Welcome back to this “Upgrade Your Teaching” Workshop Series all about using multimedia instruction to enhance your current teaching practices.

We’ve already covered the basics, laying the ground work for understanding what multimedia is and what it looks like. We’ve also explored the benefits and ultimately the impact that multimedia instruction has in the classroom.

But none of that information is helpful unless we have some actionable steps for making multimedia magic happen in the classroom. So, in the next few sessions of this workshop series, I wanted to give you some real practical ways that you can infuse multimedia into your every day instruction.

Multimedia isn’t a separate from our regular instruction - it’s infused into all areas of our classroom.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share some straight-forward ways to upgrade:

• your multiple choice worksheets

• your maps

• your student printables

• your reading activities

• your classroom management systems and strategies (You are HERE!)

• your textbooks

We’ve talked a lot about how we can infuse multimedia into learning, but - let’s not stop there! We can also use multimedia to level up our classroom management. I’ve got some awesome tools that you’ll want to keep in your bag of tricks to keep things fresh and exciting in your classroom!

Using Multimedia & Technology to upgrade your Classroom Management

NOISE LEVEL MONITORS

First of all, let's talk about how you can use multimedia tools to manage the noise level in your classroom. There are actually a bunch of cool options! You've got tools like Calm Counter, Bouncy Balls, Zero Noise Classroom, Too Noisy Lite, and Classcraft. These tools give students a visual way to keep track of their noise level.

Let's take Bouncy Balls as an example. You can display it on your SMARTboard or whiteboard, and it shows bouncy balls at the bottom of the screen. As the noise level goes up, the bouncy balls start rising higher on the screen. And when things quiet down, the balls go back to their resting state. It's a fun and visual way to keep an eye on the noise level. The other tools I mentioned work in similar ways, so you have plenty of options to choose from.

BRAIN BREAKS

Teachers totally get the importance of giving their students a brain break in the classroom. It's all about letting those brains take a breather before diving into the next academic activity.

Luckily, there are some awesome multimedia options you can use for brain breaks. Ever heard of Go Noodle? It's a super fun way to get the kids up and moving with interactive videos. You can also try out guided meditation videos to help everyone relax and find their zen. And hey, how about Cosmic Kids yoga videos? They're a cool way to stretch and have some fun. Oh, and don't forget about directed drawing activities! Art for Kids Hub is my favorite!

So, with these multimedia brain break options, you can keep your students engaged and refreshed throughout the day. It's all about finding the right balance and giving those brains a well-deserved break!

CLASSROOM SCREEN

Let me introduce you to Classroomscreen, the ultimate web-based tool to level up your classroom management and instruction game.

This nifty tool offers a whole bunch of features to help you set the right tone and keep things running smoothly throughout the day. We're talking a customizable timer to keep everyone on track, a noise level meter to maintain that just-right volume, and even a random name picker for those delightful surprises. But wait, there's more!

Classroomscreen also comes with awesome widgets like a drawing tool, text box, and QR code generator. Plus, it's got a built-in clock, calendar, and weather widget to keep your students organized and in the know. Best part? You can easily display Classroomscreen on your SMARTboard or whiteboard, so everyone can stay in the loop.

More Posts in This Series: