The student learning experience consists of students re-creating the different games. The modules help start students with some basic code and explain how to customize and construct their own additions. 
The Clark County School District (CCSD) set a goal of having one third of their 320,000 students in an online or blended learning environment by the 2015 year. SoftChalk was a major tool in the proverbial tech tool box that allowed us to not only meet, but exceed that goal.Click this link to register. Contact AEA PD Online if you are interested in learning more about how you could use SoftChalk as a part of your blended learning efforts.
Utilizing SoftChalk as a foundation, along with the Canvas Learning Management System, CCSD’s Innovative Learning Environments division has been curating a full catalog of middle school and high school courses. Schools and teachers can use this curriculum at no cost to them, in essence saving the district millions of dollars when it comes to paying outside vendors for a product that may not directly aligned directly with CCSD and Nevada State Content Standards.
Integrated components that have made this endeavor successful are SoftChalk templates based on components of an effective lesson, use of Google docs for assignments, embedded Google Slide presentation inside SoftChalk, and utilizing Subject Matter Experts as lesson idea generators and peer reviewers.
Curriculum-embedded performance tasks are intended to engage students in applying their knowledge and skills in authentic and relevant contexts. Authentic tasks can serve as both rich learning activities and assessments of understanding and transfer. Such tasks enable the integration of 21st century skills (e.g., critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication) with subject area content. At this webinar, Jay will introduce some of the principles and best practices for creating and implementing ELA, science, and social studies performance tasks.Click this link to register http://home.edweb.net/webinar/designing-and-using-performance-tasks/ (if you register and can't make the actual time, edWeb.net will send you the link to the webinar)
Educators who attend this webinar can expect to:
- Learn the characteristics of authentic performance-based tasks and assessments
- Examine practical design tools for creating such tasks
This webinar will be very helpful for ELA, social studies and science teachers of grades 3-12 as well as school and district leaders, including curriculum and assessment specialists.
- Receive a list of valuable recommended resources
As an online instructor, it is sometimes difficult to know which tools to chose/use to best enhance online instruction. There are so many to choose from and it is difficult to know which ones will actually do what you expect them to do. How do you choose? I set about trying to find an answer. Of course there are so many "answers" to this question that I found myself spending a lot of time trying to figure it out."The ultimate goal of the 5 step Ed-Tech Strategy is to act as a guide for educators in order that their courses are kept current and relevant by using emerging technology, yet at the same time ensuring that the instruction continues to be effective so that students are learning the content."Education Week also has some great resources for finding tools to use with students online.
Five Tools and Tips for Working with Students Online
When is an Educational App Classroom Worthy?The following resource has a listing of 10 free to use technology tools. You may be already using some of them. The author, Lara EnglishHIll, has divided them into two groups--Teacher Tools and Student Tools.
My Holiday Gift to Teachers: My Top 10 List of Free Educational Technology ToolsWhat is your favorite ed-tech tool to use in an online environment?
