TEACHnology Today
Technology Integration Newsletter-January 30, 2015
Technology Half-Day Possibilities
Staff are allotted two half-days to be used for technology integration. Please consider taking one or both of these days to further technology use in your classroom!
Here are a few ideas or suggestions for using the days:
- Set up a class in Google Classroom and design an assignment or project to do with students that allows them to use this new format. (Keep in mind that several students in 6-12 have already been using this in other classes, so it won't require too much set up for them to start using it with you.)
- Create a classroom blog and familiarize yourself with how to use it. Lay out how you plan to implement them and set up a test student account to play with your settings.
- Come up with a project students can do utilizing iPads or Chromebooks (possibly something that ties in to your standards for technology if you have them) and create a rubric for grading or a way to share projects with parents at conferences in March. Here is a project I do with my 6th graders where we create websites using Weebly.
- Record a lesson and upload the video to your website or hosting service like Vimeo or Youtube to make your instruction more accesible to students. I used a program called Brainshark last year that recorded my voice over a PowerPoint or SMART Notebook presentation (example), so that's an option too!
- Create a digital classroom newsletter using Smore (which is what my newsletters are made from) or using Google Docs or Microsoft Office software and share it with parents or students. We can chat about what might work best and how to get started.
- Create a symbaloo webmix to share multiple websites with students or parents. This could serve as your class homepage. A symbaloo allows you to save your favorite websites and organize them by subject area or grade level, You can even color code them! Here is an example of my mix from last year.
How do I take a technology half-day?
There are three things to do when getting ready to take your tech half-day:
- Fill out Staff Development Form and submit to Mr. Schmidt.
- Comlete an AESOP sub request if needed. Please try to avoid Mondays and Fridays, as it is harder to find subs on those days. Administration may cancel a request if there is a lack of subs on a particular day.
- Fill out the Technology Half-Day form shown below and click submit.
TED Ed: The Writer's Workshop
Whether you are teaching about the perils of plagiarism or debating the Oxford comma, these videos are short, sweet and to the point. You could also use them by adding a few questions and build a flipped lesson around them.
iPad Apps
Mrs. DeBruyckere has shared with me an entire list of iPad apps that we have either purchased, downloaded or snagged when they were free for a day on AppsGoneFree. Each app link is clickable and will take you to a description of the app. I have been working on putting the list of apps into categories to make them a little easier to explore or to determine what may be helpful to you. Some apps on the list are great for student use, while others may be more appropriate for your own personal use in preparing lessons or organizing your schedule. Several are made to scan documents or images into PDF documents as well. I am sharing the full list with you today if you are interested in taking a look at what we have. Mrs. DeBruyckere has an app request form that can be filled out when you see an app you'd like for student iPads, and I will be creating a form that pertains to individual apps from the list that you'd like to try out on your teacher iPad. Look for that form in my next issue, which I will email out next week.
Still need Reflector or Splashtop installed? Anything else I can help you with? Fill out the form below.
Past Editions of TEACHnology Today
September 4, 2014: Important Links, About Tech Integration, Chromebook Update and Google Classroom
September 11, 2014: Important Links, Technology Goals, Google Calendar and Chromebook Checkout, the 1-iPad Classroom and Reflector App
September 18, 2014: Important Links, Kahoot.it Tutorial, iPad App: Rhyme to Read
September 25, 2014: Digital Citizenship Image, Chromebook Checkout Refresher, iPad App: Noise Down, Bookmarking Sites: Tizmos and SymbalooEDU (with examples/resources by subject area and grade level)
October 2, 2014: Technology Goal Submission, Tutorial: Remind, Technology Workshop Opportunities, Chromebook Use Update
October 14, 2014: Technology Goal Update, iPad Spectrum, Apps for Every Classroom, Cool Tool: Planboard with Examples
October 23, 2014: Teaching Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety, iPad Reference Card (Printable), Cool Tool: Chatterpix App, Google Classroom, Apps for English and History, Sight Words on iPad, Youtube Channels for Educators
November 10, 2014: Tech Integration Request Form, Reflector and Splashtop (installation and use with your iPad and school computers), Google Calendar Refresher and links to LP School Calendars
November 18, 2014: Technology Mini-Session Poll, iPad App Suggestions with ThingLink, Thankful Turkeys with imagechef.com, Past Editions and Tech Integration Request Form
November 25, 2014: Technology Mini Session 1 Information, Planboard: Unit Planner How-To Guide, Formative Assessment with Socrative
September 11, 2014: Important Links, Technology Goals, Google Calendar and Chromebook Checkout, the 1-iPad Classroom and Reflector App
September 18, 2014: Important Links, Kahoot.it Tutorial, iPad App: Rhyme to Read
September 25, 2014: Digital Citizenship Image, Chromebook Checkout Refresher, iPad App: Noise Down, Bookmarking Sites: Tizmos and SymbalooEDU (with examples/resources by subject area and grade level)
October 2, 2014: Technology Goal Submission, Tutorial: Remind, Technology Workshop Opportunities, Chromebook Use Update
October 14, 2014: Technology Goal Update, iPad Spectrum, Apps for Every Classroom, Cool Tool: Planboard with Examples
October 23, 2014: Teaching Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety, iPad Reference Card (Printable), Cool Tool: Chatterpix App, Google Classroom, Apps for English and History, Sight Words on iPad, Youtube Channels for Educators
November 10, 2014: Tech Integration Request Form, Reflector and Splashtop (installation and use with your iPad and school computers), Google Calendar Refresher and links to LP School Calendars
November 18, 2014: Technology Mini-Session Poll, iPad App Suggestions with ThingLink, Thankful Turkeys with imagechef.com, Past Editions and Tech Integration Request Form
November 25, 2014: Technology Mini Session 1 Information, Planboard: Unit Planner How-To Guide, Formative Assessment with Socrative
December 4, 2014: Using Apps to Level your Classroom Library, Leveler Websites and Databases, 15 Virtual Field Trip Apps, and a Neat End of Year Activity
December 17, 2014: Survey Tools, Socrative, 30 Best Apps of 2014, WebTools with No Registration Required, Fun Classroom Timers
January 8, 2015: Technology Goal Update, iPad Student Objectives with Apps, iPad App of the Week: Phoster, A Comprehensive Guide to Classroom Blogging
January 30, 2015: Technology Half Day Ideas, Technology Half Day Form and Procedure, TED Ed Writer's Workshop Videos, iPad Volume Apps that LP has available for student or staff iPads