Ed Tech Newsletter: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Google Classroom Schedule Assignments Update, Flipboard and 10 Terrific Tools for Teachers

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

I am noticing more hits on these newsletters each week. Thank you for taking the time to check these out. These newsletters are put together for the purpose of sharing free and easy to implement tools that will help facilitate your instructional goals. Please feel free to reach out if I can help you with any of these. Your efforts to take advantage of new tools to educate our students are appreciated. I hope you had a wonderful teacher appreciation week!

Great news ! Google Classroom Schedule Assignments and More

Many of you are already using Google's free Classroom tool to organize and distribute lesson content to your students. It's also a great way to create interactive assignments and quizzes through Docs and Forms. Over the past week, Google has rolled out a new scheduling feature. Assignments, quizzes, and classroom announcements can be created behind the scenes and be set to "go live" with students when you decide. You can also use it to create assignment drafts behind the scenes. This is much needed functionality and adds convenience. 

This fall will lead to some very specific features towards communicating with parents and guardians. Google continues to improve their free tools based on teacher feedback. Do not hesitate to send them a wish list a features through the feedback tool. You are the target audience so you can help drive the direction of Google Classroom.

Article 1

Article 2

Flipboard and 10 Terrific Tools for Teachers

If you haven't used Flipboard, it's a wonderful tool. It organizes news on the web into organized categories that are updated daily. There are many categories dedicated to education that can be personalized to your specific interests. 

One of the articles that caught my eye this week was by Eric Curts. I have mentioned him before and am a big fan of his website. This week, he wrote an article sharing 10 Terrific Chrome Extensions and Google Drive Add Ons that make a teacher's job easier. Many of them are new and are well worth checking out. 

Article

Ed Tech Newsletter May 2, 2016: CaptureCast: Screencasting on Chromebooks, Twitter in Education Article, Second Grade Projects

CaptureCast: Screencasting on Chromebooks

Screencasting is a great opportunity to create content for student learning. It's also a terrific way for students to use a classroom device to explain their learning. This is often associated with iPads apps such as Explain Everything or the PC/Mac tool Screencast-o-matic. Chromebooks can also benefit by adding the extension CaptureCast. The article below describes how to use it. If you need any help, please reach out.

Article

Twitter in Education

Eric Curts shared an interesting article on Twitter in Education this week that I thought was of benefit. 

Article

Even if you don't want to post on Twitter yourself, it is easy to create an account and just search for people and hashtags of interest.

If you aren't familiar with hashtags, when people post conversations involving a linked topic, the put a hashtag in the post so that people can search for the hashtag and get access to only those posts.

EX: Check out our take on a #Read4Fun Summer Reading Initiative at http://njliteracy.wordpress.com 

Because the #read4fun is in that post, it will pop up in the list whenever you search for #read4fun in the search bar of Twitter. 

I am also including a list if education hashtags to help you make the most of finding and connecting with the right educators and content that will be potential resources for your needs. 

Hashtag List

Second Grade Projects

The second grade team was kind enough to invite me to check out their projects. These multimedia presentations involved a combination of posters, written reports, and visual presentations on classroom devices. Students were given the parameters of what was expected and allows to use tools such as Google Slides, Google Docs, Educreations and more to meet the technology portion of their standards. The parent turnout was amazing. The teachers and students really put together something enjoyable. 

If you are using technology tools in your classroom and would like me to see them or if you need help implementing them, please let me know. 

Ed Tech Newsletter April 19, 2016 : Neotie Magazine, Free Edcamp Cleveland, Storybird

STORYBIRD

I always like to highlight unique common core aligned tools. If you haven't heard of Storybird. It is a unique and free website where you can access a wide variety of books for students K-12. Teacher and student accounts are free. Students and teachers can also create books through this site. As with anything that I send out, I am always happy to sit down with you if you want to try out the tool and are having trouble.

https://storybird.com/educators/

NEOTIE MAGAZINE

The new issue of Neotie Magazine is out. There are a wide variety of articles that meet a diverse group of education professionals. On the teaching side, there are some great articles revolving around 15 Awesome Websites, the SAMR Model, APP/Resource Evaluation rubrics, Design Thinking and more.There are also lists of who to follow on Twitter for additional educational resources. If you are interested in contributing a future article, please let me know. 

