Spring Break is over and here at Classmate HQ, we’re taking a moment to reflect. Over the past year, we’ve packed our newsletter with loads of content, and we’ve noticed it tends to fall broadly into four categories. We’ve gathered up some of our favourite posts and we’re eager to find out what topics resonate with you the most!
Check out the categories we’ve come up with, and then complete the poll to let us know what you’d like to see more of. Thanks! 🙏
Creative Project Deep Dive 🤿
These posts explore a classroom project that we’ve supported in detail– from beginning to end.
Vol. 44. Perky Pupils Performed a Pack of Prodigious Podcasts 😝
Jen • Mar 21, 2024
This was an exciting one! Caoimhe and I first started talking about recording podcasts as a project idea back in the fall. With her Grade 7 class starting their unit on Ancient Rome, now was the time to put our planning into action. Caoimhe wanted a fun way for her students to report on the different aspects of life, and the impacts Rome has had on our u…
Read full story →
Vol. 29. Byte Sized Soundscapes for Byte Sized Explorers 🎙️🍃
Carlo, Jen • Nov 23, 2023
This week, a story of how nature and tech can create a unique outdoor learning experience for kindergarteners. Anticipation and looming rain clouds were in the air as we prepared for our field trip with Ms. Gabrielle’s Kindergarteners. After weeks of planning, the mission was clear: send our team of 25 little explorers to
Read full story →
STEAM Exploration 🚂
This is where we discuss novel STEAM related products and services that can elevate classroom experiences.
Vol. 31. Rock, Paper, Scissors, Code! 🤖
Dylan • Dec 7, 2023
Last week I was invited into Leigh’s Grade 6 class to help lead a coding activity using Microbits. I'm so into these things! Microbits have to be one of the best implementations of block coding that I've seen. Students have access to a small LED matrix, a speaker, buttons, an accelerometer, and a touch sensor. Including all these elements mean that proj…
Read full story →
Vol 27. Students Grow When They Show What They Know with Video! 🎞️
Dylan • Nov 9, 2023
I love going into Anna’s Grade 6 class. Her students pick the topics they want to explore and the medium they’d like to create in, and Anna challenges her students to find the right tools to convey their message. I was invited into her class because a handful of students were making videos for an upcoming project. She wanted me to answer a few questions…
Read full story →
Classroom Culture 🪴
These posts explore using tech to promote a positive learning environment and culture in the classroom.
Vol. 41. Creating Kindness in the Classroom 🥰
Carlo, Jen • Feb 29, 2024
Today, we’re celebrating Pink Shirt Day with three stories from three classrooms that exemplify the power of kindness. Upstanders in Action 🎬 Our first story is about the positive impact kids (or anyone) can have by being an upstander. An upstander is someone who responds to bullying by confronting the bully directly or by telling a trusted adult. This i…
Read full story →
Vol. 24 Students Make the Rules 🚸
Jen, Carlo • Oct 19, 2023
Let’s be honest, it’s nerve-racking to introduce a class set of iPads to your students for the first time. This can be especially true with the younger kiddos. Class rules are great, but without buy in from your class, you might begin to feel like an angry dictator 😤. So, how can we ensure a great experience for everyone,
Read full story →
Professional Development 🎓
This is where we focus on the incredible conversations we’ve facilitated with teachers like you.
Vol. 43. 5 Portfolio Pointers From Teachers 🧑🏫
Jen • Mar 14, 2024
Back in October we hosted a whole day devoted to portfolios, especially how they tie in perfectly with the new reporting mandate. Since then, I’ve been facilitating more and more small-group conversations with teachers across numerous schools, and some common themes have been emerging. Here’s the top 5 things I’ve learned from talking to teachers about …
Read full story →
Vol. 30 Digital Portfolios Are Just Portfolios 🧐
Dylan, Jen, Carlo • Nov 30, 2023
Last week, our team had the opportunity to co-host a Teacher Networking Day among three schools to spotlight digital portfolios and how they tie in perfectly to the new reporting mandate. Our tool of choice in this case was Seesaw, with its many features that lends itself well to student reflection. Here are some highlights from the day.
Read full story →
Reader Poll 📊
Let us know what you like reading in our poll. Want to read about something else? Let us know in the comments. 👇
Speaking of Reading…
Dylan is reading: To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers. This novella could be a Star Trek: TNG episode. It follows a quartet of space explorers sent across the galaxy in search of new lifeforms. Each planet they land on brings new knowledge about how life exists and what that means for humanity. An incredibly beautiful read!
Carlo is reading: Mabuhay!: A Graphic Novel by Zachary Sterling. This is a family tale of JJ and Althea, Filipino siblings who struggle to fit in at school. When creatures from Filipino folklore threaten their parent’s food truck, JJ and Althea must embrace their culture and save their family.
Nick is reading: The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist. It’s all about the difference between the two sides of the brain (discussing this fell out of fashion for a while, but is making a profound comeback) and how each side facilitates a coherent but incompatible way of experiencing the world. Heavy stuff, but fascinating to read if you like history, science, and/or philosophy. If you want a short version, the author published a 10,000 word essay version that’s much more digestible.