Timely Tech
Tech tips, hints, features, & general goings on at CMS & MMS
Digital Dirt
Most of our students have no idea the digital footprint that they are leaving on a daily basis. Social Media can be both helpful and hurtful. Take a second and watch the video below titled "Orange Digital Dirt". If you have a second, this would be a great way to show our students the impact of their online decisions.
Orange Digital Dirt
Featured Teacher: Ms. Rauch & Moodle Quiz
Ms. Rauch, 8th grade Science teacher at Clark, used her Moodle site to create a fantastic interactive quiz. The purpose of the quiz was to both access and teach students about the difference between chemical and physical changes. Ms. Rauch included several great images and animated pictures to further capture the students' attention. She altered her quiz settings to allow the students to check on their answers and receive a full explanation whether they were right or wrong. Once all students were finished, Ms. Rauch could run a report to see how well the students did on the quiz. Check some of the images below.
Does this sound like something you'd like to do? Shoot me an email, and we can get it started.
The quiz on her homepage
This image is actually animated
Students can see an explanation of the answer
Featured Site: Moodle
Both Clark and Maus will be using Moodle next year for teacher websites, or at the very least to house previously created teacher websites. Moodle, or the Learning Hub, offers more than just a place to upload lesson plans. It is truly a site that is built to be a fully functional online classroom. Please see the example above by Ms. Rauch as one of the many features. Another great feature is the ability to set activity completion. 8th grade Social Studies classes across the district are using this setting to "play" a zombie game to review for STAAR. Students must complete one level before they have the ability to see the next assignment. This is just the tip of the iceberg as to what Moodle can do.
Please consider taking a Moodle class or two this summer. Also, please find a time to sit down with me so we can set up or add to your Moodle site.
Tips and Hints: Go Incognito & How to Hold Your Device When Filming
- It is annoying when a student needs to present from your computer, and you have to log off your Google Account so they can log on. Well, no more. Check out how to open an incognito tab to avoid this problem.
- Students often forget which way you're supposed to hold your device when filiming for a class project. Check out the picture below for a nice reminder.
Need to Knows: Eduphoria & Phishing
- There have been a lot of odd phishing email this year. See the image below on some tips on how to spot when you are getting an email that you should NOT open.
- At the end of April, Eduphoria will no longer work on our version of Internet Explorer. Please use Chrome or Firefox. The secret word is Chrome!
- Let's work together to plan something engaging and interactive for your students. Just shoot me an email and we can set up a time to meet. Several teachers and planning groups are already doing this. Keep an eye out for some really cool projects and activities.