Have you spent 15 minutes, or even 35 minutes hunching over your students’ keyboards helping them log in to technology? Many teachers dread time using devices because logging in is a nightmare. 

Teachers switch from passwords to Badges

In 2015, the folks at Clever set out to solve teachers’ frustrations with student logins. We created unique, secure physical passcodes in the form of Clever Badges (which look just like QR codes). Now, more than 4 million K-3 students globally use Clever Badges to log in to their digital learning software.

Let’s say logging in with Badges is 3 minutes faster than the traditional login method (though, some teachers say it’s up to 15 minutes faster). With over 4 million students using Badges, that means Badges saved teachers about 200,000 instructional hours in the 2022-23 school year. And 100,000 hours were saved the year prior. No matter how you crunch the numbers — Badges give teachers more time to teach, and students more time to learn. 

With Clever Badges, students just hold the Badge up to the device’s webcam and log in to their learning software with one simple scan.

Logging in is more secure with Badges

Not only are Badges a fast and fun way to log in, but they’re also a much safer alternative to methods some classrooms use to help younger learners log in.

Instead of helping students keep track of their passwords by writing them down on post-it notes or sharing them among students, Badges keep login information private and safe.

Older students can also benefit from the simple access experience of Clever Badges. They can be paired with a unique, six-digit code to add an additional layer of security to account access for these students.

How exactly do Badges change the game in K-3 classrooms? We invited three teachers to share their stories and advice around using Clever Badges with their students.

Before Badges: A login nightmare

Julie Blosson, Maryland Elementary School, Ohio: It was a complete and utter nightmare. My students are 6 years old. Their login was firstname.lastname.k.us and their passwords were impossible. It would include capital letters, but most students don’t even know what a shift button is yet.

Sharon Goff, Lake Ridge Elementary School, Virginia: Prior to using the badges, having second graders log in was one of the biggest challenges. We have computer lab for 45 minutes. When students first needed to type their usernames and passwords, there were times when even after 35 minutes one or two students would still be trying to log in. At times, it made me dread doing activities with technology.

Chris McKinney, TOSA for technology integration and staff development, Sumter County School District*, Alabama: In general, kindergarten students were spending 15 minutes per day typing in an 11-character username and an 11-character password during the first quarter of school. It was frustrating for students and for their teachers. 

*Chris’s responses are based on the feedback shared by primary grade teachers as Bushnell, Lake Panasoffkee, Webster, and Wildwood elementary schools who are regularly using Clever Badges in their classrooms.

Students’ reactions to using Badges

Julie: My students think they are super cool because they get to use a camera to log in. Adults have cell phones and take pictures all the time, but kids also want to use the camera and have a reason to use a grownup tool. 

Chris: All four of the elementary schools in Sumter County were happy with the change to Badges, especially kindergarten and first-grade students. First graders use 1:1 laptops with a built-in camera and kindergarteners use devices with a plug-and-play USB camera.

The benefits of Clever Badges

Julie: Now it’s a lot easier to use the tools I want to use in my classroom. I’ve used XtraMath in the past but didn’t use it last year because logging in was a nightmare. This year I added XtraMath to my Clever Page, and now Clever does everything for me. I tell students to “Go to the Ducky Page” because my avatar is the duck. They go get their Badges and find a quiet place in the room to work. In my Friday emails, I say, “Don’t forget to get on Clever and go to XtraMath.” I love that they can do Clever at home too!

Sharon: It’s easier just having everything in Clever, all in the same spot. I used to have five or six binder rings with all the various logins. Students no longer have to memorize those various logins. They don’t have to memorize anything. 

Chris: Students can spend more time on academics, instead of manually logging into devices. Teachers can spend more time working with students on academic content, instead of helping students log into devices. During the first quarter, students get back about an hour of academic time and teachers get back about an hour of teaching/remediation time. At one school, the kindergarten teachers were so appreciative that they sent the district coordinator of instructional academic technology a bouquet of flowers as a thank you for supporting Clever Badges.

Teachers’ tips for using Badges

With any new and exciting tool to use in classrooms, there is some nuance that comes with Badges. We asked Julia, Sharon, and Chris to share their tips and advice on using Badges in K-3 classrooms. 

