Adventures in Technology
News, Tips, and Tricks From Instructional Technology
Su's Schedule for the Weeks of February 22nd and February 29th
Tuesday, February 23rd--Flex Day
Wednesday, February 124th--Wellington
Thursday, February 25th--Timber Creek
Friday, February 26th--Flower Mound
Monday, February 29th--Office Day
Tuesday, March 1st--Bridlewood
Wednesday, March 2nd--Flex Day
Thursday, March 3rd--Bluebonnet
Friday, March 4th--Forest Vista
Please email me if you would like to set up an appointment!
What is Flex Time??? Flex time allows me to meet your unique needs-I go where the request is. If you'd like to take advantage of some of my Flex Time please email me!
Click here to see the whole schedule for the third nine weeks.
Check Out These Technology Tips, Tricks, and Ideas!
Help! The work is stuck on the iPad!!
In previous newsletters I shared some methods for getting work off the shared iPads. Last week I learned another method that might just change your life if you teach K-2. Many people know you can add your Google Drive account to an iPad and move work into a Google Drive folder. However, I always thought I had to then remove my account and make sure I closed out of the app or the next person could have access to my Google Drive and that was just a real pain. Well, I was so wrong! I learned how to put a passcode on my Google Drive account on the iPad! The passcode must be entered anytime Google Drive is opened. So, you could add your Google Drive account to all of your class shared iPads and set a passcode (it can be the same for each one). When something needs to be removed from the iPad you open the Google Drive app and enter the passcode and then upload. As soon as you tap the home button your Google Drive is locked on that iPad. If you upload student work into a shared folder on Google Drive, students can login to their Google Drive on any device, access the shared folder, and move their work to their school Google Drive. I created this tutorial video so you could see exactly how to do this. Let me know if you'd like me to show you how to do this in person.
Have you seen the DKfindout! website?
It is absolutely amazing! DKfindout! is a free online resource for elementary teachers. It offers a safe and reliable website to use in the classroom. There are no subscription or license fees. This website is aimed at 7-11 year olds and supports all reading ages and abilities. Students can search by general as well as specific topics. Website pages provide information in kid-friendly language and have excellent images. Most images are interactive providing definitions and links to additional information.
Check Out These Biography Websites!
Wellington third grade students in Amy Kraft's and Esther Sanchez's and dual language classrooms created Google websites to share their biography research. Since this was their first Google site, Amy and Esther scaffolded their students by creating a Google site template for them to use. Students researched and wrote to share their learning in both English and Spanish. When the websites were completed students held a Gallery Walk and shared their sites with another class. Google sites are another great way for students to share learning. Check out some of their work below!
Spice Up Dictionary Skills
Use technology to engage your students in some work with dictionary skills.
- Give each student a sentence with a multiple meaning word. Use this document for some ideas.
- Students look the word up in the dictionary and use the iPad to take a picture of the ENTIRE page.
- Students then import their picture into either a Google Drawing or the Skitch app and label the page as seen in the images below.
- Students enter their sentence on the page and explain which definition is correct based upon the context of the sentence.
Science and Social Studies Ideas
- Integrate some technology into your study of the water cycle! Thinglink and ChatterKid are apps that let kids import their own drawing of the water cycle and then share their own explanation for how it works. ChatterKid lets you explain orally while Thinglink lets you add text, audio and even video to explain the process. Check out some samples below.
- Use PicKids and Thinglink to create an interactive digital poster of landforms. Create the poster in the PicKids app. Then upload the PicKids image into Thinglink and add additional information. Since searching for images can get students where we don't want them to be, I have a folder of landform images you are welcome to use. Let me know if you'd like the link.
Want to try one of these or something else out but unsure how to do it or want an extra set of hands? I'll help!
Ways I Can Serve You
Lesson Design
Need ideas for integrating technology? Have a lesson idea and need a thinking partner? Want to ramp up the engagement on a lesson that just isn't quite right? Let me help you integrate technology and find the right tool for the learning you want your students to accomplish!
Model Teaching
Have some technology tools but can't picture how you could use them? Can't envision exactly how that technology embedded lesson would go? Ready to try some technology on your own but would like an extra set of hands and some support? Let me model teach or co-teach a lesson! Think of it as job-embedded professional development. See how the technology tool can enhance the learning process and then meet with me to explore other ways you could use this tool.
Tool Nuts and Bolts
Heard of a new instructional technology tool but don't have the time to figure it out? Thought you knew how to use a tool but now you're stuck? Contact me, I can help! I can demo and teach the ins and outs of a tool. I can provide tutorials and support videos and documents so you can be successful.
Contact Me
Contact me to set up an appointment!
Email: bruscos@lisd.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/staff.lisd.net/su-brusco-wz-instructional-technology-facilitator/
Twitter: @bruscos