The Captive Curator
River View's Monthly Technology Newsletter ~ August 2015
Welcome Back to River View Local Schools for the 2015-16 school year!
Useful websites for River View Teachers
River View Curriculum Site
Technology Work Orders
Tech Integration Calendar
Technology Updates
Student Passwords
Computer Login Information
Anytime a student or a teacher logs into a desktop computer in our district, they will need to sign in with a username and password. In an attempt to keep usernames the same, they will log in with the year they graduate first name.last name. DO NOT PUT @rvbears.org behind this login. The initial passwords are 123. These will need to be reset. Please refer to the email sent on 8/24.
Please remember that names may be truncated to 20 characters if a student's username is longer than 20 characters long.
RVBears Accounts
For grades K-6 for next year's students, their passwords to their RVBears accounts will revert back to riverview123. At the beginning of the year, students will have to go through the process of resetting their passwords like they have done for the previous years.
Remember:
- Passwords need to be 8 characters long
- Passwords can be preset for grades K-6. Please contact me for details.
However, for students in grades 7-12, their RVBears passwords will not be reset. The reasoning behind this is so they can access their accounts over the summer. Many students have summer assignments from teachers and they plan on using the account.
Students will need to use their RVBears account to log into the Chromebooks and into their district mail.
Please go over the rules and regulations of River View email here with your students.
Chromebooks and Devices
Please make sure to create a system in your classrooms to keep track of who has checked out which Chromebook. We have had problems in the past with something being broken and not knowing which student did what.
The number one rule with these device is DO NOT log in a student under your username and password. DO NOT allow other students to log others in as well. This creates a large security nightmare!
By clicking here, you can project district Chromebook Rules and discuss with your class.
Building Wireless Networks
Staff will need to connect their personal devices to the Staff networks in each of the respective buildings. Please contact your principal for the Staff Wireless Network password. They will have these in the office. These passwords are for STAFF use only! They are NOT to be shared with students.
Building Chromebook networks are to be used for Students to connect their Chomebooks to only.
Any more questions, please let me know!
A bit about ...
I began my career as a Kindergarten teacher. I taught little ones at Conesville Elementary for a year and moved out to "Siberia" to teach 4th grade and 6th grade. In all seriousness, Union Elementary was the beginning of my technology career. I guess some would call me an "early adopter." I recall getting an iMac and thinking it was probably the best day of my life! I took that blue bubble home to learn all there was to learn about that machine and my love for all things tech began. I soon moved to the lower building to teach 6th graders who, in all honesty, ended up teaching me a few things as well.
My love for innovation continued with my move to my 4th grade language arts classroom when I returned to the village of Conesville. Soon my students would be utilizing Smart-boards, MP3 players, mini laptops and this new thing called an iPod.
To turn non-readers into readers, I used iPods with headphones to encourage students to listen to the spoken word in some of their very favorite classroom books such as Magic Tree House Books, Numbers the Stars and A Long Way From Chicago to name a few. Students worked to read books to earn points to be eligible for a magnitude of awards. Soon the iPods, which were once used to listen to books, morphed into watching commercials and videos to pick out types of figurative language and apply knowledge learned in the classroom. If students weren't hooked on learning, they were now! I integrated technology into every aspect of my curriculum to enhance what the students were learning.
I soon learned that I needed to meet students on their level with their "toys." Their love for computers and iPods created an atmosphere that nearly bred differentiated instruction. Because I let the curriculum drive instruction, technology was merely a tool.
All of the technology I acquired over the years were an extension of my teaching. One of my favorite quotes is from Bill Gates, "Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them , the TEACHER is most important." We need to remember this as we continue to travel together down the road where technology is the norm. The majority of students sitting in your classrooms do not know a world where technology does not exist. Our main job is to MOTIVATE them. My job is to MOTIVATE you and be of assistance to help you develop ways to integrate tools into your curriculum.
Please feel free to contact me if you need help and check back here often for the latest news on the integration front!
Contact Information
Email: christie.ireland@rvbears.org
Website: http://www.river-view.k12.oh.us/education/components/layout/default.php?sectionid=1
Phone: 740.824.2334
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/River-View-Local-School-District/367798316724614?fref=ts
Twitter: @IrelandChristie