The EdTechie
Volume 1 Issue 1
"Teach for the world students live in"
-Mrs. Lemmo
Google Voice
What you can do with Google Voice:
- Text from your computer or mobile phone
- Read your voicemail and search through it like email
- Personalize voicemail greetings for family and friends
- Make international calls at low rates
- Get protected from spam calls, block unwanted callers, and screen calls before answering
- Google Voice allows you to give out your phone number to without giving out your actual phone number.
- You can organize parents into circles or groups and record a unique voicemail message if they call. You can use to this to record class announcements and reminders. For example if you planning phone a class field trip but are unable to take calls for a period of time you can record the important information into a special greeting.
- You can record multiple voicemail greetings that can be your default greeting or the one that will play for people who are certain groups. Organize contacts into groups based upon homeroom, grade, club, sports team, etc
Check these great articles for ideas & tips for using Google Voice in your classroom:
Website Spotlight
There is a great website that creates a poster with a picture and QR code called #whatimreading (www.whatimreading.org)
GoNoodle Everyday
Every Sunday, we’ll email you the GoNoodle Everyday weekly schedule to give you a sneak peek of the upcoming videos for the week so that you can preview them and prep for the week ahead! Each weekday when you log in to GoNoodle, you’ll see the recommended GoNoodle Everyday video at the very top of the discovery page. Checkout this week!!
Book Spotlight
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick D. Barnes
Rhythmic text describes the feeling of a young African American boy as he gets a "fresh cut" and how a trip to the barbershop changes the way he feels about the world and in turn how the world perceives him. He might just "smash that geography exam" or "rearrange the principal's honor roll" and, of course, the cute girl in class won't be able to keep her eyes off of him. The protagonist spends time looking at black men in chairs next to him and creating vivid stories about their lives: "the dude to the left of you with a faux-hawk…looks presidential…maybe he's the CEO of a tech company." Oil paintings illustrate the intricacies of the haircuts, details in the characters' faces, along with the sense of well-being that is conveyed along the way. While a trip the barbershop is the main story line, the themes of confidence-building, self-esteem, and joy of young black boys are the important takeaways, and the illustrations jump off the page and invite readers to share in the experience. VERDICT A super fun read-aloud, this title is a recommended purchase for all picture book collections. (Source: School Library Journal)
Grades 4-6:
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Newbery Award—winning author Applegate meets high expectations in this tale told by a tree named Red, a red oak who is "two hundred and sixteen rings old." Touching on religious bigotry and the environment, Applegate keeps the emphasis on her characters, the many animals and birds who find shelter in the tree's branches all year round. (All the birds and animals have names and the power to talk, just like Red.) Around the first of May, people write down their wishes on pieces of cloth and hang them from the tree's branches, giving Red a special place in the community. The pacing starts out slowly, with early chapters focused almost entirely on the natural world, but eventually readers meet the human at the novel's center. Samar, a recent Muslim refugee, is lonely and in need of a friend. A nameless boy uses the tree to convey hateful messages to Samar and her family. The owner of the tree is tired of roots in the plumbing and hopes all the nastiness will disappear if the tree is cut down, having forgotten the story of her ancestors and the beginning of all the wishes. Red decides to intervene and ask for help from the animals and birds. Even those who shy away from books with talking animals will find this believable fantasy elegant and poignant. Widening the appeal is a sparse word count, making this a great choice for a family or classroom read-aloud and an inviting option for reluctant readers. VERDICT Another stunning effort from Applegate. This thoughtful read is a top choice for middle graders. (Source: School Library Journal)
Grades 6-9:
Posted by John David Anderson
In middle school, words aren’t just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends or make you enemies. They can come back to haunt you. Sometimes they can change things forever. When cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench come up with a new way to communicate: leaving sticky notes for each other all around the school. It catches on, and soon all the kids in school are leaving notes—though for every kind and friendly one, there is a cutting and cruel one as well. In the middle of this, a new girl named Rose arrives at school and sits at Frost’s lunch table. Rose is not like anyone else at Branton Middle School, and it’s clear that the close circle of friends Frost has made for himself won’t easily hold another. As the sticky-note war escalates, and the pressure to choose sides mounts, Frost soon realizes that after this year, nothing will ever be the same. (Source: Amazon)
High School:
The Rains by Gregg Hurwitz
In one terrifying night, the peaceful community of Creek's Cause turns into a war zone. No one under the age of eighteen is safe. Chance Rain and his older brother, Patrick, have already fended off multiple attacks from infected adults by the time they arrive at the school where other young survivors are hiding. Most of the kids they know have been dragged away by once-trusted adults who are now ferocious, inhuman beings. The parasite that transformed them takes hold after people turn eighteen--and Patrick's birthday is only a few days away. Determined to save Patrick's life and the lives of the remaining kids, the brothers embark on a mission to uncover the truth about the parasites--and what they find is horrifying. Battling an enemy not of this earth, Chance and Patrick become humanity's only hope for salvation. (Source: Amazon)
Staff PD:
Google Apps for Littles: Believe They Can by Christine Pinto & Alice Keeler
Are Littles ‘big enough’ to use technology in the classroom? Yes! Pre-K and elementary school-aged children are naturally curious about the world around them. They love to explore and play, in fact, that’s how they learn. That innate drive to discover and willingness to try is also what makes Littles great at embracing new opportunities. In Google Apps for Littles, author-educators Christine Pinto and Alice Keeler encourage teachers to tap into their young students’ curiosity, particularly when it comes to technology. The authors share a wealth of innovative ways to integrate digital tools in the primary classroom to make learning engaging and relevant for even the youngest of today’s twenty-first-century learners. Google Apps for Littles equips you with . . . Practical ways to approach technology with young learners Activities for integrating Google Apps in the primary classroom Easy-to-implement ideas for using G Suite as an educator Exercises that build important skills, such as critical thinking and collaboration Children already know that they don’t need to wait for a grown-up to give them information, and many are already familiar with smartphones and tables. By helping them understand how to use these amazing digital tools to learn and create, rather than just consume information, you are equipping them for their future education. Empower your Littles with experiences that place learning at their fingertips! It is time to have a shift your mindset and believe that the youngest kids on an elementary school campus can do more. (Source: Amazon) Checkout my reading takeaways
Teacher Self Care
Mrs. Lemmo EdTech
Striving to build a generation of young people with the skills, knowledge, and understanding to succeed in college, careers, and community, upstanding digital citizens and learners. Working to provide support to school personnel and Curriculum in integrating technology into the activities of the school to improve instruction and student achievement.
Email: mrslemmo@gmail.com
Website: www.lemmopd.weebly.com
Location: 4001 Alto Road, Baltimore, MD, USA
Phone: 443-648-5530
Facebook: facebook.com/MrsLemmoEdTech
Twitter: @JessicaLemmo