October 9

You all got this!

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I understand that at these times it is easy to go full speed ahead and as teachers we are super planners, mega managers of proactive thinking, perfectionists, and have take charge personalities.  I ask that you take a moment (or a weekend) and think about expectations and being in orange. I would say look at the obstacles we have already overcome this year and celebrate that as we move forward.  What I have seen is a group of amazing people working together and  shining through as you have always done.
now moving forward………
Positives: 
You will have less students on a daily basis.
Relationships can be built stronger
You can still check-in with kids
They are still here
You already have the social distancing and mask protocols in the bag!
You can meet the needs of those students while they are here and that is in the circle of your control.
Intervention and extension times are very manageable and you can take advantage of that.
We are not in a full fledged quarantine (maybe that’s me, I don’t want to go there again!!!)
Pacing/Teaching (If I need to sit down with you and help plan I can)
  • You have already made so much progress this year, you got this!
  • We haven’t done it yet and change can be scary but so was going to yellow but you did it.
  • Just remember that as we transition into orange everybody will need a little time to adjust and we honor that and it’s okay.
  • We put our best foot forward and do our best to stay on schedule.  What does that look like is the question-we give ourselves grace.
  • We start it, we try it, and adjust and we find things that we will need to change along the way because no one quite knows.
  • Look at the pacing calendar in reading and math.  Strategically plan and hyper focus on the big ideas and the power standards.  
  • Yes we want to do our best to stay with the pacing guides but don’t look at the end of the year look at next week.  
  • You have a smaller group-will the first week be exactly perfect-maybe/maybe not but it eventually will be great, you will have it.
Please let me know how I can help.  You can vent, we can plan, we can bounce ideas off each other, we tweak some things, we breath, and move onward with support.
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October 9

First things first……breath……..then think……

Grade level leads and reps along with instructional coaches met and processed feedback concerning using Google Classroom as described during summer institute.  Their discussion led to additional format choices.  Please see below.  Also, be sure to thank your reps, leads and coach for their work behind the scenes to keep moving forward.
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We have received feedback from those utilizing Google Classroom with the instructions that were given during Summer Institute. As a reminder those instructions were:
  • Utilize a weekly template with short descriptions of assignments/activities
  • All topics should be day/date specific. Example: 9/20/2020 or Wednesday Sept 2, 2020 etc
  • Assignments should have the subject listed. Example: Reading: Wonders Test Unit 1 Week 2; and be placed under the correct topic (i.e. date).
We came across some suggestions and concerns with this format. Some have found that this format works great for them and their students have grasped on to it. Yay! Others have found that this format was difficult to utilize due to assignments taking more than one day/shifting assignments between the dates, or other issues.
Note: You do not have to make radical changes right now. If you have been using Option 1 and that works for you and your class, please feel free to continue to use that.
We are still trying to maintain some consistency within the district as far as Google Classroom usage, so that both parents and students can easily access and utilize it successfully during Orange/Red as needed.
As a general reminder, you should be utilizing both Google Classroom and the Weekly Template with your students during Yellow so that they know how to use them in the event that we go to Orange or Red. Google Classroom and the Weekly Template will be a huge part of how you communicate work to students who are home during Orange and Red.
You have a few options now with Google Classroom. Please see the screenshots and notes 
Option 1: Daily topics (See image – Purple & Green)
Continue to use Google Classroom as explained during Summer Institute. You do not need to change anything.
  • Utilize a weekly template with short descriptions of assignments/activities
  • All topics should be day/date specific. Example: 9/20/2020 or Wednesday Sept 2, 2020 etc
  • Assignments should have the subject listed. Example: Reading: Wonders Test Unit 1 Week 2; and be placed under the correct topic (i.e. date).
image.png
Option 2: Weekly Topics (See image – Green and green)
  • Utilize a weekly template with short descriptions of assignments/activities
  • All topics should be Weekly. Example: Week 8; Week of October 5-9; etc
  • Assignments should have the subject listed. Example: Reading: Wonders Test Unit 1 Week 2; and be placed under the correct topic (i.e. week they are to be done).
image.png
 
 

Option 3: Subject Topics (See image (Green and Black)

  • Utilize a weekly template with short descriptions of assignments/activities
  • All topics should be Subject Specific. Example: ELA, Math, Science, etc.
  • Assignments should be placed under the correct topic (i.e. subject).

