Tiffany's Tech Talk
Sponsored by the PHS Youth CareerConnect Program
Ideas and Resources for Technology Integration in Education
In This Issue
- Getting More Out of Chromebooks: Useful Google Chrome Extensions
- Canvas Corner - Validate All Links in a Course
- Spotlight On... Blogger: George Couros, Podcast: #EdTech Radio
Extensions for Chrome
Interactive Webpages
Insert Learning lets you turn any website into an interactive lesson by letting you insert instructional content right into the website.
After you install and click the extension you will see a sidebar loaded onto web pages. As you browse, you can insert sticky notes, questions, discussions, and more.
When you are ready you can assign the web page to a class you have named. That class will automatically be given a class code. Students simply join that class by installing the extension onto Chrome on their own devices, logging into Google, and then typing in the class code that you give to them (students will only have to do these things the first time they use Insert Learning). Whatever lesson you have assigned them will show up right on their Dashboard.
For information on how to assign an Insert Learning lesson in Canvas see:
Screencasting with Screencastify
Screencastify is an extension you can find in the Chrome Web store and simply add to the Chrome browser. Once it is added all you have to do is click the icon to begin recording.
A screencast is a recording of a person's computer screen or tablet that usually includes audio narration of what is taking place on the screen. Screencasting has long been used by teachers to flip their lessons or to provide additional support for students. But screencasting can also be a wonderful way to assess student learning.
Students can show what they know in just about any subject area. Amy Prosser, author of Tech Out Your Class: 6 Project to Meet Common Core and ISTE Standards, gives these suggestions:
"For English language arts, students can record themselves reading aloud. In art class, students can explain their art piece, going through the details of their creation and annotating it on the screen. For math or physics classes, students can walk through a specific problem, explaining the steps to solving it."
There is evidence that when a learner reflects on the processes of his or her learning, learning is improved, and screencasting can be a great tool for student self-reflection.
Kathy Schrock's Guide to Screencasting and Screen Recording in the Classroom (includes several screencasting rubrics)
Students explain what they know with screencasting
Canvas Corner
I know many teachers use course content from year to year, and the content often includes links to outside sources. I am sure we have all at one time or another experienced a time when a website had changed or had disappeared completely. Well, there is a quick and easy way to make sure that ALL of your links in a course work with just a couple of clicks. Here's what you do:
- Navigate to your course.
- Go to Settings
- Click "Validate Links in Course" on the right side of the page.
- You will then be taken to the Course Link Validator.
Soooooo easy! If any links do not work you will see a message and the link will be displayed.
Spotlight On...
Featured Education Blogger
George Couros is the author of the book The Innovator's Mindset and has worked with schools and education leaders across the world to bring innovative, powerful learning opportunities for students. More than just an edtech leader, Couros shows that innovation goes beyond technology into all aspects of education. He blogs about such topics as Assessment AS Learning, Classroom Management, and the Myths of Technology.
Couros encourages teachers to continually ask themselves, "Would you want to spend the whole day learning in your own classroom?" And says further, "As an educator, the thing you have the most control over is not your students, but the experience you create for those learners."
Featured EdTech Podcast
The best way to keep up with what education tech leaders are talking about is to listen to this podcast. The creators scour twitter using the hashtag #edchat to find out what the biggest influencers are talking about. They then create their weekly podcast on that subject.
Contact Info
Tiffany Armstrong
Email: tlarmstrong@pike.k12.in.us
Location: 5701 West 71st Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: 317-387-2713
Twitter: @tiffanya9
*The project was funded by a grant awarded under the Youth Career Connect Program in the amount of $7 million as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration.
*It is the policy of the M.S.D. of Pike Township not to discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, disability or national origin, including limited English proficiency, in any employment opportunity.