Using Badges for the first time:

• Invite your students to decorate their Badges to add excitement to this new tool.
• The hardest part is to “allow” camera use before actually scanning the QR code. 
• With some devices, students need to flip around the camera before scanning Badges. (Read more.)
• Students and teachers accidentally cover the code with their fingers when attempting to scan Badges. Tip: Do a 5-minute lesson with the class about how to use the index finger and thumb to hold up Badges.
• Make sure to keep Badges secure. Don’t let students take pictures of their Clever Badges or borrow them from one another.
• Teach one of your students how to log in with a Clever Badge first, then that student will have a sense of responsibility when they help other students use Badges.
• Teachers will need a management system, as they would with any login system for primary age students, for keeping tracking of the physical badge used for scanning.

Want to learn more about using Badges in your K-3 classroom? If your school isn’t using Badges yet, learn more on Clever’s website. For more tips on using Badges in your classroom, check out our Help Center articles.

*This post was initially published in 2019 and has been subsequently updated to incorporate more current data.

The post Badges: How teachers saved 200k hours in a school year first appeared on Clever.

Education is undergoing a transformation, and one of the keys to that transformation is artificial intelligence (AI). In K-12 education, AI tools provide opportunities to enhance teaching and learning. But as with any innovation to take place in classrooms, with it comes concerns, proper vetting, and time for educators to learn how to securely leverage new tools. 

In Spring 2023, Clever conducted a survey of over 1,500 teachers and administrators nationwide. While most teachers and administrators agree that AI will have a significant impact on teaching, the findings also show the need to proactively address the emerging challenges and opportunities presented by AI. 

AI to revolutionize K-12 education

Here at Clever, we firmly believe that edtech can enhance teachers’ jobs, not replace them. In our survey, 63% of teachers reported that edtech has significantly streamlined their work, freeing up time to better support students–and themselves.

AI: Streamlining tasks for educators

Technology tools like AI have the ability to streamline teachers’ work. Tools like ChatGPT can be a teacher’s assistant—from administrative tasks, to providing personalized learning experiences, and assisting with assessments.

By automating time-consuming activities such as generating progress reports or drafting emails to send to parents, AI-powered tools enable teachers to allocate their time and energy to more impactful activities like one-on-one interactions with students, personalizing lessons, and providing targeted feedback. This has the potential to significantly enhance the quality of education, as teachers can focus on fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in their students.

AI: Estimated to save hours for teachers

In a time when only 49% of teachers’ time is spent with students, we’re excited about any edtech tool can help streamline their jobs. In fact, teachers say that Clever Badges save an average of 3 minutes of classroom time, and those minutes add up daily. 

A report by McKinsey suggests that AI technology has immense potential to be a time-saving tool for teachers. Their report suggested outcomes such as reducing the average 11 hours of weekly preparation to only six hours. 

If you’ve ever interacted with tools like ChatGPT, you know how quickly information can flow out of it. We spoke to elementary teacher Elizabeth Zimmerman from Florida, who uses the tool to generate word lists and vocabulary sentence examples. She says having all the ideas generated in one place—rather than jumping to multiple sources—saves her lots of time too. 

Preparing K-12 educators for AI integration

While most teachers and administrators agree that AI will have a significant impact on K-12 teaching and learning, there is still uncertainty and confusion around how to prepare schools for this transformation. 

Are teachers prepared for AI?Are teachers ready to embrace this new time-saving tool? Clever’s survey found that 49% of educators expressed concern that AI will make their jobs more challenging. And while there are time-saving benefits for teachers, most schools are understandably more focused on the risks that come with AI tools, such as student misuse, data privacy, and plagiarism.

Providing AI guidance to educators

With any new tool or innovation, it’s essential for districts to provide guidance to educators to ensure they are knowledgeable and equipped to leverage that tool in a secure way. However, Clever’s recent survey found that 89% of districts do not currently offer AI-focused professional development as of Spring 2023. This presents an incredible opportunity for professional development this summer and during the school year. 

School districts and educational institutions should provide comprehensive training on AI tools and platforms, focusing on both the technical aspects and the pedagogical implications. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, teachers can explore innovative ways to integrate AI into their instruction and leverage its full potential.

We spoke to Ron Velez, the Director of Technology for White Plains City School District (WPCSD) in New York. This summer, his district is offering teachers an optional, full AI course to get better acquainted with the tool and its time-saving potential as a teaching assistant. 

What’s key in WPCSD is their approach to involving teachers in the development of professional development. “We will have a core group of the teacher participants from our AI course to help design a framework that the entire staff can use as a reference,” he told Clever. 