Newest Issue

FREE EDCAMP CLEVELAND 2016

Last weekend, Jileen Urbanek and I attended Mentor's first Edcamp. It was a terrific event. If you haven't been to an Edcamp, it is different from a traditional conference in that the attendees suggest the topics for each session on the day of the event. This leads to facilitated breakout sessions. Having a say in the direction of the conference really makes it a valuable event with discussion and resources shared revolve directly around need. 

Strongsville is hosting one of these free events Saturday, May 21, 2016. It is a great way to get professional development units or you can choose to pay for graduate credit. Further information is below.

https://edcampcle.wordpress.com/where/

Newsletter 4/14/2016 Free EdCamp Neo Reminder, Edpuzzle, Google Classroom Polling, Open Ed Resources

Ed Camp NEO Reminder

http://www.edcampneo.org/

Reminder: On April 16 from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm, Mentor will be hosting a free Ed Camp. If you haven't had a chance to attend one of these, it's a great opportunity to learn how to use instructional tools for your classroom. There are many teaching ideas to be found and the chance to collaborate with others who have similar classroom goals. I am planning to attend. I hope to see you there.

Note: Click on the "What is Edcamp?" link to get an overview on how this is different from a traditional conference.

EDpuzzle

https://edpuzzle.com/

It's always great to find an amazing video that delivers content to your students. It is so much better when a teacher can check for understanding. Ed Puzzle is a great tool because it allows you to take a video from the internet, such as YouTube, and make it fully interactive. You can add in your own questions, comments or discussion points throughout. You can also get feedback on student progress and understanding. It takes a passive experience and makes it interactive and it is FREE!

Google Classroom Adds Polling Feature

http://googleforeducation.blogspot.com/2016/04/4-ways-to-use-polling-in-Google-Classroom.html

Google's free Classroom tool is continuing to improve. They just released a brand new polling feature. You can use this to create exit tickets, gather feedback, to help students self monitor and more. The article above goes into more specifics but the tool expands upon the great features already available.

Free Interactive Open Ed Resources

https://t.co/PIkZwJ7Y7S

Finding resource that matches the needs of the Common Core is often a stressful concern. Stephanie DeMichele joined us during PD Day for the App Smashing session. She's written an informative and easy to use ebook on how to organize and use Open Ed Resources to benefit classroom instruction when traditional textbooks are not enough or are missing large amounts of required content.

It is filled with links to free resources that you can click on right from inside the book. It is worth checking out!

Trouble Reporting and Appointment Scheduling

As is the case with any of the tools and resources that I share, this is a starting point. Please reach out if I can help in any way, when you try to implement any of these resources. If you are trying a lesson, I would be happy to stop by and check it out or help in some way. 

One of our goals in 2016 is to continue to improve the error reporting process so we get to your needs faster. This requires a little help from you. Please make sure you report issues early. If something is a reoccurring issue, please let us know so we can help. Don't let it get to the point of frustration. 

For High School: Please email HSTrouble.Reports@westg.org

For Elementary and Middle School: Please contact your AV/Tech Supplemental Holder. They will put is a Trouble Ticket that will make us aware of the issue. This is important because it allows us to organize and keep track of progress.

Information that we need from you:

Date: 

Time:

Room Number:

What is the problem you are having:

Were there any error messages? 

What were they?

Does this happen all the time or in specific situations?

The more you tell us, the faster we will pin down the actual problem and be able to resolve you issue. 

HOW TO SCHEDULE A TIME TO MEET?

The easiest way to contact me is through email at sean.whelan@westg.org. Please let me know what you'd like to meet about, your room number, free periods, and any other info that might be helpful to me in order to prepare for our meeting. I'd love to meet with you to see if I can help facilitate any issue you might be having. Also, if there is something I share that you would like to implement in your classroom or with your team, please let me know. I would be thrilled to help.

Newsletter 3/4/16 : Khan Academy, Wedge Grant Writing Opportunity

WEDGE GRANT WRITING OPPORTUNITY

WEDGE is currently accepting applications and will continue to do so until March 18, 2016 at 5 pm. (Note this is a clarification from the original notice) Anyone in the district may apply. 

In the past, the Foundation has awarded up to $1500 to teachers, student groups and staff as long as their project meets the trustee's review for innovation.  All applications must be approved by the school's principal.  

In the interest of supporting staff members who may want to apply, Brenda Harriss and Chris Kiec will be holding a set of two 1-hour session to help you with the application process. The sessions will be held Tuesday, March 15 at 3:00pm for HS/MS and 4:00pm for elementary. A stipend of $26 will be given to participants who would like to attend.

