Dawson County Schools Tech Update
Sharing the good news of Instructional Tech in our schools
Instructional Technology Committee News
As the committee continues the adoption process of a learning management system for system wide use in the future, certain key capabilities of the LMS have been identified and discussed.
Some of the capabilities requested are:
• ease of use for students and teachers,
• a simple, easy to understand user interface,
• connectivity to Powerschool for grade reporting and adding students to courses,
• works great on a mobile device and
• has a user interface that is appropriate to a wide grade range of student abilities.
The committee participated in vendor demonstrations of the following LMS systems:
• Canvas,
• Itslearning,
• Schoology.
Please click on the links to explore a bit more.
After the demonstrations were complete, the committee asked each vendor specific questions. The committee then discussed the abilities of each system and narrowed the systems to be considered to https://www.schoology.com/ and https://www.canvaslms.com/k-12/
The committee will now explore each system, with test accounts, to get a better insight to each system from a user viewpoint. Once the final selection is made and adopted, a professional learning plan will be developed to help instructional staff integrate this system into our instruction.
How We Teach with Tech
Kimberly DeRose, 6th grade ELA/Reading/SS teacher at DCMS. I have been in education for nearly 20 years in grades 5-8
One word the best describes how I teach: all-in
Current mobile devices: iPad, iPhone
Current computer: MacBook Air
What apps, software or tools can’t you live without? Chrome Remote Desktop https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-remote-desktop/gbchcmhmhahfdphkhkmpfmihenigjmpp, Twitter http://twitter.com, ViewPure http://viewpure.com/, Puffin Browser http://www.puffinbrowser.com/index.php , SnapType http://www.snaptypeapp.com/
What is your favorite app for instructional organization, management: Chrome Remote Desktop allows me to wander around the room and still have access to my laptop that is hooked to the projector on my desk. I can run Powerpoints, Prezis, or switch applications from anywhere in the room and have it display to the screen. I could not live without this as a tech tool as well as a classroom management tool.
What apps or tech activities appeal the most to your students? SnapType for my note takers that need support.
Where do you find more ideas for technology integration in your classroom? Trial and error
What advice would you give other teachers on how to integrate technology in their classroom? Decide how you need help and then find a technology support for that.Aimee Park, DCMS ELA Teacher, said she uses her iPad everyday in her classroom and here is how she uses it:
1. I use the app Kidpick - it randomly selects kids in my class when I need my students to share their writing out loud. I can even input data on each kid and keep track of their right/wrong answers if I am formatively quizzing them. http://www.havefunteaching.com/tools/apps/kidpick-app
2. I use the app Team Shake for similar purposes. It helps me select "teams" or groups of students for games, groups, etc. http://www.rhine-o.com/iphone-apps/team-shake
3. Kahoot app to play Kahoot for review. https://getkahoot.com/
4. Plickers - this one is great even if kids do not have a device. Check it out: https://plickers.com/
5. Schoology - I will literally take a pic of my smart board and immediately load it to Schoology for my classes to see if they need a reminder when at home doing HW. https://www.schoology.com/
6. Ever had a bunch of Post Its on your whiteboard as a "Ticket out"? I do this all of the time when we are comparing/contrasting or creating a thesis. If you use the Post It Plus app, you can take a picture of all of the Post Its and the app will convert everything on the Post Its to your notes on your iPad. Then, upload that to Schoology as a reminder of what we've discussed for the day. http://www.post-it.com/3M/en_US/post-it/ideas/plus-app/
7. Adobe Voice: This app allows teachers to take a picture of something, then record your voice over it. Great for further instructions on an assignment. https://standout.adobe.com/voice/
These are just some iPad uses. I also use my iPad for taking notes for myself, checking my e-mail while my computer is plugged up to my board, looking at YouTube videos for a lesson, etc.
Technology Take Over Days!
The February visit was RVMS
Technology Integration Strategies
http://www.edutopia.org has many great resources and here is a Game-Based Learning Resource Round Up: http://www.edutopia.org/game-based-learning-resources
Finally, here is a Blog post about how a teacher using Schoology used its "badge" system to engage students, leading to a 100% participation rate https://dawsoncountyhs.schoology.com/group/25228991/blog/post/402264607
Google Apps for Education (GAFE) Learning Resources
Did you know that as a Google Apps for Education user you have your own YouTube account? YouTube is a powerful resource for learning. Good teachers are always sharing good resources, and you can share a great Youtube resource with others. Watch this quick lesson on "Three Ways to Share a YouTube Video" https://www.thegooru.com/three-ways-to-share-a-youtube-video/
A Tip of The Hat!
A Tip of the Hat to RVMS ELA teacher Cassie Tallant, integrating iPads into her instruction.
Ms. Powell, RVMS Media Specialist, reports "Ms. Tallant is posting QR codes along the wall to teach about sentence structure. She also used NearPod https://www.nearpod.com/how-it-works/ with 5th grade tours."
A Tip of the Hat to RVMS Social Studies teacher, Dessica Pritchett, for using the Babbel app https://www.babbel.com/ to briefly introduce students to languages spoken in their area of study.
A Tip of the Hat to Sarah Pruitt, Physical Education teacher at BMES, for integrating technology into her PE classes. Ms. Pruitt shares "Some may think PowerPoint is old stuff, but I've found a great way to use it in my classes. I make a PowerPoint with warm-up exercises. I add vocabulary words from the standards to these activities. Add some music and it really comes alive. Students get activity and I have them start our class discussion with points from the PowerPoint. This has really worked very well for me. With the slides changing every 15 seconds, it is fast and easy."
A Tip of the Hat to Tasha Hamil and Paula Poss, RVES teachers, introducing and implementing Kahoot https://getkahoot.com/ in their classrooms. Ms. Poss says her students were engaged and competitive using the program when they all had their own iPad. She enjoyed being able to use quizzes she found in the program for her math activity rather than having to make her own each time. Her son, who is in middle school, also loves Kahoot and talks about it at home.
Technology Training Center Upgrades!
Tech Tips
Google Drive is one of the most powerful "apps" that our Google accounts provide us now and in the fall, students will have Dawson County Google accounts too. The link below opens up a Google Slides presentation that another teacher has shared. It is great example of the power of Google Slides, embedding short video tutorials about Google Drive tips.
Here is a great resource from a great website, http://www.educatorstechnology.com that can help you learn more about Google Calendar:
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2016/02/a-very-good-google-calendar-guide-for.html
One common request from staff involves using pictures taken with the iPhone or iPad and moving them to their Macbook Air for use with Google Apps, etc. There are many ways to share pictures, but here is one way using Air Drop and Blue Tooth. Click on this link from Apple and try it out. The transferred image will be found in your MacBook's Downloads folder and then you can easily upload it to your Google Drive.
"Use AirDrop to send content from your Mac" https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203106
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