Monday, February 17, 2020
Friday, September 26, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
Five Ways To Bring Technology into the Classroom Without the Gadgets
Happy Monday!
I know it's been a while since I've posted! We've been in major testing mode and getting ready to close out the school year! I hope that you are all doing well and are beginning to plan those summer vacations that will refresh and rejuvenate you all for another exciting school year! An article was shared with me from the Huffington Post about "Five Ways to Bring Technology into the Classroom Without the Gadgets." I thought it was an awesome read and wanted to share it with you as some of our schools don't have as much technology as others and vice versa.
You can view the article by clicking on the following link:
The article goes into depth about the five ways listed below:
1. Get clear about what your community needs and values.
2. Adjust your schedule so that students are spending time doing the things and having the experiences that you value.
3. Adjust teachers' roles and schedules so they can spend most of their time on activities that will help students achieve what you value for them.
4. Look at your physical space, including school lay-out, room lay-out, furniture and equipment.
5. Look closely at the culture you are building through your policies and systems.
I encourage you to take a look and read through this article when you have time. Print it out to read later! There is some really valuable information here that will guide our work going forward in regard to Instructional Technology! One of the biggest things that I got out of this article was that using technology and implementing effectively, transforms the way that our students experience school! This is really profound!
I look forward to collaborating with you going forward into next school year! It is my hope that you all have gained some valuable tools through me sending you different tips and tricks throughout the school year! Let's take it to the next level this school year! Have a great day!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Motivation Monday!!!!
Happy Monday!!!!!
I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend! I know it's raining outside but I wanted to pass along a little motivation to get you going on this rainy day!!! Take a look at this short 3 minute video when you get a chance!!!!
It's by one of my favorites, Kid President and it's awesome!!! Which road will you choose? What's your "space jam?" What will you create that will make the world awesome? We can make every day better for each other! YOU were made to be awesome!
Have a wonderful week! See you soon! :)
Friday, February 28, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014 ~ "cfy" tab on myBackpack
Happy Friday!!!!
What a week!!!! I hope that you are all doing well! I don't know about you, but I've been extremely busy this week! Some of you have already seen me in regard to the APS inclement weather make-up plan and others of you will see me next week! I promise to make the information as easy for you as possible! :)
Your Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week is: the "cfy" tile on your myBackpack screen. It's the red and white tile located at the top right of your screen.
What is cfy???
Teachers, parents and students can log in to create a free account. As the teacher, you are able to create and manage playlists and assign them to your students! There is content available for all of your areas.
As always, if there is anything that you need please don't hesitate to let me know. I look forward to coming and seeing you all and continuing to work with your students! Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, February 21, 2014 ~ Animoto
Happy Friday!!!!
For those of you that I haven't seen yet, I hope that you are all recovered and well rested from "Snowpocalypse 2014!" I hope that you have all had a wonderful week! These short weeks always seem to be so long! But, the good news is that YOU MADE IT!!!!
Your Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week this week is: Animoto! You can access Animoto here: http://animoto.com/.
Animoto is a FREE online resource that allows you to make videos that can be used to present content to your kids. Your kids can also use this resource to make their presentations to show mastery of the standards you are teaching! You can access a quick "how to" video and other information about it here: https://sites.google.com/site/middleschool544/modules/animoto
It is described as in the following manner: When you are ready to begin creating and sharing videos, Animoto allows a user to upload photos, videos and music to produce an original video and suggests various ways to share the work once it is completed. The ease of this tool, provides even the most hesitant of users the opportunity to create professional looking videos with a few clicks of a button in a relatively, short amount of time. After explicit teaching with regards to digital citizenship and copyright, Animoto can be implemented in countless ways in an educational and personal setting.
Classroom/Library Use:
- Make any lesson come to life with stunning audio and visual.
- Use at the beginning of the year as a ‘teaser’ for what your students can look forward to in the upcoming school year.
- Students can each create an Animoto showcasing who they are through pictures and music.
