Have you tried out Tract yet? Teachers interested in bringing project-based learning to their classroom, fostering collaboration and building social-emotional skills, or looking for a platform to support Genius Hour, can use Tract to reach all of these goals. It’s free for teachers right now with my special code. Tract is full of resources and ideas to help you save time this school year!
Regular readers of the blog might remember this blog post from the summer featuring Tract. It’s a powerful tool for project-based learning, and it was exciting to see the response from readers. In today’s post, we’ll look at three reasons to try out Tract this school year. First, I’ll share a bit of background about the platform. Then, we’ll dive into how Tract supports social-emotional learning, project-based learning, and Genius Hour.
Ready to try out Tract? Be one of the first 1,000 teachers to request free access with code: MONICA.
Engaging Students with Projects
Tract is a web-based application that makes it easy to find project examples to share with students. This platform gives students a space to create content and share their learning, all in one place. With Tract, students are the creators, and they have a dedicated space to share their learning. Tract is a web-based platform so teachers and students can access it from any Wifi-enabled device. This includes a Chromebook, tablet (including iPads), laptop, or smartphone.
There are lots of reasons Tract might grab your attention. But for this school year, there are three reasons why it might address your specific needs right now. If you’ve made a commitment to social-emotional learning (SEL) skill-building, you want to promote student engagement with project-based learning, or if you are hosting an enrichment program and aren’t sure where to start, Tract has you covered!
Social-Emotional Learning Through Collaboration
The topic of social-emotional learning is one I’ve featured a few times on the blog. It’s even been a topic of past episodes of my Easy EdTech Podcast. This year SEL is especially front of mind for educators, and you may already have allocated time to promote SEL core competencies, such as relationship skills. As part of this workaround building relationship skills, students can work together on projects using Tract’s platform. They can give and receive feedback during project iterations and learn to celebrate their own accomplishments and the accomplishments of their classmates.
Are you revisiting your SEL goals this school year? Check out how Tract’s turnkey solution empowers teachers to implement CASEL’s 5 Competencies of SEL.
Project-Based Learning for Authentic Learning
PBL isn’t a buzzword; it anchors student learning in a mission and creates an authentic learning experience for students. They work to solve a problem through research, collaboration, and artifact creation. Tract provides a space for students to dive deep into a topic while building skills to use in the classroom and future careers. Students can create and share their projects right from within Tract’s platform. If Project-Based Learning has been on your radar, or you want to move towards more authentic assessments this year, then this is certainly a reason why you would want to check out Tract.
Are you using PBL in your classroom right now, or thinking about project-based learning? Check out how Tract’s turnkey solution empowers teachers to implement PBL Works 7 Essentials of Project Based Learning.
Genius Hour & GATE Enrichment
Although Tract’s platform clearly has a place in traditional classrooms, if you are leading a Genius Hour or GATE Enrichment program, there are reasons to check out Tract, too. Tract gives students a space to creatively share their passions. It can help provide the structure for an afterschool or enrichment program where you might want a combination of flexibility and a framework. Tract also has a gamification element, where students can earn coins and give awards through the platform.
Are you leading a GATE Enrichment program? Check out their guide on how Tract empowers gifted and talented students to accelerate both in and outside of the classroom.
Are you interested in exploring Genius Hour or already leading a Genius Hour program? Check out their guide on how Tract empowers students to explore their own interests and passions at a self-directed pace, while within the support system of the classroom, for 20% of the time.
Getting Started with Tract
A final reason to add to our list of three — let’s call it a bonus reason for today’s post — is that Tract can save you time this school year. If you’re looking to bring more collaboration into your classroom and build social-emotional learning skills with your students, Tract provides a ready-to-use platform that will help meet these goals right away. If you’re looking to give students access to more authentic learning experiences, or you aren’t quite sure what Genius Hour or enrichment time this year, Tract can help you make this happen quickly in your classroom or afterschool programs.
I’m so excited that the team at Tract is giving free access to readers of the blog! You can be one of the first 1,000 teachers to request free access with code: MONICA. So head over to this page to get started with Tract and see what is possible in your classroom.
