Discovery Education (DE)
Discovery Education is a premier software application that the Topeka Public Schools has purchased for instruction. Teachers can use it to supplement their content area lessons. DE provides videos, video segments, images, songs, sound effects, encyclopedia articles, audio files, events, lesson plans, animations and more. It also has a very robust professional development piece that makes it simple for teachers to learn the platform. In addition to the basic DE platform, additional components are also available for some schools. The district purchased a coding unit for all PK-8 buildings to support the ongoing coding and robotics initiative during remote learning. Science and STEAM schools (Jardine Elementary, Jardine Middle, and Williams) also have the STEM component available to support their STEAM initiative.
DE Updates
Collaboration Tools in Studio -
https://help.discoveryeducation.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500000241562
Now teachers can share Studio Boards and Slides with other teachers and give them edit access, much like in Drive. There is also a Chat feature where you can have a discussion with other teachers. While this can also be used with students, if you create Quizzes in Studio, they should be assigned content and not shared.
Improvements in Search -
DE updated the search matching logic so that your search terms lead to more targeted search results. What does that mean for you? Search terms with more specificity will yield more tailored results – for example, searching magic school bus will lead to accurate results from the Magic School Bus series, whereas searching magic school bus arctic will result in the Magic School Bus: In the Arctic episode. Spend less time searching and scrolling and more time diving into the content with your students.
DE updated the search matching logic so that your search terms lead to more targeted search results. What does that mean for you? Search terms with more specificity will yield more tailored results – for example, searching magic school bus will lead to accurate results from the Magic School Bus series, whereas searching magic school bus arctic will result in the Magic School Bus: In the Arctic episode. Spend less time searching and scrolling and more time diving into the content with your students.
You can now search from the global navigation with one less click. The search bar is now visible by default so that you can easily jump in and find what you’re looking for.
Social Emotional Learning Center
DE added an entire channel dedicated to Social Emotional Learning. You can search for it from the search bar. A video showing this is also available.
DE One-on-One Training
DE offers interactive courses on their website. Please sign into the DE app through Clever before clicking this link - DE Interactive Courses. There is also a channel for DEN VirtCon, which offers information from the 2021 DE virtual conference.
Something New to Try
Here are some things to try in your classroom that you might not know about:
Video Training Components
Discovery Education Basics
Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips
Discovery Education for Distance Learning
Discovery Education Assessment Builder
DE: Viewing a Student Account
Discovery Education Studio
Studio is a new creation and structured collaboration space designed for both students and teachers.
Teachers can:
Develop and share content and take advantage of assignment flexibility
Use and share templates to speed up the creation process and save valuable time
Streamline collaboration among teachers
Support differentiation by varying the assignment of research, collection, and creation tasks to individual students or whole groups
Students can:
Demonstrate knowledge in creative ways, easily synthesizing multiple types of digital content to tell their stories
Use content from Discovery Education Services and take pictures and shoot video directly from their mobile devices and then insert them directly into their projects
Use collaboration tools to build digital content together in a safe, secure, and controlled environment
Studio Boards are a multipage project where pages can be as long as you want and can include a scrollbar. They are not limited in length. Studio Slideshows are also a multipage project, but pages are a fixed length (much like a slide presentation in Google Slides or PowerPoint).
Studio Training
Studio environment
Creating a simple one-page activity
Creating a multiple page project
Video Segments for Training
Video Segments are short videos on a specific topic. They are perfect for when a teacher needs just a snippet of information as a refresh on something they learned before but need the information again.
Getting Started in DE
Discover, Teach, and Grow Bar
Learning the Home Page and Personalization
Searching for Content
DISCOVERY EDUCATION CODING
Discovery Education Coding is comprised of four units:
Getting Started with Block Coding
Block Coding
HTML
Python
After the first unit (Getting Started) each section will divide into four parts,
Learn - working through a set of videos with practice
Create - using the skills you just learned to create on your own
Glossary - looking up definitions so you know what the vocabulary means.
Help - gives students help on various coding components, often with video or pictures in addition to text.
Block Coding
Each level (six levels) in the Block Coding activity starts out with a student guide (see right)to introduce the level and then there are multiple lessons (nine in level 1) to teach and reinforce the coding concept. Each level builds on the previous level and includes a short refresher of the prior level concepts. Each level includes a lesson plan that includes learning objectives and help videos
Level 1 - simple inputs
Level 2 - different sorts of inputs, buttons and instructions
Level 3 - sequence and animation
Level 4 - introduction to variables, repetition and loops
Level 5 - speed, direction and coordinates, random numbers and simulations
Level 6 - complex variables, object properties
DEl1coding.pdfHTML
There are three levels in the HTML component and each level contains multiple lessons
Introduction to HTML
Tags and text
Adding images
Headings, paragraphs and images
Titles and pages
Making a simple page
Sizing and building
Debugging
Putting your skills to the test
HTML Formatting and CSS
Changing colors of text or <h> <p> tags
Font sizes and groups
Background colors or images in pages and paragraphs
Making a page to practice
Formatting HTML
HTML standards
Debugging HTML and CSS
Testing your skills
Links
Introduction to links
Links from images
Links within pages
<div> tags
Multiple <div> tags to create sections
Debugging links and testing
Python
Python is an all purpose coding language that is used to create games and scripts for applications and software development. DE Python has four components and each component has multiple lessons. After the student learns Python, there is a online creation tool so students can begin writing downloadable and uploadable code.
Introduction to Python
Python printing
Simple calculations
Inputs and variables
Selection and input
Calculations with Variables
Variable quizzes
Python Graphics
Intro
Circle and color
Loops and shapes
simple pictures
Line size and backgrounds
Loops
Debugging and testing
Random Numbers and Simulations
Random numbers
Combining random numbers and text using commands
Arrays and phrases
Test and arrays in elements
Combining loops with random numbers and 2D shapes
Debugging and testing
Python Functions
Intro to functions
Drawing graphics with functions
Drawing trees with functions
Drawing faces with functions
Drawing emoticons with functions
Drawing random snowflakes with functions
STEM CONNECT
STEM CONNECT is an interdisciplinary K-8 resource that blends dynamic digital content with ready-to-use lessons and hands-on activities to enhance core curriculum and cultivate design thinking to prepare students for the future.
When you open the Stem Connect component, there is a grade level selector at the top. Teachers can choose K-1, 2-3. 4-5. and 6-8 grade level units. Each unit is comprised of a group lessons aimed at solving a specific challenge. Each of the challenges are structured with a three-part learning path of Challenge, Design, and Solve. There are also content connections in each unit for various subject areas. There is also a section for Career Videos highlighting real professionals solving real-world problems using STEM skills. Students will learn about diverse STEM careers in context and connect the skills in each lesson to a real situation around the world.
