ITRT News & Updates
ITRT Newsletter for Elementary - March 2015
MS Office 2013
Tips and Tricks - Quick Access Toolbar
The Quick Access Toolbar is in all Office applications - Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc. This allows you to access your frequently used features without having to toggle back and forth between the tabs at the top of your file. Click here to learn how to customize the appearance, contents, and location of your toolbar.
Web 2.0 Tool - Thinking Blocks
Is modeling word problems with manipulatives a big part of your mathematics instruction? Or, do you struggle to find good, visual modeling for mathematics objectives? If so, consider using Thinking Blocks. Thinking Blocks is a good instructional tool for explaining and guiding demonstrations using models to understand math concepts. You can easily use the tool as a whole group on an interactive whiteboard, or students can work independently on problems on laptops, desktops, or netbooks. Students can model and solve word problems with visual manipulatives from basic topics such as addition and subtraction, all of the way to more advanced concepts such as ratios and proportions. This interactive tool is a great compliment to Singapore math activities.
Visit: Thinking Blocks
iPads
Sweeten student achievement using Quizlet! Quizlet's flashcards, tests, and study games make learning engaging and fun for students of any age. Sign up for a free account at www.quizlet.com and create interactives for specific classes. Students can enjoy reviewing using Quizlet competitions and games like Scatter and Space Race. Follow students' progress as they learn and push them to move towards higher order thinking, using what they know to apply, analyze, question, and create.
Contact your ITRT for more ideas on how to use these apps or implement them with your students.
Please Note: When receiving an iPad for school use through school funds, grants, donations, PTA funds, etc., initial set up has to be completed by your ITRT. Please contact your ITRT as soon as you receive the iPad(s).
Blackboard
NEW: My Organizations > HCPS Professional Development > Gale-Cengage eBooks
When you log into Blackboard, you will see “HCPS Professional Development” under the “My Organizations” section. There you will find links to district-wide professional development sites and information including the new Gale-Cengage eBooks. Check out how some schools are already using these eBook titles:
The School Climate and Culture PLC at LDHS is using excerpts from Closing the Achievement Gap: How to Fire Up Your Students to Strive for Success in their work together.
The RPES faculty are discovering key information about student resilience through reading segments of Fostering Grit: How Do I Prepare My Students for the Real World.
BYOD
5 ways to create an engaging byod classroom
Click the link above for a nice article about using Remind to send resources to students which lets them access content
If you are currently using Remind, then hopefully you can share how it’s working with your colleagues. Would you like to try out Remind with your students? Sign up for a free account here. https://www.remind.com/
Pixie 4
Looking for classroom project ideas that students can create with Pixie? Check out some samples on Tech4Learning’s very own YouTube Channel.
Connected Families
We are excited to offer a workshop series to parents called Connecting Families-Helping Parents Connect with their Children’s Digital Lives.
The goal of this workshop series is to support families in raising kids who think critically, participate responsibly, and behave ethically in their online lives. The program materials were developed by Common Sense Education and are endorsed by the National PTA.
March Workshop Date/Description:
March 16, 2015
7:00-8:30 pm at Patrick Henry High School
Texting & Photographs:
What actually constitutes sexting? How can understanding the phenomenon help us keep teens from making irreversible decisions to share compromising photographs?
Social Media Spotlight
SMART
File Management - Google Drive
SHERYL SYLVIA, ITRT
*Hanover County Public Schools
Email: ssylvia@hcps.us
Location: Ashland, VA, United States
Phone: -
Twitter: @itrt08