SDPC TechSavvy Bits & Bytes
October 2022
Welcome Back!
With first quarter coming to a close, we are excited heading into beautiful autumn weather and the holiday season. I hope this monthly newsletter finds everyone feeling settled into some routines and looking forward to the days ahead. Shout out to the SDPC instructional leaders, techie teachers, and the amazing support staffers that have kept us all going! We truly are #bettertogether.
We hope that you'll continue to find this monthly newsletter is a helpful resource for all of your instructional technology needs! Our team is here to serve you and your students, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
R.I.S.E Technology Challenge
The due date for the artifact is October 1st.
October Challenge Virtual PD: Creativity- October 4th @ 3:30-4:30 in Katie Britton's Webex
Tech Time Lesson of the Month
Hip Hip Hooray!
Great job to the following classes for trying out Nearpod this month! If any second-grade teachers would still like to sign-up, please sign up by October 15th. :)
Nelson's October Tech Tool Focus
Are you new to SDPC? I would love to meet you and show you our great resources available. Please let me know how I can help you.
Flip Virtual Field Trip: Meet NBA Superstar Steph Curry
In this special Flip Event, learners from around the world will meet four-time NBA champion and superstar Stephen Curry.
Stephen will discuss his and Unanimous Media's debut picture book, I Have a Superpower, inspired by his own experience of overcoming doubt and criticism as a kid, and will share how he used it to shape his ever-positive attitude and fuel his own underdog story.
When: October 04, 2022 10:00 AM PT
SAFARI/ Instruction Hub
Discovery Ed - October Resources
Sesame Learning Channel
The Sesame Learning Channel is now live! This new collection of PreK-2 resources from Sesame Workshop bolsters whole-child development through playful learning experiences, created to help all kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Share the Sesame Learning Channel today with your teachers.
Timely Content for October
Already thinking ahead to October? Give teachers our October Newsletter for resources that support timely events like World Habitat Day, Space Week, Yom Kippur, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day, National Fossil Day, and much more! Also, find some of our favorite channels for each grade band and subject to continue exploring all that DE has to offer.
SOS Strategies, what are they?
Discovery Ed has a wealth of resources on SOS Strategies. IInstructional strategies to support literacy skills, including building background knowledge, comprehension, and developing vocabulary.
- Developing Literacy
- 25 Things You Didn't Know-Twenty-Five Things You Didn't Know is a teaching strategy that allows students to explore resources and filter out important details. Students identify new information from media resources and share the information in order to create a collaborative list of facts.
- Pin It- Pin It is a teaching strategy that allows students to categorize and solidify their learning by expressing new knowledge in several areas. Students use sticky notes to post and comment on questions, vocabulary, images, and facts they learned from a media resource. (Jamboards would be great to use with this SOS)
Monthly Calendar Activities:The Activity Calendars are LIVE. These ready-to-use activities will help teachers plan their lessons while providing engaging experiences for students. View the Activity Calendars (K-2, 3-5) or see all past calendars in the Activity Center.
Discovery Ed is now in Schoology
Teachers can now pull content from Discovery Ed into Schoology for students. Here is a quick video on how to do this. Please contact Kimber or Katie if you would like some training on using Discovery Ed.
Spotlight on Strategy
Wittle It Down
This strategy scaffolds summarization by having students work independently— then collaboratively—to “whittle down” a list of vocabulary words that are most important to understanding the topic being studied
Try this strategy with AnswerGarden!
Teacher Guide: Wittle It Down
TechSavvy Tips for September/October
We share TechSavvy Teacher Tips to communicate important updates, new features, and/or information about troubleshooting regularly used tech tools. You can find links to our most recent TST below along with the link to the TechSavvy Tips Index where we house all the tips, troubleshooting, and training presentations. To receive TST as they are shared, join our Schoology TechSavvy group by using the Group Access code of TX5TP-CWQSM. You do not need to be tech savvy to join!
- TST Classlink Launchpad - Password Locker
- Checking for Computer Updates
- TST: Personal Streaming Accounts in the Classroom | Copyright and Alternatives
- We are starting to see students whose Google Drive has been disconnected in Schoology. Please use this TST to connect it back.
- Disappearing apps on Classlink?
- TST: Digital Resources 2022-23
- TST: Using Incident IQ to Change Your Password
Schoology
- **NEW** Canva for Education is now integrated in Schoology! TST Using Canva inside of Schoology
- Annotate Feature
- Respondus Lockdown Browser inside of Schoology
- Some students have had updates to their username. Those students will possibly need to connect their new login Google account in Schoology. Here is how this can be done.
Looking for answers, need to post questions about technology issues related to instructional technology you are seeing in your classroom, or want to help answer other teachers with their questions....... Teachers can join our Schoology TechSavvy group by using the Group Access code of TX5TP-CWQSM.
LanSchool
Teachers in grades 6-12, there has been an update to LanSchool! You will now access LanSchool Air through Launchpad. Your classes should be automatically rostered. This new update includes easier navigation and the ability to transfer classes easily. Read this TeachSavvy Tip to learn more about using Lanschool Air. Reach out to Kimber or Katie if you need any additional support! Teachers in K-5, you will continue to use LanSchool Classic on your desktop.
Gr 6-12 teachers- If you would like to use LanSchool Air and the link sent out in August has expired, please email Kimber. She will resend the Invite from LanSchool.
Grades 6-12 teachers without classes scheduled in PowerSchool should continue using LanSchool classic.
Meet Our Team
Katie Britton
This is my 9th year in education. My background is in Special Education- Multicategorical and Elementary Education. I most recently taught in a 2nd Grade classroom and taught virtual school. I am excited to be a member of the Pickens family and have loved meeting so many wonderful educators. I am passionate about combining strong instructional practices with collaborative technology tools. Please feel free to reach out if you need assistance with tech, want to introduce a new tool to students, or want support planning technology integration into your lessons.
Email: katiebritton@pickens.k12.sc.us
Phone: 864-397-1121
Twitter: @KatieBrittonITC
Kimber Nelson
I have been in education for 26 years. For the past 4 years, I have been in this current role. I love working with our SDPC staff and students in helping them with any and all instructional technology needs. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need assistance in any way. I look forward to hearing from you.
Email: kimbernelson@pickens.k12.sc.us
Phone: 864-397-1108
Twitter: @knelsonteach
Jessica Preisig
Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services
This is my 19th year in public education and 6th year here in SDPC. After ten amazing years teaching 6th graders Math and Science, I served as an Instructional Technology Coach for K-12 teachers in ASD1. In that role, I discovered a passion for working with adults to make magic happen in the classroom. My journey led me to RC Edwards Middle to serve as Assistant Principal among the most amazing faculty and staff. Though I miss my #RCEfamily, hugs, high fives, and Spirit Week, I'm very excited to be a part of the magic-making team here at AITS.
Email: jessicapreisig@pickens.k12.sc.us
Phone: 864-397-1104
Twitter: @PreisigJessica