Beyond Integration

       When you hear the 4 C’s, you may naturally think of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. With a focus on creativity, WeVideo, an online video editing site, has developed the 4 C’s of Planning for Creativity. The idea is to help students narrow down their thoughts and choices by scaffolding them throughout the video creation process. Let’s take a look at what these 4 C’s are, and how they impact the creativity of the students that sit in our classrooms every day.  Care Why are we doing this? Students ask this quite frequently as we live in a world where students are often questioning the relatedness of classroom content to their reality. In preparing to create videos using WeVideo, students should first begin with the purpose of their creation. Is there a problem to solve? A personal story to tell? What emotion should the viewers feel when they press play? The use of a storyboard where students can lay out their thoughts and i...

“The 'Hour of Code™' is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week [ csedweek.org ] and Code.org [ code.org ] to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and comp uter programming.” During the week of December 9-15 , schools all over the world will be devoting at least 1 hour for students to problem solve, critically think and use their creative skills...building 21st Century foundational skills.  Here is a great graphic telling WHY coding is important for every student, Kindergarten through 12th grade. We recently worked with elementary level principals introducing them to Scratch  -  and Ozobots . We chose the activity "Code with Anna and Elsa" to explore the concept of angles in math. We designed a storytelling literacy activity with the Ozobots. Debriefing after the activity, Principals' conversations revolved around almost every single one of these reasons coding is critical for our students that are listed in...

I love❤ these two new features in Google Drive, the new Priority homepage and Workspaces. Google is always adding things to increase your productivity.  I am always accessing the same files over and over again, so much so, I have bookmarked them. Unfortunately, the more I bookmark file the less screen real-estate I have in my Bookmark bar.  In swoops Google Priority homepage and Workspaces to the rescue. Through machine learning, Google will list files on a new Priority homepage.  The files listed are presented in a carousel and the files presented here on the Priority homepage are files that have been recently edited, commented on or have had a share request.  You will see a preview of the file and what action has taken place on that file. This saves time on searching and locating files that are used by you in your My Drive or a Shared Drive you are a member of for quick access. Google Priority is great but Workspaces is even better.  Drive will autom...

How do you introduce a new unit or any lesson to capture the attention of your students? Do you pose a question? Was it creative and unexpected? Maybe it was a simple review of what they learned in the previous lesson. There is a purpose of hooking your students for that fresh learning and setting the objective for each lesson. It can help activate prior knowledge, set the learning expectations and allow students to make connections between the content and real world. The use of images can be that creative and unexpected way to capture your student’s attention with the anticipation of new learning. Strategy 1 - Half the picture Locate an image that shows a big idea of the unit or lesson. Make a copy of the image in order to edit using a photo editing tool to cover half of the picture. Display the image that only shows ½ of the picture. Using the 3-2-1 strategy, a great AVID strategy, have students organize their thoughts about what they think is happening in the picture. ...

Where are the good digital citizens? They show up to our classrooms everyday! This affords us the opportunity to develop positive digital characteristics that will follow our students beyond the classroom. As we recognize Digital Citizenship Week on October 14-18, 2019, think of some ways that the conversation can go beyond the week. Below, we have shared some ways that teachers can naturally implement digital citizenship so that it becomes a part of the everyday classroom. Exploring Citations Media Literacy is a major part of digital citizenship in regard to resources provided by others. When conducting online searches, encourage students to use the Explore tool to search the web within Google Docs and Google Slides. This feature generates a citation in the footnote on the page. There is also an option to change the format of the citation to MLA, APA, or Chicago. Guiding students to utilize this tool shows them that a good digital citizen gives credit for others' work...

Have you ever needed to take notes or create a list quickly?  If the answer is YES!, then Google Keep is the tool for you and your Student  Google Keep allows you to take notes on the fly from any device with the app or internet access.  Haha, did you get the pun “fly?” It is supported on every platform, IOS, MAC, Android, Chromebooks, and Windows.  Keep is integrated into the sidebar and Tools menu of Docs, Sheet, and Slides. Notes you create on your cell phone can be accessed on your computer or any other device that has the Keep app. You can even create a note by recording your voice.  Also, you can color-code notes, create categories for your notes, add an image, take pictures, create a drawing, create a checklist, assign a reminder date and the best is you can share them with others, brilliant! Google Keep is an excellent AVID organization tool for your students as well.  Students can keep vocabulary and spelling lists handy for review o...

We are excited to share an article from District Administration  featuring our very own Nichole Allmann.  See the excerpt below and be sure to head to the full article to read about all of Nikki's experiences and wisdom.  "A well-trained team of coaches helps teachers manage the potentially overwhelming integration of new technology" By: Emily Ann Brown | August 8, 2019 ...Technology never takes center stage In the coach-teacher partnership. Instead, coaches help teachers examine standards and curriculum, and identify learning goals. They then recommend tools that will facilitate desired outcomes, says Nichole Allmann, a technology integration specialist who oversees coaches at 10 schools... Read the full article here!

What is your school doing to inform parents of internet safety, media balance, and learning with technology? What are you doing, as an educator, to provide ongoing information so parents are learning how to “monitor” their child(ren)’s technology use at home? Just as we did not grow up in the digital age, the parental community in each of our schools did not either. They are just as unequipped and unaware as we are when it comes to digital citizenship. As an educator, it is imperative we are knowledgeable and stay up to date with how to develop our students to be responsible online users. Much of what we do with our students is online and can be overwhelming, ensuring they make the right choices and be informed users of the internet. Many of our students are currently developing an online reputation that will impact their future. Just as we are learning how to teach this to our students, parents need to learn what steps they can take to keep their child(ren) safe and...

For years, the AVID instructional framework recommended a specific note-taking strategy, called Cornell Notes, to support students in processing the information they learn in class.  Recently, however, AVID revised the note-taking recommendations to be more broad rather than solely focusing on Cornell Notes. The new recommendation is that educators teach students to use a focused note-taking strategy.  This is fantastic because it allows for student choice and voice in how they process their learning and can incorporate technology in powerful ways.  This blog post will overview the 5 steps of focused note-taking along with some digital strategies that align with each step. Step 1: Taking the notes This is an obvious first step!  In this phase, students are capturing information using a method they feel most comfortable.  If students are new to taking notes, very young, or have instructional accommodations, teachers can just share the notes and skip step 1....

       It’s that time of year where you are looking for additional media content to add to your direct or blended instruction. We (re)introduce to you SCETV Streaming Resources and the best thing about these resources is that they are all completely free.  Know It All Since 1999, this interactive web based media has been frequently adding South Carolina based content. The site provides 21st century educational experiences for K-12 educators and students with content that can be searched by the South Carolina State Standards or by grade level. Some of the most popular series are Artopia for visual and performing arts and GullahNet that shares experiences of the Gullah culture. If you’re looking for content and resources to support upcoming events or celebrations, Knowitall has a blog that includes links to resources inside of their site to support your topic . PBS Learning Maintained by SCETV...