image.png

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October 8

TFSD Elementary Google Classroom Expectations Based On COVID Protocol Colors (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red)
The coaches, reps and leads recently met to get some clarification on Google Classroom expectations during Yellow COVID protocol. I want to share with you some of those clarifications (met on Tuesday, October 6, 2020) 
  • In Yellow – Teachers should be using  Google Classroom with their students in case we move to Orange/Red so that students are able to use the website/program with relative ease (because they would have experience with it in the classroom).
  • These can be assignments, lessons, and activities that you are doing with your students together or independently in the classroom. They can be assignments available for the students to do at home.
  • The goal during Yellow is that students are practicing to use the tools in case they need to use them at home in Orange/Red.
  • It is recommended to use the template weekly with your students, or at the minimum teach them how the template relates to the assignments they would need to do on Google Classroom.
You are not required to post EVERY assignment, lesson, or activity to Google Classroom during Yellow.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me!

 

Sheli Hulet (Irish) 

3rd Grade Teacher 
3rd Grade District Level Lead 
Pillar Falls Elementary 
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October 5

Tech Tips with Richard Bryne: Kahoot, Doozy, Flipgrid, Virtual Exhibits (Remote Engagement Strategies)

Before jumping to this week’s tip of the week, I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported Practical Ed Tech by joining one of the webinars that I’ve hosted this year. I couldn’t keep this newsletter going without you!

Now that October is here I’m starting to see that people are getting somewhat comfortable with the logistics of conducting online and hybrid classes. Evidence of that has come to me in the form of fewer questions about the nuts and bolts of online instruction and more people asking me questions like, “do you have any ideas for activities that build community in hybrid classes?” Here are the things that I’m doing to try to add some educational fun into my hybrid classroom this fall.

Quiz Games

At the end of my 9th grade classes I’ve been using Kahoot and Doozy to host online quiz games as a recap of the day’s lessons. I project the games onto the board in my room and screenshare in Zoom for my students at home to see. My students like accumulating thousands of points in the game even if those thousands of points don’t really count for anything in the gradebook.

Kahoot and Doozy are just two of many similar systems you could use to host a quiz game at the end of your class meetings. Quizalize, Quizziz, GimKit, Socrative, and Triventy all work in very similar ways to Kahoot and Doozy.

It’s possible to distribute Kahoot games through Google Classroom for kids to play at home. Here’s a little video overview of how to do that. And here’s a little written overview of Doozy.

Flipgrid With Puppets and Figurines

Like oodles of other teachers I’m having my students post short observations in video form in a Flipgrid group. Their videos are just short responses to “what did you learn about X today?” Since even high school kids clam-up when asked to speak on camera for a video that their teachers and classmates will see, I let kids use puppets, figurines, and masks in their videos. Some of them are having fun making and or finding new puppets to appear in their Flipgrid responses. Here’s a little getting started video for those who haven’t tried Flipgrid before. (Flipgrid is also included in my new course, A Crash Course in Making & Teaching With Video).

Virtual Exhibits of Cool and Interesting Discoveries

My third year students (11th and 12th grade) have started contributing to a virtual exhibit of cool and interesting discoveries related to class. Their task is to find something that they think is interesting and related to class, but that wouldn’t normally be brought up in the course of a regular lesson. They share their examples on a Padlet wall and I pick one or two each week to talk about with the whole group. For example, this afternoon we talked about a video that one of my students found. The video was about building a computer with parts bought exclusively from a discount website (you can watch the video here if you like).

I happen to be using Padlet because I’ve had an account on it since 2010, but you could do a very similar thing with Wakelet. Here’s an overview of how to use Wakelet for a virtual exhibit. And here’s how to do the same with Padlet.

 

These were last week’s most popular posts on FreeTech4Teachers.com:

1. “Whoa!” – This Is Why We Should Review Search Strategies Every Year

2. Think Like a Coder – The Final Episode!

3. Good Video Lessons About Cyberbullying and Digital Privacy

4. How to Create Your Own Online Board Game

5. How to Use Microsoft Forms for a Classroom Sign-in/ Sign-out Sheet

6. A Similarity Checker in Word – How Did I Miss This?

7. How to Add Shapes and Drawings to Google Docs

On-demand Professional Development

A Crash Course in Making & Teaching With Video is a self-paced course consisting of six modules designed to help you create instructional videos and make sure that your students actually watch those videos.

Ten Search Strategies Students Need to Know is a great refresher for anyone who is looking for some ideas on how to get kids beyond the first page of Google search results. If you’ve ever had a student say, “Google has nothing on this,” this recorded webinar is for you.

Have a great week!

~Richard

p.s. If you have a question for me, please feel free to hit reply or join me on Thursday when I answer questions live on Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions and Share Cool Stuff.

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