Innovate RSD
Increasing Digital Literacy in RSD | January Newsletter
Launch of the Innovate RSD Newsletter!
Each Episode will contain:
- Website of the month
- App of the month
- Teacher Spotlight
- Monthly Challenge
- Training Event
* Please share your favorites with me and I will include them in future issues!
Website of the Month: Wonderopolis
Want to learn more? View video here
App of the Month: Dragon Dictation
On a personal note- You can also use it to dictate status updates directly to your Social Networking applications, and send notes or reminders to yourself.
Teacher Spotlight: Polly Kreisberg
After doing some investigating, she selected the most useful apps, had them organized in folders, and removed the rest. Polly then began to utilize the free app Seesaw, so that students can now document their learning.
We are now several months in, and her kindergarten students are able to utilize all of the features of Seesaw with little or no instructions. They can take pictures, write, record audio and video, and upload their work.
One of the things I love most about working with Polly is her ability to determine the most meaningful ways to utilize the technology with her students. Even though she does not always know how to use all the features of the technology, she grasps the concept and is open to discovery. It will be exciting to see how far her students come over the next few months. The great thing is, Polly will have digital evidence of their growth.
See some examples of her students work below:
Seesaw Drawing
Seesaw Video
Seesaw: Build and Document
January Challenge: Use Seesaw or Schoology to Document Student Learning
For this challenge I am asking you to use either Seesaw or Schoology to document student learning. Email me your evidence (could be a link, or an image), and you will be entered into a drawing for a $15 iTunes Gift Card.
*Evidence must be submitted by February 5th. When it gets closer I will send out a reminder.
Seesaw:
As many of you know I am a huge fan of Seesaw. In case you aren't familiar, think of Seesaw as a learning journal. It is a very simple way for students to document their learning, teachers to collect and manage digital projects, share that work with parents, and much more. I have found it to be exceptionally useful for primary classrooms, and in classes with shared iPads.
If you haven't signed up for Seesaw yet, it takes about 5 minutes to sign up. If you want support getting started, just email me and I can get your class up and running.
Here is a link to tutorials and more info about Seesaw. I will also be having several drop-in training sessions throughout the rest of this month.
Schoology:
Schoology is also another great platform to document student learning. Since it is not as easy to use as Seesaw, I would recommend it primarily for 3rd grade and up, and/or classes that are 1:1 devices.
If you are interested in getting started with Schoology and need support let me know. Here is a link to some tutorials and more information about using Schoology with your class
Seesaw Training (Drop in Session)
We will talk about:
- The basics of getting started with Seesaw
- Lesson ideas
- What works and what doesn't
- How to implement a weekly production plan.
Thursday, Jan 21, 2016, 02:30 PM
Fairview Elementary School, Main Street, Fairview, OR, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
You Can Book Me!
What Does Instructional Technology Look Like?
Preparation
1. iPad set up (limiting Apps and setting restrictions)
2. Setting up a Website.
3. Parent Communication Tools
Core Tools
1. Student Portfolios and learning management (e.g. Schoology or Seesaw)
2. Using Office 365 with students.
3. Technology Based Formative Assessment Tools
Exploring Ideas
1. Hour of Coding
2. Digital Assessment ideas.
3. Genius Hour
Shelley Frey
Email: shelleyfrey@rsd7.net
Website: http://www.reynoldsliteracytools.com/
Phone: (541)206-9379
Twitter: @shelleyfrey