Blog
Twelve Days of Tech!
12/1/2020
"It's almost winter break and our favorite tech coaches brought to us...12 days of technology!" The elementary coaches will be hosting lunch & learn webinars on new and creative ways to integrate tech tools into our curriculum and classrooms/offices! Some of the topics include Jamboard, Buncee, Virtual Bitmoji Classrooms, Digital Breakouts and more. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming webinars. Happy holidays from the entire technology team!
Digital Citizenship
9/10/2020
The technology coaches have been working on updating the districts digital citizenship curriculum and scope and sequence for staff and students. Lessons and resources have been updated to address new changes and needs such as Google Meet Expectations and Etiquette and Using Email. Be sure to take a look!
Be Kind Online!
5/15/2020
During our virtual learning and in honor of National Be Kind Online Day, our technology coaches put together a great video of staff members reminding students to be responsible and respectful digital citizens! Check out the video here: Summit Be Kind Online Video
Kicking off 2020 at FETC
2/3/2020
Kicking off the new year, the technology department presented at the 40th Anniversary FETC Conference in Florida. Collectively, Supervisor of Technology Doug Orr, and technology coaches Trudy Cohen, Bonnie Weinstein and Matt Schachtel presented to a global audience on both the district's coding/robotics initiative and on their approach to providing PD in a 1:1 setting.
Tech Department Travels to ISTE 2019 in Philly
7/1/2019
The Summit Technology Team traveled down to Philadelpia this past week to attend and present at the 2019 International Society for Technology in Education Conference. With only a 29.9% acceptance rate, their proposal was accepted and they were invited to present on our districts coding and robotics initiative. Technology Supervisor Doug Orr, Technology Coaches Trudy Cohen, Bonnie Weinstein and Matt Schachtel shared with the audience the nuts and bolts of our initiative from pre-inception to future plans. Business Administrator Lou Pepe and Network Administrator Jim Frackoviak also attended the session and shared on their support to the initiative.
Great Global Scavenger Hunt Champions
6/24/2019
Four members of the Summit Technology Department took home 1st place in the Great Global Scavenger Hunt at the 2019 International Society for Technology in Education Conference this past week in Philadelphia. Team Hilltoppers Tech, consisting of Supervisor Doug Orr and Technology Coaches Trudy Cohen, Bonnie Weinstein, and Matt Schachtel completed a number of challenges including GPS locations, text-based trivia, and photo/video recording. Competing against 75 teams from all over the world, the scavenger hunt was focused on global collaboration within technology education.
Flipping for Flipgrid
1/16/2019
Flipgrid has been in use across the district with creative ways of it being integrated on display in almost every grade! Here are some ideas for incorporating Flipgrid with books: Reading books appropriate for reading levels, student book recommendations, dramatic book readings, student book club discussions, book reading summaries to show comprehension, reading wonderings to discuss a particular character or event students are curious about, and book connections!
Tech Kudos: Elementary
10/5/2018
Mr. Rodger’s class used Flipgrid to share why the “No Rules” game was unfair in Social Studies. Mrs. Cacciedo’s class used flipgrid to share ways to make 6 during math. Her class then made their second Flipgrid on how the rules at Lincoln Hubbard keep us safe! Mrs. Albanese’s class used Flipgrid to practice reading fluency and expression. THANKS FOR SHARING and earning another entry into our Elementary Tech Challenge!
Elementary Tech Challenge
10/3/2018
We kicked off our Tech Challenge inviting teachers to earn raffle entries to win our Buncee or Flipgrid Prize Pack that will be raffled off at the end of December prior to Winter Break. Send us an email documenting your participation and we will add a digital entry for you. Ways to earn an entry include: Create a Buncee Template or Create a Grid for Your Class or Use Buncee or Flipgrid with students or Invite a Coach in to help you get started and use with your class or Share a template or Share a grid topic idea.
Elementary Technology Training Kickoff!
10/1/2018
This week we began our Elementary Technology Grade Level Training sessions where we introduced two NEW subscriptions: Buncee and Flipgrid. Buncee is a content creation and communication tool that allows students to become creators, storytellers, and future-ready digital citizens. Flipgrid allows students to record videos to respond to tasks and allows students to have a voice in their learning.
Summit Technology Conference 2018
3/16/2018
On March 14th, Summit Faculty and Staff attended the Summit Technology Conference at Summit High School. In addition to over 20 traditional technology workshops taught by our own faculty, the technology team introduced two new areas; a STEAM Maker Playground and a TeachMeet session offering the unique opportunity to showcase and share the amazing things going on throughout the district. The TeachMeet included participants who signed up to share tools and resources used in their instruction or to make their day to day tasks easier. Participants learned about edtech tools that were demonstrated and shared by their own colleagues. The STEAM Maker Playground provided demonstrations and opportunities to use tools that are currently being integrated within different content areas. The tools included a 3D-printing station, Design Challenges to teach critical thinking skills, a Lego Building station with Challenges, Ozobot Robot Coding, Google Cardboard VR and Code.org, a website that is dedicated to teach children coding and used in our district during Day of Code. Just days after a successful Summit Technology Conference, the Technology Department is already hard at work in brainstorming and planning additional innovative sessions for next year!
