Archived Showcases 2015-2016

Spring 2016

http://www.flippity.net/ allows you to create flashcards and jeopardy games from google spreadsheets!

Google Educators

We are working with a local cohort to provide training for teachers to become Level 1 Google Certified Educators. Our current group of Google Educators:

Kelly Thompson

Alanna Toler

Heather Lupton

Joshua Brown

Kimberly Barnes

Lauren Walker

Michelle Campbell

Megan McKee

Moriah Rush

Pamela Foster

Richard Follett

Sarah Stelzl

Please wish them luck as they are completing the course and taking their certification exam very soon. The Google Certification can be self paced by going through the Google Training Center. However, the cohort allows teachers to collaborate and share classroom ideas to the benefit of the students.

Our Current list of Google Certified Educators are:

Justin Birckbichler (Certified Trainer)

Christopher Humenik

John Lacombe

Heather Lupton

Martin Redcay

Sarah Stelzl

Heidi Trude

Jason Varner

If you have any questions about this or any other Google professional development opportunities please contact Tim Grant at ext 34248

Fall 2015

Classroom Response

Like the idea of collecting data from kids immediately for formative assessments, exit tickets or warm ups or just keeping them engaged but don’t have access to a set of SMART responders, clickers or hesitate to try to have the kids download an app to use their own phones? Try Plickers. All you need is one device for the teacher (iPad, tablet or Smartphone), and a set of these cards that you print out and give to each kid that looks like this:

The teacher sets up the questions on plickers.com, then projects the questions on the SMARTBoard (or just reads them). On each side of the card (sample above), you’ll see A, B, C, D. The student holds up the card with their answer side up :

The teacher scans the room with his/her device to capture student input.

The plickers cards are numbered, so if you assign each student a numbered plickers card (on plickers.com), you can get reports that look like this:

eduCannon

eduCannon is an online learning platform enabling teachers to create interactive video lessons. Using this technology tool teachers are able to add formative assessments (including Google Apps for Education) within parts of the video, to remediate with inserted feedback based on a student’s answer, to allow for self-paced viewing using pause and rewind, and to engage students with differentiated instruction. Are you Flipping or Blending your classroom? If yes, you will be interested in using eduCannon as students are not allowed to skip through any content of the video. The best news: eduCannon is free!

Sign-in today! Go to http://www.educanon.com/login and click on the Sign in with Google button to log in with your GAFE credentials. Once logged in you will be able to view this example video lesson and others: http://www.educanon.com/units/2.

This is a free online book service provided by Netflix (like Big Universe). Teacher accounts are free and the teacher can enter all their students to make accounts. There is an app for the iPad. You can also use on the Chromebooks through the Chrome Browser, but there is not an app through the web store at this time.

(There is also an option to explore as a guest and no login is required).

Click on the picture and you will see a box the bottom with a link for the site.

Please contact Heather Lupton at hlupton@wcps.k12.va.us or Ext. 49130 for more information.

Several of our schools have acquired Chromebook carts available for classroom checkout. This is a great tool to use to make your classroom interactive while integrating technology into your lessons. We’ve been taking advantage of the school-wide Chromebook cart at HJB and have been creating what I’m calling “Google Interactives” using Google Draw. We simply create the Google Interactive in draw using the specified size for an 11 inch Chromebook (1366x768 pixels). This will help prevent the need to scroll up or down while students work with the content. When we’re ready to use the interactive we share it with the students through Google Classroom so each student has an individual copy. The teacher then checks out the Chromebook cart so the students can access the shared interactive. (This can be done in the computer lab and/or using other devices as well, but keep in mind the sizing mentioned here is specific to 11” Chromebooks). We’ve created interactives that can be done in a whole group setting and/or individual, having students turn in their completed work. Here is a link to a Vocabulary Bingo Template created with Google Draw that can be used across curriculum and grade levels. Make a copy, add it to your drive and use it with your students by sharing it in Classroom. This is a great way to create/share brainstorming templates, graphic organizers, TEI activities, etc...Have fun creating your own Google interactives! It’s like having a mini smart board at every students’ fingertips allowing all students to be actively engaged. If you need help getting your first G-Interactive going feel free to contact me.

