GWAEA Digital Learning Update
to ensure success for all learners - April 2020
There are four phases for teachers to progress through to ensure they are supporting online instruction. The phases include examples and resources for what this could look like at different levels. We also are recommending that at this time educators utilize resources and tools students are already familiar with as they make the transition under our current situation.
The four phases are:
Connecting with Students and Establish a Place for Online Learning
Building Students’ Capacity for Online Learning
Building Students’ Online Academic Communication and Collaboration Skills
Providing a Refined and Differentiated Online Learning Experience
Please connect with your digital learning consultant for support.
EP76: Continuous Learning Plans
I love it when a plan comes together, don't you? This week we talk about some of the ideas the Grant Wood Digital Learning Team put together to help schools transition to online learning environments. Our continuous learning plan was specifically designed to help educators take the steps they need to establish a fully functional online classroom. In this episode, we talk about those steps and what they mean for teaching and learning.
Show notes and links for everything discussed in the show can be found at: dlgwaea.org/podcast/76
Online Outreach Webinar Schedule
After the webinars resources and recordings will be shared on this document. Next week we will be sharing these tools and how they can be used in different phases of continuous learning!
Screencastify -
Mon. April 13th @ 9:30am
Zoom -
Tues, April 14th @ 1:30pm
Google Classroom -
Wed. April 15th, @ 11:00am
Google Slides Collaboration -
Thurs. April 16th, @ TBD
Flipgrid -
Fri. April 17th, @ 10:00am
All future sessions, recordings, and resources can be found here.
Wakelet Collections of Materials
EP74: Student Engagement & EP75: The Quarantine Episode
In episode 74 we tackle student engagement. Are digital devices a distraction? Are there ways that we can get students to be more absorbed in their learning? Well, we might not have all the answers, but we do have some suggestions that you can try in your classroom. We also have some nuggets, more nuggets than we normally do, so get that dipping sauce ready!
The Quarantine Episode is going to be a little different from our normal routine, simply because these are not normal times. To try and prevent the spread of COVID-19, schools in Iowa are closed for a four-week period, and so is Grant Wood AEA. In this episode, we got the whole team together to talk about the challenges of working from home while parenting and homeschooling our kids. We also talked about some ideas we had to help others do the same thing. We hope you find the conversation useful. Please let us know if you have tips or ideas of your own to share because we don't have all the answers. No one does at this point, but we are looking forward to the time when schools re-open and life gets back to normal.
Until then, stay safe, stay indoors, keep washing your hands and practice social distancing. Together, we can beat this. Together, we will persevere. Together, we will prevail.
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 the support of listeners like you!
Season 5: Episode 8: Three Little Pigs on a Roll
This challenge focuses on students recreating a fairy tale using movement and some green screen magic. You can also find more details on our blog, click here to read more about it and see the students in action.
Find more Challenges!
Search to find classroom challenges around no or low tech, coding, robots, cardboard, video, 3D printing, and the list goes on. We've partnered with 22 different schools to highlight student makers as they take ownership of the challenges. Or click on this link to see the full playlist of videos on YouTube
GWAEA Online Resources are there to Support
If students are home and looking for books to read online they can use Mackin or if they are looking for a passion project to research from home they may want to use Defined STEM.
Grant Wood AEA provides a variety of free digital resources to support teaching and learning. These videos, images, books, activities and more can be accessed by students and educators at home or school. There are over 28 different resources ready and waiting to use!
If you have a question about your login information please complete this form and someone will be in touch.
Contact Dianna Geers, GWAEA Teacher Librarian or
Kathleen Goslinga, GWAEA Online Resources Lead with questions.Usernames & Passwords Required
Each building currently has its own logins for resources that can be shared with students and parents. Please complete this form if you are in need of your username and password.
Defined STEM uses your district email as your username and password. EBSCO resources have a different password
Professional Books During School Closures
Changes in our daily lives have impacted our status quo. As we adjust to our new normal, we wanted to remind you that in addition to having online resources for students to learn, we also have professional books for teachers!
There are two ways to get to these books:
Go to GWAEA Online Resources
Log in with school online resource username and password
Search for your next book!
OR
Search the Media Center Catalog
Use log in as if you are ordering items for delivery
Under the search bar, select e-Book Professional in the format option
Type in an interest and/or click on Search
Click on the title that interests you to open information
Click on Click here to read this eBook.
Type in your school’s online resource username and password
New titles are coming soon! Have a recommendation for a professional e-Book? Share your suggestion with GWAEA Media Center on this form.
Need your school’s username and password? Contact your school teacher-librarian or Dianna Geers, GWAEA teacher-librarian dgeers@gwaea.org.
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