Gettin' Techy With It!
December 2015
The 4-1-1
- Don't forget that the TECH HELP DESK is a great resource for the quick fix kind of issues. Call ext. 5789 for help!
- Have plans to watch a Christmas DVD with your class? Don't forget there are SuperDrives available for checkout in your library.
- Reflector 2 is available for installation on your computer. Put in a work order so that can be done ASAP. Click the link HERE for a tour of the new features.
12 Days of Tech-mas
Holiday Inspired Technology Integration!
**Chat with Santa** -- December 14
This year Santa has again agreed to host a free, live video chat for us with students from around the globe on Monday, December 14 from 2:00 pm to 2:30 p.m. Central.
Santa will answer pre-submitted and live questions from children about goings on at the North Pole via a Google Hangout. He’ll talk about his big ride and the preparations leading up to the Christmas Eve deliveries, what the elves are doing, his favorite cookies, and more. He may even have time to read a short story to the kids.
No registration is necessary; the link to the Hangout will be posted on our website by 9:00 a.m. Central on December 14. If your students would like to submit a question for Santa to answer, you may use this form to do so. Children may also submit questions during the live chat. Mark your calendar to join the Chat with Santa on December 14!
Live Reindeer Cam
See what two of Santa's reindeer are doing with their 24-hour video cam. You can even see Santa feed the reindeer several times a day.
Santa Tracker
Norad offers a tracking system for Santa Claus and is presented in a high-tech animated program and Google Earth. It includes a Kids' Countdown Village with a new holiday game every day until December 24. It is also available on your iPad with an app for iOS.
10 Little Snowmen
This site, 10 Little Snowmen, offers a cute game that lets young students practice their reading while they help build their own snowman. Kids can select a hat, scarf, set of eyes, nose, and more to create the perfect snowman. When he is complete, there is a special snowman song to help celebrate.
Code the Christmas Tree
Through Google's Made with Code Initiative, students can code a design for one of the 56 state and territory Christmas trees. Students can select the shape, size, and color of the lights, and animate different patterns using introductory programming language and their designs will appear live on the trees.
Holiday Pinterest Boards
You can find more ideas on these Pinterest boards, including this one for Hanukkah, one for Kwanzaa, and this one for Christmas. All of these focus on educational activities for the holidays.
Awesome App of the Month
• Create short instructional videos (in any learning area)
• Storytelling, Reports, Historic Retells
• Help reluctant public speakers present to the class
• Help foreign language or ESL students practice their fluency & language skills
• Brainstorming or storyboarding ideas and presentations
Techie Teacher Award
This month's Techie Teacher Award recipient is Andra Summerville from Lamar. Andra used the Klikaklu app to review New Braunfels Landmarks. She prepared a scavenger hunt that allowed students to solve clues leading them to different landmarks they had learned about in their unit. Now that's GETTIN' TECHY WITH IT!
How can we help?
Michelle Harwood
New Braunfels ISD
Email: mharwood@nbisd.org
Twitter: @michellharwood
Kimo Aleman
New Braunfels ISD
Email: kaleman@nbisd.org
Twitter: @KimoNBISD