Tech Tip Tuesday

I just wanted to take the time to thank all our UCCC teachers for the hard work they put in. This year has been a whirlwind and I am truly impressed with the flexible teaching, curriculum and technology growth in the classrooms, and the work ethic and stability that you all provide for these students through very trying times.

This year was incredibly hard, but from it came many positive things. More teachers are using an LMS than ever before (Google Classroom and Canvas) and you were able to reach students in the classroom and at home while keeping everything digitally organized and visible for everyone. We have had very brave teachers trying new things and exploring new tools, curriculum, digital learning, and gamifying their curriculum. I was so impressed with teachers during professional developments as they were truly open to trying new things and figuring out what would work for them. Being open minded is difficult normally, let alone during survival mode amidst a pandemic. I have loved coming into your rooms and witnessing the awesome blended learning taking place. I love all the phone calls to discuss the struggles and successes. Keep them coming! I truly want to thank you for the hard work you put in every day!

~your tech coach

For Teacher Appreciation Week, select restaurants and retail stores are honoring their educators with discounts and freebies.

Sheer ID and ID.me

These verification sites take your personal information in order to validate your status as a teacher or administrator. After creating an account and providing your credentials upon sign-up, you'll be able to reap the bounty of teacher-exclusive deals that each site holds without verifying again.

• SheerID: Exclusive discounts and offers made for teachers, students, military, nurses, and more. Customer support when you need it.

• ID.me: Exclusive discounts and offers made for teachers, students, military, nurses, and more. Customer support when you need it.

Best tech and software deals for teachers

• Adobe Creative Cloud: Get your first year of Adobe Creative Cloud for only $20 per month (originally $53 per month).
• B&H: Get teacher and college educator discounts after joining B&H EDU Advantage for verification.
• Bose: Save on Bose products over $200 after verifying through ID.me.
• Dell: Get 10% off PCs and electronics for all K-12 students, parents, faculty, and staff.
• Headspace: Get a free subscription for all K-12 educators, including teachers, administrators, and supporting staff.
• Lenovo: Save an extra 5% sitewide for students and teachers after verifying through ID.me.
• Microsoft Office: Get Office 365 free with a valid school email address.
• Rosetta Stone: Get three months free starting between now and May 31 for teachers, nurses, and healthcare workers.

Best apparel deals for teachers

• Adidas: Get 30% off after verifying through ID.me.
• Bonobos: Get 20% off your purchase after verifying your status through SheerID.
• Crocs: Get 15% off Crocs after verifying your status with SheerID.
• Dockers: Get 25% off all Dockers after verifying your status through SheerID.
• Ray-Ban: Get 15% off after verifying your status through ID.me.
• Tommy John: Get 20% off for K-12 teachers, college faculty and staff after verifying through SheerID.
• Ugg: Get 10% off full-priced styles for educators after verifying through SheerID.
• Under Armour: Get 40% off sitewide for teachers and nurses.
• Vineyard Vines: Get 15% off sitewide after verifying through SheerID.
• Zappos: Get 10% off your order after verifying through SheerID.

Best classroom and office supply deals for teachers

• Costco: Get a free $30 Shop Card with a new membership after validating with SheerID.
• Michaels: Get 15% off your entire purchase with valid ID or by verifying online through SheerID.
• Office Depot: Teachers who are Office Depot Rewards members get an extra 25% back in rewards through May 8.

Best Teacher Appreciation Week freebies

• Krispy Kreme: Get a free Original Glazed Donut in-store when you show your COVID-19 vaccination card through the end of 2021.
• Sonic Drive-In: Get a free large drink or slush with any purchase with promo code TEACHERS used in-app through May 9.
• Taco Bell: Get a free crunchy taco on May 4 when ordering online, in-app, or in-store between 8:00PM to 11:59PM.

• Buffalo Wild Wings: Monday through Friday, teachers will receive 20% off an order if dining indoors or placing an order over the phone.

• McAlister’s Deli: Teachers can enjoy a free tea until May 7 with a teacher ID. Or, nominate your favorite teacher to win free catering for them and their colleagues. Every nominee also gets a free tea.

• McDonald's: While it's not specific to Teacher Appreciation Week, McDonald's is offering a free McFlurry through its mobile app Tuesday. Some local restaurants are reportedly advertising other deals specifically to teachers this week.
• Insomnia Cookies: FREE cookies for teachers & nurses all week! we’re showing the

  for Nurse & Teacher Appreciation Week!

  in-store: all teachers & school-staff (preschool, K-12, higher ed., etc.) and all nurses (anyone with Nurse in their job title) get 1 FREE 6-pack of Classic cookies w/ANY in-store purchase OR 1 FREE Classic cookie (no purchase required) all week-long! show any proof of employment (work ID, pay stub, etc.) in-store to redeem.

  can’t make it to a store? enjoy a special nationwide shipping deal! get a shipped 12 Cookie Gift Box for just $15 this week w/code WEGOTYOU

  *both in-store & shipping deals expire 5.10.21 at 3am

• Einstein Bros. Bagels: is offering up a similar deal to that other bagel place on the list, also putting a 20% discount on gift card purchases made through the week. Perfect for teachers or moms or bagel lovers in general.

• O’Charley’s Restaurant + Bar: Teachers get a free slice of pie when dining in Monday through this Friday with a valid teacher ID.

In this video, Sam covers perhaps the most critical component of using technology in purposeful, transformative ways with your students: strategically sequencing tech-integrated lessons.

He focuses on how to create a structured, sequential plan for how to use technology by combining the 5 Es framework with the 4 Cs for 21st century learning.

This structure not only ensures you have an ironclad tech-integration plan in place, it also serves as a foundation you can build upon when adding new programs, and new layers of complexity, to your tech-integrated curriculum.