ISTE highlights

Welcome back!!  The school year is fully under way now and we are all settling back into a routine.  The air is turning crisp and we are redecorating with pumpkins and mums.

Photo by Carrie A. - https://www.flickr.com/photos/27353377@N04/15383799350/

During the summer, Greg, Andrea and I attended the ISTE Conference in Philadelphia, PA.  For our first blog post of the year, I want to highlight a few takeaways that I hope will be useful to you.

LEGENDS OF LEARNING - This website has a free version which will be very useful to science and math teachers.  It is game-based instruction tied to standards.  For science, it uses the Next Generation Science Standards.  At ISTE, we launched cows into the air and measured their distance.

The teacher can customize a playlist of assignments/games for the students according to their need.  More information on the program and how it works can be found here.

E-HALLPASS - Well, you know all about this one, middle and high school teachers.  This system allows us to keep a digital sign out system for students.  For the purpose of keeping tabs on students, it also allows us to limit which students are in the hallway at the same time, place a limit on how many bathroom visits a student can have in a day, and send a pass to a student that needs to see a certain teacher.  In the past, every teacher had a different system and a different amount of consistency.  Now we have one system and we don't have to interrupt your class to figure out where a student might be.

STORY SPEAKER - Google has a lot of lesser-known tools and this is definitely one of them.  With your Google home, you can make a choose your own adventure story.  I do not personally own one of these, but my dad does any my children love to say, "OK GOOGLE PLAY SMOKE ON THE WATER!" and then giggle when I look annoyed.  THAT is why I don't own one.  Anyway, this tool works with a template that your students can edit, and then you can play it back.  This would be very useful for a creative writing class!

LIFE TAGS - Life magazine has used the power of AI to look back on history through its many years of publications.  You can search for a term and see all the photographs with that item in them, from coral reef to hat.  This is a great way to look back on history and could serve as a discussion prompt or resource for research projects.

There are many other subject-specific items to learn about.  I hope if I shared them with you that you have taken a look!  The internet provides us with an endless amount of ideas and resources, but sometimes it can be hard to keep up!

Another great Screencast tool

Happy January, everyone!  Hope you're surviving this week of crazy weather.

Greg recently shared the extension for Loom with me - another screencast creator similar to Screencastify.  You can sign in with Google and create recordings of your desktop or just one tab.  Of course, when you start out, you have to give it all the permissions (to add the extension to chrome, to access your Google account, to use the microphone and camera).  Then it will come up with this screen:

To get started, you have to hit the Loom icon in your Google extension toolbar.

Then it will ask you some options.

Including whether or not you got a haircut recently!  (I did, thanks for noticing!)

After that, this is what a recording might look like.  Please note that you can pause your video while you are recording, which is a feature that does not exist in some other screencast creators.  Then the finished screen will take you here.

From here, you can see lots of options, such as sharing and editing the video.  If you invite people via Gmail to view the video, it will also tell you when they have done so.  This is a feature that Screencastify does not have.

Some ideas that this could be used for include creating an instructional video for students to watch at an independent station, having a substitute teacher share this video with your students on a day that you are absent, and having students create a reflection on a topic that they just learned and then share it to your email.  They could reflect on a finished project, a story that was just read to them, or goals that they set for themselves in a class.

Let me know your thoughts on this tool and how you are able to make it work for you!

AR

Augmented reality is different from virtual reality in one key way - it incorporates the technology into the existing environment.  The best example and probably the most famous is Pokemon Go, where people were "catching" Pokemons with their phones and on a map, it said there were Pokemon all around the city, but they really just used the app and the phone's location to simulate this environment.

Teachers are beginning to use augmented reality in the classroom to further allow students to simulate and explore 3D models, whether they are of the solar system, the skull, or an aquarium.  Some great resources for this purpose include the Merge Cube and the CoSpaces app.


The Merge Cube is an inexpensive foam block that can be purchased on Amazon.  I also found this printable one here.  I have one as well so if you are interested in using it, just let me know.



For further reading, check out this article with apps that can be used with the Merge Cube for AR and VR.

Edtech Certs

You already know we are hosting a Google Boot Camp this summer, but what you may not realize is that GoogleEDU is not the only edtech company that has certification programs to prove your skill with incorporating technology successfully into your classroom. Here is a list of great edtech certifications which make a useful option if you are still considering how to use your flex time.

