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Generate Instant Pear Decks

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  I’ll keep this short as the video explains most of you. Any new educational technology can be complicated to dig into from scratch as you attempt to align it to learning outcomes.  Well, a new feature that Pear Deck has introduced has taken a giant leap forward to help educators do just that.  Before we jump into the new features, if you are unfamiliar with Pear Deck and why my students and I consider it the #1 EdTech tool that helps their learning, check out the video in the previous blog post.   But if you are more concerned with why you should even dive into Pear Deck or learn about this new AI generation of Pear Deck sessions to a learning target, check out the video below. Like I said, I’m keeping it short so you have time to watch the video. If you have questions, please contact me at mohammam@elmbrookschools.org or the Pear Deck Learning team at support@deck.peardeck.com . Also, check out the amazing Stacey Roshan's video on this update. 
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A Night for Passions

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We had our Personal Learning Project Expo last night.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate all of the learning students did this past term related to their personal passions, many of which tied into the physics concepts we covered in class. Below is a Thinklink with some of the projects from the term. Take a peek at some of the highlights.








There's a lot to think about for next year.  I think still finding new ways to touch base with students during the process is key.  So, formalizing these conversations even more would be beneficial. I really liked incorporating Google Sites as a place for students to collect all of their materials. On their project page, they documented the entire process including:

  • Driving question
  • Pitch Video
  • Process Outline
  • Research with Sources
  • Project Log
  • Final Project
  • Reflections
The sites were not all well organized and this is something I need to model more. Also, I need to put a bit more thought into what is most informative and beneficial for the logging process. I want to make it informative but also reflective. In addition, I would like it each entry to help guide the next step(s) in the process rather than logging just being more of an afterthought. 

My co-teacher Andelee Espinosa is hoping to help make next year bigger and better.

In short, a great way to celebrate the year as a learning community of peers sharing our learning with each other and the community.

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