Educators should be involved in the decision-making process when adopting AI technologies. Their input and expertise are invaluable in selecting tools that align with the specific needs of their students and curriculum. Engaging teachers as active participants in the implementation of AI fosters a sense of ownership and ensures that the technology is used effectively to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.

AI in classrooms: What comes next?

We’re excited to see how AI tools can help save time for teachers, and what teachers will be able to do with that saved time. Clever’s CEO Trish Sparks said it best, “AI is changing the way we approach education, and this shift is happening faster than most people realize. As a former teacher, I see the potential to streamline administrative work for educators so they can invest in what’s most impactful – learning in the classroom.”

This summer and in the fall, we expect to see districts providing more AI-focused professional development for their educators and staff. We’re also watching coalitions like Teach AI—a quickly-convened partnership of major education groups including Khan Academy, ISTE, Digital Promise, and PowerSchool—planning to produce reports and guidelines for AI tools in education. 

By harnessing the power of AI while preserving the invaluable role of teachers, we can create a future where education becomes more inclusive, adaptive, and empowering for all learners.

Want to join the conversation around AI and the Future of Education? Connect with Clever, or share this article on LinkedIn with your reactions and ideas.

The post AI proves time-saving potential for teachers, but are they ready? first appeared on Clever.

Clever Academy, our on-demand training platform, is ready to support you and your district this back to school season, with a more personalized experience and new course content! 

Flexible learning modules for admins, educators, and tech coaches at every level

No two learners are alike. Likewise, we’ve updated Clever Academy to better meet your personal needs as a Clever user! 

When you log in to Clever Academy, you’ll see three options: 

1. Certifications: These are perfect for users who are just starting with Clever, or for anyone who wants to become a certified Clever Champion who knows how to get the most out of edtech!
2. Quick start guides: If you’re in a hurry and need to get going with Clever features quickly, these guides are perfect for you.
3. Product spotlights: Already know a bit about Clever, but want to dig further into a specific product? These spotlights are just for you!

New content to ensure a successful Clever rollout

Districts tell us they want an easy, clear guide to rollout Clever for their entire district. With your feedback in mind, we’ve added oodles of new, relevant content for any school district to benefit from.

Admin checklist 2022-23: Whether you’re new to Clever or rolling out the portal again for Back to School 2022, this checklist will ensure a successful implementation. Use this checklist if you’re a new district, a new District Admin in an existing district, or simply want to ensure you’re getting the most out of Clever! This is only accessible to district admin in Clever.

Using Clever with your Learning Management System: Clever and your LMS should be best friends! This Quick Start Guide walks through how our most successful districts use Clever with their LMS to simplify edtech, provide a fallback option for tech outages, and more. This is only accessible to district admin in Clever.

New product spotlights: We’ve added Product Spotlights on Clever Library, Clever App Store, the Troubleshoot Sharing Tool, and more! These bite-size lessons offer clickable tutorials to learn about Clever products.

New for admins: Community conversations about the future of learning

How are K12 leaders across the country approaching the ever-changing challenges in providing equitable digital learning opportunities? In our Community Conversations Catalog, hear from district executives, industry leaders, and education visionaries on the following topics:

• Strategies for edtech procurement
• Edtech trends district leaders can plan for
• Strategies for achieving digital equity and inclusion
• Keeping student data secure
• The future of personalized learning, with a keynote from Sal Khan
• Fostering parent engagement in your district

These modules are only accessible to district admin in Clever.

As always, Clever Academy content is available 24/7, and will auto-save your progress, so you can complete content when it makes sense for you. 

Whether you’ve already dug into Clever Academy or you’re just getting going, we’ve saved a seat for you this BTS! Dig in today at Clever.academy!

The post Clever Academy: New with admin checklist, LMS integration content, and more first appeared on Clever.

Back in May, we announced Kahoot!’s plans to acquire Clever. Today we’re thrilled to share that the acquisition is complete–Clever has joined Kahoot! For the past decade at Clever, we’ve worked to make school more engaging, personalized, and equitable. Now we’re excited to work together with the crew at Kahoot! towards our shared mission of improving education for learners everywhere.

What’s ahead? 

The things you love about Clever aren’t going anywhere. We’ll continue to offer the same free platform to districts, thanks to the network of partners who work with us to make this possible. We’ll keep pursuing an ambitious roadmap for our application partners and schools. And of course, you’ll always get the same fantastic support and dedication from our team.