Google Level 1 Certified Educator

Google Level 2 Certified Educator

Apple Teacher

Flipgrid Certified Educator

Common Sense Educator

National Geographic Certified Educator

Raspberry Pi Certified Educator

Schoology Champion

SMART Digital Educator

Not all of them are created equal. Some have tests and some have tasks. Some are free and some have an associated cost. Figure out what is best for your classroom and give it a try!

Five More Add-Ons for Google Docs

Inspired by Theresa's post from last week, and Greg's post from March, here are five more add-ons for Google Docs. Just like add-ons do in G-Forms, they allow you to extend the use of Docs and make it work hard for you.

Scroll to the bottom to learn how to get and use add-ons in Google Docs.

Easy Accents

Allows you to easily insert accents for different languages from a sidebar in your Doc.

MathType

Allows you to type and hand write notations for mathematics and chemistry.

Doc To Form

Allows you to quickly and easily create a form text in a Doc.  Teachers can turn a paper test into an online test with just a few clicks.

HelloFax

I know it's 2018, but some people still like faxes.  This add-on allows you to add a fax number and cover page to a Doc.  Click send, and the add-on sends the fax!  You even get an email when it arrives.

DocuTube

Users can embed videos in Google Slideshows, but not Docs.  But with this add-on, now you can!  Add videos to Google Docs that you share with your students, so that students no longer need to leave the doc to watch a helpful video.

How to GET add-ons in Google Docs

In Google Docs, click Add-ons > Get add-ons, then look for the add-on you want.  Once you find it, click the blue button to add.

  

How to USE add-ons in Google Docs

In Google Docs, click Add-ons > the add-on you want to use.

What add-ons do you use??  Let us know what else is out there in the comments.

One Button Studio

We are excited about the brand new One Button Studio here at Warrior Run!  Located in the library classroom at WRHS, it offers students and teachers the opportunity for video production at the push of a button. 

Wondering what it's all about?  This video will tell you in just one minute.

Developed by Penn State University, the OBS is a simplified video recording setup that can be used without any previous video production experience. The design of the studio allows you to create high-quality and polished video projects without having to know anything about lights and cameras. We have the equipment - you push the button.

What could you use the OBS for?  Lots of stuff!  To name a few...

• Class projects
• Basic interviews (or creative ones)
• Presentations
• News reports
• Language practice
• Green screen
• And so much more!

The process is straightforward:

1. Students plan before recording: research, write a script, create a story board, practice, collect props or costumes
2. Record in the OBS
3. Edit and produce video: edit green screen background, manipulate audio, add text or subtitles, most likely using WeVideo.

With a little ingenuity, it's easy to be creative in post-production.  Check out this blog post on WeVideo, or these tutorials, and watch the short video below.

So far, we've several classes into the studio to work on class projects.  Check out some examples here.

• 5th grade Science: news reports on volcanoes
• 6th grade Social Studies: interviews with Greek gods and goddesses
• World Cultures II: news reports from the field of World War I
• World Cultures II: infomercials for inventions from the Industrial Revolution
• French I: vignettes of restaurant conversations

More questions?  Check out the FAQs on the OBS site.

The OBS was funded by EITC funds from Muncy Bank and Trust and Citizens and Northern Bank through the First Community Foundation Partnership.  We started building it after Thanksgiving, and it started being used in January.  Until now, we've been figuring out best practices and working out kinks, and as of last week, we are officially open for everyone!

The Best Google Slides Add-Ons

This week's post is about Google Slides, so I created the info in a Google slides show!  Click the arrows on the bottom left to go through the slides.

Digital Citizenship

This June, it will be 11 years since the iPhone was first released. The first iPod was released almost 17 years ago. That means our seniors have probably never bought a CD, nevermind made a mix tape with recordings from the radio.

With great technology comes great responsibility. While we encourage the use of technology in our classes in order to create greater access and possibilities for our students, it also means that we need to inform them about what constitutes being a good digital citizen. This has become more relevant than ever with the institution of the 1:1 program at the middle and high school. So with that in mind, here are some resources for teachers and students. This will serve to begin a conversation about how to improve 1:1 instruction and integrate this as a topic of our everyday interaction with students.

