On the DL
Notes from Digital Learning and School Library Services
December 2021
BCS Friends,
Reminder, any technology included in grants must be pre-approved by both the Digital Learning Department and Technology Services Departments. This includes resources purchased by PTA/PTO, Boosters, Donors Choose, or other organizations. Our goal is to provide the best technology services possible and this is best done through standardization. We have minimum requirements for networking and hardware. In addition, our training and support is maximized by limiting the variations in hardware and software. We will work with you to select the best product to meet your needs and to satisfy our requirements, but this requires communication prior to the grant submission.
Technology Services is working hard to protect our network and the personal data of all of our staff and students. It is important that every employee do their part to assist in these measures. This includes not sharing your login information with anyone. Sharing this information is actually a policy violation. This also means protecting this information and not leaving it lying around for others to see or find. This also includes being selective when adding extensions to Chrome or Drive. Often these request full access to your Drive account. If you have student or personnel data in Drive, this data can be placed at risk.
And as we enter the end-of-term testing windows, it is important to remember that it is a violation of testing protocol to access ClassWize while testing is in session. More information on this can be found below in the newsletter.
That’s all for the dire warnings! We wish all of you a joyous holiday season!
AD
Copyright Corner
(click the down arrow to see the response to the question)
This appears on a unit, workbook, etc. that I purchased. What can I do with it? What can't I?
"Permission is granted to the individual teacher who purchases one copy of this book to reproduce the student activity material for use in his or her classroom only. Reproduction of these materials for colleagues, an entire school or school system, or for commercial sale is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. "
There is actually quite a bit to dissect here AND the answer maybe slightly different than it may have been a year ago. Context matters. First, the person who bought this, not their teammate, not the person who took over the subject from them, but the actual person who paid for it, can use it in their classroom and can make copies FOR THEIR STUDENTS. Not everyone else. Where it gets complicated is in the last statement that bars transmission. Realistically, and digital format shared with others is transmission. However, the online classroom is now an extension of the traditional classroom and no one can argue that. Therefore, you can share with students in a closed classroom setting (ie. Google Classroom.) Can you put it in your Google Slides? Yes, but....you can't then share that slide with anyone who isn't a student rostered in your class.
School Library Spotlight
WBHS coaster.mp4Fridays are fun in the WBHS Makerspace!
If you visit West Brunswick High School’s Media Center on a Friday, keep an eye out for flying objects! WBHS has started Makerspace “Fun Fridays” in the Media Center.
WBHS’s Makerspace is a place where students can get hands-on experience making, creating, and inventing while applying concepts they recently learned in class.
In our inaugural Fun Friday, Keri McKenzie’s Physics students created a roller coaster, a hydro bot, a Trebuchet, a catapult, mousetrap race cars, and they have plans for future projects. Also, Ms. McKenzie’s Physics students have utilized the 3-D printer to create solutions for problems that arise during the scientific process.
Digital Learning Resources
Click on the icon above to view December's newly released 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 17 updated micro-units this month, allowing for staff to learn the latest updates and implement the best strategies for instruction.
1B@T- 3D Printing
1B@T - Copyright in a Digital Environment
1B@T- Flippity
1B@T-Lyric Lab through Flocabulary
1B@T - Flocabulary for Beginners: What's the Big Deal?
1B@T - Gizmos and Explore Learning
1B@T - Google Classroom: The Next Steps
1B@T- Introduction to Google Slides
1B@T - Phase Two of Google Slides
1B@T - Introducing Coding Through Hour of Code and Code.org
1B@T - Kahoot for Formative Assessment in the Classroom
1B@T- Merge Cube
1B@T- Powerteacher Beginner
1B@T- Scholastic News (K-5)
1B@T - Introducing Sphero Robotics
1B@T - Teaching Students to Login
1B@T - Technology in the Visual Arts Classroom
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!
Scholastic Digital Access
Students always have access to digital issues of Scholastic! Under District Resources in Clever, have students access the Scholastic icon.
Students can then select the needed publications that align with the codes entered by teachers.
