I attended ISTE to find more ideas for student quests for my classroom, new ways for them to engage and create with school and learning. Somehow, I’ve distilled the whole experience into my favorite takeaways.

 

-Take Quizizz and Kahoot to the Next Level: You’re probably familiar with these Q/A response systems (and if not, go check them out!) For your next assessment or text, have your students write the questions and potential answers…and explanations why their incorrect answer options may seem correct but aren’t.

 

-Create VR Tours with Google: New from Google is the ability to build your own virtual tours. Add pins to the tours for students to click for more information. Or, provide clues in the pins instead and use your VR Tour as a platform for a Breakout or escape room game.

 

-Use Writable for writing assignments: I’ve lost count of how many writing and/or feedback platforms I’ve looked at over the years, and I’m so excited for what Writable has to offer. After students complete a writing–short or long–the system immediately assigns peer reviews for anonymous feedback. Students earn feedback points for any comments the original writer marks as beneficial, and they also earn revision points for each piece of feedback they use to revise. Plus, it integrates with Google Classroom and Google Docs, so a total win!

 

-Try Sown to Grow to emphasize growth mindset: I’ve already been in one Zoom meeting about this website, and I’m very excited to share its possibilities. Teachers can insert content standards or soft skill goals, and then students reflect upon these goals weekly or biweekly. This site provides a place for comments from teachers and collects student-reported data to show growth over time. Great for personalized learning!

 

-For quick reviews, use photos as analogies for learning!: This is a simple trick. Show an interesting, perhaps wacky, photograph to students and ask them to work together to create an analogy or connection between the photo and the previous day’s learning. This super simple activity stretches students’ minds and gets them thinking outside the box.

 

-Quest-Based Learning for the Win!: While at ISTE, I had the fabulous opportunity to attend Classcraft’s Questathon, where we worked in teams to create new narratives based on the Hero’s Journey. Classcraft first debuted their quest feature last fall, and let me tell you, it’s a game changer! I now use quests as my LMS to deliver our class content. This has given me opportunities to personalize student learning and give them more agency and choice. I highly recommend checking out Classcraft!

 

Right now, the world of edtech is burgeoning with new products. It’s easy to be overwhelmed at conferences. What important is finding the technology tools that will advance student learning the most. There are many flashy, shiny tools out there, so choose carefully. Is it easy to learn and use? Can students not just consume with it but also create? Is it easy to share student work with stakeholders? Do students have purpose and an audience? Can it be used for multiple purposes? Whether you adopt any of my takeaways listed here or go out and find your own, make your edtech choices work for you.