SPRING 2019
Students and teachers in Norfolk have more access to technology than ever before. While we’ve continued to expand our makerspace resources and devices it’s the expertise from our teachers that has had the most impact on learning. This school year teachers have had the opportunity to participate in two technology focused professional learning days in our own district. Over 25 sessions were offered with most being presented by our own teachers, and even some students. Additionally, we hosted nationally recognized digital safety expert, Katie Greer, to present to our staff, students, and parents thanks in part to our PTO. Together we've leveraged our technology resources to fulfill our district's vision.
Teach. Inspire. Empower. Succeed.
MCAS Infrastructure Trials
We just completed our Infrastructure Trial Test for MCAS, and all is looking well for April! The tech team was able to pinpoint all of the user accounts & Chromebooks with issues, which were minimal. As always, it is important that the facilitators are comfortable and confident with the Pearson Access Next (PAN) portal. Make sure to review the tutorial guide and reach out to the team if you need to!
District & School websites questionnaire
Norfolk is currently in a refresh cycle for our website, and we value your opinion. As major users of our website we would like to take into consideration your views and thoughts on content and structure. We ask that you please fill out the form below to help us moving forward. Thanks!
new Interactive Display Panels
Recently the tech team (with the help of some of our teachers!) has been working with multiple vendors to demo some new interactive display panels that will replace the aging SMART Boards in the classroom. These boards can eliminate the need for a projector and in some cases a computer all together. One of the bigger features of these boards are that they can run interactive learning software that can be pushed out to student devices. We currently have access to use one type of this software with SMART Learning Suite. Even without the newer interactive panels, you can begin to create and use Interactive Smart lessons. Learn more about SMART Learning Suite below.
https://support.smarttech.com/docs/software/smart-learning-suite-online/en/home.cshtml
Parents Guide to Fortnite
Did you know that video games are the most popular and profitable form of entertainment?
According to a report by Reuters, the gaming industry made an estimated $116 billion dollars last year, beating television and streaming services $105 billion (gamecrate.com).
Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, Nintendo’s Pokemon Go where huge hits in 2017, but nothing has compared to the worldwide popularity of Epic Game’s Fornite Battle Royale. Millions of people are spending hours online playing Fortnite, and parents should understand exactly what they or their children are getting into when logging on. Violent game-play, privacy & safety, and screen addiction are some of the major concerns parent’s have with Fortnite.
Below are some helpful links to inform you on what exactly the game is, why it is so popular, and how to protect your children while playing it (if you deem it appropriate for their age level). There are also some links to parental control guides for the most popular gaming consoles.
KUDOS CORNER
Thank you to the teachers who stepped up this year to share their time, talent and technology skills during the professional learning days . The peer to peer collaboration that happened in the technology workshops sparked creativity, ignited new ideas and empowered colleagues to explore something new. The workshops moved away from a one-size fits all or a "sit and get" PD to a more engaging, empowering, hands-on atmosphere, which was well received. Again, thank you so much and we would love to work with more of you in the future!!
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives,
nor the most intelligent that survives
It is the one that is the most adaptable to change"
Charles Darwin