Tuesday, December 22, 2015

A Day of Professional Development (Demo Slam and Mini EdCamp) models

Our district will be hosting a Professional Development day on January 15th 2016.  I will be providing Session that will combine our 2nd Annual NRSD Google Demo Slam  and introduce a "Mini EdCamp" model during a two hour session.

My plan is to kick off the session by introducing the term "Google Demo Slam" and showcase three or four items that work well with GAFE (Google Apps for Education) and with our Chrombooks.  I will send out a survey or provide participants to a link that will allow them to signup and quickly showcase something they have used in the classroom to enhance learning with technology.  Examples of this may include; chrome extensions, Apps and Add-On's that allow teachers and staff.  Some of the tools could be simply learning how to record your voice in a Google doc, using Google Keep for notetaking on the web or your phone.  Teachers want to know how to assess student work, then we will showcase, Poll Everywhere, Flubaroo and Kahoot to get the ideas rolling.  After warming teachers up to a few new tools that may help them understand the SAMR model,

I plan to introduce the "EdCamp" model and have teacher break into small groups to learn more about a topic covered in the the Demo Slam or simply post something they want to show.  I am hoping this could lead to a full day of Digital Learning using the EdCamp model when we plan future professional development days in our district.

The demo slam that we provided last year got many teachers excited not only to try out new tools, but to plan to use with their units of study and engage students.  I saw many teachers sharing lessons using Kahoot and Google Classroom and I am hoping to reach a larger audience this year.  As we begin to move forward with a 1:1 initiative by providing students with technology when needed we now have to refine our curriculum with tools that enhance learning when needed by students.  The feedback I received last year was the demo slam was informative, fun and useful.  So, I am looking to kick it up a notch next month!


Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Assabet and Wirecast and Feeback by Polling Audience through Google Slides (Chrome Extension "Polling in Google Slides")

Two items to blog about
1. We hosted  the Assabet ITS job-alike showcasing Wirecast at Nashoba this month. This inspired some colleagues to test out Touchcast on the iPads for news reporting. Sme of the schools that are PC-Based are interested in learning more about Wirecast.  We plan to upgrade Telestream/Wirecast to output to different video formats and install on a laptop so we can do mobile reporting, or even stream the Pep Rally live from the auditorium this year.

The other topics I wanted to explore was using Poll Everwhere, a chrome extensions or assessment.  I plan to use in our January PD during our Google Demo Slam Session

2. Have you ever attended a meeting where you have watched slide after slide but never actually felt like you participated in the presentation?  As a presenter getting feedback from your audience can be intimidating but yet provide you with valuable insight.  Earlier this month I did participated in a Google Demo Slam at a conference.  I thought a great way to show the polling option would be to demonstrate a few extensions and apps and then poll the audience to see what they found most useful.

In the past I have occasionally used Poll Everywhere but was recently informed they just came out with a Chrome extension that allows you to use directly in Google Slides by embedding Polly Everywhere questions right in a presentation! Poll Everywhere does have a free educator account, but it does limit you to 40 responses per question.

Step 1 - Get the Poll Everywhere Chrome extension. The title to search is "Polling in Google Slides"
TIP: Important to note that you will NOT see the chrome extension with the rest of the extensions in the Chrome browser. Instead, a new menu option will show up when you have a Google Slide opened on your screen. Also your district may push this extension out automatically.

Step 2 - Go to Poll Everywhere and sign up for the free K-12 Educational Plan. Click here for the direct link, get username and password so you will be able to login under step 4.

Step 3-  Open up a Google Slide presentation that you would like to include a question or two in your presentation. You will notice the MENU option: Poll Everywhere (not with the other extensions on the toolbar!) This took me a little while to figure out.

Step 4 - Log into your Poll Everywhere Account

Step 5 - Create a Poll - Go to Poll Everywhere Menu and select - "Create Poll"
A pop up window will appear for you to choose the type of question.
There are different options to pick!
Once you press insert poll, it will automatically insert a slide with that poll question on it.

