February Tech Tips Newsletter
Candace Warren & Valerie Ivy, PBR1 Technology Facilitators
You are Going to LOVE this PD!!
Greg is the Technology Facilitator for the Wentzville School District, a Google for Education Certified Trainer, and a Google for Education Certified Innovator. He is a Discovery STAR educator, serves on the METC Advisory Board, and he is a SMART Certified Trainer. Greg was chosen as a Midwest Spotlight Educator and was awarded with the ISTE Making IT Happen award for 2012. In other words, he is a wealth of knowledge, and we LOVED having him as a guest in PB!
Since many of you did not get to attend #PBTC16, we thought we would take this opportunity to "share the love" and provide you with some professional development links from the sessions Greg showcased during his visit to PB.
Check out these links:
*Google, Starbucks, and Playing https://tinyurl.com/pbcreate
*Getting Started with Google Classroom https://goo.gl/OD90v6
*Taking it to the Next Level with Google Classroom https://goo.gl/5J3umf
*HyperWHAT? Using HyperDocs to Inspire https://goo.gl/5LGPZe
*Advanced Google "Drive"ers Ed https://goo.gl/jzjTpH
*Getting More out of Google Drive with Add-Ons https://goo.gl/yNPLqt
For more information and resources from the day, check out #PBTC16 on Twitter!
February 9th is Safer Internet Day!
The theme for this year’s Safer Internet Day celebration is “Play your part for a better Internet.” The day offers all of us the opportunity to do that – not just by increasing the number of people who use the Internet and connected technologies safely and responsibly but also by growing the amount of good there is online and using the Internet to increase its visibility and impact. We’re talking about expressions of kindness and positive social action, big or small, by people of all ages.
Here are some ways to participate in Safer Internet Day:
- Participate in the Safer Internet Day livestream event from Universal Studios Hollywood. Contact SID@ConnectSafely for participant materials and to sign up.
- Read, discuss and sign the family pledge for smart use of technology. Everyone has a role to play in keeping ourselves – and each other – safe online. The idea of a family contract, or series of pledges, is to get everyone in the family on board as to what it means to use today’s technologies safely and smartly.
- Teachers: Check out one of our Safer Internet Day lesson plans.
- Become a Safer Internet Day US partner. Help us grow awareness by becoming our partner! Learn more here.
- Join our mailing list. Sign up to receive all the latest news and updates about Safer Internet Day.
- Join #SIDUS16 and #SID2016 on Twitter and Facebook.
Like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter to keep up with the latest news about Safer Internet Day in the US. - Spread the word. Let others know about Safer Internet Day and what you’re planning to do to celebrate it!
-Download SID 2016 logo (png)
Resource information from http://saferinternetday.us/get-involved-2016/
Digital Learning Day February 17, 2016
Why celebrate Digital Learning Day?
With so many new types of digital devices, educational software and mobile apps continuously developed, it’s hard to keep up with the latest and greatest advancements in educational technology. In some classrooms and out-of-school programs across the country, educators are doing some pretty amazing things with technology. Yet, these pockets of innovation are confined to a small number of schools and communities. Digital Learning Day was started as a way to actively spread innovative practices and ensure that all youth have access to high-quality digital learning opportunities no matter where they live.
Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for education leaders to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes. This grassroots effort blossomed into a massive nationwide celebration as teachers realized that Digital Learning Day is not about technology, it’s about learning. It’s not about laying off teachers for laptops, it’s about enhancing the role of the teacher in America’s classrooms. Digital Learning Day promotes the effective use of modern day tools afforded to every other industry to improve the learning experience in K-12 public schools.
Do you have limited technology in your classroom?
We should all be giving formative assessments consistently to determine the learning of our students. The reality is that we are all doing this, but for some teachers it takes much longer to analyze this data since they do not have access to the technology component. If you are in this situation, here is a resource that might help you!
Try https://plickers.com/ for a way to collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for personal student devices. This ed-tech tool is SIMPLE and 100% free. It's a student response system that uses an app on your smartphone and some free printable response cards. Optionally, you can display the question via a projector to a screen or Smartboard.
You Can Book Us!
https://candacewarren.youcanbook.me/
You can contact Valerie at the following link to book a time to work with her or have her help you out in your classroom, a staff meeting, etc...
https://valerieivy.youcanbook.me/
If you'd like to reserve both of us at the same time, just email us or reserve it on both calendars!