Many educators across the state are in full blast-off mode - you are creating lesson plans, changing student seating, and maybe even grading papers. But this post will ask you to take a step back, and think about how you get ready to launch your students' learning. This post is about the motivation for your 12 hour, no-bathroom break, opening ketchup packet days - this is Mission Control.
If you think about what it could possibly take to launch humans into space, you know that the checklist of to-dos for astronauts and NASA staff is long and complex. Much is needed to put a human on the moon safely, with all the supplies, skills, and critical thinking intact. Is it a stretch to say that preparing to launch your own students' learning is just as complex a mission? If you really think about what you must do to prepare, instruct, and reflect, then you know the comparison is not too out of this world. Thinking - really thinking - about our mission for students requires us to be intentional in our profession. We can be intentional in our planning, instruction, and reflection to support the motivation behind those long days: student learning. INFOhio's quality resources, tools, and professional development can help you in your mission. Here are 8 ways to use INFOhio to help launch student learning.
When you are intentional in how you prepare for lessons, addressing student needs and targeting specific outcomes are essential. When you need to successfully integrate stellar materials and resources, here's how INFOhio works for you.
1. Educator Tools - the Educator Tools contains the contents of the former INFOhio Curriculum Toolbox and INFOhio Toolkit. This new search-friendly environment makes it easy for you to find materials for your learning management system, lesson plans, or resources for parents for open house. You can get ready for student learning when you find helpful articles on educational trends such as close reading or academic vocabulary. You can be intentional in your planning when you search for helpful how-to videos on INFOhio resources to share with students. Check out the Educator Tools when you are preparing for student learning!
2. ISearch - ISearch is INFOhio's search tool that helps students be college and career ready. It is like the search tools used by most college and public libraries and allows students and teachers to search nearly all of the INFOhio databases. It will help you prepare for student learning by bringing you informational text and ebooks, videos, and primary source documents that will address student needs and support learning outcomes. ISearch is now available on the INFOhio home page so you can start looking for lesson support materials right away.
Intentional instruction is both student and teacher-driven and outcomes are explicit. It uses formative assessment and is interactive. INFOhio has the resources and materials you need to safely orbit intentional instruction.
3. ISearch is not just for planning. It is also a valuable tool for instruction. Using ISearch's digital text is a key part of helping students be ready to soar when comprehending and analyzing text whether it is print or online. Use the complex text from ISearch in every grade level and content area classroom. Scaffold it for student learning, integrate it into your teaching, chunk it, and model how to interact with it.
4. Google Integration - INFOhio's resources work with Google too. ISearch's results can be sent to Google Classroom or Google Drive. You can be intentional in how you want your students to engage with text by choosing the best method for them to read it - online or print? World Book resources, including World Book Student, also allows articles to be sent to Google Drive. And Science Online's impressive learning modules and book excerpts can also be saved to Google Drive. If you have not used this resource and its powerful visuals, interactive experiments, and informational text, be sure to check it out!
5. BookFlix - The fiction and nonfiction pairs in this resource are perfect when educators want to be intentional about using digital text in their instruction, whether in reading class or science, social studies, math, and health. BookFlix's highlighted text, read aloud option, and interactive puzzlers are a great way to integrate words on the screen into the classroom. The other great thing about BookFlix? It's perfect for making learning fun, too. Don't miss the new titles coming at the end of August - including favorites I'm Brave and Bink and Gollie.
6. Book Nook - Be intentional and help students connect learning to digital creation using INFOhio's Book Nook, a collection of student-created book trailers. Along with 387 book trailers, this resource connects students to the digital tools and skills necessary to contribute to the digital community. Teachers will find lesson plans and resources to support important student-driven learning. Students will love to share their creation with parents, and you can be intentional in highlighting the work you do to meet outcomes.
Once the class is over, the work is far from done. Now is the time to reflect - on your work and the students'. Keep the outcome in mind and decide the best action to make, whether it is to reteach, connect with other educators, or share what you have learned. Reflecting on learning is necessary for true mission success, and INFOhio can help!
7. Professional Development - How do you learn? Do you search for more information on topics important to you? Do you work with a group of like-minded educators? The professional development resources from INFOhio can help facilitate learning your way. Try out Success in Six, where you can earn contact hours and learn more about topics such as blended learning, research tools, or differentiation in 3 hour modules. Or check out Learn With INFOhio webinars. Don't miss our recordings for Back To School, where you can get even more great ideas of how to use INFOhio in the classroom. All the webinars allow you earn contact hours as well. Need to some real in-depth learning with INFOhio? Contact a regional ICoach to come and present at your building, or learn how to be a District/Building ICoach. Earn at least 15 contact hours completing this training, and earn credibility as an INFOhio trainer at the same time!
8. Stay Connected - INFOhio has several methods for outreach. You can sign up for our newsletter, our email list, or follow us on social media. Be intentional in your own reflection and share what you have learned using INFOhio's resources and tools. Use #INFOhioWorks and tag your administrators and legislators so they know how you are learning and helping students learn with INFOhio.
More than likely, even if school has started for you yet, you have already spent long days preparing for the arrival of the students. Don't forget to take a break from bulletin boards or color-coding bookshelves by genre to think about the mission for the year. INFOhio is the launchpad for student learning.