Kahoot! is coming to Clever

And other things are getting even better. First, Kahoot! is coming to Clever. As one of the most beloved and requested apps used by teachers, we’re thrilled that Kahoot! is now available in Clever Library!  Soon, more great products from Kahoot!´s family of learning apps will be available on Clever, giving districts scalable and secure ways to make these great products easily accessible to all their learners. We can’t wait until students and teachers can access the wildly popular Kahoot! Group applications alongside the other great applications on Clever.

Plans for Clever to go global

And next, Clever is going global. We’re starting work to offer Clever to schools and applications outside the U.S. and Canada. With the help of the incredible international expertise in the Kahoot! Group, we’re accelerating our plans to bring the benefits of Clever to classrooms and edtech developers all around the world.

While this is an incredibly exciting week for Clever, we know our most important job right now is making sure all of the schools and applications depending on Clever have an incredible Back to School. So if you haven’t already, sign your school or application up for a Clever account, follow us on Twitter, or let us know if you need any help.

The post Clever+Kahoot!, making learning even more awesome first appeared on Clever.

We know technology will play a major role in the future of classroom instruction, but how can teachers use technology to create student-led learning environments? A panel of education experts dive deep into how we can navigate the future of digital instruction.

This discussion is a part of Clever’s ongoing efforts to bring together teachers, administrators, and edtech companies to advance the field of digital learning. This Q&A is based on a conversation moderated by Javeria Salman of the Hechinger Report.

What lessons have you learned over the past year that you’re planning on bringing into the classroom or as we begin to return to physical school?

Dan Gohl, Broward County Public Schools: We don’t want to lose the asynchronous nature of at-home learning. During lockdown, kids could go off and do their work and then come back together to talk about that work. We’re aiming to retain that flexibility, the decoupling of seat time from concept achievement, in order to increase student learning outcomes. There are a lot of degrees of personal freedom that, if we’re not careful, are going to make school feel overly constrained. We hope to maximize flexibility, while at the same time, remain focused on the best of being physically together and digitally connected.

Ashley Jarrell, Chicago Public School, Stagg School of Excellence: During distance learning, my classroom no longer had seats or rows. Everybody was sitting in the way that was most conducive to their learning. When this happened in March, I said to my principal, “Now this is really personalized learning.” 

How do we leverage these autonomy and agency skills in students? During remote learning, my students have more agency: they are able to go to the bathroom when they want, or walk around and get a snack. How can I now penalize them for having that experience for a year? For me, it’s really about taking that overly structured aspect out of education and deeply understanding what students developed in themselves while they were away. I don’t want it to go back to the way it used to be because it would be unfair and unjust.

Students have the capacity to do a lot more than our society allows them, so when I think about getting back in the classroom, how do I partner with them to create spaces for them to run the classroom while I’m in a small group?

That’s what I want to continue to take with me as I move forth, and respect them as people.

Dr. Jennifer Williams, Co-founder of TeachSDGs and Take Action Global, President of the Board, ISTE Education Leaders PLN: I’m hearing a lot on this theme of humanity from my fellow panelists. It’s these connections that we’ve been able to establish with use of innovation and tech. 

We need administrators to find ways to model that humanity for our teachers and our students. I know when I was administrator, things fell apart all the time, and you had to put on this stoic face. But this past year, we’ve all gone through something together, and we didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into.

What do you think the future of digital instruction looks like?

Dan Gohl: At one point learners went to their teacher to find out what information they needed to know and memorize certain knowledge and learn certain skills. Then we packaged that material into books, and teachers would assign things from the books.

The digital revolution, combined with the communications revolution, has really now inverted the way classrooms look. There is far more information available. And swimming in all that information is some stuff that we’re expecting everyone to know in common to be able to create a civic society. If we are not careful, people will be so far apart in this ocean of disassociated information and echo chambers of perspective that they’ll be unable to communicate meaningfully with each other. 

As educators, our future will be about helping students build the skills they need to become information judges. Before, this was the job of the librarian; now every teacher needs to be able to do this. Teachers must teach about why it’s important to both be self-sufficient and civically dependent, so that students don’t end up living in echo chambers.

Dr. Jennifer Wiliams: I think the future of education is going to be fun. I’m really enthusiastic and optimistic. I think that we’re going to see some great things. I’m a champion of teachers and students and I think we’re quite a resilient bunch, and that we will pull through with great wins. I also believe in small wins, and I think those small wins add up. I know, for me, sometimes things can be quite overwhelming—how do you move a massive machine when you’re just one person? But when you start to have those daily wins and then move forward in that way, you can start to know that collectively we can do great things. So I’m quite enthusiastic.

