Ilearn Technology Review
Kelly Tenkely is the creator of the website iLearn Technology, a blog dedicated to showing educators how to integrate technology into their classrooms in order to engage students. Kelly worked in the schools for several years, but now she offers services in freelance technology training, social media consulting, professional development, curriculum design, and technology integration consulting. While exploring her website, I found her posts describing different apps and tech resources to be the most helpful. These posts give a concise, clear overview of the resource and then offer lesson ideas where you can incorporate the resource as well as any tips Kelly has from her personal experience.
One resource I loved is called Check123, which is an online video encyclopedia covering topics in a variety of subjects utilizing videos that are only one to three minutes in length. The short video format presents a "dynamic and memorable way to interact with knowledge, creating a visually stimulating learning experience." I like how Check123 filters and organizes educational videos that are safe for young children, creating a database that is much simpler and more efficient to search than typing random keywords into YouTube and hoping for the best. Some of the broad topics found on Check123 include: history, sports, food, economics, nature, politics, earth, tech, music, arts, philosophy, human body, geography, psychology, religion, cars, pets, TV, gaming, fashion, media, space, science, and literature. Kelly mentions how all of the information these videos provide is "bite-sized" and just the right amount to spark students' curiosity without droning on for hours, allowing the students to research the topic more deeply and ask questions. |
Another resource Kelly shared is called The Letter Project, a Christian based group of women who share the mission of spreading positivity through handwritten letters. In her description, Kelly explains why she decided to share this resource with teachers even though it is not completely educational based, but more beneficial for dealing with the issues of self-esteem and body image that young girls often face: "As an educator I know that when we take away all of the labels that we use to categorize each other, when we look each other in the eye and listen to each other's stories, we find out that we are all human after all. When I feel despair over the state of how we treat other, I look for ways to combat that. I look for those doing the hard work of caring for others. The Letter Project is one such organization spreading good." I personally fell in love with this project as soon as I read the title, but after exploring their website I feel extremely inspired and moved by all of the passion and joy the women of To Love Ourselves is spreading all over the world.
The Letter Project strives to teach women and girls (ages 6 to 20) that they are enough, believing that our universal sisterhood can flourish when we all support each other and look for the good in every heart. If you know a girl or young woman who is going through a "tough time," you can request a bundle of letters to be sent to her filled with words of encouragement and advice to build her confidence back up. Teachers might find this resource particularly beneficial if they have a young girl in their class who is feeling lonely or sad, struggling to make friends at school, transitioning after a move or a divorce or a family death, experiencing self-consciousness with how they look, or feeling lots of anxiety and nervousness about the future. Because this organization is Christian based (although they will write to any girl of any faith), Kelly recommends specifying that the letters be "faith-background" neutral if you are requesting for them to be sent to a student. She also highly encourages teachers get permission from parents before giving these letters to a student.
If you want to be a part of this empowering network of women you can join their team of letter writers, host a "write night" with a group of friends, or support the organization by contributing monetary donations that will help cover the costs of stationary and shipping. Click here for more volunteer information!
The Letter Project strives to teach women and girls (ages 6 to 20) that they are enough, believing that our universal sisterhood can flourish when we all support each other and look for the good in every heart. If you know a girl or young woman who is going through a "tough time," you can request a bundle of letters to be sent to her filled with words of encouragement and advice to build her confidence back up. Teachers might find this resource particularly beneficial if they have a young girl in their class who is feeling lonely or sad, struggling to make friends at school, transitioning after a move or a divorce or a family death, experiencing self-consciousness with how they look, or feeling lots of anxiety and nervousness about the future. Because this organization is Christian based (although they will write to any girl of any faith), Kelly recommends specifying that the letters be "faith-background" neutral if you are requesting for them to be sent to a student. She also highly encourages teachers get permission from parents before giving these letters to a student.
If you want to be a part of this empowering network of women you can join their team of letter writers, host a "write night" with a group of friends, or support the organization by contributing monetary donations that will help cover the costs of stationary and shipping. Click here for more volunteer information!