Once again, it is digital citizenship week, Oct 19-23, 2020. This year, as we have seen the lack of civility increase and almost seem to have become the norm here in the US, it has never been more important to remind both ourselves and our students what it means to be a good digital citizen.
The 6th Annual #DigCitSummit was on Wednesday, October 14, 2020.
You can find more information at digcitinstitute.com/digcitsummit-2020.html.
Where can you find more resources?
My top 2 resources are Brain Pop and CommonSense Media.
BrainPop has an ever growing, excellent collection, both for educators and for the students, including a 4 month digital citizenship course for grades 3-5. We have a full school-wide subscription at HES, so students can have access to all. There are some resources aimed atK-2, at 3-5 and 6-8th grade bands. Brain Pop Jr also offers some resources.
Commonsense Media has an excellent collection of lesson plans for teachers, videos for students and even games to help teach these concepts. For 5 year olds right up through 18 year olds, you will find resources on Commonsense Media. The also offer a great selection of webinars- with recordings available, in case you cannot make the scheduled times. Students will also enjoy learning these concepts by playing Digital Passport or Digital Compass. Check out #WideOpenSchool resources for digital citizenship. These can be sorted by grade level as well. Gr 9-12 Gr 6-8 Gr 3-5 Gr K-2 Preschool
Digital Passport is designed for grades 3-5. You can click on the image below to play . Teachers can assign these games directly via Google Classroom here.
Be Internet Awesome Interland, with a downloadable curriculum and games from Google is a classroom favorite. They even have Pear Deck slides all made for you, along with activities to go along with the games.
These are cute, but I teach high school...
OK, Commonsense Media does extend all the way up through high school, but here's another one that I just saw this morning, that you may find useful. Frank Baker, an internationally recognized media literacy expert, has a website with tons of great resources. I missed his webinar last night, but plan to actually watch the recording because I found it intriguing. I, like many of you, have my own confirmation bias issues. He did a webinar on how the current president has been viewed by the media. I may well not agree with what this one says, but I also think it is vitally important to crawl out of my bubble once in awhile and really see/listen to others. So, without previewing... here you go. Another incredible resource is Renee Hobbs and the Media Education Lab. https://www.mediaeducationlab.com/
Even More Resources...
This resource was shared by one of our readers. Grace Coleman passes this along from one of their club members. 'Cyber Bullying: A Guide to Internet and Computer Safety' guide our member Sarah found... https://www.nominus.com/en/dm/blog/hosting/cyberbullying-a-guide-to-internet-and-computer-safety Thanks Sarah!
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As always, things change rapidly in the online world. One website that I love, but haven't featured is
The Kid Should See This. "The Kid Should See This is an unprecedented collection of 4,500+ kid-friendly videos, curated for teachers and parents who want to share smarter, more meaningful media in the classroom and at home. " And... it's free. Not just for little kids, all ages will love these videos.
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Originality reports & Google Citation Tool
Plagiarism comes up over and over again across all grade levels and disciplines. Google Has tools to help right in Google Classroom. You can find out more about it here.
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Google Workspace also recently came out with built-in tool for citations. You no longer have to use a 3rd party add-on or extension. Check out Richard Byrne's video below.
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Whiteboards, again...
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New Microbit
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Free Google PD
Inspire Creativity through Learner Engagement
This one looks really good, uses lots of different tools and explores student choice and voice. If you haven't checked out the Teacher Center, it is worth your time. You can filter by time required, by topic and by level of difficulty. An easy way to up your game.
If this is something of interest, sign up, and go in and register for any mini course of interest as the registration dates close after the initial presentations.
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Welcome to Google Tools for Remote and Hybrid Learning! In this series of 6 mini-courses, attendees will gain the confidence and skills they need to effectively lead students through a remote and/or hybrid learning model by taking full advantage of Google tools for Education. Attendees may opt to receive all 6-hours of instruction or choose which mini-courses to attend based on their needs and level of comfort with these tools. If you have no experience with Google's Suite of tools for education, we encourage you to attend all 6 mini-courses.
