Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Google Plus is overlooked by many educators when compared to Twitter and other social media, but it’ https://t.co/LkteABV1TJ


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Tech Buzz Session: Google For Elementary Students-May 24th 2016

For today's Google For Elementary Tech Buzz Session we will be working from resources collated on the Digital Learning Pinterest Board "Google For Elementary Students". We will review these resources and discuss starting points for using Google in the classroom. For more advanced users we will identify more advanced tools, applications tricks to keep your work flow streamlined.

Major Topics Will Include:
  • Basics Of Getting Started
  • Getting Started With Google Search
  • A Tour Of Google Drive 
  • Shortcuts For Using Google Apps
  • Additional Support For Google Apps
  • Using Google Forms For Rubrics
  • Tips For Giving A Spelling Test On Google
Links to resources for all of these topics are on the Digital Learning Pinterest Page.

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Google Drive Basics: A Tour of Your Drive https://t.co/KHDuLHNIjZ


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Google Drive Basics for the Complete Beginner and Some Recommended Apps ~ AppsEvents Community Blog https://t.co/8UdgfF6sQj


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Troubleshooting in Google Classroom for Beginners by What's New with Leah https://t.co/7w86bqn7kX


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Be more productive in Google Docs, discover more to using the service and grow your library of skill https://t.co/UzQTDS6YiN


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I made this document for a staff training session on Google Classroom – feel free to copy and use if https://t.co/KG3ztqzG4p


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Innovation with ThingLink + Google Apps! | Google Docs for Learning | Scoop.it https://t.co/jbjNZeOGPs


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DOK chart with Apps https://t.co/Qg72mOEDyc


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So your district or school has purchased google apps for education accounts for all students. Now wh https://t.co/9fVQGhWgxr


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Rubrics Made Easy With Google Forms https://t.co/bXoAIh9Ce9


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Educational Technology Guy: Infographic with Google Search Tips https://t.co/SqIbKBHRkC


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A Rocky Top Teacher: Learning Through Google Docs https://t.co/9XOZBuo33F


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Do you still administer spelling tests? If so, are you tired of grading them! So was I. I found a https://t.co/kBN6Waizl8


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Looking to use Google Docs in your classroom? This simple step-by-step tutorial will get you and you https://t.co/hA7oTzOWSd


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Keyboard Shortcuts in Google Drive | Teacher Tech https://t.co/lAsQjfTDsn


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10 Big Things You Might Not Know About Digital Learning In North Reading

Coming to the end of my first year as the Coordinator of Digital Learning in the North Reading Public schools, I wanted to take the opportunity to share a list of activities and initiatives that you may not know are going on in the schools related to Digital Learning. These items represent some of the most exciting uses of educational technology and showcases the many innovative and talented people in the district.

Additionally, I want to express appreciation for all of the hard work on the part of the Digital Learning team and the teachers who worked alongside them to integrate technology and explore a range of new tools and resources. I also appreciate the support of Superintendent Jon Bernard and Assistant Superintendent Patrick Daly who have provided tremendous support and guidance in my process of joining the district leadership. This list is my attempt to share a snapshot of the great experiences in the past school year as well as highlight some things to look forward to in the fall.

We love robots!
In the grades K through 8 a huge commitment to Robotics and computer science programming has been made not only in the digital learning curriculum but also in the after-school clubs and Middle School classrooms. Students have a range of robots to work with from the Lego platform. Student opportunities to be involved with robotics includes not only the K-5 Digital Learning Specialists Curriculum but also robotics courses in Middle School and the Robotics Club after school.

Makerspaces are coming!
Makerspaces are coming to North Reading!  With the support of parents the hood School we put in the other its first Makerspace before the fall. This Makerspace will support a variety of new design thinking and STEAM (Science, Technology, Art & Math) based learning experiences for students. A team of teachers from the Hood Elementary are currently in the planning stages of this space and have had the opportunity to travel to other local school districts that have Makerspaces and learn from their experiences.

Digital Learning Specialist Model!
The Digital Learning Specialist rotating model brings digital literacy, Project-Based Learning with technology and programming and robotics curriculum to all three elementary schools. Co-teaching with classroom teachers, the Digital Learning Specialists work alongside teachers utilizing digital tools, resources, and classroom curriculum.

“Change Team” High School Student Technology Team
The North Reading High School Change Team & Technology Solutions Team was introduced at the high school this year. The North Reading Change Team & Tech Solutions program enables students to deepen their learning with technology while supporting teacher needs. The projects from the past year included an introduction to Raspberry Pi, Creating an App with App Inventor, Programming with Microsoft Visual Studio and Addressing Teacher Needs with Tech Help Videos. It is anticipated that this “Student Run Help Desk” will continue to evolve and play a huge role in including the student voice with digital learning initiatives.

