please note: Some of webinars have been reaching capacity. See if you need to register, and you might want to log in early to attend. However, all are archived for later viewing.
Now-?? Ditch Summit, All Videos Available
Now-?? Hive Summit
March 24: School Counseling in an Online World, American School Counseling Assoc., 1 pm ET
March 24: AMLE Webinar with Phyllis Fagell, "Student Wellness During COVID-19," 3:30 ET
March 24: Technology in Rural Schools: Sustaining Initiatives, 5 pm ET
March 25: School Closure: Teach & Learn with CK-12 (Open Education Resource), 1 pm ET
March 25: The Transformative Power of Digital Reading, 5 pm
March 25: Literacy in a Time of Rapid Change: Strategies and Resources for Virtual Learning, 6 pm ET
March 26: ISTE Webinar: Intersection of Digital Citizenship & Equity, 4 pm ET
March 26: AMLE Webinar: Health & Wellness for Your Staff During COVID-19 5 pm ET
March 26: #INeLearn Twitter Chat-Revise & Rething eLearning on the Fly, 9 pm ET
March 27: Free Virtual Field Trip to the Ron Clark Academy, 1-3 pm (Facebook Page says details to come)
March 31: Deadline for Librarians to Apply for the Real ISD STEM Program
*April 5: Revised Deadline to Submit Proposals to Present at AMLE 2020
April 13-24: Whole Child Virtual Summit
*April 30: New Deadline for IMLEA/AMLE Joint Membership
May 1: AMLE Collaboration Grant Deadline
February 21-22, 2021: IMLEA Conference
Just for Fun....
You can share this Harry Potter Hogwarts digital escape room with your students. This could be a good family activity.
Please send Susie Highley any ideas or suggestions of things to be included. You can also access Monday Minutes via this link on our webpage, and you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Principals and others: Feel free to forward this newsletter to your staff!
Indiana Middle Level Education Association
Shirley Wright, Executive Director
Susie Highley, Director of Operations
Fax: 317-454-0749
Email: shighleyimlea@iasp.org
Website: https://www.imlea.org/
Location: 11025 East 25th Street, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: 317.894.2937
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IMLEA-Indiana-Middle-Level-Education-Association-170748717595/
Twitter: @IMLEAorg