We made it! Hooray! With most schools done or wrapping up in the next week or so, it’s time to rest, to relax, and to recharge. After such a year we know it may be more important than ever to make time for this. Here you’ll find suggestions from some of our contributors about apps, podcasts, books, and more both school and non-school related to help you to rest and to recharge over the summer. Enjoy the time ahead!
Lesa from SmithTeaches9to12 will be carving out time to do some reading and audiobook listening while sitting on her balcony this summer.
First, she’s exploring John Green’s newly released collection of essays – The Anthropocene Reviewed – based on the podcast of the same name. Whether you prefer a book or a podcast the episodes explore the history and trivial details of all sorts of things – geese, Dr Pepper, air conditioning, rock-paper-scissors and more! The essays/pods are witty and fun and well-researched. Lesa is exploring to see how and where she might use in her classroom when she returns but also because she loves gathering quirky, maybe useless knowledge!
Second, and this one’s just for pleasure, is Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This is the latest from the author of Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Lesa likes to encourage students to read just for “fun” and not because they have to incorporate analysis into everything they read! Free reading is something she consistently used in her classroom this year and is hoping to keep as part of the set-up for next year. And well, what sort of teacher would she be if she didn’t model the practice of just reading for pleasure too?!
Katie from Mochas and Markbooks recommends trying out digital drawing on the Procreate app for iPad or Procreate Pocket for iphone or Android. This activity, which can work with any stylus pen, will be sure to bring out your inner artist, even if you didn’t know you had one!
Art therapy has gone digital, and this app aids in self-care, as it can combat stress and anxiety. The act of painting can be very grounding and calming, as it forces you to slow down and focus on a creative task.
Other benefits that this app can offer teachers specifically, is the ability to create your own clipart, slide backgrounds, and gifs! Choose a canvas size to suit your needs, save your drawings to your phone or iPad and then airdrop or share to your computer. You’ll never have to pull your hair out trying to find the perfect clipart for your handouts when you can create your own!
A fun activity to try this summer is uploading a picture of yourself, a family member, or celebrity to the app, adding a new layer on top of the photo, and then tracing it with a small pen brush. Add colour by using the eyedropper tool to match those found in the original image and then drag and drop the paint into your traced drawing. Voila! You will have a cool drawing you can use as a profile photo, email signature image, classroom poster, or any other creation you can think of!
Jen at @mrsjmberry likes to combine professional and personal PD over the summer through digital photography. As the Yearbook Adviser, she likes to get involved in the workshops run by the Yearbook company her school is contracted with to learn what’s new and trending in design for the upcoming year. This summer, workshops are virtual and allow for more students and staff to join in and take part in the experience than ever before. The basic pillars of Yearbook include design, writing, and photography – all areas Jen is passionate about. Walsworth Yearbooks offers so many resources through their website and associated Podcasts that the sessions and lessons feel less like Professional Development and more like a creative idea-fest.
There are amazing opportunities available for learning or refining photography skills through a number of different avenues. If your local library uses LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda), online courses and classes could be at your fingertips and the offerings are endless. There are a series of training videos for DSLR photography available on this site and this was the main way Jen learned to feel confident with her camera, supporting her role as adviser for taking photos at school events. If you like in person learning, many Metroparks and gardens often have classes available in photography, especially if your area has impressive growth and blooms – check out any local websites which may offer classes and you would be surprised what is on offer over the summer!
Carolyn from Middle School Café is looking to include more Inquiry in her class this fall and will be spending her summer rereading Hacking Project Based Learning. She learned of this book through the podcast Reimagine School with Dr. Greg Coins. He interviewed one of the authors, Ross Cooper (Podcast date April 9, 2020) who shared his thoughts about using PBL as the learning tool not just the fun activity at the end of the unit. Students learn skills and concepts throughout the project not simply demonstrate what they learned in a project after the unit.
The book outlines 10 Easy Steps to PBL in the Classroom, however, don’t think they are 10 easy steps like a checklist or do these 10 things and you’ll master PBL. They are 10 skills students need to in order to be successful with Project Based Learning such as learning how to ask questions, learning to work together in a collaboration, driving student learning through feedback, and providing opportunities for students to reflect on their learning plus many more. The book gave Carolyn a lot to think about last summer and she was grateful to have read the ideas in the book which she was able to bring to her online classroom this year.
After a year of online learning, Carolyn is hopeful that real student-centered learning will be welcome in her in person classroom. Now that students have had a taste of what it looks like to be in charge of their own learning, she wants to provide opportunities for students to practice. She’s hoping to do some revisions to her units over the summer but will definitely take some time for self-care as well. She is looking forward to spending a week at the beach this July!
Sami from @English with Ms. K is looking forward to recharging this summer at summer camp! She will be working with staff and students to stay safe at the waterfront, singing songs, and learning to slackline! The goal is to do lots of things that do not involve a laptop, camera, or internet connection.
As she spends her summer in the woods, she will be reading Flash Feedback by Matthew Johnson. A few teachers in her school are also reading it over the summer so that they can work together in the fall to improve their feedback!
Finally, she plans to review phases of a first year teacher… even though she is entering year seven of teaching. After the tumultuous year that we have all been through, she is working more on self-care and support throughout the year. As she reviews these phases outlined in the chart, she is going to create short lists of ways she can continue to support herself at various times throughout the year.
Jen from The Supported Teacher is looking forward to spending more time outside this summer, so she’ll be getting her PD through podcasts while hiking and relaxing outside!
She’ll be listening to Catlin Tucker’s podcast, The Balance, to learn more about incorporating blended learning and technology into the classroom and about finding creative ways to innovate, even when you don’t have the resources or the funding. She’ll also be catching up on Catlin Tucker’s YouTube Channel for more about using blended learning in a station rotation model.
Jen will also be listening to The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast with Jennifer Gonzalez to reflect more on a multitude of educational issues, ranging from increasing student engagement, shifting the way we think about mistakes, and finding more effective ways to provide feedback on student work.
What are your plans for the summer?
Any suggestions for things to read, listen, or watch this summer?
Please let us know in the comments or come follow us and share on Instagram!
