"Be Amazing" w/ Instructional Tech
Tips, Tricks and Updates for Digital Tools
S.W.A.T Team Update
Badges
Welcome to the JBD "Digital Learning Tool of the Month" Club!
Have a question with getting started in Google Classroom? Stop by a colleague's room with the "Google Classroom" badge! What to know more about using bitmojis? Check out the person with a bitmoji badge!
This week, badges were celebrated by the following people for their work with these tools:
- Bitmoji: Beth B, Stacy S.
- Digital Citizenship: Suzanne B.
- Digital Learning Summer Summit: Susan H., Phyllis A., Nicole V., Michelle R.
- Google Docs: Suzanne B.
- Google Classroom: Suzanne B.
- Achieve 3000: Jen R, Lynn L.
- Destiny: Susan H
More badge celebrations to come next week.
Do you have a specific tool that you are comfortable talking about, using with students, or sharing with colleagues? Let me know and you too will get a badge!
Which tools have badges? Check out the site for the JBD "Digital Learning Tool of the Month" club. For September, highlighted tools included G+ app, Wixie, Padlet, Digital Citizenship and Google Forms. To help with planning for October, the highlighted tools are Twitter, Google Classroom, Wixie and SeeSaw. For more information and to find tutorials and skill expectations with digital learning, check out the Digital Learning Tool of the Month" club.
Which ITEC PLP Classes are you interested in?
Gmail - Getting Started with Gmail
Are you looking for a digital way to communicate with your students? Have your students discovered the Gmail icon? When a colleague shares a Google doc with you, does it feel like it "disappears"? These questions and more could be related to the new GMAIL tool. All students and staff in VB Schools now have GMAIL turned on and available for use. Keep in mind that using email with students requires extra layers of security and protection. Therefore, the VB Schools GMAIL system is set up as a "walled garden". This mean, emails can only be sent and received within our VB Schools system. Even with the teacher GMAIL account, we are blocked from sending and receiving GMAILs from outside VB Schools. To clarify, staff will continue using OUTLOOK for email communication with parents and others outside of VB Schools.
So why do we have GMAIL if we can't email out of the division? It was turned on as part of the G+ Suite tools. So, if you would like to email your students feedback on a Google Doc or Google Slide project, you can. Want to email a certificate to your students for a job well done - you can! Found an add-on or template to email your whole class assignment directions - you can! Interested in setting up a collaborative project/"pen pal" type writing proejct with another VB Schools class - you can!
For more information on getting started with the new GMAIL tool, check out this link: USING GOOGLE MAIL
Google Classroom Tip of the Week #1
If you have started, give me a shout out and I'm happy to come by your room and get your kiddos into Google Classroom. Let's get started!
The Role of the Instructional Technology Specialist (ITS)
ITSes are continuously trained with coaching techniques, curriculum updates and strategies supporting personalized learning. Professional development opportunities for teachers are provided by ITSes in a variety of methods: PLP face to face courses, online learning formats, one on one sessions, co-teaching lessons are just some of the ways ITS support teachers.
For the 2017-2018 school year, ITSes are tasked with two Talent Ed goals. Our first goal is the focus on student dispositions. The second goal is a program goal, with implementing a project based learning/Defined Stem activity with a co-teacher.
What is coaching all about and who needs a coach? Is an ITS like a coach or a referee? Think of a football (or soccer, being it is that sport's season) team. Every team needs a coach to coordinate and push players. Coaches guide and support players to help them become the best player they possibly can be. Coaches empower their players and build their strengths that will ultimately, lead to a winning season for the team. Coaches work right there with the players, on the side lines, in the locker room, supporting/encouraging everyone to do their best and keep going. Teams who win Super Bowls are the teams whose coaches believe in the players, are committed to the team's success one week at a time. Coaches are invested in individual players as well as the team; unlike a referee! A referee is only there for the game, to call the shots and has no investment in who wins or loses. They show up for the game, call the game and move on to the next game.
The role of the ITS is that of the coach. ITSes are teachers and have a passion for supporting both colleagues and students with learning. ITSes are invested in classrooms, working along side YOU on the side lines/locker room (collaboration sessions, in classrooms) to support/encourage/empower YOU/STUDENTS with digital learning tools. I am so grateful every day that I get to be your coach, cheering and supporting you and your students with digital learning tools!