#iCONNECT Tech Tips
September 5, 2014 #EHSRedDevils
Digital Passport Initiative Deployment
Elkmont High School started out our DPI Rollout Day by having classes come in one at a time to pack their laptops and charging cables into their laptop bag. Students logged into their laptops so that we could troubleshoot early in the day any log in issues that might exist.
Student aides from the high school helped move the laptops to the gym where a stage was set up for presenting the laptops to students "graduation style". In addition to the laptops, Digital Citizenship Certificate of Completion were also prepared, rolled and tied with a red ribbon.
At 1:00 all 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students filed into the gym and the ceremony began. Mr. Garris started by saying a few words and leading the pledge. Dr. Sisk then gave a brief speech about the Digital Passport Initiative and the learning opportunities that will now be available to them. Next, Ms. Pat Gartman took the stage. Calling one class at a time, Ms. Gartman read out the names of each student. As students proceeded across the stage they first received their laptop from their teacher and then their certificate of digital citizenship from Mr. Garris. When all laptops had been distributed, the 3rd and 4th grade classes posed with administration for group photos. Students then proceeded to the lobby area of the gym where Elkmont's wonderful PTSO had cookies and juice for the students. Our PTSO also spearheaded ordering covers for the MacBook Airs and delivered many of those to the students in their classrooms.
After getting snack courtesy of the PTSO, students went back to their classrooms for the last hour of the day. 3rd and 4th grades teachers had a variety of activities planned for this last hour. Ms. Adams jumped right in and taught her students how to use AirDrop. Ms. English got her students started taking pictures of themselves in preparation for learning about AirDrop. Other teachers walked their student through how to find the Elkmont High School website and how to log into their Moodle accounts.
Their were a few bumps in the road along the way but in the end, with the help of SwitchDesk, parent volunteers, student aides, teachers and administrators everything worked out in the end.
Take a look HERE at all the fun we had during Elkmont's DPI Deployment Day!
Building PLCs at Elkmont
The 5th Grade PLC meet this week and set using Google Classroom with their students as their September PLC and PLP goal. To help support this goal, Ms. Robertson created Google Classroom tutorials and has set up dates and times to co teach using Google Classroom.
Step by Step Picture Tutorials:
Student Sign In for Google Classroom
Teacher Sign In & How to Create a Class in Google Classroom
For a SlideShare Tutorial for Google Classroom click HERE.
Linda Lindsey has compiled a list of 12 of the BEST Google Classroom Tutorials HERE.
Ms. Hardiman's 5th Grade Class Tackles Google Classroom
We learned several things during our day together, the most important was listening and following directions. This may seem obvious but the need to listen and follow directions is especially critical when using technology. Even one tiny little period out of place will cause frustration on the part of the person trying to get to a website or accomplish a technology task. Having completed this activity successfully, I am confident these students will be more apt to listen and follow directs next time now that they truly the the immediate effects of not doing so.
We also learned to support and help each other. This goes a long way in having a cohesive classroom and building positive classroom relationships. We were cheering so loud for our fellow classmates as they worked diligently to type in the URL perfectly that Ms. Adams stuck her head in the door to see what we were doing to have so much fun!
As a reward for successfully completing the lesson objectives for the day, students used the last 10 minutes of class to play with Photo Booth and Incredibox.
Ms. Hardiman and her students were awesome and patient as we worked through the inevitable kinks that pop up when using new technologies. I can't wait to see what they do with Google Classroom now that they know how it works!
Symbaloo? Ask Ms. Robertson How!
Symbaloo helps teachers curate content and share the best of the web with their students. Teachers are able to work harder, smarter and most importantly, happier.
“Help, I’m drowning!” said Shelley Breivogel, 25 year veteran teacher from Indiana. Like many other teachers, Shelley is feeling overwhelmed with the amount of time it takes working outside of the classroom to be an effective teacher.
As schools start to implement 1:1 or BOYD methods in the classroom, teachers are required to keep up with the latest technology and teaching methods. Most teachers own a massive collection of teaching resources: classroom links, lesson plans, web 2.0 tools, educational apps, educational videos, social media, professional development resources, and many more. How do you organize and stay on top of all these resources?
And what about the “non tech-savvy” teachers that are struggling with technology? Those teachers have the most difficult time implementing tech in the classroom. How will they cope with this problem, and how can we help them?
Symbaloo allows teachers to share valuable resources with their students and with each other. The best part is, Symbaloo is easy to use. You can add any link you find on the web to a customized tile, and organize your tiles in different webmixes (categories). You can search for tiles in the Symbaloo’s tile database, and you can search for content curated by other educators in Symbaloo’s gallery. Tech-savvy teachers can lead the way for those teachers that need help.
To read more about how teachers are using Symbaloo in the classroom click HERE.