S.M.A.R.T Steps Week

Dean Graziano, VP of Education for izzit.org®, has authored a proclamation to celebrate and underscore the importance of back-to-school and secured New Hampshire’s Gov. Chris Sununu’s signature on a proclamation declaring September 7-11, 2020 S.M.A.R.T. Steps Week.

S.M.A.R.T. steps mean S-Start with discussion, M-Make informed decisions, A-Access reliable materials and content, R-Respect and be responsible towards varying viewpoints, and T-Thoughtful and tenable responses - building leadership. This proclamation underscores student and educator engagement, being actively engaged and rigorously involved in learning - specifically, development of critical-thinkers and being respectful of others, as well as self-reliant and responsible citizens. Our students should be leaders and educational role models for our younger students. Success in a post-secondary path requires hard work, a strong work ethic, responsibility, and problem-solving abilities. 

 
Because of an ever-changing world due to Covid-19, schools and businesses have had to reinvent learning and preparing students/employees respectively for a new learning/work environment. Simply put, schools and more to-the-point, educators, need effective and proven educational resources NOW! For over fourteen years, izzit.org offers no-cost, high-quality educational materials to educators: teachers, homeschoolers, parents, grandparents, scout troop leaders – to anyone interested in learning/teaching! We are here for you! Explore why critical thinking starts at izzit.org! 

New Hampshire citizens are encouraged to participate in the activities commemorating S.M.A.R.T. Steps Week, September 7-11, 2020. For additional information please contact Dean Graziano at [email protected].

Remote Education Tips – Loom.com By Susan Gable

By now, most of you out there who are teaching remotely (or helping your kids learn remotely) have probably heard of Zoom. Zoom lets you do a digital meeting. It's an awesome tool for connecting with people, something we desperately need right now.

But from an educational standpoint, there are some other options that can help.

Another way of teaching an actual lesson remotely, one that will allow your students more flexibility in when they view the lesson, is to record your presentation to video, and then make that video available to your students. This way if there is shared technology in the home, students don't have to worry about commandeering the tech at an exact time. Maybe their sibling needs to the computer at that time, or their parent is using the same computer to work from home.

Check out Loom.com. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Loom has even taken the step of making their product FREE to educators. Forever. (Yes, I know, it's an amazing thing! Well done, Loom!)

Loom allows you to make recordings that utilize your camera, your screen, or both at the same time. Students can see you presenting the material, hear your voice, and see the material you're presenting. Right now, seeing and hearing you, their teacher, is a big help. Connection is something we're all craving during this social distancing. 

Use your screen to present your lessons, whether it's using a website, a Google Slide or PowerPoint Presentation, or drawing equations on screen.

Besides making lessons more flexible for your students, this also allows you to give the lesson once…and have it forever! No more doing the same lesson over and over again. Let the students watch, and then you can handle their questions and provide one-on-one help – a much better use of your time!

This video gives you a quick look at what your students will see when they watch a presentation you've recorded.

More Loom Resources:

Read and watch 2 short video tutorials about Loom here: https://support.loom.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002236078-Record-a-presentation-with-Loom- 

Teaching a Lesson with Loom and a Google Slide Presentation:
https://www.loom.com/share/fab1ce90848943188760d8f9ddda0c57 

Teaching a Lessons with Loom and a PowerPoint Presentation: https://www.loom.com/share/91783d6ed2db4bb1a8204a02e162ea11 

More Helpful Tips for Parents & Educators Who Will Be Educating Kids Remotely Due to the Coronavirus Situation By Susan Gable

With more schools going to remote (online) learning because of the Coronavirus, we wanted to offer some help! Here are some things we've found that can help both parents and teachers during this time period. This is a good time to show kids that learning isn't just for in-school, or as directed by their teachers. Learning is everywhere and all the time. Here are some great places for you to find online opportunities for your kids.

Make sure students can access the internet!

