Tech Tidbits
Fayette County High School, September 2015
How Can Instructional Technology Help You?
I am looking forward to working in your school this year! As an Instructional Technology Specialist, my primary goal is to assist teachers with the integration of technology into the classroom. Here are a few examples of how we can work together:
- Meet with you before / after school or during planning to work on integrating technology into lessons
- Teach a sample lesson to your students using technology such as Nexus tablets or Chromebooks
- Visit with your class and offer suggestions as to how to best embed technology
- Serve as a second teacher in your class to assist your students with technology
Technology Trends
Whether you use technology in your classroom on a daily basis or you have never opened a Chromebook before, these are some of the tools that you can use with your students to increase student engagement.
- Nearpod - Interactive content that works great on tablets
- Discovery Education - Thousands of resources, student accounts, and interactive content
- Plickers - Instant formative assessment, with only one device
CHROMEBOOK SIGN-ON SHORTENED
When students and teachers sign into a Chromebook, the @mail.fcboe.org suffix is already filled in. This means that students and teachers only need to type their lastname.firstname on this screen. If this is not working on your Chromebook(s), it needs to be updated. You can update your Chromebook by restarting it.
Blackboard Update
Blackboard training for the first group of teachers (called Cohort 1) started on Sept. 8. Blackboard is the Learning Management System (LMS) that has been purchased by Fayette County. Click HERE for more information on what an LMS is and how it can benefit your students.
Below are some of the details about the Blackboard implementation plan.
- Cohort 1 teachers will work closely with the FCIT (Fayette County Instructional Technology) department throughout the first implementation of this training class. This is to ensure we gather feedback and input on the class to make adjustments accordingly and stay in close communication with the Cohort 1 teams to maintain a high-level of support.
- Following the completion of the class with Cohort 1, FCIT will reach out to building administrators to request names of teachers who will be included in Cohort 2. (Please note: more information will be sent on Cohort 2 selection in the coming months).
- The Cohort 1 Team will be the first line of support for all subsequent Cohorts of teachers at your school.
When Can We Meet?
I am planning on being at your school two days each month. Rashmi will let you know what days I will be at FCHS once we set the dates. I will "set up shop" in an available space and let you know that location. Please see the Instructional Technology Help at the top of the flyer as to how I could be of service.
Please fill out the form below and let me know if you would like to meet at any time.
“Technology must be like oxygen: ubiquitous, neccesary, and invisible.” -Chris Lehmann
Lisa Dobbs, District Instructional Technology Specialist
It is my goal to help the teachers in Fayette County embed technology into their daily lessons. Please email me if there is any way that I can be of service to you or your students.
Email: dobbs.lisa@mail.fcboe.org
Website: http://www.fcboe.org/domain/297
Location: 205 Lafayette Avenue, Fayetteville, GA, United States
Phone: 770.312.0985 770.460.3990
Twitter: @lmdobbs3