Digital Learning Bytes
Lynwood USD~Technology Services ~ Winter 2017
Coding with Arduinos SparkFun @ Cesar Chavez MS MESA
It was a rainy Friday afternoon when approximately 50 students gathered in Mr. Brand's, Mr. Vallejo's, and Mr. Merrill's classroom at CCMS to build a plethora of projects. There was a group of students in the hallway building MouseTrap Cars with Mr. Vallejo, another in the corner of Mr. Brand's room building Craftstick and Manila Bridges with Mr. Hernandez's help. The students were curious, engaged, and most of all, having fun.
A trio of students in Mr. Merrill's classroom was trying to figure out how to write the code so a blue light bulb in the Arduino would start flashing and fading. Somehow, the blue light bulb wouldn't do what it was supposed to do. The students put their heads together and tried again, thinking out loud: "Maybe I didn't wire them correctly." "Oh, maybe the coding isn't correct." "No, you've got to flip it upside down; it's on the wrong side." The students were visibly losing patience, but it didn't stop them from thinking and collaborating together. We didn't see the bulb flashing or fading that Friday afternoon, but the students were a sight to see as their brains were buzzing with questions, ideas, and curiosity.
MESA isn't about projects or coding or technology; it is about a space, created by a few dedicated teachers at CCMS, for students to scratch their heads and wonder why the blue light never worked according to the manual's directions. We're certain that by the time the competition at UCI begins, these students will figure it out.
Hour of Code
The hashtag #lynwoodcodes was quite active on Twitter during Computer Science Week! Over ninety teachers district-wide registered to participate in the Hour of Code. Students used tools such as Code.org, Google CS-First, Code Academy and Tynker to explore coding. Teacher, Kristine Estrada stated, " My students want to do this all year! They had so much fun!"
Hour of Code is a global event held every year during Computer Science Week. It celebrates coding by showing that anyone can code. Teachers committed to coding for one hour during the week of December 5-9. We're looking forward to more participants next year!
What's New with G Suite
- Google Forms now has a quiz setting. Create a quiz and have Google Forms score it! No need to use an add on like Flubaroo!
- Google Classroom now allows for Assignments to be shared with selected students. Perfect for differentiating your lessons.
- Have you seen the new Google Sites? It has a much easier user interface and is great for colloborating. Imagine your students publishing their work globally! Google Sites can help with that!
Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Varela @ Lynwood MS
Mr. Varela went out of his way to create an AVID learning environment where math, science, and technology collide. Students were challenged to use wires and chips that represent a math equation to program an LED light to switch on and off from a circuit board with a voltage source outputting 5V. Failing was a part of this experiential learning process as students needed to test the circuit several times before figuring out how to connect the wires to turn on the breadboard, yellow construction base for prototyping electronics. Two words students used often were “testing” and “troubleshooting” to find the solution to the problem. Interestingly, these are same two words that are used every day by iOS and Android developers at tech companies.
Try This IDEA
Are you using G Suite (formerly Google Apps) in your classroom? Have you ever found yourself needing help using G Suite products or wanting to learn the tools? Let us introduce G Suite Training to you. G Suite Training is a "Chrome extension that offers simple and interactive training lessons to get you up and running fast with G Suite."
This is how you can get the extension:
1. Go to Chrome Webstore: Extensions
2. Search for G Suite Training and add it to Chrome
3. Once added, click on the icon at the top right-hand corner to get help on Gmail, Calendar, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Docs, etc.
4. Follow the step-by-step instructions to learn and take action
IDEA2 Bar Help Sessions
Stop by and visit us at the IDEA2 Bar!
February 2, 2017 3:00-4:30 @ Lynwood High School
February 16, 2017 3:00-4:30 @ District Office Lab
March 2, 2017 3:00-4:30 @ Lynwood Adult School (Atlantic Site)
March 16, 2017 3:000-4:30 @ District Office Lab
Hope to see you there!
Digital Learning Coaches
Email: digitalcoaches@mylusd.org
Website: digitallearning.mylusd.org
Location: 11321 Bullis Road, Lynwood, CA, United States
Twitter: @LUSDidea2