CPP Technology Today
A Communication of the CPP Technology Committee - Vol 1.7
CPP Technology Today
- Instructional Technology in Action - "Grade 6 ELA Glogs 'Rules to Live By'" - by Carrie Howe
- Resources Spotlight - What's New on the CPP Technology Website
- Google Apps at CPP: "Inside a Connected (or Google) Classroom - Google Chrome
- Connected Classroom Resources - Set Google Chrome as Your Default Browser
- Google Apps at CPP: Login Reminder
- Library Media Connection - National Poetry Month at the CPPHS Library
- National Poetry Month Resources
- Shared Learning - "Typing Club Trial Extended!"
- Shared Learning Resources - Typing Club Tutorials
- District Technology News: CPP Aces Access in BrightBytes CASE Analysis
- Technology Master Plan Goals - Integrating Skills - K-5 Process
- Newsletter Suggestions and Ideas
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2016, 08:00 AM
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Instructional Technology in Action
Grade 6 ELA Glogs "Rules to Live By"
By Carrie Howe
Students in 6th grade continue to use the application Glogster to complete a unit called Hawk Talks: Rules to Live By. In this unit teachers worked with students to create three "Rules to Live By." The rules expressed each student's personal values, or rules, for living a good life. Students were given the opportunity to present their Glogster to another classroom in 6th grade.
Glogster is an "interactive poster maker" with which students can combine the elements of the traditional visual aid (images, text) with interactive elements (audio, video, html). Students were able to upload pictures, videos, create text and titles, and a few students even captured and included audio recordings.
Teachers provided templates for the projects, and students were able to choose background images that represented and enhanced the rules they outlined in the presentation. Each Glog was unique to the student that created their assignment.
Students adapted easily to Glogster and enjoyed the interactive platform that Glogster provided to their "posters." Many started with drafting their rules and choosing a template, followed by uploading pictures and adding interactive media to their project. As teachers watching students interact with one another and help their peers was a rewarding experience. Many of our students want to continue working in Glogster and have express other project ideas for Glogster application.
Need Inspiration!
Check out what other teachers create in your subject area by visiting Glogpedia. In Glogpedia from around the world are published Glogs, their is something for everyone! In Glogpedia published Glogs are available to review and use in your instruction. From Math to Physics to Family and Consumer Science Glogs have been created. Take a few minutes to check out the interactive experience Glogs can provide students. If you choose you will hook students on glogs. Your content will be discussed and embedded and learning will move forward in an enjoyable way for students.
What's New on the District Technology Webpage?
New:
- Find tutorials and guides for using Glogster, an interactive, web-based presentation tool
Find tutorials, samples and resources for using Google Chrome, the web browser that best supports all Google App programs and an increasing number of Web 2.0 tools
Keyboarding Trial - Teachers have made it clear that a lack of keyboarding skills holding students back. The Technology Committee is investigating how to help solve this problem. Click here to access the documents on our trial of Typing Club, a web-based program that helps students develop typing skills. Full accounts are already created for all teachers, and for students grades K-8. Help be part of exploring ways to help our kids succeed with technology. New tutorials are available to assist in piloting the program!
Technology at CPP is a new section of the website, that will allow access to important district-related technology documents. The page currently contains information on the Smart Schools Bond and on the Technology Master Plan Goals.
- Access the teacher, student and parent links for the BrightBytes Technology Survey
Other Important Resources:
Access the CPP Technology Newsletter - new issues and archives!
- Open presentations, handouts and resources from many of the technology-related
- Find information and tutorials on using Google Apps
- Access tips and tricks for teaching in a 1:1 environment
Google Apps at CPP
Inside a Connected (or Google) Classroom: Google Chrome
This regular feature will explore experiences from CPP teachers and students with using various Google Apps for Education
Google Chrome is the Google-created web browser that supports all Google Apps, and an increasing number of other web 2.0 tools.
Chrome is a web browser, meaning that, like Internet Explorer, it is the program via which a user is able to access the internet, and move from one site to another. Different browsers support, or allow users to access, different types of sites. Just like any other program, they have different features and strengths and weaknesses. When developers create websites and programs, they create them to utilize the features and strengths of a specific web-browser. Therefore, a program that works just fine on Google Chrome may not work at all on Internet Explorer.
Increasingly, problems that CPP teachers and students are having with websites and web-based are due to the fact that the sites were built to be accessed via Google Chrome, but users are trying to access them through Microsoft Explorer. If a program isn't working, try switching to Chrome.
Better yet, why not start out on Chrome? In future issues, we'll explore some of the advantages of using Google Chrome. Try it out, see what works well and what is challenging, and watch this space for more updates!
Use the link below to set Google Chrome as your default browser.
Google Apps Logins
This year, CPP has activated their Google Apps for Education domain. Through this domain, ALL teachers and students have Google Drive accounts, as well as access to many Google Apps for Education, including Google Classroom, Google Docs and many more.
