I hope you’re enjoying the crisp autumn temperatures and the beauty that is fall in Pennsylvania! Here are some updates from elem. tech!
Resources
It’s Connected Educator Month!
It’s October! You know what that means, it’s Connected Educator Month! You may have heard me talk about the power of connected learning and teaching and leading in the past… my stance on it hasn’t changed. Having a strong personal learning network (PLN) is vital to the success of any educator. Local networks and teacher communities are very important, but there is great benefit to connecting beyond the walls of our schools and district boundaries to collaborate and network with teachers and administrators from all over the world. Over the past five years, the number of educators using social media tools to connect with one another to share resources, provide support, and energize one another has increased exponentially.
It is well worth an investment of your time to find a network with which to engage to better your practice. Whether it is via Twitter, by joining a book club hosted by CEM or facilitating a global collaboration project such as Global Read Aloud in your classroom; through discussions in a Google+ community or posting to Pinterest boards, finding an Instagram hashtag to follow, or another connected learning endeavor, the possibilities are endless to get and stay connected with fellow educators!
Here’s the Connected Educator Month calendar. Check it out and see if there’s something in which you’d be interested in participating! These events are not solely focused on technology use in the classroom. Topics span everything from literacy to interventions to real-world problem solving to social-emotional learning! There’s something for everyone.
The focus of our November 18 Wired Wednesday workshop will be using Twitter and other social media tools to develop a personal learning network. Sign up in My Learning Plan to join us!
Follow the #ce15 hashtag on Twitter to read the latest and greatest contributions from educators around the world who are sharing their learning during Connected Educator Month…. and beyond!
If you participate in Connected Educator Month, please be sure to grab the CEM Credly badge! Along with all of the other badges you’ve earned this year thus far!
Some September Stuff
Aaaaaaaaaaaand we’re off. It’s been a fun few weeks thus far! Here are some updates for you from elementary tech!
Our next Wired Wednesday is tomorrow, September 16, at Blue Ball Elementary, from 4-5 PM. Topic: Google Classroom! Come one, come all! Please register on My Learning Plan. P.S. A whole slew of new Google Classroom features were updated in late August. Click here to learn more!
The Global Read Aloud is coming! This is an exciting, worldwide, collaborative event designed to bring together readers of all ages. Many Elanco classrooms participated last year. Books have been chosen. You can sign up here (see form on right-hand side), and you can make arrangements to connect with another class via shared blogs, Edmodo, Google Hangouts/Skype, or any other format that would allow you and another class to discuss the book you’re reading. See the book choices here and read more info about the event. Here is the form to complete if you’d like to connect your class with another! Here is the link to important FAQ/info for participants. Let me know if you need assistance with this, I am happy to help! #gra15
Edublogs student passwords have now been updated. Please consider the following information when deciding how you’d like to organize student blogging this year:
Students are currently assigned to the blog class they used in 2014-15 until this year’s teacher alerts me that they will begin blogging in a 15-16 class.
How we set up and manage your students’ blogs will depend on a few things:
- Do you want your students assigned to your “My Class” by homeroom and only you, as the homeroom teacher, will manage their posts?
- OR by language arts roster, and only you, as the language arts teacher, will manage their posts?
- OR does your team want to have all students involved with blogging across content areas and therefore all team members need access to every students’ blog in the grade level for moderating purposes?
- OR do you want students to be added to a teacher/team blog so they can post and add comments, but not have their own individual sites?
- OR a unique scenario, such as assign certain rosters of students to certain teachers for blog moderation? We can also set up group blogs for projects like literature circles and the Global Read Aloud!
Please discuss student blogging plans with your teammates and the options above. If not all members of the team are interested in having their students blog, you can certainly move ahead with plans for your homeroom or your language arts class.
When you are ready to begin blogging with your students, please complete this Google form so I can begin the process of building your student blog sites.
IU13’s Elementary Technology Conference is coming this December! Please consider requesting to attend this conference! Talk with your principal and register in My Learning Plan! It’s always a great event, with a lot of teacher-led sessions, specifically focused on elementary! The keynote speaker this year is an inspiring teacher from Illinois, Josh Stumpenhorst! More info here. WE NEED PRESENTERS FOR THIS CONFERENCE! Please consider submitting a proposal! The reason this conference is so special is because sessions are led by teachers, for teachers. Please share your expertise with colleagues by submitting a proposal!
Enjoy the milder weather and hope to see you soon at an upcoming Wired Wednesday workshop!
Summer Updates 2015!
We are well into July, and it’s less than one month until our opening inservice day! I hope you’re all enjoying a summer filled with relaxation, time with family and friends, and lots of smiles.
