1 teacher. 1 world. Eco-friendly. EdTech-friendly. Classroom-friendly.Teacher-friendly. Kid-friendly. Parent-friendly. Planet-friendly. Sustainability. Innovation. What can we do to increase the likelihood that this one li'l world will be here eons from now? Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or just someone who firmly believes that every tiny bit helps, let's all be part of the solution rather than adding to the problem, knowing that innovation along the way is the way to make that happen!
Last but not least, this February we get to love Leap Year.
A bonus day! An occurrence that happens only once every 4 years, it's a fun to have it be a "leap year" year!! And with a presidential election ahead this fall, we know that they also happen on leap years too.
But why? Why do we have Leap Years? Well, here's why....and it's all about math!
Looking for some last minute lesson plans for Leap Year? Check these out.
I love me a good conference. I mean, only if it is a REALLY good conference. One filled with loads of workshops by engaging presenters, with ideas that you can put into place the very next day.
Two annual conferences fit that bill for me: MAEOE (my environmental Superbowl) and FETC (an edtech extravaganza).
It didn't work out for me to go this year, but I was thrilled when I got their email announcing their free February 14th's Best of FETC: Top Takeaways and Future Trends for 2024 webinar. Moderated by Rita Ferrandino (FETC Founder), Jennifer Womble (FETC Conference Chair), and Micha Ward (FETC Education Reporter & District Administration).
If you are an edtech junkie, it's definitely worth a listen. On top of the synergetic experiences they all had, some of their big topics of conversation were:
Certification & Badge programs
eSports
Robotics, coding, & drones
Creativity as engagement
All aspects of artificial intelligence: upholding academic integrity, productivity helps to teacher, and AI-built into products as "magic"
How tech can leverage people with disabilities with assistive technologies
Cyber security and digital citizenship
3D printing
Augmented and virtual reality.
One of their big thoughts included the optimism they are seeing in education. The tools that are out there are really giving teachers some of their time back--helping them to automate grading, co-creating lesson plans and streamline teachers work, and making teaching fun again. (Dan Fitzpatrick, author of The AI Classroom, was one of the keynote speakers.)
Other places to go learn more about how FETC was this year:
Hit up social media (especially X, formerly Twitter) and the hashtag #fetc.
#FETC #NotAtFETC--A Padlet crowd-sourced with resources and FETC slide decks
Additionally, FETC is planning monthly webinars will continue to follow their name, carrying the edtech conversation into the "future." You can click here to learn more about that and those future topics.
The world of technology both in and out of the classroom is exciting right now. I expect there will be lots happening in the future! FETC will definitely have its finger on the pulse!
World Thinking Day is a day dedicated to international friendship, and thinking about global issues that impact each other. Themes differ from year to year, but this year's theme is Our World, Our Thriving Future: The Environment and Global Poverty.
Recent themes in years past (which also tie to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) include:
Whether you are a Girl Scout to any degree or not, thinking about our world, it's thriving future, and how the environment ties into global poverty is an important issue to think about.
WAGGGS.org's The 2024 World Thinking Day activity pack: Our World, Our Thriving Future--Here you can download a 58 page activity pack that includes how environmental issues can be solved through innovation and technology, including learning some environmental skills and tying into the natural world.
With February being Black History Month, mid-month is a good time to check in with where you are with educating both your students and yourself about the importance of black history
The literal and figurative heart of February is Valentine's Day. Smack dab in the center of the month (as well as in the center of Random Acts of Kindness Week--this year: Feb 11-17), it's a day centered around the heart and cherishing our loved ones.
In case you need a little history lesson, here's a kid-friendly video on the history of St. Valentine's Day.
We all know about your standard February days of Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, and Leap Year this year. Well that's not all that's in store this month. There's also a slew of Environmental Days as well!
Click below to learn a little bit more about each of these February Environmental Days :
Unless you are living under a rock and have missed all the hubbub about Taylor Swift & Travis Chelsea, you probably know that this weekend is Super Bowl Sunday. Time honored tradition, and always ripe for classroom resources...whether you go to watch the game or the commercials.
It's that chilly time of year where some parts of the country are blanketed with either white, cold, or a combination of both. This is the time that animals who have stockpiled their food supply may be running low. It's that time of the year where our neighboring nature creatures are start really having a hard time finding find food. This is especially true for our feathered friends.
Given that and given that February is National Bird Feeding Month, every year on February 3rd is Feed the Birds Day. The first official one was in 1994, proclaimed by Congressman John Porter, encouraging people to hang their bird feeders to offer food to flyer-by. Additionally, you can help by setting up bird baths for drinking water or birdhouses for shelter.
Also tying in to all this, the Great Backyard Bird Count is held annually for 4 days in February. This year it is February 16-19. The Great Backyard Bird Count gives you an opportunity to be a citizen scientist. Lowest level commitment to participate: find a 15 minute block of time during those 4 days, then record your findings online at birdcount.org. (As I tell my students: you can always do more!!) Your recorded observations will then help scientists get a flavor of the biodiversity in your area, as well as helping to better understanding of global bird populations. You can always learn more at their website.
Whether you are a tried-and-true bird watching aficionado or a casual backyard enthusiast, you can take part during this last leg of winter. Help pump up those extra calories to help them stay warm and help make their search easier. Fill your feeders and embrace that mantra from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams: "If you build it, they will come." Make your backyard a fly-through dinner spot for your neighborhood feathered friends this month, especially here on the 3rd of February!
The mission of Green Team Gazette is to advocate and educate for environmental stewardship, to promote positive examples of "green" living (both in & out of the classroom), to inspire readers to pursue more sustainable choices, and to encourage teachers to embrace technology in their classrooms as a way of capturing student creativity, collaboration, & innovation. It is through engaging teaching practices and forward thinking that our future leaders will flourish.
It's not always easy being green, but I'm pretty passionate in my pursuit! A lot of times, innovation & edtech will get you there! Just don't forget to go outside!!
All posts and commentary are my own and not necessarily those of any organization I am affiliated.
