Tech Talk Tuesday 12/8/20
From the Office of Dr. Rachel Evans
The Tech Talk Tuesday newsletter provides resources to help with incorporating digital tools into your lessons to maximize student learning.
Take a look at the list below of resources shared in this week's edition:
PowerSchool Products
Schoology Accounts
Google Meet Livestream
Swivl Camera
New Chromebooks and iPads
Built-in Screen Reading: Chromebooks
FUSE and STEM Learning
For questions or needs related to instructional technology and hybrid learning, please contact Rachel Evans at revans@mcssk12.org for assistance!
Dates to Remember
PowerSchool
Check out the products we are getting and what we already have with PowerSchool!
Schoology Accounts
Schoology will be our school system's Learning Management System (LMS) next school year. Most districts in the state of AL are already utilizing Schoology. Please view the short video that Mr. Tim Gels created below, and try to login to your Schoology account. We are trying to ensure all accounts are set up properly. Click HERE for the Schoology login link.
Google Meet
Trying to figure out a way for your students to tune-in to your lessons while they're at home for Hybrid Learning? Can't beat Google Meet! Some schools within our district are livestreaming their in-person lessons so that their remote students can tune-in, participate, and learn with the rest of the class. Want to learn how to do this? Watch the video below.
Below are photos from a few schools that are using Google Meet to include their remote students in their daily lessons.
Swivl
In Madison County Schools, Swivls are being used now more than ever! Most schools are recording in-person lessons and sharing the links with the remote hybrid groups and students who are quarantined so that all students have access to high-quality instruction on a daily basis. Swivls were delivered to all schools in September.
New Chromebooks and iPads
The school district has purchased HP Touchscreen Chromebooks for students in grades K-2! The purpose of these devices is to support mCLASS progress monitoring and assessment. The district has also purchased iPads for all K-3 teachers! The iPads are for teacher use for the administration of mCLASS and progress monitoring related to the Alabama Literacy Act. The iPads are being delivered to Computer Services and will be distributed to schools once they are set up and inventoried. The iPads can also be paired with one of your school's Swivl cameras (when not using it for progress monitoring and assessment) to record your in-person lessons for your remote students.
Chromebook: Built-in Screen Reader
Chromebooks have a built-in screen reader called ChromeVox, which enables people with visual impairments or reading disabilities to use the Chrome operating system.
Once you go into your Chromebook settings and turn on Enable ChromeVox, you can select the text that you wish to be read on any webpage by pressing Alt + Shift + s and dragging a box around the text.
You can learn more about this feature HERE. Also, the video below shows the step-by-step process for allowing and utilizing this feature.
FUSE Fun
Ms. Morgen Perez's FUSE Lab students at Central School have explored almost all of their studio kits! Below, you can see her students engaging with the Beats Builder, Friend Finder, and Smart Castle kits!
Ms. Perez's students have also started two new projects: Wind Commander and Just Bead It! And their Smart Castle is in the middle of some home improvement!
3D Printer: Acts of Kindness
Ms. Kala Grice-Dobbins's students at Sparkman Middle School are getting cozy as they design and 3D print Christmas ornaments for all of the self-contained special needs students at Madison Cross Roads, Sparkman Middle, Sparkman 9, and Sparkman High. The students are using Tinkercad (an easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding) to design and build the ornaments.
Virtual Learning Fun
Having an entire virtual class didn't stop this teacher from joining in on the fun, seasonal festivies with her kiddos! Shemika Stinnett, 2nd grade virtual teacher at Legacy, has been busy getting the Christmas craft materials together for her virtual learners to pick up and enjoy!
Techie Teachers on Twitter
Use the hashtag #MCSSStrong if you'd like for your tech- or STEM-related tweets to be featured in this newsletter.
STEM Standouts!
SchoolsPLP Resources
Some helpful links are below:
- The Schools PLP Video Resource Catalog can be found HERE
- SchoolsPLP support email address: support@schoolsplp.com
SchoolsPLP Knowledge Base: https://schoolsplp.helpscoutdocs.com
Archived Tech Talk Tuesdays
Click HERE to view previous Tech Talk Tuesday newsletters.
Contact Me
Email: revans@mcssk12.org
Website: www.mcssk12.org
Location: 1275 Jordan Road, Huntsville, AL, USA
Phone: (256) 852-2557
Twitter: @RachelEvansEdD