Ashley Jarrell: I too share in Jennifer’s enthusiasm. I’m excited that my practice was pushed and that I was pushed into new levels of growth. If you weren’t in a growth mindset, you are now because you had to grow in a way that you’ve never had to grow before. I hope that we continue to have the capacity for growth and change, and adapt to what’s happening.

There are ways to balance student agency and instructional needs.

When I first tried this, people said we wouldn’t perform. Now our attainment in my grade level is off the charts. It’s because the students have some advocacy and some agency. They know how to use the standards, so we need to continue that work moving forward.

I think back to what Dan Carroll said about the history of education and how it all started. It was time for a change; we’re in a new age where our students have access with the touch of their fingers to almost anything they want. So we’ve had to leverage that in this space. School can’t just be in a room with rows. It has to be of student interest, student voice, student choice. 

This interview was originally conducted by Javeria Salman (Hechinger Report) during Clever’s panel discussion on the Future of Digital Instruction. Watch the full discussion.

The post How educators are building student-first learning with edtech first appeared on Clever.

In the last year, you’ve likely become an edtech master. Or, at the very least, you started learning the ropes. You’re likely ready to continue using some (or maybe many!) edtech tools as you prep for Back to School. 

Whether you’re still learning, or consider yourself a pro, we have training to help you get the most out of Clever and digital learning tools in general, with Clever Academy. Ready to level up your edtech skills before school starts? Get certified in Clever Academy! 

Complete edtech training before the first day of school

Clever Academy is our training platform, full of at-your-own-pace training for all Clever users: from complete beginners to seasoned pros, including teachers, tech coaches, and district admin.

Through Clever Academy, you can also become a certified Clever Champion, and even access training resources to plan and execute a live training for your district. 

What’s new in Clever Academy in 2021

Clever Academy has been refreshed and upgraded based on feedback from thousands of Clever educators like you.

From new videos to interactive lessons, Clever Academy helps streamline edtech training for school staff. This year you can expect:

• New videos. There’s a new champion in town! We’ve invited a new advocate to walk you through Clever Academy lessons. 
• Interactive lessons. We’ve upgraded the lessons with step-by-step walkthroughs to help you keep using edtech purposefully. 
• Test-out options. Prove mastery of content you’re already familiar with and move more quickly to become a certified Clever Champion. Start at Level 1 under the Certifications section to test out.
• Product spotlights. More content for our most experienced Clever users. These bite-sized courses dive deep into using specific tools, such as Analytics, Clever Messaging, and more.

Ready to level up your edtech skills before school starts? Click here to go to your Clever Academy account! 

The post Updates to Clever Academy streamlines training for Back to School first appeared on Clever.

When I transitioned from teacher to tech director, I set a goal to make sure teachers never had to lift a finger when it came to technology setup and IT work. That goal inspired me to start Clever—to make technology easier for schools, and give teachers more time to teach. And that goal is also why I’m thrilled to announce Clever’s new partnership with Google Classroom. 

Building a better digital classroom with Google

With increased digital learning and more teachers turning to Google Classroom as the home for classroom assignments and discussions, educators have been burdened with setting up classes manually, creating time-consuming tasks for teachers and a barrier to consistent adoption for districts. 

With the Clever partnership, school districts with Google Workspace for Education Plus will have all their classes ready and available in Google Classroom from the first day of school with automatic roster updates whenever data changes in the SIS—saving time for teachers and ensuring equitable access for all students. The Clever and Google integration is available at no cost for districts using Google Workspace for Education Plus. Sign up to let us know you’re interested.

Why am I excited about this partnership? As someone who reads through all of the feedback we receive from teachers and school districts, I can confidently say this integration is a top request by administrators and educators.

Making Google Classroom easy for teachers too

I wish Google Classroom existed when I was a teacher and a tech director. I know my teachers would have loved to use it. But at the same time… I might have felt guilty asking teachers to set up Google Classroom without the help of automated provisioning. 

Think about the first day of school, when students switch classes or enroll in your school mid-year. That’s when teachers want to focus on building relationships and developing trust with their new pupils. It’s not the time to burden a teacher with the technical work of manually adding a student to Google Classroom, plus if the task is not completed immediately there’s a risk that the student will miss assignments. This partnership will ensure that Google Classroom is automatically set up for teachers, and ready for every student to use, every day of school. 