My favorite resource for Digital Citizenship resources is Common Sense Media, which is also great for parents and I first learned about from Chris Long (thanks, Chris!). As part of the 5th grade specials rotation, I would use a number of resources on this website to expose kids to these topics in an engaging way. Here is a rundown of the best resources for each level.

For teachers
https://www.commonsense.org/education/training - This training is for any level teacher and is different depending on the one you choose. If you choose to participate, you will receive a certificate and you can turn it in to receive 1 hour of Act 48 credit. I did the one for high school and found it to be really engaging and helpful.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/posters - These posters are free to print and display in classrooms.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/recognition-educators - Receive a digital badge to showcase your skills as a Common Sense Educator.
https://edutrainingcenter.withgoogle.com/digital_citizenship/course?reset=QE9BL64Q - Complete this training with Google to touch on the most important topics related to Digital Citizenship and Safety.

For elementary
https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport - This is for grades 3-5 and has several modules on digital citizenship and internet safety in game format.
https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en/resources - From Google, could be high elementary or middle.
https://assessments.commonsensemedia.org/ - Use these questions to gauge a student’s mastery of digital citizenship concepts. When they finish the 20 question assessment, they will receive a percentage grade and a certificate.

For middle school
https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass - This game is case studies in decision making online, but presents kids with options and choose their own adventure. It talks to them about the reasons for choosing the correct answers and the consequences of poor decisions.
https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en/resources - From Google, could be high elementary or middle.
https://assessments.commonsensemedia.org/ - Use these questions to gauge a student’s mastery of digital citizenship concepts. When they finish the 20 question assessment, they will receive a percentage grade and a certificate.

For high school
https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-bytes - This is designed for high school students and has them hear from other teens, but then actually has them create a project to voice their thoughts on the topic of digital citizenship.
https://assessments.commonsensemedia.org/ - Use these questions to gauge a student’s mastery of digital citizenship concepts. When they finish the 20 question assessment, they will receive a percentage grade and a certificate.

Please reach out if you have questions or comment. We will continue this discussion in the future at all levels.

Classroom Screen for Classroom Management

Do you use your smartboard to show a variety of tools as part of a lesson?  For example, giving students a timer and indicating the countdown for how long they have to complete the task?  Or maybe you want to do a random name choice to choose a volunteer.  Maybe you keep a traffic light in your room to indicate appropriate volume level while working.

Classroom screen has combined these all into one place and made a toolbar to quickly bring up these options.  When you have this page open in chrome, your page will look like this:

The menu at the bottom allows you to add different options on the screen.  They are:

• Language - change to another language such as Spanish or French!
• Random name - import your class list and choose a random volunteer
• Sound level - allow it access to your computer microphone and it will show when the volume is getting too loud
• QR code - tell it a web address and the kids can scan the code on the screen to go to a certain website (K and 1, this is GREAT!)
• Drawing - draw function, similar to the smartboard tools
• Text - same idea
• Work symbols - another volume management, but with the options for "Silence", "Whisper", "Ask a neighbor" and "Work together"

• Traffic light - volume control
• Timer - Start a countdown and tell those kids how much time they have to do a task / break out / etc
• Clock - give the time (analog and digital)

This has great possibilities to help manage class flow.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

Everfi

The best type of educational technology is robust, flexible and FREE. Those terms are not normally used together. Fortunately, it appears like Everfi might fit this mold. Since they are funded by outside resources, they are free to us!

Everfi has a database of educational and interactive resources to teach concepts from financial literacy to college and career readiness to STEM. Each one has a grade span that it works best for, so it’s definitely worth considering.



One of the weaknesses of Everfi right now is that they do not have single sign-on. That’s a big deal to me because when a website has that, we know Google is not sharing the child’s name with them, but instead sharing a “code” with which to recognize them. Being a little concerned about CIPA and COPPA compliance, I decided to check into it more. It turns out that many schools in our area are already using this for some of their courses, such as financial literacy in the high school.

Students would have to go to everfi.com/register and make an account, so this should really ONLY be used with students 13 or over UNLESS you are going to get permission from their parents to create an account for them. Please also note that Warrior Run student accounts cannot receive outside emails. A teacher can add students from the teacher dashboard, but the same rules would apply for privacy compliance.



