Google Forms for Assessment

There have been some updates to Google Forms to make it easier than ever to use for formative assessment. Teachers can create questions with images in the question or answer, which makes this tool idea for young learners. Using their iPad or Chromebook, students can use forms to answer questions to provide evidence of progress toward learning targets. The teacher can see student responses in real time, and use this data to drive instruction.

Demo Quiz

Hour of Code

"Hour of code in your classroom. The Hour of Code is a global movement by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries through a one-hour introduction to computer science and computer programming." -Khan Academy

"Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path." -Code.org  

Computer Science Education week is December 5-9, and we will be participating in the Hour of Code!

Google Classroom

Google Classroom is a blended learning platform for schools that aims to simplify creating, distributing and grading assignments in a paperless way.  It is a very user friendly platform for both teachers and students of all ages and experiences.  

 

Seesaw: Next Steps

There are lots of new tools available to teachers now that we have Seesaw for Schools (SE only).  We will look at how to push assignments out to students, how to tag work with skills (or standards) and using the private teacher folder.  We will also look at the built in blog, and explore possibilities for using the blog to connect with classrooms around the world.

Seesaw Introduction

Maybe you have heard of Seesaw, but never looked into it, or maybe you’ve set up your class on Seesaw, and you are thinking now what? This session will be dedicated to ideas on how this powerful app can be used in meaningful ways.  There will be time to plan and collaborate, so be thinking about units or learning targets that your students will be working on in the coming weeks.  If you haven’t set up your class, we will get you up and running and discuss how to customize the settings to make this tool work for you and your students.

SMART Notebook Maestro

Using the maestro add-on and the SMART Notebook app, you can control your SMART Notebook documents from your iPad.  Here is how you can get connected.

Digital Citizenship Training

Common Sense Media has a comprehensive curriculum that is designed to empower students to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world. The goal is to teach one lesson per month.  During this session we will look at the resources available and discuss ways to make digital citizenship part of your classroom culture.

Cell Phone Policy

(Click on the image to view the printable document)

Personalized Learning at OIS

This presentation contains resources for the beginning of the year and links to resources for different content areas.

Pillars of Character on the Chromebooks

(Click on the image to view the printable document)

Chromebook Troubleshooting

Chromebook Shortcuts

(Click on the image to view the printable document)

Setting Up a Teacher Account on Seesaw

Emily from Seesaw explains how to set up a teacher account.  She points out some settings that you will want to consider before using Seesaw with students.

Since our school uses Google I would recommend choosing the "Sign in with Google" option rather than creating a new account.  This way you can use your school email and password and have one less log in to remember!

In the video, she is using an iPad to create her account, but in my opinion it would be easier to do the initial set up from computer.  This way when you are entering your student names you can easily copy and paste from a class roster, or you can still type in the names, but at least you have a keyboard.

The iPad app and the website look identical, so navigation should be the same regardless of the device you are using.

Setting Passcode and Wallpaper

In order to add some personality to the iPads, many teachers have their students set the wallpaper and lock screen to show the student's face.  This allows the teacher to quickly identify who the iPad belongs to.  Students can also use their lunch/library code as their passcode for added security.  This videos explains how to set up these two features.

Downloading a Purchased App

This video teaches students how to install an app that our school has purchased (even if it is free) from the app store.

iPad Navigation

A quick overview of how to navigate the iPad.

iPad Expectations and Buttons

As we begin the school year it is important to teach students about the tools they will be using and the expectations for using those tools.  This short video gives students a brief overview of the tools and buttons on an iPad.

Twitter for Educators

Twitter is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, but why is that important for educators?  Building a solid network of professionals can be a huge benefit to your teaching practices, and Twitter can also be used by your students to share their learning with an authentic global audience.  This session was devoted to setting up a Twitter account, discussing how to use Twitter for professional development, and sharing ideas about how to use Twitter with your students.  

Creation Apps to Use with Seesaw

Seesaw is great for documenting learning, but how can you use it other than just pictures and videos?  We will look at a handful of apps that allow students to use their creativity to show their learning in different ways.  These apps are all kid and teacher friendly and allow students to easily put their projects into Seesaw.

Chromebook Troubleshooting

As we begin to look ahead to year two of Orono PLUS, all students in grades 3-5 will have access to their own Chromebook.  While students can be very tech savvy and solve a lot of issues on their own, or by asking a classmate, there is still a need for teachers to know some general troubleshooting steps.  The presentation below is an interactive troubleshooting guide.   If you are looking for something not in this presentation please let me know, and I will add that topic.

By clicking on the topic in the table of contents you will get step by step instructions on how to solve the problem.  As always, please feel free to reach out to the tech staff or put in a SchoolDude request if you are unsure or have questions.

Xtra Math and Sum Dog

If you are looking for a way have your students practice their math facts online both of these programs have something to offer. Since Fast Math only works in the labs, both of these program are alternatives to help students build a solid foundation in computation skills.


These programs both offer different benefits for student and teachers, so it will be important to consider the pros and cons of each before deciding on what is best for your students. I have only used the free versions of both of these, so please note that the paid versions might be more powerful and meet your needs in different ways.

Access to ebooks

With all the technology both here at school and at home, many of our students are using ebooks for their independent reading.  Students can access ebooks through Hennepin County Library.  Here are directions for families to access ebooks through the library.

*Please note this is something that needs to be set up AT HOME and not at school.

Epic! Books for Kids

Epic! is an extensive online library of ebooks for students.  It has been described as Netflix for reading.  There are lots of high quality ebooks and audiobooks that students can search for and customize their reading list.  Educators can get a free account to use with students.

Graphic Organizers

We often use graphic organizers with students to help them organize their thoughts.  As we move a lot of our resources to Google Drive and other digital formats, teachers are recreating these graphic organizers or searching for one to fit their needs.  Eric Curts, a trainer, consultant and Google Certified Innovator, created these graphic organizer templates that can be used in a variety of content areas.   They are especially easy to give to students to fill out digitally if you are using Google Classroom.

To use the organizers:
-Open the link
-Click on the blue button in the top right hand corner that says "Add to Drive"
-Open the organizer you want to use
-The documents are all set to "View Only" so before you can use them, you will need to make a copy.

Thanks to Christine Gagnon for finding this resource!

Class Dojo

This tool for behavior management can be customized for every classroom.  Teachers can use this to track student behavior, homework completion and encourage teamwork.  Class Dojo is not new, but they have added some new features like Class Story, a simple blog, that might make your classroom management and communication with families easier.

It is important to be thoughtful in how you are using this with students, and communicate your procedures to families.  Please let me know if you have any questions!