You must use this Google Form to sign up so we have accurate numbers.

If you are unable to attend, you can still apply.

If you have any questions regarding the application, they should contact Chris Kiec, Program Chair, at 216.276.0597 or by email at chriskiec@gmail.com. 

The following link:  http://www.wgef.dreamhosters.com/programs/ contains a discussion of what the board does fund and a link to the application.

Note: This information is also available under the “staff” section of the district main page.

Khan Academy

Chris Howell's Third Grade Classroom has been exploring the use of Khan Academy with her students. Using a combination of the computer lab and the classroom iPads, she has connected her students to the prescriptive math tools to support her lessons on fraction. I had the opportunity to stop by and check it out. I really enjoyed visiting with the class and seeing the culture of students helping students get more comfortable with the tech tools. Thanks for the invite.

Newsletter 3/1/2016: Ed Camp NEO, More with Code.Org, Wizer.me, Trouble Reporting

Ed Camp NEO

http://www.edcampneo.org/

On April 16 from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm, Mentor will be hosting a free Ed Camp. If you haven't had a chance to attend one of these, it's a great opportunity to learn how to use instructional tools for your classroom. There are many teaching ideas to be found and the chance to collaborate with others who have similar classroom goals. I am planning to attend. I hope to see you there.

Wizer.Me

https://app.wizer.me/

This is a great web site for teachers who would like to easily make interactive activities that can be shared with students through Google Classroom or link on a web site. It does allow for immediate teacher feedback. I attached a video that gives an overview. If you are trying it out and have specific questions, please let me know. I am happy to help.

Shout out to Josh Timmons and Richard Bryne for this cool web site. 

Code.Org Part 2

For teachers who are trying to help students who are struggling with classroom processes, as well as students who are interested in computer programming, this site offers a rich opportunity beyond the "Hour of Code" that you may have read about. 

This first video gives a basic overview of what a student activity looks like for Hour of Code.

The next video is an overview of the "teach" section of the site, lesson plans and resources available to teachers of all ages.

Trouble Reporting Tips

One of our goals in 2016 is to continue to improve the error reporting process so we get to your needs faster. This requires a little help from you. Please make sure you report issues early. If something is a reoccurring issue, please let us know so we can help. Don't let it get to the point of frustration. 

For High School: Please email HSTrouble.Reports@westg.org

For Elementary and Middle School: Please contact your AV/Tech Supplemental Holder. They will put is a Trouble Ticket that will make us aware of the issue. This is important because it allows us to organize and keep track of progress.

Information that we need from you:

Date: 

Time:

Room Number:

What is the problem you are having:

Were there any error messages? 

What were they?

Does this happen all the time or in specific situations?

The more you tell us, the faster we will pin down the actual problem and be able to resolve you issue. 

HOW TO SCHEDULE A TIME TO MEET?

The easiest way to contact me is through email at sean.whelan@westg.org. Please let me know what you'd like to meet about, your room number, free periods, and any other info that might be helpful to me in order to prepare for our meeting. I'd love to meet with you to see if I can help facilitate any issue you might be having. Also, if there is something I share that you would like to implement in your classroom or with your team, please let me know. I would be thrilled to help.

Newsletter 2/26/2016 : Code.org, Testing Resources,

Testing Resources

As we are heading into testing season, I wanted to make you aware of some resources that might help take some stress off of you and your students. We are regularly updating the Curriculum/Technology web site to support your needs based on your feedback. 

http://www.westg.org/OnlineTestingResources20152016.aspx

I am including a short video walking through some of the links you may have missed. I hope this is helpful.

Code.Org Part 1

At the recent OETC Conference, one of the founders of Code.org had an amazing presentation on how students from 1st through 12th grade could start learning the the basic skills of coding through their amazing website. I plan to do a few posts over the next couple of weeks walking you through the site and some of the benefits. Attached is a video with the initial account and classroom setup.

Staff Computers

The first wave of staff computers continue to roll out. While we will not be able to reach everyone in this first phase, we will be able to in phase 2 which will begin very early in the upcoming school year. I have noticed that some staff members have not completed the original survey. I will be emailing you in groups with a link to we get accurate numbers on who needs a desktop and who needs a laptop based on instructional needs. Thank you for your patience. We are aware that there are many old teacher machines that need replacing. The board supported taking care of this in a two year cycle so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.