Tech Snacks
from FCPS OIT - January 14, 2022
Need Any Refreshers for the New Year?
Need any help with any of our software platforms? Put in a helpdesk ticket today at https://fcps.incidentiq.com/login and we will contact you ASAP! Watch this video to learn how to submit a ticket.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Monday, January 17th, 2022
Edutopia has a list of online lessons and multimedia resources for MLK Day that can be found here. Included in that list is PBS' Black Culture Connection, containing videos and web-exclusive features. There are documentaries and programs about MLK and his legacy on civil rights and equality in the U.S. Embed these resources in your Google Classroom or Canvas course to share with your students over the next week.
Edpuzzle has created a video with questions for your students to learn how important this federal day is to our nation. Take a look at the preview here. Flipgrid also has a topic with a video and article on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; students can then respond with what dreams they have for the future.
Highlight Hub Raffle Winners
A Big Congratulations to our 2021 Hour of Code Winners
Our annual Hour of Code Contest was held during Computer Science Education Week in December. Teachers could register for Hour of Code and then submit their activity to the Highlight Hub to win $500 towards technology in their classroom. Congratulations to our winners:
- Valerie Deep at Sandersville Elementary: “Students used Minecraft EDU to code solutions to tasks.”
- Shad Lacefield at Garden Springs Elementary: “Dressing as Chewbacca I helped co-pilot students through coding a Star Wars Video game during the hour of code. We watched the videos to get excited, I had Star Wars music playing when each class came into the room, and I made a screencastify to help with students who had to be at home. I would then play each student’s game with them watching, giving them positive reviews and a certificate for completing the hour of code.”
- Stephanie Meyer at Cardinal Valley Elementary. “This week for Hour of Code I had students participating in a variety of ways. K/1 explored with CodeSpark and the Code & Go Mouse. 2nd grade trained their dragon with Dragon Blast from Tynker. 3rd grade is working on a multi-week project with Scratch. And 4/5 have been making choices in our Makerspace, some working with a Sphero Bolt and other coding activities.”
To see all the amazing coding activities from across the district, visit the Highlight Hub Hour of Code Portfolio.
STLP Teams from FCPS Advance to State
KET's Young Writers Contest
Our students are writing and creating every single day. Instead of allowing their work to remain hidden in a manilla folder or notebook, give opportunities for them to become published authors and proudly display their work for others to enjoy. There are ample tools at your disposal such as Google Slides, Adobe Creative Cloud Express, or Book Creator that can aid students in their journey, bringing excitement and authenticity to their process.
KET Education has just released their annual Young Writers Contest which is a great and safe outlet for student writers. Kentucky students can enter pieces in four different categories; Illustrated Story, Short Story, Poetry and Graphic Novel. Check out their website for rules, scoring rubrics, and past winners. There are also many resources teachers can use for planning lessons and inspiring student writers.
Check out last year's winning submission: Can I Tell You a Secret?
Adobe Spark is now Creative Cloud Express
- Adobe In a Box: The Art of Explainer Videos - everything you need for your students to create videos on a topic!
- Free Research Poster Templates - Have students choose a template and create a research poster in minutes!
- Creative Identity Template - Have students remix the template to describe their identity. Try one as a teacher here.
Want to learn more? Contact FCPS OIT or join one of the upcoming Adobe webinars.
Flipgrid Live Events
- January 12, 10 a.m. PT (1:00 pm EST)
Learn to Face Our Fears - January 19, 10 a.m. PT (1:00 pm EST)
Animal Parenting! - January 26, 10 a.m. PT (1:00 pm EST)
Build your mental fitness - Can't watch the event live? Check out their YouTube playlist for recordings.
Create Audio Files with Screencastify
Newsela Daily Pear Decks
- NASA Smashing an Asteroid
- Deaf Football Team taking CA by storm
- A Sesame Street Debut
- Drones Delivering Girl Scout Cookies
- and much more!
Subscribe to get an email each Monday for current event decks! More information can be found here.
I Want to Hold Your Hand - Extended Remix (Part 2 of 3)
This is the second part of a 3-part series to share different ways to make that digital connection and elevate your audience engagement by Jerry Broyles.
CAST TO A COMPUTER (aka SHARE SCREENS) involves using an app to “temporarily” share what is on your screen to another device typically inside an app or a browser tab. This is a great way for students to briefly share their Chromebook screen with the class via the presentation computer (e.g. sharing what they have created in Minecraft or showing how to add video in an Adobe Spark presentation). Our go-to for this was the Google Cast for Education extension, but Google pulled the plug on it in August 2020. So, here are a few current options for you.
Use the MyViewboard Whiteboard app for students to share their screen. This is a great way for students using Chromebooks to engage and present from their classroom or even remotely at home. To learn more, watch the video Share a Screen on MyViewboard.
Use the MyViewboard Display app to share your screen with the class, remotely control a slide show, or even annotate with your favorite whiteboard app. Using the Display app gives teachers the freedom to move around the classroom, to join student groups, and to circulate for proximity control. To learn more about using this, explore the MyViewboard Display Directions document and watch the Display App video to get started.
FCPS Office of Instructional Technology
Website: https://fcpsblogs.net/
Location: 450 Park Place, Lexington, KY, USA
Phone: (859)381-4100
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Twitter: @fcpsoit