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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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Habit Infused Standards

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I’ve spent the first part of my summer doing some professional reading and am ready to start putting that thought into my practice. As I've been reading, I'm aware that it's summertime. The time for infused waters to drink on a hot day and infused oils to accompany our garden fresh salads.
As we look to bring habits of mind into our classroom we need to be cognizant that they are already a part of our classroom work.  But, we may not be including them explicitly in our assessment pieces.  As we look at our course standards we need to be sure that they are infused with these habits of mind and brand them that way.
As I am aligning my course to Next Generation Science Standards, I am realizing that the overarching standards for my course will be based on science practices not simply content. When looking at these practice standards, it’s clear that habits of mind are deeply integrated in them. I have created proficiency scales for each of the practices and will continue to refine them once I put them into practice.  But it is clear that each practice standards contains multiple habits of mind.
If we are looking for our learners to adopt strong habits of mind, they need to be explicit in our practice, our classrooms, and standards. How do your standards lineup?

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