Free 3D Modeling Tool

Students wanting to get started in Engineering and Modeling often get held back by expensive and training intensive autocad design. For our middle schoolers we found Tinkercad is an easy, browser-based 3D design and modeling tool for all. Tinkercad allows users to imagine anything and then design it in minutes. There are pre made designs in their gallery and also instructions for generating new designs. Files can be saved in many formats including .STL files that MakerBot 3-D printers can use.

If you need any help using it in your class please your ITRT.

As students enter the Technology Workforce coding is a great skill to have. Middle Schoolers in the GATE program are introduced to Code.org with the help of Mountain Vista Governors School faculty Mr. Allen Burton.

There are many activities you can use in your class to introduce Java and Coding.

If you need any help using it in your class please contact your ITRT.

I’m all about those maps, yeah baby! Here are a few great Google mapping tools and some geography fun that can be used to enhance student understanding of location. You may want to

these web resources!

CREATE YOUR OWN MAPPING RESOURCES!

Create virtual tour with Google’s Tour Builder and share it with your students in Google classroom.

Create interactive maps using Google’s MyMaps. This was formerly Maps Engine Lite. A great way to develop and share interactive mapping activities with students.

NOTE: MyMaps is new and is not fully functional when logged into your school Google account yet. What I’ve been doing is creating them in my personal then sharing them with my school account to use with students. Soon students will be able to edit and save their own to their school Google drives.

Google LitTrips: A great way to integrate Google Earth into the English classroom. Have students explore the journeys of characters from famous literary works.

GET YOUR GEOGRAPHY GAME FACE ON!

Have some fun with geography by taking some virtual excursions by playing Geo Guessr which drops players into random locations using Google Maps Street View.

SmartyPins: “Putting trivia on the map.” Have fun trying to figure out where to drop your pin as random trivia questions about countries and cities based on six categories appear.

We currently have 11 Google Educators at Warren County Public Schools.

They are:

• • Joseph Biggs

  • Justin Birckbichler

  • Christopher Humenik

  • Gesina Korte

  • John Lacombe

  • Heather Lupton

  • Janet Pack

  • Marin Redcay

  • Sarah Stelzl

  • Heidi Trude

  • Jason Varner

This group of teachers and ITRT’s are currently offering workshops via www.mylearningplan.com that will help you integrate Google App technology into your classroom. Please congratulate this group for obtaining and maintaining their Google certification this year. It is a rigorous process and we are very proud of them for stepping up and earning their certifications.

If you have any questions about these or any other Google professional development opportunities please contact Tim Grant at ext 34248

A common approach at a Google Apps for Education Summit we recently attended was to use learning menus to differentiate instruction and customize training. Learning menus (options) allow students to have a choice in their learning activities and to work and learn at their present level. One of the presenters, Kasey Bell, created a thinglink to put learners in the driver’s seat and proceed through the training at their level of comfort in using Google Drive. Here is an example of a learning menu she created using thinglink: http://www.thinglink.com/scene/516309368480727041.

Everyone likes choices, right? Instruction needs to be differentiated for our students. Why not provide learning menus for your students? You can use thinglink for free. Go to https://www.thinglink.com/edu to sign up for an educator account. Be sure to use your GAFE email address, username@students.wcps.k12.va.us, when you sign up and then check your GAFE email.

Do your students “hunt and peck” on a keyboard?

This is a great FREE resource to help students learn how to type. Use Dance Mat Typing (shared by OT/PT Shannon Hugentober) to help your students become more accurate with their typing. It begins the students with design lessons/stages focus on hand placement on letter keys and progresses to words and sentences. Click on the link to to get started: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr

This website works on Chromebooks!

Please contact Heather Lupton at hlupton@wcps.k12.va.us or Ext. 49130 for more information.