The Digital Learning Lab is a beautiful space to learn and collaborate!
On a variety of occasions, the Digital Learning Lab was an amazing space to utilize to have a multiple classes or groups participate in web-based activities. It was a great place for students to be able to come in, set up their Chromebooks, and log on to an educational website. Students were able to participate as a group and utilize technology seamlessly. Not many districts have such a great space for students to learn together using some of the greatest technology available.

The “Hour of Code” will be back!
Next year we plan on even making the hour of code even a larger event. This past December the North Reading Public Schools participated in the hour of code in huge numbers. Students K-12 took an opportunity during the week of December 7th thru 11th to be able to try their hand at programming skills and other computer science related activities. It was a great to get students involved with better understanding the potential careers and opportunities related to computer science and engineering. Our guest speakers were great and truly enhanced the experience.

Digital Learning Adopts Open Educational Resources  
This Digital Learning is joining a Department Of Education initiative #GoOpen to commit to using online resources for curriculum development. The Digital Learning team will utilize open source educational resources in order to expand its curriculum K-8. This decision will enable the department to keep its vision aligned to procuring the best open source educational resources available and make recommendations based on their experiences.

Math Department at High School Commits To Online Curriculum

The math department at the high school has committed to an online curriculum which will utilize the Chromebook carts located at the high school. This commitment to an online curriculum is the first by any of the departments at the high school. This adoption by the teachers shows a commitment to expanding their skills as digital educators to have more streamlined pedagogy using technology.

Digital Learning Educators Making Impact!

Digital learning specialist Kathy Dasho and Middle School Library Media Specialist Laurie Walton have been selected to present their collaborative work with the Spanish language teachers in the Middle School at the MassCUE Better Together Conference at Lesley University on August 25th.

Excited About The Future Of Digital Learning!
These events, initiatives and learning experiences are truly empowered by the enhancements that using rich digital learning resources and adequate tools brings to education. Digital Learning is never truly about the devices but about the engagement it brings to the content and the variety of delivery methods that are possible in this digital age. I am eager and excited about what lies ahead for Digital Learning in North Reading and will look to create a supportive culture of sharing these technology driven education experiences as we integrate technology into the classrooms.

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Friday, May 20, 2016

An Introduction To The Everfi K-12 Critical Skills Courses At North Reading High School



On Wednesday, May 18th the North Reading High School Business Department met with the Jessica Donovan from Everfi to review the variety of open source, online educational resources related to Financial Literacy, STEM Readiness, Diversity & Inclusion and Health & Wellness.

The benefits of a platform like Everfi is that it streamlines content delivery of students. Students have videos, assessments and lessons that can challenge their knowledge in these topics. For teachers, they can modify their current curriculum to add components they think are relevant to their courses. Additionally, teachers can utilize the multimedia videos to support topics or assign specific modules as homework in a flipped classroom scenario in which student complete a majority of work outside of class and participate in discussion-based work with the teacher.

Components Of The Everfi Financial Literacy Curriculum


In our session, the business department reviewed the Financial Literacy curriculum and viewed the variety of multimedia, lessons, and topics that are covered. Students can be added to courses through a class code and participate at their own pace. 

Additionally, we reviewed the Entrepreneurship course which Everfi offers as well. This course challenged students to define themselves as business owners and help them define their strategies for success and self-assess their skills. 

We look forward to utilizing these resources as we continue to expand course materials and opportunities for student learning. We also appreciate Jessica taking the time to discuss this great resource with us and look forward to taking the next steps with students.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

https://t.co/tiZH9LnTqM #discoveryed #boardbuilder @discoveryed #edtech


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Discovery Ed Overview & Board Builder



You are now should be able to log into you Discovery Education accounts
using your @nrpsk12.org email accounts and passwords.

Please use this link to sign in:

50 Ways to Use Board Builder

Student View Overview Of Board Builder

Builder Tools Training You can skip to section 4 for Board Builder. The link below my signature will take to you the page with all of our interactive training courses.
A few of the boards that I like to show are:
Content Collections One-stop-shop for digital resources, lesson starters, and teaching tools around key curriculum topics. Including the most frequently searched topics within DE.
World War II -  Explore the factors that led to the United States' involvement in the war and the events of the war that changed history.
Motion, Force, and Gravity – Exploration of gravity is as force of nature that pulls objects toward each other. This force acts on subatomic particles as well as galaxies in the universe.