Comcast is Offering 60 Days of Free Internet Access and Increased Speeds to Low-Income Customers

The U.S. Constitution & Black History  A FREE online course that explores how changes to the laws via Constitutional amendments and Supreme Court Cases impacted the history of black Americans.  (Your student will receive a certificate upon completion of the course at the email they sign up with. Ages 13 and older.)

Current Events – 2 lessons with vocabulary words and higher-level discussion questions each school day. (Or what would be school days under normal circumstances!) Engage your students with what's going on in the world. (Must be signed in to a FREE izzit.org account to view/use the lessons.)

Scholastic Learn at Home – PreK – Grade 6+

National Geographic Kids  

iCivics

Khan Academy   

Udemy Inexpensive courses (look for sales!) to learn all kinds of things, from economics and American History, to graphic design or Excel.  

Open Culture Online Courses – Listing of free online education courses from universities around the world. 

Academic Earth – Another site with listings of free online college courses.

 

Duolingo – This is a free app for online or your cell phone that allows you to study foreign languages, from Spanish and German to Japanese and even Klingon. It simultaneously immerses the learner in reading, writing, and speaking the language. (Seriously, this is FUN! Try it out.) 

How about a virtual field trip to a museum? Here's an article with links to 12 Famous Museums that you can explore without actually leaving home.

E-Learning Fills in the Gaps By Susan Gable

It could be weather-related or a water main break. It could be due to mass illness. (We all know kids are germ magnets!) School's closed! Unexpected day off! Break out the hot chocolate and stay in your pajamas.

But we all know there's no such thing as a free lunch – or a free day off, especially if your district has already exhausted any "free days" built into the calendar.

More and more districts are using a variety of e-learning and "flipped classroom" models to fill in the gaps when students can't be in school. This prevents the need for makeup days, usually added at the end of the year or taken from a vacation period.

Needed to Take Advantage of E-Learning Makeup Days:

1. Technology – This method works best in districts where students have been issued laptops/Chromebooks by the school. That ensures all students have the tools they need to do the work.
2. Home Internet Access – It goes without saying this makes it work, particularly for inclement weather that pops up unexpectedly, without giving teachers a chance to have students download materials.
3. Learning Management System (LMS) – This helps tremendously with structure. Students will already be accustomed to accessing teachers' lessons and assignments, and communicating with their teacher this way.

izzit.org Can Help, Too

Educators can create an account to access free materials at izzit.org that work great for these types of makeup days.

Students can access the site via their teacher's class code and watch 10-15-minute videos designed to promote critical thinking. They cover from economics, science, and health, to geography and family & consumer science. You can even find some that integrate music and social studies! Students can then take an online quiz. 

Assign a Current Events lesson, with vocabulary words and higher-level discussion questions. Have students write essays for answers, then return to class the next day prepared to discuss! Or, if your LMS includes a forum capability, host the discussion there.

Looking for something even shorter? Check out the collection of Teachable Moments videos – short, right-to-the-point videos that are less than 5 minutes long and include supplemental activities.

There's also a new online mini-course, The U.S. Constitution & Black History, which can be used online, or dragged into your SCORM 1.2 compatible LMS.


You don't have to wait for an e-learning day. izzit.org also offers complete substitute lesson plans that incorporate their materials. Other teachers use them on a regular basis to bring the curriculum to life with high-interest videos. Create your free account today!

Financial Literacy - Coming Soon from izzit.org!

Money can't buy happiness... but knowing how to manage it sure can increase your happiness!

Teach your students all the basics of Financial Literacy with our upcoming video.

From budgets and compound interest, to the time value of money and why savings needs to become a habit, we cover what your students need to know!

Learn more here.

New Interactive Course from izzit.org

We just released a brand new product for izzit.org, our very first interactive mini-course.

The U.S. Constitution & Black History course (available to educators as either an online course or as a course module that can be loaded into an LMS) examines how the laws of the United States, starting with the Constitution itself, have impacted the history of black Americans. It covers important Supreme Court cases like Dred Scott, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of Ed. How have we moved toward a more inclusive nation? One that strives to live up to the words Thomas Jefferson penned in the Declaration of Independence, "...all men are created equal"?

