The consumption mindset not only applies to the traditional classroom but can carry over into a technology-enriched classroom environment. Students may hope that the educational experience with their school device will mirror how they consume information on their personal devices. After all, students spend a lot of time-consuming information from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
So the question becomes: How can we leverage the consumption mindset to our advantage? The answer starts with turning our students into the creators of the very content they are consuming. We can challenge them to create artifacts focused around the content of our classes and publish those artifacts for others to consume and learn from.
Teaching our students to create can have a wide-ranging effect on them. It often goes beyond simply helping them learn the content specific to our classes. Creating media helps students develop a foundation of skills that transfer over to many other areas of life. A recent study shows that employers want workers with an increasingly demanding skill set including problem-solving, digital literacy, leadership, and creativity.
To that end, by challenging our students to become content creators in our classrooms we can help foster all of these skills. Technology provides our students the ability to create with voice, video, images, or any combination of the three. This allows students the opportunity to express themselves in ways that may not be possible in a written assignment.
So how do you get started with these concepts? What are some tools that can provide these creation opportunities for your students? To help answer these questions and more I’ve created a YouTube playlist of my top tools for inspiring creativity including Adobe Spark, Book Creator, and Flipgrid. I hope you find it helpful, and the tools included will inspire your students to become the creators they have the power to be.
The following videos were created by Ben Sondgeroth, LTC’s Regional Educational Technology Coordinator, as an introduction to Adobe Spark, Book Creator, and Flipgrid.
Create Web Pages with Adobe Spark Page: Have you looked for a tool that allows your students to create incredible web pages? Look no further than Adobe Spark Page!
Create Awesome Videos with Adobe Spark Video: Have you wondered how to create a video on your Chromebook or iPad? Look no further than Adobe Spark Video! This amazing tool allows you to create videos and share them back to Google Classroom!
Learn How to Get Started with Adobe Spark Post: Have you been wondering how to create exciting graphics with Adobe Spark Post? This video has you covered! We dive into how to bring this awesome tool into your classroom!
Create Amazing Books with Book Creator!: Have you been looking for a way to have your students create amazing books in your classroom? Then look no further than Book Creator! In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to get started with this incredible tool!
Getting Started with Flipgrid in the Classroom!: In this quick video, we will explore how to set up a Grid in Flipgrid and assign out a topic to your students!
“Driving the skills agenda – EIU Perspectives – The Economist.” 2015. May. 2015 <https://www.eiuperspectives.economist.com/talent-education/driving-skills-agenda>
Which model should you buy? What software will students use? And how do you keep your 3D printer from becoming yet another pricey gadget collecting dust? An expert offers a
While you’ve been enjoying some well-earned rest and relaxation this summer, Google has been busy beefing up many of its most popular apps and tools. From tweaks to built-in accessibility
As we roll through the final months of 2021, Google continues to put out fresh updates that can help your classroom hit the ground running next semester. Read all about
Month after month, Google continues to roll out updates and improvements designed to enhance their users’ experience – including those of students and teachers in the education sphere. Take some
Back on June 22, 2021, Google revealed a roadmap of its upcoming product and software updates during its The Anywhere School online event. That roadmap featured a cornucopia of exciting
Many schools in Illinois and around the US are interested in purchasing new Chromebooks. But which Chromebook model is best? Which model offers the best value? You’ll find answers and
Are you switching to leading professional learning in a virtual environment? It is a new experience for many. Here are 5 tips for people entering this new world of online
We are in a period of time where school closings due to Covid-19 are severely disrupting our academic calendar. Districts are scrambling to find useful resources for teachers to use
Ben leads the LTC’s RETC team and facilitates ongoing professional learning events for teachers, administrators, and technology staff in northern Illinois.
The next generation of makers and designers are current Illinois students. Hear how 3rd graders are using TinkerCAD and 4th graders are engineering adaptive and assistive devices in their classroom
How many advertisements do you come across in one day- ten, fifty, hundreds, thousands? How can you teach your students to navigate this stream of information effectively?