- Use at the beginning of each day as a 'teaser" for what your students can look forward to during the day.
- Use to teach complex concepts in History, Maths, Science. Students will respond to new media in the classroom.
- Allow your students to display knowledge of a concept using Animoto.
- Create slideshows which demonstrate student reflection on their learning.
- Vocabulary activities are limitless. For example, pictures students take with a digital camera could illustrate a word, a concept, or a learning activity.
- Find pictures of different geography features by using the internet or your own pictures. Label the pictures according to their feature.
- Ideal for digital storytelling in the classroom setting. Animoto is completely web-based, students can create videos from school and continue working on them at home.
- Book trailers are a great way to engage students’ interest before reading a book. Students can also create trailers to share with other classmates.
- Celebrations of student achievements create a learning environment that is conducive to learning. Spotlight the learning!
- Download the app on your smartphone. Take pictures on a field trip and create videos on the go!
Monday, January 27, 2014
Happy Monday to my wonderful schools!
I hope that you are doing well! I didn't forget about your Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week! I was out of town, as I had a family emergency. So, here it is! The next few that I send will focus around Google and all that it can do!!! It's more than just a search engine! Educators need to have a gmail account as it allows you the opportunity to save documents to a "cloud," create a blog, create quizzes, create documents and presentations, etc. There is so much you can do in GoogleDocs! I have found a resource to share with you. There is an educational blogger named, Richard Byrne and he has an entire Google series! I will be pulling from there as he has tons of resources! I am attaching a quick guide for Google that I would like for you to save somewhere so you are able to refer back to it as needed. It's a great resource. I am also providing the link to his blog, specifically the section on Google Docs.
Before I send the next message this Friday, I want all of you to create a Gmail account. If you need assistance in doing so, see pages 2-5 of the attached guide. Don't be overwhelmed in looking through the guide. We are going to work through it together! I look forward to sharing all of the amazing things that Google can do with you in the weeks to come!
Don't forget that I am bookmarking all of these Feel Good Friday Resources for you in a blog so you don't have to search for them when you need them. http://onetechchick.blogspot.com/
As always, if there is anything that you need, please don't hesitate to let me know. I hope that you all have an amazing day and a wonderful week!
Friday, January 17, 2014
App Task Challenges!
Happy Friday!!!! :)
Your Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week focuses around "App Task Challenges!" There are so may apps being developed and released every day! It can get a little overwhelming to distinguish between which apps are good and which aren't along with which apps are engaging and which aren't?
So, what exactly are App Task Challenges? Please see the description below taken from Craig Badura, a PK12 Integration Specialist in Nebraska. He focuses his challenges around the Benjamin Franklin quote, "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."
What are App Task Challenges?
- "Easy to follow guides that give teachers the opportunity to create products with an app that they can take directly back to their classrooms
- The challenge is in the teacher trying to complete the task from start to finish (usually not a problem)
- I create them using Pages on my Mac
- I share them with our Middle School teachers during our weekly IDT meetings and just last week issued a challenge to our Elementary and High School teachers. The challenge involved teachers completing the app tasks and then sharing their completed product with me via email or with our #aurorahuskies hashtag. An iTunes card was given away to a random name that was drawn from teachers that submitted a product."
Craig Badura has gone through several different apps and created a simple "how to guide" for them! He has more that will be released as he creates them so stay tuned for more!!!! I challenge you to download the apps that he features and play around with them in your down time! :) He gives a description of the app, a few ideas of how to use them, as well as a simple "how to!" They are very easy to follow and are very user friendly!
Below is a screen shot of what they look like!
You can visit the following websites for more information:
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
How will your students access assessments through Thinkgate online?
Happy New Year!
By now we are all back and getting back in the groove of things! I first wanted to wish you all a very happy new year! I hope you are well rested and ready to tackle this last semester!