Millions of teachers already feel confident using Google Classroom and ensuring their data is up to date. Now with Clever, even tech-hesitant teachers can feel confident in this endeavor, too. This integration is transformative because it will help districts roll out Google Classroom to their teachers who need a resource like Google Classroom to host assignments, start discussions, and give students feedback.

The Clever and Google integration is available at no cost for districts using Google Workspace for Education Plus. Sign up to let us know you’re interested.

The post Big news! Google Classroom now integrates with Clever first appeared on Clever.

What is Adobe Spark (now Adobe Creative Cloud Express)?

Adobe Creative Cloud Express is an online app that students can use to build creative storytelling skills in any class. With Adobe Creative Cloud Express, teachers and students are empowered to create and share visual stories effortlessly. Adobe makes it easy to foster powerful creative learning experiences for students in any class.

Classroom creativity at your fingertips

Students can create stunning graphics, attention-grabbing web pages, and captivating videos easily with Adobe Creative Cloud Express. Easy to use templates, filters, graphics, and animations allow students to create visually stunning material all the while developing their digital storytelling skills, a crucial 21st century skill. Students have used Adobe to make science fair posters, field trip journals, and even turn book reports into engaging video presentations.

How to access Adobe Creative Cloud Express in Clever

To access Adobe Creative Cloud Express, simply log into your Clever Portal. If your district has enabled access, you’ll see the Adobe icon in your portal. Have students click the icon in their portals for instant log-in to Adobe Creative Cloud Express!

For directions on how to add Adobe Creative Cloud Express Single Sign-On to your Clever district portal, click here, or watch this short video.

Teachers can access Adobe Creative Cloud Express safely and securely with Clever SSO (single sign-on). Learn more about the Adobe Creative Cloud Express and Clever partnership.

Resources

• For Teachers: Overview of Clever Portal
• Clever Academy: Understanding Teacher Pages
• Getting started with Adobe Creative Cloud Express

The post Adobe Creative Cloud Express’s creative education tools now in Clever first appeared on Clever.

Teachers are finding new ways to teach virtually, and in turn, have found innovative solutions to classroom management. Clever Messaging is Clever’s tool for communication between teachers, students, and families. 

Name: Ms. Carlyn Thometz

School: San Marcos High School, California

Grade and subject: High school geometry

Years on Clever: 3

Reduce emails, send in-platform messages

Clever: How long have you been using Clever Messaging in your classroom, and what do you like about it?

Ms. Thometz: Clever Messaging has been great in helping prioritize the needs of students.  When I have downtime in my routine, the first thing I check is Clever. I tell my students that they are my number one priority and want to be there for them for any questions they might have. My students understand that if they want a quicker response from me, using clever is the way to go.  The Clever messaging system is more like a text messaging conversation, more fluid without the need to stop and restart with each new conversation. I also like that the complete message thread is available so that we don’t need to hunt down different conversations all under different email subject lines.

Clever: That’s great to hear! And, how do your students feel about Messaging?

Ms. Thometz: My students agree that it’s easier using Clever rather than email. Also some students feel that they get so many emails from other digital learning platforms, (I won’t name them), their inbox is often swamped with emails and it’s hard to find what they are looking for. Clever is separated by their classes so they are more able to navigate on Clever. 

Setting communication norms with students

Clever: So you’ve been using Clever Messaging to tutor students, which is amazing. Can you tell us more about how that works and how you got started?

Ms. Thometz: When I started using Google Classroom, which does not have a message thread option, I opted for Clever Messaging as my communication tool. I set the norm with students that they can message me at any time on Clever and expect a response within the hour. So since then, I’ve used Clever Messaging for clarifying questions from students and it usually takes the form of a 3-4 message exchange. And students definitely use it for help! I receive on average 10 messages a day from students on Clever.

Fostering relationships with students virtually

Clever: Any advice for teachers on how to get starting with Clever Messaging?

Ms. Thometz: If any learning platforms or educational websites that you use in class can be linked with Clever, do it! This minimizes the amount of login information students need to monitor throughout your class. 

During the first week of school, while you are getting to know your students, have them send prompted responses to you in Clever. I sometimes use Clever Messenger for Exit tickets, or IF I play music in class, students use messenger to recommend songs. It’s a great way to build community with students!

