Passionate EdTech Educator

This is a handout that I created for grade 2 students to learn about types of computer and then solve two activities. Since I've created it few days ago, I'll have to wait till next year to try it out with my students. I'd like to know your feedback if you try it with your students.   Hope you like it!! Note: I created this handout using Adobe Illustrator . Types of Computer from Dana Al Rifai

Explaining data processing for grade 1 students could be challenging. Students must learn what are Input parts, differentiate them from output parts, and understand how data is being processed. Infographics   attracts students by graphical representation of information rather than large texts.  They  help in  breaking down complicated concepts into understandable pieces of information which students can absorb and digest effortless.  During my masters study in Educational Technology - in the E-evaluation course I collaborated with my colleges  Ali Ghanawi and Imad Noureddine to create this infographic which helps us in explaining data processing lesson to grade 1 students.  Note that it was create using   Easilly  which is a web-based infographic platform used by educators, students, executives and businesses for representing and conveying their ideas, concepts, reports, processes and projects through visual forms that are easy to follow a...

Gathering information from your students is very important. It helps you in understanding them more and get their feedback  on the course materials, teaching aids, learning room environment and your performance. Below is a survey created by   Marwa Al Kalaaji, Samah Sourani, Yasmine El Zein, and I during our "E-evalution" course session. It is   targeting secondary students to get to know more about their healthy lifestyle.  This survey was created using survey monkey: Survey Monkey  which  provides free, customizable  surveys , as well as a suite of paid back-end programs that include data analysis, sample selection, and data representation tools. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FVTW32Y

A mind map is an easy way to brainstorm thoughts organically without worrying about order and structure. It allows you to visually structure your ideas to help with analysis and recall. This mind map was created by  Marwa Al Kalaaji, Samah Sourani, Yasmine El Zein, and I using Bubbl.us as an E-evaluation for  action and non-action verbs, during our masters study in Educational Technology. This website helps you create mind maps easily and in just few steps. Trust me when I tell you that you'll be able to create beautiful mind maps in just few minutes, and your students will love. You can also encourage your students to create their own mind maps as an e-evaluation to see how much information they grasped.

Teaching angles to grade 4 students is by no means easy unless you know what tools to use in your teaching process. Using technology alongside with the hands on activities definitely enriches your session. Below is a podcast that my friend Samah Sourani and I created as an E-evaluation for grade 4 students during our masters study in Educational Technology and then uploaded it on SoundCloud . I provided you with the lesson plan  of this session, it may be useful to you. Song lyrics: Angles are all about degrees   And here's how to remember them with ease Between zero and ninty an angle is acute. This angle is small & skinny and kind of cute. Only when an angle measures ninty do we call it right You can tell this angle just by sight. Between ninty and 180 an angle is obtuse It's like the antlers on the head of a full grown moose Angles are all about degrees And here's how to remember them with ease   Angles lesson plan from Dana Al Rifai

Being a computer lab manager for the past six years I noticed how important it is to block some websites that you don't want your students to access in their ICT session. Here are the steps to block any website (for Windows): Step 1: Click the Start button and select Run. Now copy and paste the following text in that Run box: c:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts Choose “Notepad” to open it. Step 2: Go to the last line of the file, hit the enter key and type in the following format: 127.0.0.1 xxxx.com Eg: If you want to block facebook.com and myspace.com 127.0.0.1 facebook.com 127.0.0.1 myspace.com Step 3: Save the modified file That’s it. None of the above sites can be visited on your computer. One per line if you want to add more web sites. Note that you should have administrator rights so that you can modify the "hosts" file. I used this way to block access to some games' websites that were inappropriate for my students, and it worked perfectly. ...

Implementing robotics in classrooms provides project based lessons that instill a lifelong interest in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) in a uniquely engaging way. Grade 6 students followed step-by-step instructions to build their first VEX IQ robot, and then they developed it to construct different designs. Beyond robotics, students learned essential skills in teamwork and communication. What are you waiting for go ahead and start using them in your classroom:)

Padlet is an online virtual bulletin board, where students and teachers can collaborate, reflect, share links and pictures, in a secure location. It's a great educational tool that you can use as a questions board where  students can access a "questions" board 24/7 and anonymously post questions. You can then read off and answer the questions each day. You can also use it when you want to summarize a large amount of information and present it in a visually pleasing way.  There are several ways where you can use Padlet to enrich your classroom experience and make it more interesting for students. Below is the tutorial that I've created in the "Introduction to Educational Technology" course that I took last semester in the Educational Technology masters curriculum.

WordArt is an online word cloud art creator that enables you to create amazing and unique word cloud art with ease. Professional quality results can be achieved in no time at all, even for users with no prior knowledge of graphic design. You can be use it as a means of assessment in your classroom. Below is an example of how one of my grade 6 students demonstrated what she knows about Microsoft Word by the end of the session. My students loved it and they were fascinated by the idea of customizing their word cloud the way they want.

