CPP Technology Today
A Communication of the CPP Technology Committee - Vol 2.9
In This Issue
- Instructional Technology Professional Development
- Technology in Our Schools - Tuesday is Tech Day for Carder Elementary's Third Grade! - By Laura Tolbert
- Resource Spotlight - Curating, Presenting and Sharing Resources with Blendspace
- Library Media Update - Tech Literacy in the Winfield Library - By Kathy Rapisarda
- Applying Google Apps: Getting Going with Google Sites - By Matt Middlebrook
- District Technology News: Updates to the District Technology Scope & Sequence in Progress
- Technology Committee - Members
- BITS Team Members
- Updates from Tech Services
- Newsletter Suggestions and Ideas
Tuesday, Jan 24, 2017, 10:00 AM
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Instructional Technology Professional Development
Unless otherwise indicated, classes run from 3:30-4:30. Teachers are welcome to attend trainings in any building. There is no pre-registration process - "drop in" when you're able! Be sure to sign in for in-service credit.
Contact the team members offering each class with any specific questions.
January Dates:
1/24 - Severn Library - Jen Taylor - Open Labs - 3:15-4:15 (All Teachers)
1/24 - Middle School Library - Carrie Howe - YouTube Channel (All Teachers)
1/31 - Middle School Library - Carrie Howe - Google Add-ons - 3:30-4:30 (All Teachers)
February Dates
2/7 - Carder School Library - Laura Tolbert - Typing Club and Kahoot - 2:45-3:30 (All Teachers)
2/8 - Gregg School Lab - Rachel Ketchum - Nearpod - 3:30-5:00 (All Teachers)
March Dates
3/8 - Gregg School Lab - Rachel Ketchum - Open Lab - 3:30-4:30 (All Teachers)
Technology in Our Schools
Tuesday is Tech Day for Carder Elementary's Third Grade!
Pop into the Library Media Center on a Tuesday at Carder and you will find something interesting happening. The four classes of 3rd graders have been meeting every Tuesday a special “Tech Tuesday” event. These meetings are designed to expose students to new and diverse technologies, to help in teaching and learning the CPP Tech Skills, and to allow students to collaborate with each other.
Topics and activities vary, but include Kahoots, NearPod Lessons, using Google Classroom, Google Docs, doing research, and more. Sometimes these sessions are teacher-led, but more often students are taking on roles to help each other learn new things about using their Chromebooks.
While there have been times when all four classes have gotten together, it is more likely to find two at a time. Students enjoy the opportunity to explore the technology available to them, the teachers have an opportunity to learn from one another (and their students), plus it is a great way for everyone to get to know each other. We often have TAs and other staff members popping in to support the activities- and it really is a positive experience for everyone. Using a common space allows more movement and provides lots of practice for students transporting their equipment carefully. This was a creative way to address the technology skills checklist and learn to use the Chromebooks. Integrating technology can be as simple as pairing up with another class or grade level!
Resources Spotlight
Resource Spotlight: Curating, Presenting and Sharing Resources with Blendspace
Items are arranged in a grid format, and resources can be added through a simple drag-and-drop interface. The created lesson can then be played like a slideshow presentation, or individual resources can be accessed individually.
Teachers are also able to create classes in Blendspace, and assign, monitor and assess student work through the program. Quizzes can also be given within a lesson, allowing quick and easy formative assessment as students work through a lesson at their own pace, making Blendspace a great tool for a FLIPped classroom.
Blendspace can be used in the classroom to:
- Put all the resources for a lesson or unit (websites, videos, Word handouts, PDF documents) in one place where they can all be accessed smoothly
- Present lesson materials to students
- Curate video links used in the classroom (or for young children you don't want on YouTube themselves)
- Students can load their completed work (documents created in Word or Docs, or pictures of their hand-written work, art work, or other materials) into a "lesson" for a portfolio of their achievement
- Students can use Blendspace to create a presentation of their own
- When assigning a project that has multiple parts or involves student-created work online, students can place all the different parts into a Blendspace lesson
- Use Blendspace to keep track of research - drop links to pages you want to use or access later into a lesson to keep them together in one place
Blendspace also maintains a "library" of lessons other teachers have created, that are available for use to other teachers. See links to some and to the site below.
