Blended Learning Newsletter - January Newsletter 22-23

In this issue:

Scrapbooking Our Journey
Did you Know? Canvas Reminders
Reflecting our Blended Learning Goals
Best Practices: Self-Reflection
Try a New Idea

How Can I Self-Reflect Using Swivl Sessions?
December/ January Digital Citizenship Focus
Professional Learning Opportunities
BL Resources
Scrapbooking Challenge - Chance to win!

Choosing our Adventure

For this very first month of the new year, we will take a break from our journey and take a moment to reflect on where we have been, what we have learned through each adventure, and plan for what is coming next. Self-reflection allows us to look back at our choices, like taking an alternate route on our road trip or packing lightly for our camping trip, and helps us decide if we made the right ones. This is how we grow and learn.

We are close to the halfway point of our school year and we encourage you to self-reflect on your blended learning goals. Have you made progress? Did you make the right choices? What would you do differently next time? Are you still working on these goals or is it time for a new one? This newsletter will help lead you through answering these important questions.

Did You Know?--Canvas Reminders

Did you know that it is best to sync your grades for progress reports and report card time a little early? Syncing the week before can help avoid longer wait times due to a heavier volume of people and also allows time to seek help for any sync errors that may occur.

End of Semester Canvas reminders:

Teachers will have read-only access to their courses. Teachers will not be able to adjust content and grades, but for as long as they are enrolled in the course, they will still be able to export the course content when needed.
Remember to use the “share content” button within current Canvas course to transfer content into courses for next semester (if desired).

All concluded Courses that have not been favorited will be removed from the Dashboard, but they can be accessed in Past Enrollments. Note: You can “star” (prior to end of semester) courses for them to remain on the dashboard
Beginning- & End-of-Course Checklist

Reflecting on our Blended Learning Goals

Whether you have been dabbling in some blended learning best practice or you have mastered all of your blended learning goals, now is the perfect time to create a new blended learning plan for semester 2.

If you haven't set any blended learning goals for the second-half of the year follow these steps:

1) Review the Blended Learning Best Practices Document. Is there an area that you would like to work on? Does one stand out as an area for improvement?

2) If yes, skip to step 3. If no, complete this Blended Learning Self-Evaluation Form. It will help bring to light in which focus area you could grow the most.

3) Now that you have identified the focus area, it is time to select some best practices to work on that will support that focus area. Please complete this blended learning plan. An example plan can be found HERE.

Best Practices: Self-Reflection

As we have traveled the last couple of months it is time to reflect or scrapbook our journey. Whether it be photos, video, or a journal that we have documented our vacations on it is important to think about the good times, the bumps in the road, and what we would do differently moving forward in our travels.

In the article "The Role of Self Reflection in Teacher Effectiveness" Amanda Fuechtmann states "According to the Cambridge Dictionary, self-reflection is "the activity of thinking about your own feelings and behavior and the reasons that may lie behind them." While many individuals acknowledge the importance of self-reflection in their personal lives, some may wonder how this action can improve interactions in the classroom. The act of self-reflection allows teachers to recognize recurring patterns in their teaching to focus on what is most effective, avoid complacency, gain the ability to act more intentionally, and identify areas of improvement."

Here are a few things to consider as you look at self-reflecting on your teaching practices:

Try a New Idea

THIS or THAT choice board: Example1, Example 2: website (free template from website)
Checkout and use the VR Kits to take your students on a virtual reality expedition. Here is the list of expeditions. You can sign up to check out a VR Kit here.
Take your class on a virtual field trip using Google Earth (tutorial). Start by using some already created virtual field trips.
Try this new SWIVL Strategy with your students.

How Can I Self-Reflect Using SWIVL Sessions?

SWIVL Sessions is a great tool to use for self-reflection. With Sessions you are able to set a goal and then reflect on this particular goal. You are able to add video evidence to the goal you have set to support your achievement of the goal and to aid in the reflection process. Here are a couple of resources to help you with using SWIVL Sessions.

January Digital Citizenship Focus

December Digital Citizenship focus: We know the power of words and actions.

As the line between online and offline continues to blur, students will reflect on how they can use intrapersonal and interpersonal skills to build and strengthen positive online communication and communities. Lessons on this topic will explore common digital stressors and their influences on relationships. Students will also gain an understanding of how to communicate effectively online and how and why some topics and conversations can best lend themselves to certain mediums.

Read more about this topic on the Common Sense Education website.

Lessons for all grade levels are available on the Guilford is Cyber Safe website. Family resources in English and Spanish accompany the lessons, with additional languages available on the Common Sense website.

All lessons and activities are designed to be taught in person and should take 15-20 minutes. They are available in Google slide or Nearpod versions. More activities and the full lessons can be accessed on the Common Sense Education website with a free educator account.

A link to the Guilford is Cyber Safe website has been added to Clever. Staff must be logged into their GCS Google account to access the website. Links to Teacher Guides on the Common Sense website do require a free educator account.

Professional Learning Opportunities

DLC Credit Opportunities

Seven self-paced online courses that support teachers and leaders with the skills necessary to be an effective online and blended facilitator. These self-paced courses will count as 1 DLC CEU each. Interested staff may register in Performance Matters-Professional Learning using the course numbers below.

· #15861 GCS-PROFLRN: Achieving Equity through Digital Learning (1.0 Digital Learning CEU)

· #15857 GCS-PROFLRN: Digital Learning Competencies Overview (1.0 Digital Learning CEU)

· #15860 GCS-PROFLRN: Plan, Teach, and Evaluate (1.0 Digital Learning CEU)

· #15862 GCS-PROFLRN: Leadership in the Digital Age (1.0 Digital Learning CEU)

· #15913 GCS-PROFLRN: Blended Learning Models (1.0 Digital Learning CEU)

· #15914 GCS-PROFLRN: Leading through a Blended Learning Model (1.0 Digital Learning CEU)

· #15916 GCS-PROFLRN: Educational Equity in Blended Learning (1.0 Digital Learning CE

Resources

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

District-Provided Tools Database: 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 Best Practices: 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 to Paula Murray from the Middle College at GTCC-Greensboro and Candace Williams from Northwest Middle School for being selected as the Road Trip Challenge winners for the month of December. Ms. Murray and Ms. Williams won $20 gift cards to Village Tavern and a free entrée coupon for Chick-fil-A for their submissions See below for our January Challenge. The next winner could be you!

A special thanks to Village Tavern and the Chick-fil-A on Battleground for their generous donations. We could not do this without our community partners.

Scrapbooking Challenge

How do you self-reflect using SWIVL Sessions?

Please complete a SWIVL Sessions cycle and share with "Jessica Lamberth (lamberj2)" using the share feature in SWIVL. Once you have shared in SWIVL, then fill out the form linked here.

Last Day to submit your Scrapbooking Challenge entry is Monday, January 30th. This month we will have multiple winners thanks to our partnership with SWIVL.

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