Tech Nuggets
January 2015
Shut Me down!
Shutting down the Chromebook: Many people have the habit of just holding down the power button on a computer to turn it off, but this isn't the safest method. You will see techs use this method when the computer is locked up and not responding. It is often referred to as a hard shutdown. However, the best method for shutting down, particularly on a Chromebook, is logging out of your account and then clicking on the shutdown button in the lower left corner of the computer screen. The end of the day is a good time to shut down these computers. In fact, make it a habit in your classroom after students complete their final computer activity for the day. Although, if the computer is acting strangely, then go ahead and shut it down (don't forget to log out first). Count to about 10 and then restart the computer. This should resolve any glitches, however, if the issue remains contact the tech department.
Shutting down the iPad & iPods: These devices are trickier to shut down because once you power them off and plug them into the charging cart, they just turn themselves back on. That's OK. It is recommended that you shut down the iPads and iPods at least once a week. Again, have students power the iPads and iPods off after completing their final work with the device for the day. Make sure all the apps are closed first. Then hold down the power button until the slide bar appears and says 'slide to power off.' Slide the bar to power off, but don't plug the device into the cart until the spinning circle is gone from the screen. This means it is completely off.
As I stated earlier, your school laptop (MacBook Pro) should also be shut down at least once a week, possibly more often if you frequently travel between buildings. Like the Chromebooks, quit all your applications before shutting down the computer. Personally, I recommend choosing 'shutdown' rather than restart, letting it completely shut off, counting to 10 and then restarting it. If you are shutting it down at the end of the day, then just leave the computer off until you need it again. I normally do this Friday evening before I leave the office because I usually don't look at my computer again until Saturday or Sunday. This small task can resolve issues with applications and overall sluggishness of your computer.
As a result, those teachers and staff who have a class and/or organization web page created on our old web site will need to find a new tool. This past summer we offered a training session titled Develop Your Classroom Website that focused on three web site creation tools - Weebly, Google Sites and Blogger. Most of the teachers who attended this training opted to use Weebly for their classroom web page. With an easy drag & drop method, they could quickly format the pages to their liking. They were also able to copy content from their district web pages to their new web pages.
Here are some classroom web page examples:
Hanging with Mrs. Hatfield - created with Blogger
Mrs. Connelly's 1st Grade - created with Weebly
Mr. Deveaux's Homeroom Page - created with Weebly
Mrs. Wagner's Science Classroom - created with Google Sites
Mrs. Fitzpatrick's Classes - created with Weebly
Larned High School Choir - created with Weebly
Do you have your site started, but need ideas on what to include? Check out this article - Under Construction.
As I come around for Tech in the Building during January, I will be talking to each of you about your classroom web page.
Tech in the Building - Month
Location & Dates
Phinney - Tuesday, January 13th
Northside - Wednesday, January 14th
Larned Middle School - Tuesday, January 20th
Larned High School - Wednesday, January 21st
EEC & TriCounty Office - Friday, January 23rd (9am-11am)
*With the move to a new district website, my question for this month will focus on your classroom web page.
Out of My Comfort Zone at TIG - Covers online and app timeline creator tools and ideas for using selfies in the classroom
Remember, you can access sites from past Website Wednesdays by going to Ms. Lehman's Diigo Library.
Disclaimer: Not all sites are geared for students, but all sites are reviewed for ease of use, content and usefulness. Ms. Lehman makes every effort to check the accessibility of the sites for staff and students, but sometimes she misses one. If a site is ever recommended that you and/or your students cannot access, please email her and she will get it unblocked.
For all those curiosity questions, Wonderopolis will meet your need. Check out the Wonder of the Day or explore various wonders from the category listings. Have a specific wonder? Then go to What are You Wondering and type in your question. Great tool for extended learning for learners of all ages!
Have a student interested in creating and recording their own music. Throw them at Soundtrap, an online music creator. You can connect your own instruments or use the software instruments to create your song recording. Use your computer mic to record your lyrics too. Soundtrap can be used on a variety of devices - Apple, Anrdoid, Linux, Windows and Chromebooks.
How to Build Your Own Custom Image Search Engine
From Free Technology for Teachers - This post shows you how to create a custom Google search for images that you can use with your students. The custom search can also be used for research projects. The video provides a great how-to.
Educational Videos: 197 Educational YouTube Channels You Should Know About - InformED :
This provides a more extensive list of channels for educators and includes categories for the arts, foreign languages, history, and university channels.
Resourceful YouTube Channels for Teachers and Educators
This list by EdTechReview is grouped by the following categories: general (more for your own professional learning), physical science, engineering & technolog, and mathematics.
The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa
Collection of sites from Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day…
Famous Failures poster that you could post in your classroom to inspire all students and yourself.
The Best List of Reading Response Questions Ever. | The Caffeinated Librarian
Teacher explains using these response questions with daily reading response journals. This would be great to put into a format where students could either quickly flip through the list or where you could post a specific question each day - maybe a Google Slide.
The Complete List of 80 Teacher Discounts
Check out this list of stores where you can get teacher discounts on your purchases. Note that some discounts are based on location or only offered specific times of the year. Most require a school ID to verify you are an educator.
10 Best TED Talks of 2014 for Educators
An interesting collection of TED Talks for educators.
8 Uplifting Quotes For Discouraged Students
Inspirational quotes for struggling learners
Create the code that will light up the holiday tree outside the White House. Enter your code and state, then receive the date and time your code will display on the White House holiday tree. This is a basic drag and drop process to introduce students to coding.
The Big List of Educational Grants and Resources
A roundup of grants, contests, awards and classroom resources shared by Edutopia.
New USD 495 Videos
Google Classroom: Student View
Google Classroom: Unenrolling
Getting Started with Weebly
Closing Apps on the iPad
New Mobile Apps for December
Check out other apps available for student devices on the USD 495 Apps website.
ABC Ninja
ABC Flappy Game
Math Shake
Math Shake Intro Video
Math Shake Teacher Resources
*Only for use on the iPad
FunSlides HD
*Only for the iPad
Pixel Press Floors
Sketch Guide
Sketch Sheet
Educator Lesson Plans
Stick Around
The best feature of Stick Around is that you can create your very own puzzles in just 3 steps:
1. Use drawing tools and/or import photos to make a background.
2. Add stickers with text, images, and/or drawings.
3. Indicate where stickers belong by making an answer key.
Video Tutorials
User Guide
Stick Around Infographic
123 Ninja
*Only for the iPad
Cimo Spellling Sight Lite
Geography Drive Arcade
10 Minutes a Day Times Tables
Kids Picture Dictionary
My Times Tables
- Reviewing the times table one by one to make them easy to remember.
- Here you must fill in the missing numbers in the times tables.
- Now it's playtime. In this part you have to play with multiply and divide. It is also possible to play against your friends through the Game Center.
- This is a overview of all the times tables.
Penguin Jump Maths Free
Sentence Maker Free
Record of Reading
*Although we did not purchase this app, it is available for free in the iTunes store.
How to play:
Put the parts in order to form a sentence. Tap on 'OK' to check your answer. You can earn one coin for each correct answer. If you get stuck, tap on 'Hint' and use one coin to find out the next correct part. Play as fast as you can to level up.
Jumbled Sentences 1
Jumbled Sentences 2
Jumbled Sentences 3
Jumbled Sentences 4
Jumbled Sentences 5
Jumbled Sentences 6
Enjoy this great holiday mash-up!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Created by Gwen Lehman
Website: http://techintegration495.weebly.com/
Phone: (620) 285-8451
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/techintegration495
Twitter: @twitter_socdownload