On the DL
Notes from Digital Learning and School Library Services
April 2021
BCS Staff,
Save the Date! We are actively planning for this year's Teacher Tech Camp to be held June 2, 3, and 4. This year's Tech Camp will be held completely online via Zoom. This allows us to reduce travel time, provide for more attendees, and record our sessions. We have some exciting sessions in the works. If you would like to apply to present, please complete the form. We welcome teacher presenters to model best practices for their peers. And, there will be prizes! See the pic below of the cool Zoom shirts that were donated.
Also, if you didn't see the email, Zoom now allows you to add "visitors" to your meetings. This means you can add individuals from outside our district (parents, experts, etc.) to your class Zoom meetings. See the email for more directions.
Finally, it's been just at a year since our world went sideways. I am incredibly proud of the teacher of Brunswick County Schools. You have all stepped up and used the resources we provide for you. Kudos to you all!
Thanks for all you do,
AD
Copyright Corner
(click the down arrow to see the response to the question)
What is self plagiarism and why should we teach about it?
Self-plagiarism is reusing data and information over and over again. For a more detailed description, check out this article. We have all seen it, especially if you attend enough subject-area conferences. Keynoters and featured speakers often repackage and redistribute the exact some presentations, down to the jokes, but what are we modeling for our students? In high school and undergraduate work, recycling papers in whole or part is considered a form of cheating, if you get caught. In more advanced degree areas, it is truly frowned upon because it does little to expand the body of knowledge. The thing we need to begin instilling upon on our students is that it is wrong and it is easy to get caught. In today's digital world, digital assignments are catalogued and saved and then searched for just this type of behavior. We need to work with students to understand how not to self-plagiarize.
School Library Spotlight
April is School Library Month!
Please take the time in April to help celebrate you school library media coordinators during the month of April. These ladies will likely be celebrating books and students and reading during this month, but they will not spotlight themselves.
Media coordinators don't just check out (or read) books. They work closely with teachers to collaboratively plan experiences for kids. They build interesting and exciting print and digital collections. The procure resources to support all areas of the curriculum. The manage and inventory all the assets and books in the school. They make posters! They laminate things! They often do a lot more than any of us know.
I am honored to work with the dedicated library staff in Brunswick County Schools. I frequently set seemingly impossible standards for them and they rise to them each time. Join me in taking a moment to thank them for the things they do.
Digital Learning Resources
Discovery Education has a Science Techbook that we have available to our K-5 teachers and students in Clever. Techbook offers units of instruction that are grade-level specific. Within each unit, information is broken down into concepts. The concepts incorporate the five E's which include Engage, Explore, Explain, Resources within the five E's can include Discovery Education videos, guides, infographics, interactive activities, etc. Key vocabulary is shown in great detail and teachers can flip back and forth between teacher and student view. Teachers can assign content through Discovery Education along with adding resources to Quicklist, My Content, and Create with Studio. If you have not checked out the Science Techbook available to all K-5 teachers and students, please contact your Digital Learning Specialist for more information!
Do more with Desmos! Desmos is a great math resource. However, you can also use this resource to create and present your lessons in a new way. Check out the Google Slide Presentation on how to use Desmos in any content area!
You can create activities for students to write or draw on a picture, create ordered list, multiple choice, text, media and more.
When you share the presentation with your students you will be able to keep track of their progress, anonymize their names, take snapshots of their work, control pacing of the document and more! Check it out today!
High-school teachers are you using Flipgrid in your lessons to enhance discussion and reflection practices? If not, check out this Google Slides presentation on Flipgrid.
Flipgrid has partnered with so many different companies and created discussion topics for you to use. Check them out here.
Additionally, Flipgid has specific discussions premade for you to use in your classrroom!
Don't forget if your students are under 13, get parent permission before creating discussion boards.
It is time to start thinking about BCS Tech Camp, Brunswick County School's annual professional development camp dedicated to the tech-integration needs of our wonderful educators and beyond. This years Tech Camp will be hosted virtually on June 2, 3, and 4, 2021. Keep a look out for more details on offered sessions and prizes!
Save the date for the 2021 Virtual North Carolina Beginning Teacher Summit to be hosted by NCPDI on June 16th and 17th, 2021. Registration will open in April.
Newsela now has a featured "Videos" section where educators can find a consistently growing collection of a variety of videos that can be shared straight to your learning management system! Additional collection sections teachers can take note of include "Primary Sources," "Poetry," and "Multimedia." Their curated multimedia resources have infographics and maps available for student review and reflection.
Newsela's Educator Community houses text sets and lesson plans created by other teachers which can be customized to fit your classroom needs!
Did you know ?
NCEES has self-paced professional development about Social Emotional Learning? Navigate to Professional Development and search for these courses:
#18183 Creating a Professional Culture Based on Social and Emotional Learning
#10977 MTSS Module 2.4: Build a Behavior/Social-Emotional/Attendance Component to An Intervention System for School Teams V 1.19
#1141 Creating a Connected Culture Through Student Engagement & Empowerment: Self Paced
Learn more about NC SEL here: NC Social and Emotional Learning
and here: NC SEL Implementation
Did you know?
NCEES has Self-Paced PD on supporting students with disabilities! Navigate to "Professional Development" and search for these courses:
#16780 EC Process and ECATS Course 2: Initial Referral and Consent for Evaluation
#10753 MTSS Module 3.4 Assessing Readiness and Planning for Implementation
#16788 EC Process and ECATS Course 7: Disciplinary Change in Placement and Manifestation Determination
#845 MTSS Module 3.1: Readiness: System Requirements of Beliefs, Knowledge, Tools, and Skills for SLD Eligibility
#18205 North Carolina Extended Content Standards
#18167 Course 1: Foundations of Specially Designed Instruction within a Multi-Tiered System of Support
#3363 Universal Design for Learning 1: UDL in the Everyday Classroom.
Did you know that the built in quick access icons on a Newline board can be moved out of the way?
If you touch them, you can drag them up or down to move them out of the way.
If you "pinch" them using two fingers, you can collapse them completely as well!
Do you use We Video to create tutorials for your students? Wish there was a faster way?
Try the WeVideo for Schools: Screen & Webcam Recorder Chrome Extension.
It's quick and easy to install. Log in and allow access, then you'll be recording in no time! It even has built in spotlight and annotation tools!
HERE is a quick overview on using this Chrome extension.