Open Structured Course

This version of the course is an open structured course - a participant is not "funneled" through the course in the structured sequence, but rather is free to explore the segments of the course that most appeal to them, in the order they want.

Closed Structured Course

Participants are required to complete the course in sequence and must view at least 90% of each video and complete any quizzes in order to proceed to the next segment.

If you are an educator looking to preview this course for use in your classroom, we recommend the Open Structure Course. If you would like to assign the course to your individual students and know for sure that they are completing each section, we recommend you send them to the Closed Structure Course. If you want your students to only complete certain segments of the course, send them to the Open Structure Course and have them complete the segments you wish.

Your FEEDBACK is invaluable and much appreciated! Please take the time, after using the course, to complete a feedback form.

The course has been aligned to all the most common standards. You can use our Standards Alignment tool if you need to document which standards you're covering by using this course.

NOTE: Course cartridge created in SCORM 1.2. If not compatible with your LMS, email us.

Vice President of Educational Outreach of izzit.org

An immediate opportunity for a Vice President of Educational Outreach at izzit.org. Join a non-profit media company with world-wide reach.  This newly created position will be a key contributor to our management team.  Position may be based remotely, with visits to company headquarters in Erie, PA as appropriate. We are looking for a hands-on leader with demonstrated results. 

The successful candidate will be immediately assisted by our Director of Education, Content/Customer Support team and a complete suite of shared services (Admin, Marketing, Graphics, IT). Additional dedicated staff will be added as a result of success in achieving growth.

We are a data-driven organization and seek someone who will define metrics for success for each campaign (traditional and digital) or event, then implement, track and optimize those campaigns/events.      

Travel is required. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are a must. For more information about our organization visit www.izzit.org . If interested, please submit a resume and cover letter telling us how your experience can help our organization to [email protected]. 

Key Components:

• With CEO, develop strategic plan with measurable growth-oriented goals for 1, 3 and 7 years
• With Director of Education and Director of Marketing, develop plan for marketing and promotion of teaching units, current events lessons, educational courses, and Teachable Moments
• Cultivate relationships with industry experts, distribution channels, and organizations
• With CEO, responsible for direct and indirect solicitation of funding from non-government sources to support the annual budget, including identification of potential funding sources
• Manage to an ever-changing budget
• Identify external advocates who can champion our projects with their targeted audience; build relationships with school boards and district officials, educational and other organizations for potential alliances
• Identify new channels for distribution and define measurable goals for success with each channel
• Participate in creative/brainstorming for projects when appropriate
• Co-plan events / conferences / annual dinners
• Provide information and commentary for brainstorms, deliberations and rough cuts;
• Maintain brand integrity, including logo use, verbiage and other details that identify izzit.org and all its products, websites and communications.
• Develop and maintain relationships with organizations for product releases
• Develop new uses for existing products.
• Submit entries to festivals / award and follow up
• Reports 

Geography as Destiny - Coming Soon from izzit.org!

Why were the Aztec no match for the Spanish? Did geography of the cultures play a part?

Can geography influence the success (or failure) of a culture? Some scholars think it can. Explore this concept with a look at the Aztec and Spanish and the battle for Tenochtitlan.

Help your students understand that geography is about far more than just locating places on a map. Watch the trailer now!

Learn more about this upcoming educational video here.

New Release - I Am Human

We just released our first educational video for the new school year!  

What are you? Some multiracial individuals are declaring "I Am Human." What are the implications for society?

You can watch and download this new program here. 

I Am Human - Coming Soon from izzit.org!

"It's very tempting to say, let's just forget it. I'm a human being."

The multiracial population in America is increasing. And it seems like most people – and society as a whole – would like these folks to "pick a side." To identify as one race or the other.

But as demographics shift from separate races to more of a continuum, who gets to decide how these individuals identify?

Meet several multiracial individuals, and hear about their experiences. What implications does this have for our society? Can we move beyond race?

Learn more about this upcoming educational video here.