Below are some updates from elementary instructional technology. It would be very beneficial for you to take some time over the next few weeks to read through the information listed here. Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions!
Elementary Instructional Tech Info 2015-16 – This document has many “need to knows” for elementary teachers for the new year, including the digital citizenship pledge and kick off lesson we’re asking all teachers to address in the first week or two of school, info about Qwertytown and other content providers, and resources to support technology integration. (This doc is also a great example of how to incorporate a responsive table of contents into your Google docs!)
August 19 In-service Day – From 8 AM-12 PM on August 19, we will be offering sessions focused on instructional technology and teaching & learning. Many of your colleagues are running these sessions! For those of you new to certain content providers, sessions may be mandatory. Please read the schedule carefully. The tech day wiki and sessions can be found here. Please be patient and check back if a session you’re interested in does not yet have a session description listed.
August 21 – Get Googly!
On August 21, I will be hosting Google-centric training sessions at Brecknock Elementary School for all elementary staff. The sessions will cover a variety of Google Drive/Docs must-knows, Google Classroom info, Google Chrome tips and tricks, and best practices for staying organized and using Google Apps to its fullest potential. Choose the session that best meets your needs, and/or stay for all three! Topics may vary during the sessions based upon the needs of attendees. Register for these sessions in My Learning Plan, found in the District Catalog!
9:00-10:00 AM – Rookies – Google Drive basics, organizing files and folders, sharing and collaborating, the basics of Docs, Slides, Forms. Intro to Google Chrome and its features.
10:00-11:00 AM – Seasoned Players – You’re comfortable and familiar with the basics of Drive and the productivity suite. We’ll look at Research Tools in Docs & Slides and ways to promote collaboration in your classroom, and Forms for formative assessment. Google Classroom basics will be reviewed for use with supporting rotational learning in your classroom.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Veterans – You know the basics that GAFE can offer, but how can you more meaningfully integrate the suite into your work with students? We’ll look at going deeper with Google Chrome using apps and extensions, and the use of Google Calendar to promote home-school communication via your Edublogs site, and advanced options like using Flubaroo to self-grade Google Form assessments and other Drive add-ons.
Wired Wednesdays – This year I’ll be offering digital learning workshops on scheduled Wednesdays from 4-5 PM. Please click here to learn more! Hope to see you there!
Want to stay updated on the latest posts shared on this blog? Enter your email address in the Subscribe to this Blog box to the right and never miss a post! You can also subscribe via RSS in your Outlook inbox. This is the space where I share information about instructional tech throughout the year, and the pages along the top navigation bar will lead you to information about the content providers and other digital resources we use here at Elanco.
Photo Credit: mountainpete via Compfight cc
Formatively assess with Flippity!
Flippity.net offers ways for you to design interactive assessments in the form of a Jeopardy-style review game and also with flashcards. It works directly with Google Sheets to bring an engaging way to review content to your classroom!
Click here to learn more about how to create a Flippity Quiz Show.
Click here to learn more about how to create Flippity flashcards.
Enjoy! Let me know if you need any assistance setting up your Google Sheets or Flippity activities!
This tool was shared by the one, the only, Rich Kiker, Google edustar! Follow him on Twitter and check out his Symbaloo mix of Google tools – you’ll love it!
Spring Happenings
April is Poetry Month!
It’s the perfect time to have your students compose and share their creative writing! Storybird is one way to support students’ literary creations. With Storybird, students can build poetry, longform, or chapter book creations. Sets of stunning illustrations will inspire students to include creative details in their writing. I can help you set up your classroom accounts and show you how to manage student projects. Learn more about how Storybird is celebrating Poetry Month! There’s even a #dailylark challenge so your students can participate in the literary fun!
See also these ways to get involved with Poetry Month via Edublogs!
Digital Citizenship Lessons
Digital citizenship lessons in grades 1-6 have begun this spring during computer lab special. It is always exciting for me to spend time with students and learn about the ways they’re using digital technologies to create, communicate, and collaborate in their personal lives. Through these lessons emerge important conversations that focus on safe and appropriate use of technology, respecting the rights of others, and crafting a digital reputation of which we can be proud! Our lesson materials are from Common Sense Media. You can see the full scope of the lessons they offer here. Remember, while it’s nice to offer these lessons in isolation to give students more direct instruction in these topics, it’s up to us as the adults in their lives to model and talk about respectful, empowering online behavior whenever we use technology with our students to support their learning!
Googly Goodness
Many of you were interested in learning more about Google Classroom to use as a platform for sharing digital resources with students during rotational learning classes next year. Click here to access resources where you can learn more about the features of Google Classroom and how it can support your work with students. Please email me to arrange a time when I can meet with you and/or your team to show you what this tool can to!
Looking for a quick start guide for Google Forms? Look no further!
