On the DL
Notes from Digital Learning and School Library Services
April 2022
Don't forget to check out our monthly Be Cyber Safe resources! This month's topic focuses on responsible use and constructive online engagement.
Save the Dates! Tech Camp will be held June 1, 2 and 3!
Last year we had amazing attendance at our virtual sessions so we are going to host most sessions virtually again this year - with a few surprises! We have some special "Drive In" lunch sessions planned, complete with pizza lunches! In addition, EPIC Games (maker of Fortnight and an NC-based company) is providing a special session on transitioning gamers into STEM-based jobs and using their tool Unreal Engine. We are so excited! Look for the schedule to release in late-April.
We are looking for teacher leaders to act as presenters or session moderators. To present, complete the Call for Presentations form. If you would like to facilitate, email me! Also, check out the new Tech Camp shirts at our swag shop. Bonus points if you know the inspiration.
April is School Library Month and the first week is a celebration of school libraries. Please show support for your media coordinators and the libraries they manage.
Finally, we want to recognize the CGMS Battle of the Books team who recently won the regional competition and will be representing BCS in the state competition! Congrats Bulldogs!
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Copyright Corner
(click the down arrow to see the response to the question)
Can I share my Teachers Pay Teachers Resources with my team? I paid for them.
The short answer is no.
According to the Teachers Pay Teachers FAQs, "Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers are licensed for individual use. Individual Licenses are non-transferable and may not be used by or reallocated to a different educator. Your license doesn’t cover use by another friend or colleague." This means that sharing the resources you purchase from Teachers Pay Teachers can not be shared with your team of teachers or PLCs.
School Library Spotlight
Look Who's Going to the State Battle of the Books Competition!
Who's going to the 2021-22 Middle School Battle of the Books State Competition? These Bulldogs, that's who! A round of applause for the Cedar Grove Middle School Battle of the Books Team for winning the Southeast Regional competition! This year's competition was held in a virtual format with ten school systems in our region taking part.
Next up, the State Competition on May 6th and will be moderated by author Alan Gratz.
The Cedar Grove Battle of the Books Team includes Ava Williams, Jennifer Zheng, Bella Best, Kimber Cook, Blayden Ludlum, Gabriella Arendt, Charlotte Caison-Childs, Bethany Shook, Jonathon Hewett, Max Elliott, Wesley Wilson, and Coach April Rogerson.
The video below captured the moment they found out they won. Way to go, Bulldogs!
Digital Learning Resources
Click on the icon above to view April's Micro-units!
Brunswick County Schools offers many micro-units to assist staff with understanding the digital resources available to them. With each micro-unit, staff earns digital learning credits, which vary depending on the unit of study. The digital learning team has released six updated and new micro-units this month, allowing for staff to learn the latest updates and implement the best strategies for instruction.
1B@T - Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity via Digital Breakouts
1B@T - Elementary Seesaw - Beyond the Basics
1B@T - Gmail Beginner (NEW)
1B@T- OSMO (NEW)
1B@T- Pear Deck (NEW)
1B@T- Virtual Field Trips with Google Slides (NEW)
To learn more about the 1B@T microunits and how YOU can sign up to complete one, click here. Questions? Please reach out to your digital learning specialist!
Adobe Creative Educator Certification
All Brunswick County Schools students and staff now have access to the Adobe Creative Cloud Express for digital product creation! Learn more about becoming an Adobe Creative Educator by visiting their website. You can submit earned certification for DLC credits!
What is OSMO and how can it best be integrated in the elementary classroom?
OSMO is a series of applications that are pushed out to BCS iPads.
OSMO provides interactive and hands-on activities for students to learn more about math (NUMBERS), spelling (WORDS), coding (CODING AWBIE AND CODING JAM), spatial awareness and shapes (TANGRAMS), money (PIZZA CO.), and art and handwriting (MASTERPIECE).
OSMO can either be played individually or in pairs, allowing students to compete with one another. It is best implemented as a station within rotations or as a extracurricular opportunity.
Lessons are available for teachers to download and teachers can set up a class within their teacher account, allowing them to track student progress.
iPads and OSMO kits are available for check-out. Please contact your school's DLS and check out the OSMO device kit webpage HERE!
Makey-Makey is one of Brunswick County School's newest device kit additions!
Makey-Makey can be integrated in the science classroom by allowing students to explore circuits, learning about conductors and insulators.
Another integration strategy is to allow students to code illustrations using Scratch. Illustrations can explore the meaning of vocabulary, allow students to create pieces of artwork, allow students to analyze a diagram, etc. Students have so much fun recording their voice using their chromebook while coding the circuit board to react.
If you are interested in checking out a Makey-Makey kit, we have two kits hosting six Makey-Makeys. They can be utilized in a small group setting, OR both kits can be reserved for a whole group coding excursion. Check out our Makey-Makey device kit webpage to learn more!
Have you checked out Canvas’ analytics section yet?
“New Analytics” is found in your Course Navigation menu. This section gives you data in one spot for your classes!
You can see:
Course Grades: This will show you a distribution of grades across your courses. You can add different sections and students to the table.
Weekly Online Activity: This shows you participation and page interactions with your students and courses.
Students: Allows you to view detailed information including grades, communication and course interaction.
Reports: generates reports for various topics including missing work and class rosters.
Check out more about your new analytics tools here.
Where Can I Quickly Find My Downloads?
Find your most recent downloads or screenshots on a Chromebook has never been easier! Look for the rectangular box featuring an arrow at the bottom of your Chromebook screen. Click on it to see a preview of all of your recent downloads!
Brittannica and EBSCO now in NCEdCloud
We are pleased to provided Britannica and EBSCO resources via NCEdCloud! Users will begin to see the choices on their NCEdCloud dashboard today. Dashboard icons will appear as below.
For more information on these resources, by grade band, visit the NCDPI website linked HERE.
Reminder: Turn Off Newline Autocapture
Testing protocols require you to turn OFF the auto capture feature when you are reviewing data from any state/district assessment.
When you are using the annotation tools, click the cog in the lower, left corner of the screen.
Toggle the "auto screenshot" button off. You can turn it back on when you need it again.
VR Kits Ready for Checkout
Are you ready to bring virtual reality kits back into the classroom? After a brief hiatus, the Brunswick County Schools Device VR device kits are making a comeback using RobotLab's VR Tour application!
Interested in learning about what tours are available? Click here!
Want to learn more about how virtual reality tours can shine in your classroom, contributing to a strong academic experience? Contact your Brunswick County Schools Digital Learning Specialist today!
Click the button below to reserve your kit today.
View the latest Tech Tips on Zoom Authentication Exceptions and Translation and Read Aloud Resources!
Do you need additional tech tips? Check them out here!
Do your students need a moment to take a break? Use this video to provide a calming brain break opportunity!
Please click on the icon above to check out April's Creation Motivation strategies! We release three a month to help student's create digitally in the classroom!
Be Cyber Safe Monthly Resources
Check out our Classwize Family Cyber Safety Hub! You can visit the hub to find amazing articles to help you support your learners and families. Many of the articles, like , connect well with our Be Cyber Safe monthly theme! In April, we focus on responsible use and constructive engagement which pairs well with the article, "Screen Routines."