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STEM |
Google Changes Branding
Exam Net
"I’m not sure if you’ve told people about exam.net before, but it’s an amazing website for giving assessments. You can just download a pdf of your assessment and the website will create a test code. Students can then go to the website and type in the code to access the test.
The cool thing about it is it will create a browser block on all devices and if students exit the browser, their test will stop and you will be notified.
It literally takes me a minute or two to make one if I have an existing test. "
Here's more about it: Excerpts from the web site.
- Free of charge
- Easy to export students' essays and answers to Google Drive...
- Quick and easy to create a new exam. Exam.net supports uploading of PDF files or pasting from other documents, e.g. Microsoft Word, directly into the exam tool.
- Single sign-on using G Suite...
- Desmos and GeoGebra can be used securely in Maths exams, and formula booklets can be used within the tool frame, or as a complement if you prefer.
- Works well with PC, Mac, Chromebooks and iPads, as well as in a blended technical environment with different hardware and/or operating systems.
- No need for student accounts or registration. Students can access the exam with a simple exam key.
Exam.net short intro (Eng) from Teachiq on Vimeo. |
Using Exam.net remotely (Eng) from Teachiq on Vimeo. |
Whiteboard.chat & Whiteboard Limnu
Teach, Monitor & Coach | Collaborate |
Limnu
Ideas to Share
Greg Kulowiec created a demo of using FlipGrid shorts. Check it out. You can use the whiteboard, record your screen, pause the video, etc. | |
| I saw this promo and started investigating what else Planet Nutshell has produced. Check out their YouTube Channel for short videos on science, early childhood, art and more. |
I got to this incredible collection of links, Peterson Web, by clicking on something about math hyperdocs. This has to be one of the most inclusive collections I have seen. Maybe not Larry Ferlazzo, but darn close. There are tech tools, tons and tons of hyperdocs, and so much more. I did click thru a couple of links that led to TPT sites, but most lead you to a livebinder or a document. Warning... there are thousands of links... not clearly curated. For example something may be listed as a grade level, but not a topic, etc. |
I feel like I could fill a book with just the recent week's changes from Google!
We are an Education Enterprise district, so all of the promised changes are coming along. Although the promises were for "October", no date was given.
What have I seen come thru the pipeline?
- Jamboard integration with Google Meet
- Tiled view- up to 49 people
- Chrome tab to present video and animation is now up and working
- Google Attendance- altho I have not seen it in action and just noticed that it says it is "currently paused, while we evaluate performance"
- Blur background, supposedly released, but not on my account yet.
- Noise reduction, have not seen any evidence of this as yet, but it is supposed to be out on the web and coming to mobile
- Low Light enhancement- only on mobile devices currently
(https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/g-suite/introducing-some-new-meet-features. accessed 9.29.20)
- Hand raising: Increase participation in larger meetings by enabling participants to “raise their hands” when they have a question or something to say.
- Meeting attendance: Give meeting hosts a simple way to see who attended their meeting.
- Breakout rooms: Make it easy for large meetings to split into smaller groups, have parallel discussions, and reconvene once finished.
- Q&A: Provide a channel for the audience to ask questions without disrupting the flow of the conversation.
- Polling: Engage participants in large meetings with real-time polling.
- Additional moderator controls: Give meeting hosts additional controls for muting, presenting, joining, and more. "
Attendance
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Tile View - 49 people | |
Background Blur
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Jamboard Integration
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Noise Cancellation
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Handy Tools
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Incredible Teachers Sharing on Linktree
https://linktr.ee/thefirstgradecreative .
She got special permission from Unite for LIteracy and created leveled reader libraries, among a ton of other great resources.