Library Media Connection
Tech Literacy in the Winfield Library
By Kathy Rapisarda
Computer technology is being utilized at Winfield Elementary to help students learn new tech skills as well as traditional library skills. Grades 3-5 bring their Chromebooks with them to library every week as this enables them to have instant access to the many resources available in the library. Students belong to a Library Google Classroom through which they access the Library Symbaloo, enabling them to take AR quizzes, access the OPAC to find that book they’ve been looking for, use Typing Club, practice with the States Game on Sheppard Software or practicing the Dewey with Order in the Library.
Additionally, Chromebooks for research. World Book Online, Grolier, and America the Beautiful are just a few of the databases available to elementary students.
Google classroom is enabling students to keep in contact with a "travelling" teacher when otherwise they'd have to wait days or more to share information. Their work is always available to access, and students can let Mrs. Rapisarda know instantly how they fared on that AR quiz through class posts, even when she is not in the building.
Access resources on the programs mentioned in this article below
Applying Google Apps
Getting Going with Google Sites
By Matt Middlebrook
Google Sites, a part of G Suite (the new name for Google Apps for Education), allows teachers and/or your students to create one or multiple websites that can incorporate text, images, hyperlinks, GoogleDocs and files, embedded HTML objects and videos, and much more. Additionally, people can collaborate on a website for a group project. Students could work together on an informative website as a final or ongoing project in your content area. You could quickly post updated notes and assignments. Students could develop and maintain a website of their portfolio. Sites can be made quickly and simply or with a lot of complexity. Students can develop their content and creation, information seeking, and locating and organizing resources technology skills with this web site creation tool.
The links to handouts below will get you started.
Add Content and additional pages to your Site
District Technology Updates
Updates to the District Technology Scope & Sequence in Progress
As part of the 2015-2020 Master Plan, the Technology Committee developed a K-12 Scope & Sequence of Technology Skills to be taught and learned at CPP.
These skills are divided into different categories (Basic Operations, Keyboarding, Information Gathering...) and broken into the levels.
Skills marked with an "I" at a specific grade level indicate that the skills are to be Introduced in that grade - teachers should not assume students have any knowledge of that skill.
If an "R" is marked for a specific skill, that skill has been taught before, but will need to be Reinforced - it is unlikely that students have had enought practice to fully master the skill.
Those skills marked with an "A" indicate that students should be able to Apply that skill readily, with minimial or no re-teaching required.
The committee is in the process of revising those skills, due to new programs and technologies that have been introduced into the district since they were written two years ago. Any input on the skills would be appreciated. You can contact Lori Pruyne, or any of the BITS members listed below with your thoughts and suggestions.
Technology Committee Membership
BITS Team - Instructional Technology Support
Last week in this newsletter, the Building Instructional Technology Support (BITS) team members were introduced, and their roles were discussed. Remember that these individuals are available within your buildings to help teachers utilize instructional technology. They can recommend programs and resources, suggest ways to implement technology and tech skills instruction into the curriculum, and provide teachers with help in introducing programs to students. Any hardware-related issues should still be referred to IT, with requests sent in by emailing helpdesk@gstboces.org.
BITS representatives in each building include:
Carder – Jamie Nichols, Laura Tolbert and June Keuhn
Gregg – Rachel Ketchum and Colin Sinko
Erwin Valley – Jen Haischer and Peggy Marsiglio
Severn – Jen Taylor and Karen Cleary
Smith – Mike Clarke, Jill Mertus and Matt Cornacchio
Winfield – Kathy Rapisarda and Shari Smith
CPP HS – Robin Robarge and Stacie Martinec
CPPMS - Carrie Howe
District - Lori Pruyne
BITS representatives are also going to be conducting after-school professional development classes on various instructional technology topics after school each month. These sessions will be held around the district, but all sessions are open to all teachers - you do not have to attend only sessions held in your individual buildings. Class times and locations will be listen on the Professional Development Opportunities page of the CPP Technology website.
Updates From Tech Services
Email Fix: Email From Online Links
(You must have the Outlook 2016 program set up before this will work. You can install it yourself from the START menu)
To fix the email handler for web links:
Click The START button ->Settings ->Control Panel ->Default Programs ->Set you default programs-> Outlook 2016->Set this program as defaultNewletter Information
Email: lpruyne@cppmail.com
Website: cpptechnology.weebly.com
Location: CPPHS B215
Phone: 3503