MWISD Tech Tip Tuesday
September 24, 2019
Technology for Parent Teacher Conferences- #61
All Campuses
Check it out everyone!
Google Form Is The Way To Go!- Prework
Don't forget to turn off the "only MWISD users." You want the link to anyone who has it to view it. Grab that link and send it in your ClassDojo, Remind app, or any other form of communication.
If you use a paper newsletter, you could even create a bit.ly link and have that placed in a location on your newsletter that will definitely catch their eye. Or, try out a QR code for parents to access through their iPhone. iPhone now has the capability to access QR codes through their cell phone camera.
Please let me know if you need any help with this.
Google Form for Conference Times
When creating and setting your conference times, there is one thing to know upfront - you won't be able to eliminate the possible times; but, you can ask your parents to choose only one time. Definitely check your Form regularly to see if anyone had picked the same time; if so, give them a call.
Consider
You might consider writing in the form description letting parents know upfront that this form does not eliminate times after being picked.
For the type of question, I would consider using multiple choice or dropdown menu.
Not all parents are going to be able to come this day. You might leave an open paragraph question to ask parents for another possible date during your conference or after school that would work for them to attend.
Don't forget to ask for their cell phone number in case you need to call and reschedule to a different time.
Google Sites For Portfolios
With the Parent/Teacher Conference being the 2nd six weeks, this would be a great opportunity to start a Digital Portfolio for your students.
If you're having your students create their Digital Portfolio, remember there is going to be a learning curve. Therefore, make sure you spend time going over the different features that Sites has to offer.
Before you start creating, think organization, think small, and think big picture.
Think Organization
At any grade level it's important to start teaching students how to organize. You need students to be master file organizers. For the younger students, this might mean you borrow another teacher's set of Chromebooks and go through the process of creating a folder in their My Drive titled, "3rd Grade Digital Portfolio." Then, within that folder, you've created more folders for specific content, e.g., science, math, etc.
For the secondary students, organization might look like helping them to start thinking "big picture." Have them keep in mind what their end goal will be, how they want it organized, and how they are going to get there.
With any grade level, having an example template that the teacher created will be helpful for them to see the ending product and where it is you want them to go. This will require you to get familiar (if not so already) with Google Sites, which, will help your students when they have questions.
Think Small
Don't stress you or your students out. If you teach a self-contained class, you might want to create a page for each subject level with one or two samples of each. For their sample, let them choose which piece shows mastery on the concept you taught. The goal is for students to understand what mastery looks like and to differentiate between what is worthy and what is not.
I would keep consistency in mind as you go throughout the year. For example, if you started with a writing piece, I would continue to upload a writing piece every six weeks. Remember, you're wanting to show growth. If you have students create a ScreenCastify video to explain their thinking process of how they solved a problem, continue to upload one every six weeks.
Think Big Picture
When thinking big picture, think about if you have a writing assignment every six weeks. If so, this would be a great item to have in their portfolio. By the end of the year, you will end up with five total writing assignments that will hopefully show growth. Or, if you still have that 1st six weeks writing example, scan that into your computer and upload it for them.
The big picture here is to show growth over time.
Get Feedback
Once content has been reviewed, it is time for students to publish their Google Site and get feedback from their peers and/or teacher.
If you're using this portfolio for parent/teacher conferences with students present, definitely go through each work sample with your student and have an academic discussion on their piece. Discuss what they like, don't like, what they understand, what key concepts they need to work on, what evidence do they have of growth, etc.
Check out Student-Lead Conferences from Edutopia.
Region 11 Instructional Technology Sessions
- Blended Learning Academy (a series of dates, check link)
- Project- Based Learning Academy (a series of dates, check link)
- October 16th- Creating a Culture of Digital Citizenship
- October 23rd- Teaching Social Studies with Google Tools
- October 25th- If You're Appy and You Know It...
- November 20th- e-Merge: Fusing Technology and Pedagogy
- December 10th- Blended Learning Academy for Administrators
- January 24th- Region 11 Library iCon
- January 29th- Google for Learning: What's All This Hype about HyperDocs?
- June 24th- Project-Based Learning for Administrators
MWISD Instructional Technology Specialist
As the Instructional Technology Specialist, I will strive to serve the academic and digital needs of our students and provide equitable opportunities to prepare students for our ever-changing global community.
I will strive to assist teachers in appropriately incorporating and implementing technology in their classroom by being available for one-on-one meetings, PLCs, staff meetings, and providing professional development that meets our teacher's technology needs.
Email: jmartin@mwisd.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/mwisd.net/edtech/instructional-technology
Location: 906 Southwest 5th Avenue, Mineral Wells, TX, USA
Phone: (940) 325-6404
Twitter: @janaleemartin