I've been going around doing Thinkgate training at several of your campuses and some of the same questions have been surfacing. I am attaching a few quick sheets that will help you navigate through the system as you create and assign your assessments. Please save this email for future reference and save these documents as needed. I've also figured out how to assign the test so your students can take it online. The link for them to be able to take the assessments online is:
The student link should also be in the 'favorites' section of each student PC as well as is their 'student backback'.
As always should you have any questions or need any assistance, let me know! Have a great weekend and I'll be seeing you soon!
Kennesaw State University's MOOC Opportunity!
Happy Friday before the last Friday before break to my wonderful schools!!!! I know these messages have been MIA the past few weeks. Just like you, I've been crazy swamped! I haven't forgotten about you! I think some of you will be VERY interested in this resource!
Ever heard of a MOOC?
Well now is your chance to participate in one! It stands for Mass Open Online Course and KSU is offering a course on blended (a mix of online and face-to-face) and online learning in a K12 environment. This would be a great opportunity to use in building your online course materials for the Connected Classroom (the APS online course platform a.k.a Blackboard).
If you are interested see the forwarded message below. IT IS FREE!!!!!!!! 5 more working days and you will be on a "vacation!" You can do it!!!!! :) As always, if you need anything, I'm here for you!
Have a great weekend.
Natasha B. Rachell
Educational Technology Specialist-East Region
______________________________________________________________
Dear ITEC Advisory Board:
I wanted to let you know that the Department of Instructional Technology is launching KSU's very first MOOC in January. The title of the MOOC is "K12 Blended and Online Learning!" Registration has now opened! Please forward to all faculty. The course is FREE and worth 5 PLU's upon completion! You can watch this video to get more information about the MOOC: http://mooc.kennesaw.edu/courses/k12_online_blended_learning.php). See the announcement below:
*******************************************************************
We are pleased to announce that Kennesaw State University's K12 Blended and Online Learning MOOC is now....
Open for Registration!
The course registration page can be found on Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/usg
To get started – Click the blue“Learn for Free” button to create your Coursera User ID and Password. If you are already a Courserian, you will be able to use your existing user name and password.
We are very excited to welcome you to the first MOOC offered through the Bagwell College of Education. In order to make the most out of this learning opportunity, we encourage you to find a small group of colleagues to join you in the course. This will enrich your experience and help keep you on track to completion.
So invite some colleagues and friends to join you!
If you already have a grade level team or group of colleagues in place, we recommend that you:
- Assign a group leader to send reminders about meetings and assignments.
- Mark your calendars to meet once a week during the course. During these meetings hold each other accountable for your assignments, discuss interesting topics being addressed in your discussion forums, and talk about how blended and online learning can serve your students in your unique context. Don't forget the snacks!
- Celebrate successful completion together and plan action steps after the course.
- Meet at least twice after the course to share how your practice has changed, and problem solve any issues together.
If you can't convince a friend to join you in the course, don't worry! We will all be able to interact and communicate using #KSUitecMOOC and #k12blendedlearning on Twitter. Everyone can start that today!
In the meantime, have a terrific December. We’ll be back in touch once more before the course starts to finalize any last minute details.
***********************************************************************
Traci Redish, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Special Assistant to the Dean for Technology
Kennesaw State University
Bagwell College of Education
Department of Instructional Technology
1000 Chastain Road
Kennesaw Hall - Box #0127
Kennesaw, Georgia 30144
770-499-3349 - Office
770-499-3263 - Fax
Follow us on Twitter @KSUITEC
Monday, November 11, 2013
Motivation Monday!
Happy Monday!!!!
I don't know if this will be a weekly happening here on the blog, but I came across another inspirational video! What are you teaching the world? Take 3 minutes and be inspired by "Kid President!" We could learn a lot from this kid!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Teachers Pay Teachers!
Happy Friday to my Super-fantastic Schools!
