CLX Digital Lead Teacher Newsletter
August 2019
It's time for another great year at Claxton!
Welcome back! Or if you're new to us, Welcome to Claxton!
I am excited to see all the familiar and new faces that are ready to greet our students for another amazing year. My hope is that my monthly newsletter can provide you with resources and information to guide your instructional technology side. I have found that newsletters help gather all my thoughts into one place rather than send you separate emails.
IMPORTANT! Set up your CLX Google Calendars!
The STAFF Calendar is for STAFF ONLY. This will include in-house information as well as staff members that are absent. We don't need this info out on our website BUT we do need you to have it.
Go to these links to add them to your calendar and 'toggle' them on or off to see what's happening.
Want to be notified if an event has been changed or cancelled?
Who can have pictures taken and who can't?! Media Release Info!
This month, all devices should be launched with Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs, GREEN SHEET), Media Releases (PINK SHEET) and Laptop Agreements (for 3-5th grades only). For students that do not have those turned in, please send home another copy. We will restrict accounts starting in October to those that do not have AUPs returned. Teachers, you can keep the laptop agreements in your room, but we do need the green and pink forms in the media center.
Here is our list of media restricted students that we will be updating as we receive those forms.
New lessons from Common Sense Education and Internet Safety!
Keep an eye out for a sign up Doc for one of two Internet Safety lessons your students will have with me this year! I even have some swag waiting for the teacher that decides to their own Internet Safety/Digital Citizenship lessons on their own this year ;)
What DEVICES do my students get?
3-5 teachers: Your students are getting their brief intro AND a laptop agreement that will be returned to you in Inquiry class. Because we received a new set of student devices last Thursday, we will be working to shift some carts around. All grades should have access to their devices by next week.
New this year! 1:1 is coming to 3rd grade (woot!) and 1st grade gets a grade level set of Chromebooks.
Upgrade your Social Studies lessons! Exciting new Google Earth Updates!
Google Earth
The new browser-based version of Google Earth makes it easier than ever to travel the planet, and to learn about the places where you land. Your students can explore the globe while you help them develop critical thinking and data visualization skills in all different subjects. As a start, check out interactive quizzes, track current hurricanes and tropical storms, and visit traditional homes all around the world. Or read how one educator plans to bring the Apollo 11 landing to his students this fall.
Google Earth Education Website
The Google Earth Education website is a central place to find classroom resources and activities, learn about other Google tools, or to get inspired. This is also where we have information about Privacy and Trust, and how you can safely use these tools with students. If videos are more your style, visit the Google Earth YouTube channel and discover how Earth and other mapping tools are changing the planet.
Google Earth Engine: Timelapse
Google Earth Engine brings together the world's satellite imagery and makes it available online with tools for scientists, researchers, and nations to mine the data to detect changes, map trends and quantify differences on the Earth's surface. One way you introduce your students to this technology is with our interactive timelapse viewer. Students can travel back in time and see how their communities and the world has changed over the past thirty-five years.
Level Up 3.0! Digital Learning Competencies and You!
In order to meet state requirements, I will continue to meet with all certified staff each month to deliver Digital Learning Competencies. As a reminder, if you are in the renewal cycle for 2019-20, you will be required to have 2 CEUs in the Digital Learning Competencies. The district Digital Lead Teachers have been working together to deliver PD to cover these standards and ensure that teachers receive content they need.
As we are in our third year, the format will change just a bit to give you more choice and allow you to dig deeper.
We will continue to award CEUs to certified staff that take their learning beyond the conference room! You can refer to the CLX PD Calendar to see when these topics will be covered.
Our first session will be on Thursday, September 26th on what your goals are this year.
Are You Using Pear Deck yet?
Want to take a quick formative assessment on map skills or even on how they're feeling that day? Use Pear Deck! Students can access this easily from the web browser of an iPad or Chromebook.
Here's a great link on 20 ways you can use Pear Deck in your classroom!
Broken tech? Contact your Tech Ninja: Shelly Powell!
Ms. Powell is our tech contact and media assistant rock star!
Something not working? Please put in a tech ticket: https://helpme.asheville.k12.nc.us/ The link can also be found under 'Staff' on the Claxton website. Type in your first.lastname and your ACS password (same as logging into your email OR network computer). Select 'Have a Problem?' and select 'Claxton help desk'. Once your tech is submitted, it gets emailed to me and Ms. Powell, which is the quickest way for us to manage our tech support.
Hashtags for Claxton:
#clxleaders #clxsocialjustice #theACSway
Hashtags for Educators:
#nced #5thchat #4thchat #2ndchat #3rdchat #1stchat #kinderchat #skype2learn #mysteryskype #edtech #TLIM