More ways to use Clever Messaging:

1. Drop links to resources to help students on homework. 
2. Encourage students to reach out when they’re stuck on homework, this can prompt a quick Zoom session if we can’t communicate clearly through Clever.
3. Build community with students

Ms. Thometz: At my school, the last day of class is our final, once they’re finished, the students move on to their next class and I feel a little robbed of our class closure. I love getting touching messages from my students after the semester ends on Clever Messaging

Check out our Help Center for more information about Clever Messaging. And if you haven’t already, go send a message to your students in Clever today!

The post Teachers innovating in the classroom: Clever Messaging first appeared on Clever.

Hour of Code is coming up December 7 – 13, 2020! Hour of Code is beloved by teachers as an opportunity to introduce students to computer science and inspire them to learn more and feel empowered with their new skills.

This month we’re featuring several learning applications for students of all ages to participate in Hour of Code, all available with instant access in Clever Library. Learn how other teachers are using these apps and get inspired to try them with your students. 

Install and use any of the applications below between November 30 – December 13 for a chance to win a prize pack from the coding app you participated with!*

Fun and engaging apps for Elementary students

codeSpark Academy teaches kids in grades K-5 the basics of computer science through interactive puzzles and game design.

Participate in Hour of Code with the lesson plan All About Me: Coding to tell a story. In this lesson, students combine ELA and coding to create a project that brings themselves to life as a Foo character! They program their Foo to tell fun facts about themselves to share with their classmates. Students will learn about programming, commands, and creating algorithms using the Story Maker. There’s even an opportunity for integration!

“Excellent resource for critical thinking, mathematical practices, storytelling and of course basic computer science.” – 5th grade teacher

CodeMonkey is a fun and educational game-based environment where kids learn to code without any prior experience.

Participate in Hour of Code with the lesson plan Space Adventure. In this activity students will work through real text based coding challenges utilizing Coffeescript to help Astronaut Monkey to collect bananas and get back to the spaceship. Space Adventure is great for all coders, no matter the age.

“I love this program. I am so excited to share it with my classes this year.” – Elementary school teacher

First In Math features hundreds of engaging math games designed to strengthen fact fluency, automaticity, computational thinking, and other critical skills.

Participate in Hour of Code with the lesson plan Rock, Paper, Code. Use First in Math to develop computational skills while your students build out a virtual game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

“I got to use First In Math for supplementary instruction for targeted skills. My students love it.” – 3rd grade teacher

Creative coding apps for Middle School students

Code.org is a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color.

Participate in Hour of Code with the lesson plan AI for Oceans. In this activity, students will learn about machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence. They will help A.I. clean the oceans by training it to detect trash! 

“My students use it all the time.” – 6th grade teacher

Codesters combines a fun online coding platform for students, a powerful learning management system for teachers, and built-out coding lessons so you can start teaching kids to code in your school today.

Participate in Hour of Code with one of these 10 lesson plans to engage all of your students with fun games, art, and animations. In these lesson plans students will learn Python, a real programming language used every day at companies like Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

“Fun and engaging activities for students being introduced to coding.” – 7th grade teacher

Coding lesson plans for High School students

Codecademy is an online learning platform that teaches coding skills in an accessible, flexible, and engaging way.

Participate in Hour of Code with this lesson plan from Codecademy. In this lesson, students will explore ideas that are at the heart of learning how to code and start writing their own code.

“This has been such a great Asset for my students. I love Code Academy. It is how I learned to code and now I get to pass that experience on to my students. Their projects are the best.” – High School teacher

CodeHS is a comprehensive platform for helping schools teach computer science by providing web-based curriculum, teacher tools and resources, and professional development.

Participate in Hour of Code with these 20 FREE Hour of Code tutorials with detailed lesson plans. This year, CodeHS created a variety of new lessons around the Hour of Code theme Coding for Good to teach students how coding is used to support artists, reduce litter in communities, and help represent data in a meaningful way. Hour of Code is a great way to get students excited about programming and how to use their knowledge for good!

“Great way to teach students to code! Keeps them engaged and allows me to create my own assessments!” – High School teacher

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the U.S. age 18 or older who teach at any of the Schools registered with Clever, and are located in districts where the Clever Library is turned on. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends at 11:59:59 PM PST on 12/13/20. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. For full Official Rules, and prize disclosures, click here. Sponsor: Clever, Inc.

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