March Newsletter

Blended Learning Department

In this issue:

Blended Learning Focus Area
Monthly focus: Building Culture & Community (ideas and tips)
PD Opportunities
Monthly checklist

Resources
February SWIVL Challenge Winners
March Nearpod Challenge: Chance to win!

NEARPOD provides ways to build culture and community through its social and emotional curriculum already built into their library.

You can include items like a Think-Pair-Share Activity or Class Discussion slide to a lesson to encourage relationship building and promote social skills.

(**These resources should act as a supplement to your existing instruction. In addition, please vet all resources to make sure the content is age-appropriate**)

Building Culture and Community

In order to feel comfortable engaging in a blended learning environment, a culture of acceptance, respect, and safety is crucial to student participation. Setting clear expectations and procedures, and even modeling what these look and sound like, for both face-to-face and online instruction is essential for successful student interactions. Use of digital tools can provide a variety of ways for students to interact and engage, so that all students feel heard and valued. A safe and inclusive environment makes it easier for students to take risks and try new things.

Blended Learning Focus: Building Culture and Community

The article "Supporting SEL Through TECH: How Blended Learning Can Foster Social-Emotional Development" states:

Dallas ISD's Lucy Ford suggests that teachers can push students toward lessons that focus on specific SEL messages. Tailor the lessons to emphasize whatever message you've been delivering, that have "SEL skills built in." For example, when they're reading for comprehension, she says, pick stories "that teach the reader about what was going on, why [the characters] acted this way and why they changed their minds later."

Here are a few things to consider as you look at when planning lessons in your classroom to ensure students take ownership for their own learning.

IMPORTANT Canvas Notice

After July 2022, teachers will no longer be able to create quizzes in Classic Quizzes. Teachers will have to create quizzes after this date in New Quizzes.
However, students will be able to take a quiz that was created in Classic Quizzes before the above date until June 2023.

PD Opportunities

All Blended Learning Spring PD has been released. In Performance Matters, search the course tag “BLDLRN” to sign up.
Guilford County: Differentiating for Exceptional Learners + Co-Teaching with Nearpod
- - - - Date and Time: April 5, 2022 from 3:00 - 5:00 PM ET
      - Zoom Registration Link: Nearpod Training Link
      - Session Description: Learn new ways to differentiate instruction in Nearpod by mutating lessons, offering students choice, shifting from LIVE to Student-Paced mode and providing embedded supports to meet students’ individual learning needs. Keep students engaged based on their learning style and readiness level while fostering curiosity in your classroom by giving students the chance to explore interactive content. We will also discuss strategies for using the new co-teaching feature in Nearpod to support student learning.

Please take a moment to review the following document prior to your professional learning session: Welcome to Nearpod Getting Started
If you are new to Nearpod, please watch the pre-recorded 1-hour session on Learning with Nearpod: Learning with Nearpod 101 Video Link

For questions, please contact Shannon Franklin.

Monthly Checklist

Consider...

Using SWIVL to record goal-setting conversations during teacher/student conferences. These videos can be referenced at check-in points throughout the quarter.
Incorporating a Nearpod lesson on accepting emotions, building self-esteem, or any of the many topics that are offered through this platform. (**These resources should act as a supplement to your existing instruction. In addition, please vet all resources to make sure the content is age-appropriate**)
Creating a Jamboard where students can work together, collaboratively or share something about themselves. This allows students to grow and learn from and about each other. Example: A student timeline of life events or Drag and Drop: What is your Mood, Today?
Conducting a Canvas discussion where students share experiences (see openers and closers) and make connections to the topic being taught.
Using Flipgrid to build student-teacher relationships. Have students make a short video telling you about themselves or sharing an answer to a question just with you.

Resources

BL Resource Website: Visit our website for all things blended learning. Locate your blended learning specialist, find out about our virtual course offerings,

Air Table: Want to know what digital resources we have for you? Check out the district's Air Table. You can filter to find the information you need.

Resources Document for Look-fors: If you like the Blended Learning Look-for document but feel like you need to know more, please check out our resource page that directly aligns with each of the blended learning focus areas.

Digital Learning Resources Canvas Page: Need help with one of our GCS district-provided resources? Visit our digital learning resource page to find video tutorials and instructional guides on anything from Swivl to Canvas.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the 3 winners of our SWIVL Challenge for the month of February! A big "thank you" to SWIVL for sponsoring the prizes for this month's challenge. We greatly appreciate their support.

Annie Harris

Northern Guilford High

$25 Starbucks Card

Shonna Polk

Grimsley High School

$25 Target Card

Brian Scott

Early Middle College GTCC - Greensboro

$25 Amazon Card

NEARPOD Challenge

This month, instead of a Canvas Challenge, we will be hosting a Nearpod Challenge.

Please submit a screenshot of a component of your Nearpod lesson that supports building culture and community in your classroom, at THIS LINK. Once you submit your link, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a prize.
For help with your Nearpod please access the Distance Learning Resource course linked here.

Blended Learning Network: Use #GCSBLN

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