Oakland Schools Digital Learning
Newsletter - January 2022
In this issue you will find
- Resources to teach about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights
- Links to the World Book encyclopedias designed for PK - 5th grade
- A Ted Talk response guide for secondary students
- Two Google tips
- Information about Reflect, a SEL app available in Microsoft Teams
- A how-to for making "Top 10" videos using Flipgrid
- A blast from the past - a chance to use Print Shop - top education software from the 80's and early 90's
- Links to some great resources for Discovery Streaming subscribers
- A free, self-paced opportunity to learn to use Quizlet
Please reach out if you have questions about any of the information in this newsletter.
~Laura and Vinos
Resources About Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Civil Rights
Lesson Plans and Resources from Scholastic (Grades K-3)
Explore Scholastic’s How Do You Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day? page where teachers shared their favorite ways to honor the life and legacy of the civil rights leader. Turn there ideas into lessons to use with your students.
Free Printable Resources (Grades K-8)
Old-school printables are still valuable, and the internet provides endless opportunities to develop, share, and find handouts, worksheets, and other printables you may find useful in the classroom. Check out studenthandouts.com for free printable activities: biographic outline, crossword puzzle, geography map, word search, and more for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Junior Scholastic Teaching Kits (Grades 6-8)
These teaching kits provide you with stories, resources and worksheets for teaching about the civil rights movement. Kits include The Legacy of MLK Jr., How Barbara Johns Helped End Segregation, and The Fight for Equal Rights.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial (Grades 6-12)
Help students better understand the life, work and legacy of Dr. King through a virtual exploration of the MLK Jr. Memorial which is located in Washington D.C.
Video about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Resources for Elementary
World Book Reference Sites for Elementary from Michigan eLibrary
World Book Early Learning - The reference site was created for preschoolers and children in the early elementary grades. Developed with the help of experts on early childhood education, the site encompasses playful interactive learning environments that will engage your students. Be sure to check out the "For grownups" link in the top right corner where you will find helpful resources for using World Book Early Learning with your students.
World Book Kids is a reference site developed especially for students in grades K-5. It features an intuitive user interface; thousands of easy-to-read articles packed with illustrations, videos, interactive maps; and engaging games and activities. Be sure to explore the "Educator Tools" for resources to help you use World Book Kids with your students. You will find the link in the top right corner of the homepage.
Resources for Secondary
Ted Talk Student Response Guide
Google Workspace
Tab Search in Chrome Browser
Quickly Create a new Google Document, Sheet, Drawing, or other app in a Google Folder
There are shortcuts to adding new documents or other Google Apps to a current folder.
Open a specific folder in drive and follow the directions to quickly create and add the app in that folder in your Google Drive:
Hold Shift + S to create a new Google Sheet
Hold Shift + P to create a new Slides Presentation
Hold Shift + D to create a new Google Drawing
Hold Shift + O to create a new Google Form
Hold Shift + T to create a new Google Document
To add a new folder within a specific folder, hold Shift + F
Office 365
Reflect in Microsoft Teams Supports Social, Emotional Learning.
Reflect is a free tool in Microsoft Teams. Using emojis and the expressive Feelings Monster to bring 50 emotions to life, Reflect helps students connect facial expressions and body language to the emotional vocabulary we all need.
Teachers can use Reflect to help students recognize and navigate their emotions by providing regular opportunities for them to share and be heard. Reflect can help broaden learners' emotional vocabulary and deepen empathy for their peers.
Visit "Reflect in Microsoft Teams for Education" to learn more about Reflect and how to get started using it with your students.
Flipgrid
Make a "Top 10" Video
Technology Fun
Print Shop - An Oldie is Back!
Some of you may be old enough to remember the technology mainstay program in schools starting in 1984, Print Shop. Many schools not only had the original desktop publishing program, but also all of the accompanying clip art CDs. Teachers and students spent a lot of time happily creating and printing out banners, signs, certificates, and art work for bulletin boards. Well, you might not believe this, but the fabulous program is back and available free in your browser! Fans have recreated the Apple II version of Print Shop with some of its accompanying clip art. Your creations will appear as a PDF that can be saved and printed. Please note that the program is slow to load (as it was in 1984!), so be patient. Share this with your students to let them know how far technology has come.
Discovery Streaming
January Activity Calendars - Grades K-8
Explore ready-to-use activities for the month of January that provide students with opportunities to explore their curiosity around a variety of topics in the NEW daily activity calendars for grades K-8th.
Strategy of the Month
"3-2-1 Pyramid" - Grades 3-12
Students use a graphic organizer to capture their thinking while viewing a Discovery Streaming resource. This scaffolded framework helps students record information and reflect on the importance of that information and then use their notes to support them in producing a summary of what they saw, heard or read.
Professional Learning Opportunities
Quizlet: Learning Tools, Flashcards and a Team-based Game
Quizlet is a free resource which enables teachers and students to find or create digital flashcards to study vocabulary and content. Quizlet automatically generates interactive games and tests based on the flashcard set the student is studying. Quizlet has text-to-speech capabilities, so terms and explanations can be read out loud by clicking the speaker icon. You can create a "class" for your students, assign study sets, and track their progress. Quizlet Live is a collaborative game that can be played with Study Sets. By combining studying with a social game, students will willingly do the studying because they want to be prepared for the game.
In this FREE, self-paced online course, you will be guided, via video and text-based tutorials, through all of the steps needed to set up and use Quizlet and Quizlet Live. It is expected that it will take 5 hours to complete the course. This includes the time you will spend using Quizlet with your students. If you complete all of the course requirements you can apply for 5 SCECH credits ($10 fee).
Register for "Quizlet: Learning Tools, Flashcards & a Team-based Game"
Note: This course is available only to educators working in an Oakland County school.
More Free Professional Learning Opportunities
Subscribe to Our News!
Oakland Schools Digital Learning Twitter posts can be found at os_edtech.
When you are posting to Twitter about things related to digital learning and educational technology, don't forget to use the hashtag #oakedtech.
Using the hashtag will help Oakland County educators, who are interested in the effective use of digital learning, to connect and better collaborate with each other.
Oakland Schools Digital Learning Consultants
Laura.Cummings@oakland.k12.mi.us
248-209-2283
Vinos Kassab
Vinos.Kassab@oakland.k12.mi.us
248-209-2229