I hope that you have had an awesome week! Its' Friday....and that means that after today you ONLY have 10 more days until Thanksgiving Break! It's almost here....hang in there! :)
Todays Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week is a website called, "Teachers Pay Teachers." I'm sure that several of you already know about this website, but for those of you that don't or those of you that haven't explored it, you are missing out...BIG TIME! This site provides educators the opportunity to post or upload the things that they are doing in their classes or the things that they create that could benefit other teachers around the world! You are able to purchase these things/items that they post including posters for your classroom, worksheets (I don't like that word...let's call them "extra practice sheets!"), bookmarks, clip art, etc. These items typically cost between $5.00-$8.00. There are a TON of awesome resources on this site!
Not only are there items available for purchase, but there are over 130,000 FREE downloadable resources that you have the ability to download. All you need to do to access any of these resources is go to www.teacherspayteachers.com. Register for a FREE account and then peruse the site. You can search in the left hand tool bar by grade level, subject, prices, or resource type.
Now...if you are one of my awesome and creative teachers, which ALL of you are...you can even sign up and sell your awesome creations on this site! I read a blog a few weeks ago of a teacher that made over $30,000 a year selling her awesome creations on this site!
Here is a short Youtube video about the power of Teachers Pay Teacher!
I hope you take the time to take a look through the free resources that are available and hope that you find some things to use in your classes with your wonderful students! Have a great weekend! See you soon!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Motivation Monday!
Happy Monday to my AWESOME and AMAZING schools!
Please take 8 minutes to watch this inspiring Youtube video (Ted Talk) on the power of connections with students. I am a firm believer that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. YOU are teaching the students in your class for a reason. It's not a mistake that you have those bodies in your room. They were put there, with YOU as their teacher for a reason. Administrators, YOU have been assigned to YOUR school for a reason. This is NO mistake.
Are YOU a champion for your students? Do your students matter? Do you LIKE your students and even more importantly, do THEY like you?
Have an awesome Monday and a fantastic week! 15 days til Thanksgiving break! You can do it!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Flip Grid
This post is going up on the blog early but will be emailed out to you on this Friday, November 1, 2013! So...if you are reading this post, you are getting this information earlier than everyone else! Lucky you!
The Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week this week is an awesome tool that I just found out about called Flip Grid. This tool can be accessed through www.flipgrid.com. It's FREE! You get 4 free "classrooms" with unlimited question and answer capabilities! With flipgrid, teachers can create grids of short discussion-style questions that students can respond to through recorded videos. Using flipgrid boosts community and social presence in face-to-face hybrid and online classrooms, thus giving your students a voice!
The Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week this week is an awesome tool that I just found out about called Flip Grid. This tool can be accessed through www.flipgrid.com. It's FREE! You get 4 free "classrooms" with unlimited question and answer capabilities! With flipgrid, teachers can create grids of short discussion-style questions that students can respond to through recorded videos. Using flipgrid boosts community and social presence in face-to-face hybrid and online classrooms, thus giving your students a voice!
You can create up to four grids with a Flipgrid account for free, after that they cost. Grids can be classes, sections, groups of students, research groups, faculty groups, or any collection of users interested in a common strand of questions. Each grid can hold an unlimited number of questions, and each question can hold an unlimited number of responses.
Questions are short, text-based prompts (think Twitter™) that can include basic formatting (e.g., bold, italic) and links to websites or documents.
Questions are short, text-based prompts (think Twitter™) that can include basic formatting (e.g., bold, italic) and links to websites or documents.
Students can follow your grids and receive email updates when new questions are added. In addition, you can email a link to the grid or each individual question with ease. When students respond they snap a thumbnail photo (with multiple filter options to have a little fun and get aligned with the webcam), record their video response (up to 90 seconds) as many times as they need, and submit their video.
Students have several ways to connect with their personal videos and those of their peers: by likes and direct links, as well as Twitter, Blog, and Facebook integration. Remember, teachers set whether videos can be shared outside of Flipgrid if privacy is a concern. It’s up to you.