Converting Worksheets
Annotating PDFs
Most of the various ways I know to recreate a worksheet involve using Google Slides, but this one is a bit different. Desiree Alexander shows a quick tip to use an image file to convert to editable text on Google Drive. Just so you know, it is quick and easy, but it will mess with the formatting a bit.
You can also use Google Keep to do this, or use Office Lens with Immersive Reader. |
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What about Math?
Math Manipulatives
Check out his tweet, but beware, you may also fall down the rabbit hole.
□Mathigon Polypad□Check out this FREE virtual manipulative site!! ➕BONUS the base ten block manipulation is AMAZING!!
— Kris Szajner (@KSzajner) September 18, 2020
Check it out here - https://t.co/uSddQi2cAx#edchat #edtech #math #mathchat #kindergarten #1stchat #2ndchat #3rdchat #4thchat #5thchat #k2cantoo pic.twitter.com/BVH6xv3Ls4
https://toytheater.com/category/teacher-tools/virtual-manipulatives/
https://www.didax.com/math/virtual-manipulatives.html
https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/apps
https://www.mathplayground.com/
Online WhiteBoards
Stuff to Share
CS First for ELA
LEARN MORE CS First - https://bit.ly/2tSvZvc Interactive Presentation Lesson Plan - https://bit.ly/2QIbLMr
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Talk and Comment
This a chrome extension that lets you add audio, voice notes just about anywhere. Talk&Comment lets you create voice notes inside any service on the web, including Google Docs, Google Classroom, Twitter, Facebook comments, Gmail, YouTube, Reddit, Slack, and more! Simply record your voice from the widget inside your browser, and paste the generated voice link anywhere you want. |
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YouTube Tips
Richard Byrne also put out a short video this week about ways to show clean videos.
Math Reps
Google Slides
- Greg Kulowiec has put together a helpful videos on Google slides, including the 2 below as well as others.
- Alice Keeler has coded a neat little way to use Google slides for feedback, check out her video.
- Susan Stewart shared a site to create audio that was new to me called Twisted Wave,check that one out here.
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Susan Stewart has created and shared an amazing resource for Google Slides aimed at the younger grades, but the ideas are useful for all.
- Joli Boucher also shared a whole Wakelet of great Google Slides templates this summer. https://wke.lt/w/s/rRho2J No need to reinvent the wheel! If you haven't checked out Slidesmania.com- you are missing out.
Jamboard
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Ideas to Share
Interactive Google Slides
GC CleanUp
| Eric Curts, as always, has a great tutorial on cleaning up your Google Classroom. You can read his whole post here, and/or watch his video. Just an FYI, if you are at HES, I will archive your old classes sometime this summer. I will not walk through any of the other steps listed- so if you want to tidy things up, go for it. |
Google TakeOut
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Google Takeout at the end of a school year. This is a service provided by Google to save or transfer all of your Google stuff. Please pass it along to others who are changing schools, graduating, etc. Click here for the link for Takeout. Please note that transfer is only for edu accounts, not personal accounts. | Here's another post I wrote about it in the past, don't think much has changed. https://hadleytechtuesday.weebly.com/tech-tuesday/category/googletakeout |
Chromebook Videos
Another of my go-to sources, Richard Byrne, shared a quick video to show you how to create and share videos on a chromebook without adding any apps or special extensions. Richard shares:
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NetsBlox
Here's the NetsBlox info: "NetsBlox is a visual programming language and cloud-based environment that enables novice programmers to create networked programs such as multi-player games. Its visual notation is based on Scratch and it uses the open source JavaScript code base of Snap! NetsBlox opens up the internet with its vast array of public domain scientific and other data sources making it possible to create STEM projects, such as displaying seismic activity anywhere on Earth using an interactive Google Maps background. Similarly, weather, air pollution, and many other data sources such as the Open Movie Database and the Sloan Digital Sky Server are available. NetsBlox also supports collaborative editing similar to Google Docs"
Virtual PD
Google's EduOnAir PD is offering a new 6 week Distance Learning Course. The first one is this week and I am planning to attend. It looks interesting and Jennie Magiera is one of the presenters, so it should be good. Check it out here. https://educationonair.withgoogle.com/distancelearning-series |
This morning I saw the email come through about the national parks session... which I cannot attend, but have added to my watch later list. Check out some of the other things for the week, and sign up to get access- every day for a couple months- and they are recorded.