Touring the United States with Ozobots and WeVideo
2/21/2018
Jen Crum’s fourth graders at Jefferson school used tiny robots called Ozobots and WeVideo, a web-based software tool, to create a narrated video tour of the country to answer those questions and demonstrate the results of their research. Working in small groups students researched significant facts about states in each region of the US and then planned a state by state tour. The tour guides were Ozobot robots that students programmed to travel a birdseye path from one state to another across a U.S. large map. Students recorded their tour, then added images and voiceover narration of the robot’s trip using WeVideo. After debriefing with the class, teacher Jen Crum said, “They really learned the true definition of perseverance when it came to programming as it took time to locate their cities on a map and make their ozobots stop at the correct destination.”Students each programmed their own Ozobot to create their portion of the video tour, but collaborated and worked to overcome challenges. One student summarized the class experience by saying, "I most enjoyed filming and learning how WeVideo works. I also learned to persevere when I failed at programming the Ozobots the first time". Mrs. Crum added, “Using the ozobots was a great way to bring our research to life and make it more relevant for the children.”
Elementary Media Center Specialists Focus on Digital Citizenship
1/5/2018
The Elementary media specialists are incorporating digital citizenship into their lessons to support the 5th grade 1 to 1 Chromebook initiative and grade level classroom teachers. Using Common Sense Media and their Digital Citizenship Scope and Sequence, librarians have identified 8 to 10 lessons that they will incorporate into their current curriculum. Topics include safe searching, using effective keywords, copyright and plagiarism, and more. Classroom teachers will support and reinforce the lessons through the use of Common Sense Media’s Passport games for grades four and five. Classroom teachers will also review key points during discussions prior to lessons where technology is being used. It is our goal to become a Certified Common Sense Media District. For more information about Common Sense Media please visit: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship.
Thinking Outside the Box with Breakout EDU
11/7/2018
Further introducing the concept of game-based-learning, technology coaches shared BreakoutEDU with district staff during this year’s Elementary Technology Grade Level trainings and at the LCJSMS team leader retreat. Participants worked collaboratively in small groups to solve challenges while exploring some of our technology subscriptions like BrainPop, Newsela and Nettrekker. Incorporating district-emphasized skills like perseverance and grit, staff were asked to "think outside the box in order to break into it" by following important clues and solving challenges to eventually open the locks and break into the box.
New RC3D Course at LCJSMS
10/23/2017
RC3D, a cycle course for 6th and 7th-grade students at LCJSMS includes Robotics, Coding, and 3D Printing. Students have been exploring the Engineering Design Process, problem-solving, and real-world applications of these skills in this revamped 9-week course. Students are utilizing Scratch, GoPiGo Kits and utilizing 3D model printers to collaboratively solve problems.
Google Cardboard Tour to Spain
10/13/2017
LCJSMS teacher Melissa Sarracino recently took some students to Spain. Using Google Cardboard viewers and the Google Street View app, students "visited" La Alhambra, La Plaza Mayor, El Acueducto de Segovia, Parque Güell and La Sagrade Familia. They were instructed to create a guided presentation of one of the locations. Students were encouraged to include facts, a description of their attraction and add other target language expressions in their presentations. As groups served as guides and described their assigned locations, their peers explored the locations with their google cardboard glasses using the Google Street View app. Students loved the activity!
Virtual Dive Night
6/9/2017
Last week the ECO Club at LCJSMS, advised by Amy Wysoczynski and Maria Wager, hosted a Virtual Dive Night. Sponsored by the SEF and ECO Club, students were connected by software funded by the SEF to the ReefHQ Aquarium from Townsville, Australia. The event was attended by over 50 parents and students from the middle school and community.
Architecture Meets LCJSMS Math
5/31/2017
Students in Joanne Finnen's middle school math classes took full advantage of their opportunity to use 3D design for recent project. Using Tinkercad, the students made CAD models to help layout and plan their designs for creating food trucks or city blocks. Click this post to view photos of student work!
Gynzy in Kindergarten
5/17/2017
Only one day after a session on Gynzy was held at the annual Technology Inservice, Summit Kindergartners were able to take benefit from the introduction of this new Interactive Whiteboard Software. Utilizing a Question of the Day lesson, Jenny Narod led a class debate on if her students would prefer to have dinner at home or instead at a restaurant. After dragging and dropping their answer to the appropriate spot on a t-chart, the students were then excited to see their names on the board. Quoting staff reactions after their next-day use and experience with Gynzy: "We love it!!!" - Denise Osmulski /Jenny Narod/Joy Giamalva
Coding with Scratch & Ozobots at Washington
4/5/2017
The fourth grade team at Washington Elementary School are finishing up a unit focused on coding and robotics. Technology coaches Matt Schachtel & Trudy Cohen worked closely with teachers Lara Donohue, Melissa Nestor, Gina Mahon, Holly Beauchamp and Patricia McCarthy while introducing students to Scratch and Ozobot smart robots.
The Nuts & Bolts of Summit's 1:1 to be Presented at FETC 2017 in Orlando
11/21/2016
Several technology coaches from the Summit School District have been invited to FETC 2017, an international conference on educational technology. They will be traveling in January to Orlando, Florida to attend the conference and present a session on the nuts and bolts of our 1:1 initiatives.
STEAM Carnival Attracts Hundreds from the Summit Community!
10/18/2016
The 2nd Annual STEAM Carnival was held this past Saturday and was a huge success, drawing close to 400 guests from around the Summit community. Children and parents in attendance were able to take part in a large variety of activities run by both Summit Schools Faculty and outside vendors.
SET Training Concludes with Reception at High School
8/26/2016
Summit New Educator Training took place last week with new staff from across the district participating in a number of sessions to both welcome them to Summit Schools and help introduce them to policies and procedures.