I have set up a "test" board for my schools! Click on the following link: http://flipgrid.com/#2f636163
From there, you will see the question that I've posted. You will click on the question and a new screen will open. Watch my video first. Then click on the green + sign on the left hand side. You will be prompted to "allow" the computer to take your picture. Take your picture, click the approval button on the bottom right, and then record your response! I look forward to seeing your responses!
Have a wonderful day and an awesome weekend! "See" you next Friday!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Bulletin Board Ideas!
Happy Friday!
I hope that you've had a wonderful week! I have some good news for you….Thanksgiving break is ONLY 20 school days from today!!!!! I think you can make it!!!! :)
Today's tip is not technology related, but I still feel that it is helpful one for you. When I was in the classroom, coming up with creative and eye catching bulletin boards was always a task. Trying to figure out something that someone hadn't already done, or that was related to the content that I needed it to be connected to was not always easy. Well, Kathy Schrock has a PLETHORA of resources for you as you seek to come up with new ideas for your boards!
You can access all of the ideas that she has collected at the following link:
She's got several different websites listed for you to get great ideas from as well as having ideas separated out by grade levels, topics and content areas. It's like a one stop shop for bulletin board ideas!!!!
I hope that you all have a Fantastic Friday and a great weekend! See you soon!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
World Book Night 2014
Happy Thursday to my wonderful schools!
I hope that you are all doing well! I wanted to share this opportunity with you. It's NOT technology related but thought I'd share…..
For the past three years I have been a "Book Giver" for World Book Night. As educators, we all know the joy that comes from reading and how it takes you to another world, serves as an escape. Participating in this initiative allows you to pass along that passion for reading to others that may not be into it as much as you are.
Basically, you "apply" to be a giver. Applications started today and include basic information (ie. Demographics, your choices of books that you'd like to give away, and why). There are 35 books that have been chosen for this year. The content of the books ranges from middle aged to adult. No elementary books….sorry! You will choose your top 3 of interest from that list and they will select the 1 that you will pass out. If you are "accepted" you will be provided with a box of 20 paperback books to "give away" on World Book Night (April 23, 2014). You will pick up the books from a location that is convenient for you. There is NO COST associated with this at all. It's just about passing along your passion for reading books! :)
If you are interested, here is the link: http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Celly
Hey ya'll! You are getting a 2 for 1 this Friday! :)
I have found a new resource that I'd like to test out. It's another form of Remind101 (the resource I shared with you back in August) and serves as a communication tool for your parents/students. It's called "Celly." It can be accessed from the web or as an app on your cell phone. One of the differences from what I can see is that you are able to send polls out through this resource (unlike Remind101). I've created a "cell" for my "east region peeps!" This includes my south schools as well….a group for all of the schools that I serve. If you are interested in receiving texts periodically from me that could include different information on apps, web 2.0 resources, etc. send the following text: "@eastregionpeeps" to 23559.
You will not be able to respond to the texts, as I've set it up that way, so this will be a one way communication tool from me to you. You can set it up with your parents/students (for teachers) or your teachers (for administrators) to be able to receive responses if you like.
If you decide to join, thanks for helping me test it out! Once I get it rollin' if you'd like some additional assistance with this tool, don't hesitate to let me know! Have a wonderful weekend!
Flubaroo
Happy Friday to my wonderful schools!
Congratulations! You not only made it to another Friday, but you got through grades and report cards….for that I give you HUGE KUDOS AND SNAPS!!!!!! YOU GO TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS!!! YOU DID THAT!!! :)
It's time for your Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week! This week I am sharing another Web 2.0 resource! The resource is called Flubaroo! This is a Google app that allows you to create a quiz/test in your Google Drive through "forms." You will give the link that it creates to your students. Students will click on the link, take the quiz and submit it! It's that simple! On your end, once you log back into your Google Drive, the results from the quiz/test that you have administered will appear. It disaggregates the data for you and you even have the option to email the results to your students! Watch this short 3 minute video below to see how it works!