Note: The actual poll question will not show until you are in present mode of your slide presentation. While in editing mode, you will see the following:
Phone image/option (details)
 


Step 6 - Showing Audience how to text or go to the URL to vote and view live results.

The audience was  completely engaged at the demo slam and loved the fact not only did they share their favorite app, extension or tool during the demo slam. As a presenter, I got direct feedback from the audience for general consensus. Ideally, I could see using a polling techniques on several slides in the presentation. Doc link or  https://goo.gl/Sfi27B 



Monday, December 7, 2015

Internet Safety - Presentation

Last year I posted about an Internet Safety Session panel/presentation that I organized for the freshmen class/2018. I will be presenting again this week for the class of 2019.
I have been using current event opportunities to talk with classes about their Digital Footprint/Reputation, the Boston Globe featured (Six Ways Social Media Can Ruin your Life)

Presentation Link - December 11th - 2015

I have updated the presentation from last year with current events:
- Good Nashoba Cup on Twitter
- How did Social Media Get so Vicious? Glamour Survey

2015 Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference - Google Demo Slam

I had the pleasure of co-presenting with +Nicole Tomaselli on December 2nd at the "2015 Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference" last week.   We created a site  and a survey  that we tweeted out and posted on FB.  We helped teacher connect to the site at the start of the demo and the showed the results to an audience.  We had over 50+ teachers attend.

The "Demo Slam" allowed participants to interactively share their best Google Apps for Education (GAFE) tricks/tips. We setup two projectors in the session, so we could rotate quickly between two projection screens to fit in as many 2-3 minute GAFE tips as possible - "Slam."

I showcased, Google Keep, Screencastify, Google Slides (with the chrome extension, Poll Everywhere) and actually polled the audience on their favorite app/extension thanks to +Craig Sheil giving me a heads up and a link to his blog post on this topic!

I used this model in my district last year and loved the collaboration.

I plan to propose a Google Demo Slam and a "Mini Edcamp" model for our PD session next month using the same format from the conference.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

New Google Form Features and Google Voice

A few new Google discoveries this week. I noticed a few weeks ago that Google Forms had a new look while attending a session at MassCUE. To check out the new "purple" log look go to forms.google.com.  Here is a direct link https://goo.gl/3rrExI  to launch the new format and don't worry you can do back to the older version,

I was preparing to give a quiz this afternoon and wanted to make sure the new form worked with Flubaroo.

Note: The new option for responses that the owner of the form can view, so you quickly see information and select the spreadsheet option if you would like to sort and view the summary of the data.

There are also lots of new themes that you can select rather the just a few options.









If you do not like the new format you can go back by clicking on the icon in the bottom left of
the screen. It looks like a person running.









If you need to show "data" for formative assessments, Forms automatically creates summary charts for you!

Not all the features from the older version have moved over to the new version, but I like what I am seeing and its a great way to collect data.

Now, only if they would add creating quizzes directly in Google Classroom that might make me really happy!

The second item, not that it's new but it is now open in our school, we now have access to
Google Voice, a telephony service that provides call forwarding and voicemail services, voice and text messaging, as well as US and international calls.  I curious how it compares to Skype.  To get started you can create and account and phone number by going to voice.google.com. A few of our World Language teachers have been exploring options to record audio and found some resources to share here.

Below is a quick overview of Google Voice


I hope to explore with a few teachers this month and post and update!

Link to Google Newsletter with Tips and Tricks!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Google Keep -- save your thoughts from wherever—including iPhones

I heard about Google Keep http://keep.google.com a Google product for digital sticky notes that is also an App for mobile devices that syncs with Google last spring through twitter colleagues, but never really took the time to check it out, until I heard this month it was available for IOS, to use on my iPhone. During a PD session on Writing last week I started to show a group of teachers how we might want to think about connecting Keep with Google for writing, however this happened to be the Friday afternoon that Google went offline and we didn't have time explore.  Working with a teacher and class the following week I was ready to test out but found although Keep was opened for staff it was blocked for students.  Fast forward to yesterday, it's now open for staff, students along with the Chrome Extension in the App Store .  So, next week I plan to start pitching with staff and students and hope they enjoy Keep as much as we do Google Classroom.   

