Parent's Plug-In
~ April 2016 ~
MISD Department of Instructional Technology
A monthly newsletter for parents, grandparents, families and the community dedicated to updates and information on how McKinney ISD uses technology in the classroom.
*Apps...What is it? What does it do?
- Best Secret Keeper- A private "storage locker" for your phone to store pictures, texts, audio or video files. The icon appears to be a general utilities app, but once it is accessed it stores files deemed "private" by the user and is only accessible with a password.
- Tumblr- Tumblr is a micro-blogging site that allows users ages 13+ to create accounts for the purpose of blogging. All accounts on Tumblr are public and blocking other users is difficult. Tumblr is an unmonitored system, so most content is allowed.
- WhatsApp Messenger - A free SMS (Short Messaging System) for smartphones. This app allows users to message each other outside the constraints or costs of their provider's messaging service.
*The descriptions here are informational only. This is not an evaluation or endorsement of app choices for students, but a tool for parent involvement.
Increase Your "PLN"...Parental Learning Network
Twitter Handles for Parent Learning:
Social networking is not just for posting your whereabouts and amazing pictures of your vacation! Sites like Twitter can offer you a great opportunity to connect with other parents or experts in a field you are interested in. Whether it is a hobby, or researching info on how to parent a teenager, Twitter has a community to access. Below are some great Twitter handles to "follow" when you just want to know a little (or a lot) more... Follow these feeds and then watch who they follow and follow them too. #buildyournetwork
- @HuffPostParents- Parenting resources and ideas from The Huffington Post
- @PBSParents- Public Broadcasting Service parenting feed
- @DailyMomTweets
- @KaBoom- KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids.
- @FAFSA- Federal Student Aid for college
- @usedgov- US Department of Education
- @nea- National Education Association
- @NCAA_EC - Official feed of the NCAA Eligibility Center.
How often do you use social media vs. your student?
We surveyed parents and students in grades 3-12 asking both groups how often they accessed social media sites like, Twitter, Google+ or Facebook. The results were interesting...
Parent Invitation to Converge 2016
Don't forget to register for MISD's Innovation conference being held this summer at Faubion Middle School. Come out and learn about the innovative learning happening in MISD classrooms. Break out sessions, keynote speakers, a makerspace and much, much more! See ya' there!
1:The World Parent Information Meetings
If you are the parent of a current MISD 8th grade student and would like more information on the 1:The World High School Laptop Initiative, please plan to attend one of the informational meetings being held this spring. Meetings will be held at all three high schools and you are welcome to attend any meeting that will work for your schedule regardless of your future home campus. Please see THIS LINK for more information on the 1:The World Initiative.
Kids Teaching Kids...and Themselves
Sugata Mitra's new experiments in self-teaching
MISD Department of Instructional Technology
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