Instructional Technology
March 2017
2017 Tech Summit
NEW CHROME EXTENSIONS, ADD-ONS, and THINGS TO TRY!
Slide Shot
Google Classroom- Link Docs
Google Dictionary
High School Teacher Survey
If you have not already, please complete the short survey found here: https://goo.gl/4DUCZj
Twitter?
#Coweta Ed Chat, Sunday 8 p.m.
Upcoming Chats Include:
Sunday, March 12th at 8 with host Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like a PIRATE and publisher of a fantastic series of professional development books!
Sunday, March 26th at 8 with host Michelle Clarke, math teacher extraordinaire at Madras Middle School. She will discuss math strategies and formative assessments that make a difference in student achievement!
We can't wait to see you there!
To learn more about a Twitter Chats or information about joining the conversation contact: Laura Farmer at laura.farmer@cowetaschools.net
Techie Teacher Spotlight
Google Suite Takes CEC Teacher Way Beyond Early Days of BYOT
“We’ve come such a long way from my first technology class in 2012-13,” according to Cathrine Nolan, Applied Sciences director at the Central Education Center (CEC).
While the school system leveraged the technology that many students already had to enhance instruction, Nolan recalls some of the early challenges. She remembers how teachers and students persevered through WiFi outages, blocked sites, lengthy or broken links, and an arduous approval processes for downloading educational apps.
“These early challenges, coupled with students using their own data, often made the task of implementing instructional technology seem overwhelming,” Nolan stated.
As Nolan and other educators discovered Dropbox, bit.ly, Live Binders, and Edmodo, instructional technology gained momentum. Current upgrades in WiFi and implementation of student Chromebooks has moved our school system beyond the early days of BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology).
“Currently, all students have access to instructional technology and, once the Google suite came along, things are easy and smooth 95% of time,” Nolan said. According to Nolan, it’s a great opportunity for teachers to jump in and see how simple it is to add more technology to the learning experience.
A graduate of Kennesaw State in Biology (B.S.) and Science Education and Leadership (M.Ed.), Nolan teaches a diverse array of courses at CEC: Biotechnology, Wildlife Management, Horticulture, Forensics (8th grade), Physical Science, and Scientific Research III:STEM. Her classes are hands-on with a focus on real-world applications and experiences, so technology is an essential part of her work day.
“I regularly use all portions of the Google Suite almost daily in my classes,” explained Nolan. “I post our agenda and essential questions using Google Classroom. Google Forms is ideal for assessment and student surveys.”
“As I am a well-known data nerd, I like that Forms generates a spreadsheet! I also use Sheets to track my TKES goal, chart SGA expectations, and help students determine their GPA,” she said. “Seriously I love data and its analyzation!”
Nolan also recommends Poll-Everywhere “when you want students to drive the class activities,” and she is excited to try the new Doc to Forms add-on to enhance her formative assessments.
Not only does the Google suite meet her needs for easy assessment and timely results, but she also teaches her students how to use Google Sheets and graphing functions when they collect data. Her students present using Google Slides and use Google Forms to develop surveys. “Animoto is another app my students use for presentations. I love its ease of use and impressive output,” she said.
Looking forward, Nolan would like to find more apps for students to use in her classes. She is currently working to improve how her students develop digital portfolios of their work. “I was having them turn in portfolios in Google Classroom to a folder on my Google drive,” she explained, “but this semester I want to have them turn in their portfolios to a spreadsheet with links that I saw in the last Instructional Technology digital newsletter.”