In episode one, Tom tackles both the challenges and opportunity presented by our new learning environment:
"While the threat of coronavirus looms, students are stuck at home and educators are left rethinking the role of technology in teaching and learning. A silver lining of this global pandemic is the huge opportunity it provides to rethink the student learning process. Yet, teachers can’t be expected to change without a galvanizing vision of what beneficial change actually looks like. Right now, we need leadership in formulating tech-infused and student-centric learning environments."
Listen on Anchor, Spotify and all major podcasting outlets.
Books for STEAM/STEM
I wanted to add a couple of other sites to also check-STEM Read and STEM Storytime FlipGrid
STEM Read is offering read alouds with some lesson plan ideas. "During social distancing and school closures, STEM Read is releasing Canned Goods: non-perishable e-learning activities teachers can drop into lessons and parents can use to keep kids engaged. Look for the Canned Goods posts to find quick, fun, stemtastic activities that adhere to state standards. As always, you can find more ideas in our other posts and full lesson plans and videos on our Book and Educator pages. "
Prezi Video - Unlike screen-sharing apps that toggle between you and your content, this video maker shows you alongside your graphics in real time (like a TV newscaster), so you don’t lose your face-to-face connection. Use it live with your video conference app of choice or record to share later with a simple link.
Prezi Design - Our new design tool helps you create interactive infographics, social media posts, charts, maps, and reports that add meaning to your message when you can’t be there to explain it in person. Realizing it would be useful to you now, we’ve released it ahead of its scheduled launch date.
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Greg Kulowiec shares a short video to point out some of the new features of Google Earth.
"Google Earth allows educators and students to create projects that can be shared with anyone on the web. Educators can use this tool to create custom global tours in Google Earth that point students to specific locations around the world."
Upcoming PD
PECS AT Conference
PECS-AT Conference 2020 Join us May 20, 2020 for our Virtual Event! With funding support provided by the New Hampshire Department of Education, Inclusive Technology Solutions is proud to announce this exciting day long virtual event. The event runs from 10:00am – 3:00pm eastern. This event brings together New Hampshire based practitioners and organizations; national AT presenters and vendors. The day is comprised of 25 minute Assistive Technology presentations; 25 minute Edcamp-style conversations; and, 25 minute vendor presentations. Over 40 sessions will be available throughout the day and the best part of all – the event is FREE! To register for the event and explore the on-line schedule, visit bit.ly/atexpo520
Coming up Wednesday and Thursday. Learn to leverage Lesson Pix for all your students. Streaming on YouTube and FB. Check it out.
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KEYNOTE EVENT NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON HOSTS A LIVE STARTALK: COSMIC QUERIES PODCAST
Eduporium recently sent out an email with lists of STEM webinars to check out. I have checked out the Hummingbird ones, as well as some of the MakeyMakey webinars. Worth the time.
This is an excellent series of webinars from Dr. Monica Burns to get you up and going with Book Creator. This is a diverse tool with a robust set of accessible features. Highly recommended!
To Share
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Use Whiteboard.fi as individual online whiteboards and to see your students' work without messing around with screensharing. I first heard about this a few weeks back from Alice Keeler. I put info in the HPS Tech Tools site, for those in district. Richard Byrne has created a couple nice short videos to walk you through this and to demo how to use it with students.
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Greg Kulowiec shared a short video recently about multimedia feedback inside a Google doc, using Mote, which I had never heard of. It's a quick and easy way to add verbal feedback to any Google doc. Free and easy to use. It is a chrome extension, which you can get here. Greg also gives you a quick overview of screencastify too.
