GWAEA Digital Learning Update
to ensure success for all learners - November 2018
EP50: Live at ITEC 2018
Mindy and Jonathan celebrate their 50th episode at ITEC, Iowa's premeire edtech conference. In this episode, they talk to two of the featured speakers to find out more about what they will share in their sessions.
First up is Kristina Ishmael, (@kmishmael), the Public Interest Tech & Ed Policy Fellow for @NewAmerica. Kristina is an OER expert and has lots of great ideas to share about how OER can be implemented successfully. Their second guest is Manuel Herrera, (@manuelherrera33). Manuel is the Innovation Coordinator and Design Space Facilitator for the Affton School District in St. Louis. Creativity is his passion, and a big part of what he shares on the podcast.
Links and resources from Kristina and Manuel can be found at dlgwaea.org/podcast/50.
You can follow Jonathan (@jonathanwylie) and Mindy (@TeamCairney) on Twitter, and see all the tweets from the Grant Wood AEA Digital Learning Team at @DLGWAEA. You can also email us with questions or ideas, podcast@gwaea.org. If you enjoy the show please share it with your friends and colleagues and/or leave us a review on your podcast app of choice.
THANK YOU for listening. We really couldn't (or wouldn't) do this without all of you!!
Chunkin' Pumpkins
How far do you think you could chuck a pumpkin? A 4th grade class at Washington Elementary in Mount Vernon helped us to answer this question. The class took on this redesign challenge and creatively combined non-traditional catapult materials, like spoons, rubber bands and craft sticks to create a catapult that could launch a candy pumpkin the farthest.
A BIG Thank You to 4th Grade Teacher, Tierney Rowe for allowing us to be part of this challenge!
There are so many different ways you could interpret this challenge and we'd love to see your take on them! Join our Maker Community by sending us your photos or videos through social media and tag @dlgwaea or #havefunmaking OR send an email to makerspace@gwaea.organd we will post them on in our Online Maker Community on www.dlgwaea.org.
Lesson Plan
Check out our lesson plan for extension ideas and resources to help you get started with this maker challenge.
Google Expeditions
An Out of This World Experience!
Virtual reality has opened up a world of new experiences for students. Immerse yourself in adventures that you never thought possible! This class will provide the opportunity for you to learn how to guide your students through Google Expeditions. Participants will be introduced to a variety of resources to engage in virtual reality experiences. Attendance at this workshop is required to check out the Google Expeditions kit from Grant Wood AEA.
When:
December 10, 2018 9am-3pm
Where:
Grant Wood AEA Northern Facility
4401 6th Street S.W.
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Audience
Individual(s) responsible for integrating technology tools into their curriculum; PreK-12 Teachers, Teacher Librarians, Curriculum & Technolgy Directors, Administrators, Tech/Instructional Coaches
Google Level 1 Educator Prep Course
This course will prep educators looking to become Google Level 1 Educator certified. Participants in the class will complete three online modules and participate in online synchronous and asynchronous discussions to level up their Google skills. Participants should have a firm grasp of Google Apps. This knowledge can be obtained as a result of using these tools on a daily basis in daily work.
Dates:
December 6th, 2018 4:30-5:30 (face-to-face)
December 12th, 2018 4:00-5:30 (webconference)
December 19th, 2018 4:00-5:30 (webconference)
January 9th, 2019 4:00-5:30 (webconference)
#HourOfCode with GWAEA
What is creativity? And what does it have to do with Computer Science? The 2018 Hour of Code is exploring that connection. Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries during Computer Science Education Week December 3 - 9, 2018. Help us celebrate by hosting an hour of code this year! We’ve put together resources to help teachers, coaches, and administrators from PreK to high school host events in their classrooms and buildings. Visit our team’s Hour of Code resource page for everything you need to get creative!
Take a look at the rest of our blog post from Corey Rogers (@corey_rogers) to get your classroom geared up for Hour of Code!
Myth-busting and Classroom Practice - Thoughts from Beth Swantz
There are times when life seems to point you in a specific direction.
I've been hit on the head with this question this week:
Who is doing the talking in our classrooms?
You may wonder why this question is important to a Digital Learning consultant.
After all, isn't my focus on technology?
Actually, my focus is on learning.
I work to support teachers as they continue to move toward a more learner-focused stance in their classroom. Currently, much of that support is focused on blended and personalized learning, because we have 250+ teachers, administrators and instructional coaches working together to change practice... continue reading...
From the GWAEA Media Center
November is National Picture Book Month!
Or grab a picture book immediately from https://www.mackinvia.com/
They work great on a screen for large group sharing.
Contact Dianna Geers, dgeers@gwaea.org or Kathleen Goslinga, kgoslinga@gwaea.org, if you have questions!
Save the Dates for 2018-2019
Hour of Code - December 3-9, 2018
Iowa 1:1 Institute - April 2019
Digital Learning Day - February 28, 2019
Building Bridges AT Conference - April 16, 2019
About Us
Email: digitallearning@gwaea.org
Website: http://www.dlgwaea.org
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Phone: 319-399-6700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dlgwaea
Twitter: @DLGWAEA