DT&L Bytes
Digital Teaching and Learning @PCHS │ March 19, 2018
Partnering with Parents
It’s time for parent-teacher conferences! In the coming days, encourage your students to attend conferences and include them in the conversation. This is a time to build positive relationships with parents and your students.
- Plan your upcoming conversations: how will you welcome parents, how will you highlight student’s work, which effective strategies for classroom success will you share, what kinds of action plans might you need, how will you close the conversation, how will you keep the lines of communication open.
- Your laptop, desktop, iPad are tools to support these conversations. They can demonstrate student work through online submissions, portfolio contributions, and even pictures. They provide on the spot access to IC, ALEC and other online resources.
- Know your grade book and how to maximize its use during conferences on an iPad: showing only one student at a time, coloring grades, emailing an update during conferences. Will you be using a laptop? Visit our Google Drive folder on IC for additional tips.
- Find out, if your parents know how to access IC, ALEC or whatever online platform you’re using. Show them how if they don’t. Our Google Drive folder has directions for parents. Download and send them to parents. Do they have questions about the 1:1 Program? Direct them to our parent web page or have them contact me: susan.murray@asd20.org.
Explore my Scoop.iT! for articles containing tips for teachers and parent-teacher conferences: http://www.scoop.it/t/parent-teacher-conferences-by-susan-murray-carrico
What's APPening?
Google Forms is an easy to use tool and versatile tool. Have you thought about using Forms in preparation for parent-teacher conferences?
In preparation for parent-teacher conferences, create a Google Form that lays a foundation for your conversations with parents. Grades are one item that parents will want to discuss, but they can look those up online. Add some depth to the conversation with feedback from the students!
Have your students complete the form as an exit ticket or class assignment. The results will be available no matter what device you're using. Ask students questions like:
- in which assignments, topics, units or skills do you feel strong?
- in which areas are you challenged or struggling?
- what was your strongest unit or assignment so far? Why do you feel that way?
And don't forget that Google Forms has a variety of everyday uses!
Teachers can:
- poll and survey students
- create formative assessments
- create quizzes
- use as an exit ticket
- create rubrics
- log student progress
Students can:
- reflect on lessons
- update teacher on projects
- flipped lesson feedback
Give it a try!
Tool Time Workshop - Infinite Campus
This week's Tool Time Workshop is on Infinite Campus. Let's look at ways to share student information with your parents.
Tool Time Workshops are 15 minutes of testing out a new tool that meets a pedagogical need. They start 5 minutes after lunch starts and end before lunch is over allowing you time to get your lunch, stop by the Collaboration Room, have some hands-on time with a new tool, eat your lunch, and get back in time for your next class. You're welcome to bring a device, but there will also be some available. If you want more time with the tool, we'll figure that out together.
Which Digital Tools are You Using?
Partner with us and help us ensure your tools for classes, teams, clubs and activities are approved and ready for to use when you need them. PLAN AHEAD. Visit Pine Creek's Resource List; it includes the resources submitted by you. Don't see the one you'd like to use? Visit the District database. Still don't see your resource? Fill out the Digital Tool Application and we'll get it submitted to District IT for approval. Once the tool is approved, we'll update our list and inform you. This process takes time, especially if a purchase needs to be made.
Please be patient with us and the District as we embark on this new process. The District database is continually being updated as is our own resource list. Our goal is to ensure you have the resources you need while protecting our students' privacy.
Have questions? Contact anyone of your Digital Resource Team members, Susan, Sasha or Steve.
PCHS Digital Resource Application
ASD20 Digital Resource Inventory
PCHS Digital Teaching & Learning Resources
What can your Digital Learning Coach do for you?
- Share with you what tools we have available to you and your students
- Show you how to use the tools we have
- Push out course-specific apps to you and your students
- Co-teach with you so that you can focus on the content and I can focus on the tool and any digital issues
- Trouble-shoot issues, iPad and Desktop
- Share our Vision and what it means as we travel down the road towards making that it real
- Help you plan and reflect on lessons using digital tools
- Provide Digital Citizenship tips and resources
I'm here to serve you!
Susan Murray-Carrico, Digital Learning Coach
Email: susan.murray@asd20.org
Website: http://www.pchsdigitallearning.org/
Location: 10750 Thunder Mountain Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
Phone: 719.234.2663
Twitter: @FrauSusi