Chromebook tips every teacher should know
Happy Spring! 🙂 I look forward to working with you and your students!
Photo Credit: Ken’s Oven via Compfight cc
Digital Learning Day is Coming! March 13, 2015
Next Friday, March 13, is Digital Learning Day, a day each year where we celebrate the ways technology can enhance teaching and learning and provide students with agency and voice in the classroom.
Learn all about Digital Learning Day here!
We’d love if you could share your digital learning activities on the official DLD website by completing this form! I’d also love to highlight the work you and your students are doing on this blog, so email me with the details/summary of activities and I’ll spread the word!
Perhaps your students will be blogging next week, or using Plickers or Socrative or Kahoot! for formative assessment in the classroom, or are creating digital stories using Storybird or sharing their learning via Google Slides or PowerPoint. Maybe they’re engaged in literature circle discussions via Wikispaces or connecting with one another in Edmodo or Google Classroom! Maybe they’re trying some activities from the ConnectED Are your students reading their favorite stories online via Raz Kids or BookFlix. No matter what the activity, there is surely something worth sharing with your school community on Digital Learning Day!
There are also a number of professional learning opportunities available to you through the Digital Learning Day Live! and other activities. Check out the website and learn more about how you can get involved! You can follow the hashtag #DLDay on Twitter to follow along with the day’s events, too!
Sharing from Pete & C
Pete & C was held this week and there were a number of great resources shared for all content areas and educators. I attempted to compile some of the highlights of sessions offered to share with you. Peruse the resources below and/or check out the main session listings for additional topics and resources. Let me know how I can help you plan to incorporate some of these ideas into your classes!
Participate in ConnectED Classroom Bingo!
Principal Brad Gustafson shared this exciting activity board for the month of February to celebrate “I Love to Read Month,” and I wanted to pass it along to you with the hope that you could plan to complete one or more of the activities on the board! The activities were proposed by various teachers and admin from Brad’s PLN. They incorporate a number of different technologies and can help enhance students’ literacy experiences! Do not be intimidated by the tools listed- if you are interested in one of the literacy activities, please contact me to plan for how we can engage students with the tasks in your classrooms. We can plan for alternate digital tools if the ones listed are unavailable or unfamiliar to you. Make it about the literacy learning, not about the tech component! This is not just for language arts teachers!! As Brad says,
We are striving to facilitate student-centered connections between authors, educators, and classrooms.
Please email me if you’d like to complete an activity (or two or three!) with your students! I will keep a master board and check off completed Elanco activities. Here’s hoping we can call Bingo!
“Just one new thing” in 2015!
It’s a new year, and we’re settling back into the swing of things, so why not try just one new thing, one new way to incorporate instructional technology into teaching and learning in your classroom? Challenge yourself!
Think about your professional growth goals, and how your goal statements are incorporating the district’s Spartan Digital Competencies. Which areas are you most in need? How can we support you in your professional learning?
Want some ideas? Read the ideas shared below, then contact me to set up a time to meet and discuss and/or for me to assist you and your students in your classrooms!
Help students share what they’ve learned!
Edublogs can be used not only as a blog space for writing, but as a digital portfolio space. Students can share projects they’ve completed, can summarize key ideas and main takeaways from content area lessons, and more. With the ability to embed multimedia into posts, the possibilities are limitless! Students can then view peers’ projects, and you can even connect with other classrooms to promote cross-school collaboration. Your students will be thrilled with the feedback received by an authentic audience!
Write inspiring digital stories!
Using digital storytelling tools, students can share their writing using both their own illustrations (Little Bird Tales) or with gorgeous artwork in the Storybird galleries. I can help you set up accounts for students and intro you and your students to the applications. They’re both easy to use, perfect for even our youngest writers!
Make formative assessment fun!
Kahoot is a very exciting response application that allows students to engage in “game” modes to answer questions with their devices. Play as individuals, or as teams. Create your own Kahoot quizzes, or use those found in the public gallery. Learn more about Kahoot and other formative assessment tools such as Socrative on this resources page from our tech inservice day!
Explore all Discovery Education has to offer!
Teachers can create classes in Discovery Education and assign students Discovery Education content and assignments. One of students’ favorite creation tools is BoardBuilder – where they can combine multimedia and text to share what they’ve learned about topics. Students can search through the quality videos, images, and articles in Discovery Education and add that content to their boards. Here is our Discovery Education resources page to help you learn more.
Earn and claim your badges!
Elanco is using Credly to acknowledge the efforts of our staff members who challenge themselves to incorporate instructional technology into teaching and learning practices. Be sure to read more about Credly and how you can earn and proudly display your badges! Grab some today!
Looking forward to working with you all in 2015!