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One of the latest things Google has changed is the way we view the sharing options in Google Drive. Everything is still there, just moved around to drive you crazy. Here's Tom Driscoll's video to explain it to you.
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Daniel Kaufman posted this video explaining how to create navigation tabs recently on Twitter. I was intrigued by the tab set up on slides and wondered if it would be useful for others as we design materials for remote learning. I wrote a few years back about a horizontal tab navigation in GSlides, but you may find this one more useful.
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Virtual Field Trips The linked pdf is from a FB group- passed along without attribution. If you haven't checked out Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, now's the time. They have great places to explore and you can even apply to be live on the call. Check out the site here or their Youtube channel here
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Microsoft assistive tech is just getting better and better. Some of you have already suffered through my soapbox speeches about how these tech giants- Microsoft, Apple and Google should just work together to make things better for everyone. So, now there is an update for Microsoft's Office Lens to make it even better. This is a cool scanning type app that can OCR text out of images, translate the text into different languages and even read it back to you. Wish it was all on one platform or at least platforms that played nicely together. If you haven't yet checked out Immersive Reader- well worth your time and it is now integrated in PearDeck add on for Google slides as well as into Flipgrid. There is an unofficial chrome extension for it as well. Leslie Fisher is offering a free webinar on Immersive Reader on May 26. Check it out here.
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Last week I added a couple of videos showing how to make a bitmoji banner for your Google Classroom. Since then, the internet has exploded with yet more ideas. So, if you like bitmojis- go for it. For more ideas, check out weareteachers.
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SEL
Thank yous from Google
- Explore the latest version of Teach from Home to discover free distance learning tips, training, and tools designed for teachers and families.
- Discover free technology training and resources for educators in the new Teacher Center.
- Register for free product and pedagogical trainings as part of our new Edu OnAir 6-week distance learning series.
- Learn more about Google.org’s Distance Learning Fund and $2 million grant to DonorsChoose to provide teachers and students from high poverty schools with the essentials they need to keep teaching and learning.
- Check out our Teacher Appreciation Week Google Doodle created with the 2020 State Teachers of the Year.
- More than ever before, the world is searching for ‘how do teachers do it.’ Watch and share our newest film giving thanks to teachers everywhere.
- Hear words of wisdom from the 2020 State Teachers of the Year.
- Thank a teacher who has made a difference in your life.
New Or Interesting from Google
Just for Fun
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Want more new ideas to check out?
Once again, EdTechTeacher is at the top of my list. This week they are offering several Digital Skills workshops, along with one on Google Slides. I just signed up for one next week on Using Google Jamboard and have 2 of their webinars on my todo list this week- Google Slides, and Google Drawings. I know how to use these tools, but I learn something new from Greg and Avra every time I get a chance to sign up. These free offerings are excellent, and change every week, so check back on their site. |
| Matt Miller, of Ditch That Textbook fame, is offering a free course on Remote Learning. Now, why would you take a course on something that you have literally been engaged with 24/7 for the last 8 weeks or so? So that, moving forward, once we all have a chance to catch our breath, you have a few more tools in your toolbelt and can, given time, actually plan out the best way to do this. Otis offers a pretty amazing selection of short courses for educators. These are all currently free and would be a quick and easy way to refresh old skills or to gain some new ones that you need for distance learning. Here's a quick 30 second scan of a page showing only a portion of the courses offered. |
| Wakelet What is it? Why should you use it? How to use it? Wakelet is an excellent way to quickly and easily bookmark and share resources. I use Wakelet every day and dump a whole bunch of links into a "write about this" folder. You can use it with students, collaborate, and share. Learn more about Wakelet here. |
NH Learns Alliance has a google calendar of upcoming PD events. Many are cosponsored by edweb.net or COSN. Check it out here. |
Author
Maureen Tumenas
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