To access your account:
- First, go to drive.google.com to log in to Google Drive. Drive is your starting point for all the Google Apps.
- Your username is whatever you use to login here at cpp +@cppasd.com (ie, lpruyne@cppasd.com).
- Contact Lori Pruyne, Carrie Howe or Dave Mayotte for your password. Passwords are all preset, and you will be prompted to change it at your first login.
Students also have accounts. Their usernames are set up the same ways as teacher accounts, and their passwords explained in the tutorial below. Student Google Apps Login Tutorial on the CPP Technology Website.
There are extensive resources for using Google Apps for Education at the CPP Google Apps Hub on the district technology page. Resources include videos, tutorials, practice exercises and activities to use with students.
If you'd like some help accessing and using Apps, please contact Lori, Carrie or Dave!
Library Media Connections
National Poetry Month at the CPPHS Library
Students at CPPHS are able to celebrate poetry on-line and in person at the CPPHS Library, all through the month of April.
Students will be ablet to particiapte in several different poetry creation activities in the library, and will be able to showcase their work.
Blackout Poetry--Students take a page from a book, or an article from a newspaper or magazine and circle the words they want in their poem and then black out the rest of the page
Poetry Creation Station--We have cut words from magazines that students can arrange into a poem. If you Google this it is often called Ransom Note Poetry or Found Poems
Book Spine Poetry-- Students find 5-6 books on the library shelves that the titles combine to make a poem. We are taking photos of the students poems and displaying them in the library
Magnetic Poetry--We have 2 stations of this set up and then we take a picture of the students' poems and printing and displaying them in the library
Check the resources below for examples of these different types of poems, and online resources that you can use in your classroom!
Shared Learning
Typing Club Trial Extended!
By Lori Pruyne
In response to requests from teachers, the Typing Club trial has been extended through June 11. Any teachers who would like to trial Typing Club with their classes are welcome to do so!
Many teachers have requested information on how to add their own text (ie, spelling words, reading assigments) into Typing Club as keyboarding practice. The two tutorials below, detail how to accomplish this.
If anyone has comments on Typing Club, or any other program that they would like to suggest as a trial, contact Lori Pruyne or any member of the District Technology Committee.
Website: http://cppasd.typingclub.com
Facebook: facebook.com/typingclub
Twitter: @typingclub
District Technology Updates
CPP Aces Access in BrightBytes CASE Analysis
Teachers, Adminstrators, Parents and Students participated in CPP's first round of the BrightBytes survey in January, a comprehensive, district-wide technology analysis, that will help to make informed, proactive technology decisions moving forward.
BrightBytes utilizes what they call the CASE model for analyzing how and what level technology and learning are integrated within participating school districts. This model explores:
Classroom - How technologies and technology programs are utilized within individual classrooms to promote teaching and learning
Access - What devices are available to teachers and students, both within the school and at home, as well as how often teachers and students are able to access this information
Skills - This area explores skill levels of teachers and students, from foundational skill levels to areas of strength, weakness and - eventually, when they survey is repeated - areas of growth
Environment - Here, district and building culture and attitudes toward technology are examined to determine how teachers and students feel about technology as part of the learning process, and what factors influence their willingness to utilize technology in the teaching and learning process.
In the area of Access, CPP rated as Advanced. According to the information from teachers and students, both groups have access to computers at school when needed, and at home.
According to teachers, they are, by and large, able to access computers for students when needed. 45% indicate that getting computers is never an issue. A further 33% are able to obtain those resources more than half the time. 22%, though, experience persistent frustration in obtaining needed resources, having trouble obtaining them more than half the time. By looking at the answers by building, we have been able to identify areas most in need of resources, and can begin to address the Access issues we have remaining in order of most pressing need.
Information regarding student access at home has been enlightening. Student participation in this survey, due to teacher efforts, was excellent. According to their responses, 87% of students have access to computers at home, and 90% have access to the internet in some way (through SmartPhones or other devices if not through a computer). Again, by filtering the responses we are able to see which of our students are most in need of resources, and plan to distribute devices in that order.
Access is the foundation of any technology integration program. Without access to technology, it is prodigiously difficult to utilize it! This is one of CPP's areas of strength, and BrightBytes has helped us to identify areas in which we can make this area even stronger.
Technology-Related Master Plan Goals: Goal 2 Progress - Integrating Skills Starts with Typing Skills
Objective 4: To formulate a plan to integrate technology skill instructional into grade level curricula
K-5 teachers began the work of this objective on February 1, and returned to it in Grade-Level Council meetings on 3/21. At these meetings, teachers refined units that had been created on 2/1, agreed on a timeframe for when units would be taught, and discussed how they would know if the unit had been a success, and how groups would reflect on and adjust the units as needed.
Share Your Learning
For more information about the newsletter, to make suggestions for content or to contribute, please contact Lori Pruyne.
Email: lpruyne@cppmail.com
Website: cpptechnology.weebly.com
Location: CPPHS B215
Phone: 3503