Instructional Technology Digest
January 2019
Happy New Year!
This edition of the Instructional Technology Digest will focus on some general reminders for the year, update on 'Remind' as well as some new dates and codes to use in certain programs for your classrooms. Also, there will be a survey coming soon regarding subscriptions. I would encourage you to take time to fill this out as we will be looking at it (as well as usage reports) to determine our subscription budget for next year. As always, let me know if you have any questions!
Tech Hours
Just a friendly reminder, all certified staff need 15 tech hours of professional development this year (ends June 30). If you attended the Teaching & Learning Institute last summer, you are good! All hours should be ENTERED using this link. You can CHECK your hours by logging into Kickup.
IF YOU USE 'REMIND' PLEASE READ!!
As stated in an email dated Jan 14th, Verizon has decided that they are going to charge a fee to keep receiving Remind messages via text messaging. As of Jan 17th, Verizon says they are NOT going to charge now but has yet to sign the agreement. All that being said, please make sure if you use remind that your recipients know they need to download the app and enable notifications to continue to see the messages. If you need more info or want to send info to your recipients, here is the link to do that. http://bit.ly/2HaCSxJ I will keep everyone updated on the situation as I learn more.
Breakout EDU
Breakout EDU is a game based learning opportunity where teams of students (or adults) use clues to "breakout" and win the game. We have several of these boxes in our district if you wish to try it in your classroom. This summer I purchased codes for our district to use. Here are the usernames and passwords:
UN=buch@branson.k12.mo.us PW = pirate18
UN=CR@branson.k12.mo.us PW = pirate18
DATES - WHAT'S COMING UP?
GOCSD INNOVATION SUMMIT DATES
The GOCSD Innovation Summit will be held at the Branson Convention Center May 28-29 this year!! Please check out this link for details! John Antonetti (new book out) and Weston Kieschnick (blended learning specialist) will be the keynote speakers for the event. The Call for Proposals will be coming in early February so think about your innovative strategies and consider a proposal!
TEACHING & LEARNING INSTITUTE SAVE THE DATE!!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! The Teaching and Learning Institute dates have been set for this summer. The Institute will be held at Branson High School on July 29-30 from 8am - 3pm each day! We have pushed it back as close as we can to the start of school and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for this event! I will be putting together a team to help run the event this year (too big for just me). If you would like to be involved, please email me!!! More info coming soon!
BrainPop Educator
Congrats to Tabatha Clark for completing her 4-week online course to become a Certified BrainPop Educator! Well done!!
Osmo now on Kindle Fire Tablets!!
Osmo is a unique educational gaming accessory that opens up your iPad OR KINDLE FIRE TABLETS to the infinite possibilities of physical play. It is geared for ages 5-11 but some games can be appropriate for ages as low as 3-4 and as high as 13. I have several different types of Osmo games you could check out for your classroom if you are interested. Please let me know if you'd like to try these out in your class sometime!
Tech Leadership Team
Recently, I invited several teachers of all grade levels and buildings to be a part of my technology leadership team. Each month I have sent them some tech tools to try in their classroom. This is a brief summary of how they used it in their classroom, their feedback, and advice on using the tool in your classroom. Check it out!
Dr. Michelle Brenner
Director of Digital Learning & Accountability
Email: brennerm@branson.k12.mo.us
Website: www.branson.k12.mo.us
Phone: 9820
Twitter: @vb4mb