Once a student has successfully completed one of the courses, you can print a certificate for them.



Here is an example video overview for the “Ignition” course on Digital Literacy and Responsibility.

Everfi may be free, robust and flexible, but there will be an initial setup for the teacher, and it’s not ideal for every grade level. If you teach one of the topics listed in their K-12 resources and are looking for something that students can work through independently that is also engaging, I recommend you give it a try.

New Year, New Opportunities

Happy 2018!

First, some housekeeping.  I used this online random selection tool to choose the winner for our Hour of Code.  So congratulations to Andrea Heller on being the winner of the $10 Dunkin gift card!  Next year, I'd love to see some more of you try this out, especially as our children get better and better at coding from all the fun gadgets on the market.  Also, try the random picker sites for randomly selecting volunteers in your classes.

It's that time of year when everyone is looking back on 2017 and looking forward to what's in store for 2018.  So let's do just that. 

First, I'd love to share a list (I love lists) from one of my favorite resources for educators: Common Sense Media's Best EdTech of 2017.  It's organized by subject matter and grade level and free/paid/platform, etc, so it's great for finding a new tool. 

Second, let's discuss and reflect on portfolios for students.  We could write a book on the definition and purpose of portfolios, but I want to talk specifically about portfolios for students as they move through K-12.  First let me pose some questions to you:

• If you were (or are) implementing portfolios in your class and you wanted them to continue until graduation, what tool would you use?
• What would this portfolio contain?
• How would you connect what students are learning in your class to other subject areas?
• Who would select the best elements to include in the portfolio?

As you reflect on these ideas, you may already have assignments or methods in mind.  If you work at the secondary level, your students may already be able to share some ways in which to make it work or in which they see the cross-curricular nature of their education (my words, not theirs).  As students enter high school and they start to choose career pathways, how would the elements of their portfolio reflect the skills and knowledge base of the pathway they chose?

I want to delve more into this topic for future posts, but I would love to hear and learn more from anyone in the district who is already using portfolios of any kind!  I would also love to discuss this topic if you have experiences from children in other districts.  My son is in 2nd grade and he brings home a million papers!  I feel like I'm creating a portfolio when I choose what to keep.  Does anyone else have this experience?

Vocaroo for Voices

Vocaroo is a simple online tool for recording and sharing audio files across the internet.  After allowing your microphone, it literally takes two clicks to create a recording.  After that, the file is easily shared with an auto-generated link, or can be downloaded as an MP3, or get a QR code.  Since it is a web-based services, it's a natural friend to Chromebook users.  And, since it is web-based, students and teachers can use Vocaroo anywhere!

Ways for Students to Use Vocaroo

• Students at all levels can practice their reading and speaking skills.  Beginning readers might find it helpful to hear what they sound like reading a book and following along.  Older students could read drafts of essays aloud to catch mistakes.
• Practice presentations before giving them.
• Music students can share songs they sing or play with teachers and other students.
• Foreign language students can practice their fluency.
• Peer-to-peer feedback.  Students could even paste the link in a comment on a Google Doc or Slides.

Ways for Teachers to Use Vocaroo

• Leave instructions for your students when you have a substitute.
• Record a summary of what you did during the day and post the link of your website or Sapphire page.  (You could have a student do this too!)
• Give feedback to individual students.  (I know my hand cramps up after writing a lot, this might be a new way to give students feedback on a paper or larger assignment.)

How to Use Vocaroo

• Go to http://vocaroo.com
• Click the red button to record
  
• Click the green check mark to allow the service to use microphone
  
• Click to tell the browser to allow the microphone
  
• NOW YOU'RE RECORDING, WOO HOO!
• Click to stop recording
  
• Now you have the option to retry, listen, or save.  "Retry" will delete and start over, "listen" will allow you to listen to your recording, and "click to save" will give you options.
  
• This is what you see when you "click to save:"
  
• You can simply copy the link and send that wherever you want.  Or you can download as an MP3 to be used later, email it directly from the site, or create a QR code.

A quick tip: If you decide to have your students create recordings and share them with you, it would help to organize them with a Google Form.  You can create a simple form with a place to put their name and a place to paste the link, and then Google Form creates a spreadsheet with that information.  That way it's all in one place for you to access at your convenience.  Click here to get started with Google Forms.