Heyyy 😃 Today I'll let you know about my favorite coding websites that I've been using with my elementary classes- grade 3->6. Honestly speaking kids loved spending their time on these websites. Whenever they are done working with their activity they immediately open to one of these websites and start playing, it makes them enthusiastic and happy. They love getting challenges and they start thinking about how they should solve and ask for help from their friends and i. They even told me that they are accessing these website in their home. I really encourage you to check them out and let your students access them in their free time. I bet you and your students would love them!!! CodeMonkey Code.org Kodable Tynker

  School ogy is a learning management system for students & teachers to access: Ø All of their electronic materials and activities that complement what happens in the classroom Ø  Quizzes, discussion boards, polls, and announcements Ø Calendar that helps in organizing assignments and other events Below is a tutorial on how you can use Schoology in your classroom as an effective tool to provide a collaborative learning experience. I'm eager to try it out next year with my students!! I created this tutorial as an assignment in "Distance Learning" course while studying my masters in Educational Technology. Feel free to leave any comment or question, I'll be glad to reply :)

Zoom In is a thinking routine.   As each section is revealed, students make new inferences. Students come to the realization that thinking is a process and minds can be changed based on new understandings.  How to use the strategy: 1. P ut an image or several ones and ask the students to look  closely and tell you what do they see, what do you think this is, and why do you think so? 2. Reveal more of the image and ask your students what are the new things that you see, have you changed your previous idea?    3. Repeat steps two & three until the whole image has been revealed.   I created this Zoom In activity for grade 6 students as a recall of what they've learned about Microsoft Excel last year. Students were so engaged and loved it, they kept on guessing and they were so happy when they guessed it right. I really think that using this thinking routine would make your session more interesting and engaging. Feel free to edit it according t...

Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards. In one glance, Trello tells you what's being worked on, who's working on what, and where something is in a process. Trello can be used as an effective visual collaboration tool that can help in organizing various teachers’/students’ tasks. I created this tutorial as an assignment in my "Introduction to Educational Technology" course during the first semester of my masters in Educational Technology. Hope that you find it resourceful and easy to use.   Trello Handout from Dana Al Rifai

ClassDojo  is a behavior management tool for the classroom. Each student has a profile to which teachers can assign positive and negative points (or 'dojos') throughout the lesson. The website can be operated by a teacher from their computer or tablet, and each time they award a point an (optional) sound plays to alert the class. I have been using Class Dojo for for three years and I absolutely adore it. In my classroom, I try to use Dojo to focus on positive behaviors instead of the negative ones. For example if a student isn't listening to my instructions or isn't working on his activity , I try to award the students around him for finishing their task on time. To keep Dojo relevant to my students, I offer them passport to sit down next to their friends, option to wear colorful clothes to school, give them certificates while acknowledging in them in front of all his friends...etc. I also have consequences for those who end up with more than five negative points in...

One of the most important pre-keyboarding skills is how to use the mouse. The mouse hold is not intuitive and if learned wrong, becomes a habit that’s difficult to break. Here is an image that I've created to assist grades 1 & 2 students in learning how to use the mouse controls properly.  Don't forget to tell your students that they must  put their hands in line with their wrist. The wrist should not be bent up or down when the hand is on a mouse. Feel free to edit it as you wish :) Mouse Clicks from Dana Al Rifai

In the spirit of celebrating the Lebanese independence day  on November 22 , I created this activity for grade 5 students to get to know their country more. Students must answer mathematics questions correctly in order to read a fact about Lebanon. Students found it interesting and loved it :)) Please feel free to use it next year during the Lebanese Independence day. Lebanon Facts Activity from Dana Al Rifai

This is a poster that I've created using Adobe Illustrator to help my students memorize the most important shortcut keys when using Microsoft office programs. I mainly did it for grade 4 students but I found it also beneficial for grades 5 & 6.  I printed it out on an A3 paper and put it in the computer lab, at first students started to look at the poster whenever they wanted to use the shortcuts but after a while they actually memorized it, which made me really proud of them. I encourage you to use it in your classroom, I think that your students will benefit from it. Keyboard Shortcut keys from Dana Al Rifai

This is a presentation that I prepared and gave to grade 1 students to learn about the different types of computers. G1 types of computers from Dana Al Rifai

Hi all!! I'm a computer scie nce graduate continuing my studies through masters degree in Educational Technology in the Lebanese University. I've been teaching technology sessions for grades 1->6 since September 2011. As of September 2018 I started working as technology coordinator alongside with educational technology administrator. My passion is to integrate technology in elementary classes   which  is an effective way to connect with students of all learning styles. It gives the students the opportunity to develop their digital citizenship skills. Technology transforms the learning experience. It gives students access to an incredible amount of new opportunities. From learning how to code to learning how to better collaborate across teams and with their instructors--technology empowers students to be more creative and be more connected. New tech has super-charged how we learn today. I encourage you to start integrating technology into your classes, you'l...