Once they do, students will then see featured videos and the latest issue accessible that they can open in English or Spanish.
Tools for digital viewing are numerous! Students can...
Draw,
Highlight,
Add notes,
Spotlight view to specific areas,
Zoom in and out,
Easily navigate the table of contents,
And have the issue read aloud!
Teachers also have access to Skill Builders, a printable Spanish PDF of the issue, assignable Google Classroom resources, and more.
Interesting in learning more about how you can support your students' use of the digital resources? Check out this tech tip or the 1 Byte @ a Time session titled "1B@T: Scholastic News K-5."
Also, Check out this tech tip on how to switch from teacher to student view!
Did you know that you AND your students can create podcasts in WeVideo?
What is a podcast? A podcast is a digital audio file, which is made to be available for download. Users will automatically be provided with the option to record audio when getting started in WeVideo creating a Podcast.
How to I get started?
After choosing Podcast, students will automatically be able to record their voice using their Chromebook's internal microphone and then edit their recording in WeVideo.
How can Podcasts be utilized with instruction?
Personal narratives & memoirs
Poetry Podcast
Newscast
Choose your own adventure
What on earth science debates
Let me tell you my story
Book vs. the Movie
Let me help you!
Just to name a few! Need more ideas? Contact your digital learning specialist!
As the semester ends, what are some things you may want to do to have an easy transition to next semester? You never have to conclude a course in Canvas that is synced with Powerschool. When the semester ends it automatically concludes, moves to past courses in the course list and becomes read only for students and instructors.
Grades: Export your grades as a CSV file. Our grades sync to PowerSchool and you can export there as well. However, if you would like to have a copy of your Canvas gradebook you can export! It will download to your computer as a .csv file. For more on exporting grades click here.
grades
actions
export
Content: Copy your content from course to another course by following these steps. For a detailed explanation click here.
Settings
Import Course Content
Copy a Canvas Course
Search for the course
Import all content
Check adjust events and due dates
Click "import"
Backup: Backup your course content by exporting your course data (this does not export student data). For more information click here.
Settings
Export Course Content
Choose "course" or "quiz"
Course exports expire after 30 days.
Check out the tech tips below about the new Chromebook features!
Using the camera to scan a QR code
Create a screen recording on your Chromebook.
Annotate a PDF on your Chromebook
Using the camera to capture - and annotate - an image
Did you know that North Carolina has adopted the ISTE standards for students as the North Carolina Digital Learning Standards for Students?
Empowered Learner
Digital Citizen
Knowledge Constructor
Innovative Designer
Computational Thinker
Creative Communicator
Global Collaborator
The presentation below (click on the thumbnail to see it in full screen) is full of resources to help you get familiar with these standards.
Which ones are you already incorporating into YOUR lessons?
Choose Your Own Adventure: DLS Edition | Carter G. Woodson
You have taught and need the priceless screenshots that you captured on your Newline interactive panel. How can you access and save them?
-USB
-PC Transfer
-Google Drive
Check out this tech tip for more information on how to access and save your screenshots off of your Newline using the three strategies above!
Need help? Contact your digital learning specialist!
Classwize is NEW tool available to teachers in BCS. This tool, accessible by teachers through Clever, allows the teacher to monitor students while working on their devices. Teachers can use the Teacher Tools to help students remain focused on tasks, and even send announcements to the class.
Please Note: When you have ANY testing on campus that follows a required testing protocol you cannot use Classwize. It violates testing protocols to use Classwize during these times. Please pay particular attention to times when certain departments or grades may be testing as well. Additionally, during any make-up testing, you may NOT use Classwize.
Let your Digital Learning Specialist know if you have any questions or concerns when using Classwize. We are looking forward to supporting you as you use this resource!
Please click on the icon above to view December's Tech Tips! The focus is on using Sora, our district digital library and all about navigating your device with Windows 10.
Do you need additional tech tips? Check them out here!
Please click on the icon above to check out December's Creation Motivation strategies! We will release three a month to help student's create digitally in the classroom!
Be Cyber Safe Monthly Resources