As always, if you are interested in learning more about this resource or need some assistance with anything else, email me, call me, or put in a request at the link in my signature! I'm always here to assist you and make things easier for you through the use of technology! Have a great, wonderful, and restful weekend!!!!
Happy Friday to my "tweeps"!!!!!
It's that time of the week again! I hope that you all have had a wonderful week! I have! It's a Feel Good Football Friday and your tip of the week this week is…..drum roll please…….TWITTER!!!!! Did you know that Twitter is the #1 community of networking and collaboration place for educators??? There have been times when I've had a question, I tweeted it out, and was immediately inundated with a TON of responses! If you do decide to create a Twitter account, follow me: @apsitnatasha
For my administrators: Twitter is a great tool to have an account for your school in which you could tweet out information for your parents, teachers and students. You could tweet out upcoming PTA meetings, info about Christmas programs, etc.
For my teachers: You could tweet out information for you parents and students. I have know teachers to have all of their students set up a Twitter account and then they had a "live tweet" conversation during the Presidential debates! Imaging how powerful that could be! To actually have your students engaged in meaningful conversation about what's going on in the world, live, while it's actually happening!
Remember that your tweets can only hold a maximum of 140 characters! That means you have to say what you have to say in a quick, clear, and concise manner! It's like a game to see if you can say what you are trying to say in only 140 characters!!!! I hope you give this tool a try and I will "see" you on Twitter!!!!!
Here's a quick 4 minute video on how to use Twitter: http://youtu.be/J0xbjIE8cPM
Please click on the links below to gain some information on why you should join Twitter and to see what you can get out of it!
Kathy Schrock's Twitter Guide http://www.schrockguide.net/twitter-for-teachers.html
Why Educators Should Use Twitter http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/Why-Teachers-Should-Try-Twitter.aspx
Padlet and Lino
Happy Friday to my hard working Peeps!!!!
I just have to start this email and thank you for all of the positive feedback that you all provide in regard to my Feel Good Tips! I am so glad that you all are reading them, saving them, writing them down, and sharing them with each other in passing and during grade level meetings! I send them not knowing what everyone needs but I am so glad that some of you are finding them useful and are actually using them in your daily practice. I also want you to know, as always, that I REALLY do appreciate all that you do on an everyday basis! Your hard work, passion and dedication towards your students and schools is EXTREMELY noticeable and I want you to know that you are appreciated!!!! It's that funky time of year when we realize that summer REALLY is over, we are in the groove of teaching and learning, BUT the Thanksgiving break is peeking over the horizon! Hang in there! You are ALL doing a fantastic job! Keep it up!!!!! I'm going to have to start traveling around with gold stars for you guys! :)
So.....here you go! Your Feel Good Friday Tip of the Week focuses around COMMUNICATING, COLLECTING, AND COLLABORATING WITH STICKY NOTES!!!!
Click on the following link:
From here, I want you to watch the Vimeo video (it's 15 minutes) that Tony Vincent has produced to outline Padlet and Linoit. These are online resources that allow you to create virtual sticky notes/virtual bulletin board/type of thing! I hope that makes sense! I have created a Padlet "wall" for each school. Click on the link below that relates to your school and leave a "kudos" message so you can see how it works! You will leave a kudos to a fellow colleague, administrator, or staff support member in your building! Everyone that logs into your specific link will have access to it! Let's spread some "happy" on this Friday! I can't wait to see what you all post!
Burgess Peterson
Centennial Place
Dunbar
Morningside
Parkside
Springdale Park
Thomasville Heights
Have a wonderful day and weekend! It's a FABULOUS, FEEL GOOD, FOOTBALL FRIDAY!!!! As always, if you need any assistance implementing this tool or any other technology tool, please don't hesitate to let me know! You can either fill out the request form at the bottom of my email or you can shoot me an email! I'm loving collaborating with you and working with your students! Have a great day!
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