My approach, send out an email to staff with a link to my blog along with a list of some of the things they can do to get started with Keep in their personal and teaching life and encourage them to show students. 

Here is a quick overview of some useful features of Google Keep:
Information from Google:  Forget fumbling with sticky notes or trying to recall that last item on your to-do list. When you’re trying to capture a moment or remember a task, Google Keep can help. And starting today, the things you love about Keep on the web and Android are now available on iOS: 

  • Find what you need, quickly by searching and filtering your notes by color and type like images, audio and text. You can also add labels to help you organize your thoughts. 
  • Set time or location-based reminders so you won’t forget to swing by the dry cleaners or miss an item on your shopping list. 
  • Do more, together by sharing your notes so you can divvy up the packing list and watch as the items get checked off in real time. 
Learn more about Google Keep see video


A few things that jumped out at me that may immediately benefit students was the reminder feature and Voice Recorder.

When researching new tools I always jump over to Richard Bryne's blog for his take on a tool or an App.  Here is a link to his blog and a review on Google Keep.  The other go to person is Alice Keeler who appears to be the most knowledgeable person on Google that I found on Twitter, here is a link to her take on her blog.

I plan to explore using this new tool over the next few weeks as I think this is going to be a great tool for school and home!

I will also be re-certifying my Google Educators/Trainer Certification by taking the five tests again this month.  I wish Google would focus more on the tools that teachers use and less on calendar and Gmail functions.  Maybe we will see Google Keep added to their list!


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Math, Science and Windows Tablets

We are in the process of updating some of our staff Tablet PC's/Windows 7 with new Lenovo Yoga 12 Tablet PC's this month.  I surveyed the staff and decided to hold three after school training sessions and update my class site with Yoga/Windows 8 resources.

Session one focused on the following:
Getting Started - Basics/Level 1 (9/15/2015)
  1. Windows Basics 8 (touch screen) basics link
    - Arranging icon and pinning programs
  2. Projector Wireless Connection (Epson - install software)
  3. Inking with Journal / Sending a PDF  - Print Journal to ink
    - Different Papers/background
  4. Inking in MS-Word
  5. Snipping Tool - Ink and Annotate
  6. Adding an APP (example Graphing Calculator, etc)
    - Explore APPS for content area
  7. Homework: Practice the above 
The session went great. It got everyone on the same page and excited to use the new features.
For the few teacher that missed the session, I was able to meet with the during their prep periods to day and review session one so they can join us for session two next month.

Upcoming Topics for Session two

Level 2  - Meeting 2 (10/20th )
  1. Review (Projector, Journal and Word Inking)
  2. Apps - Recommend to Colleagues
    - Math editor
  3. OneNote 2012 should be installed (may need to be added to Yoga 12's)
  4. Recording your screen (screencastify or screencast-_matic)
  5. Publish and Post to Google Site / Classroom
  6. OneNote - Basics
Taking the time to explore the features of touch screen, Windows 8 and the inking capabilities was very informative for all teachers!
 

Monday, September 14, 2015

Mentoring Meetings and Technology with Google Classroom

Last week I had the chance to attend the new mentor meeting to introduce myself and discuss technology in the building.  The district mentor meetings start at 3:30 so I can going to focus on the high school teacher needs prior to the meeting.  

Last week we discussed a few options  and we decided to start with joining a Google Classroom and creating a class.  I also setup up "Staff Meeting" class site to help gather information disseminated at staff meeting and hope to introduce the discussion option.   I think it will be helpful for the new staff to see the student view of opening and assigning documents.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Grade 8 1:1 Chromebook Initiative and Digital Footprint

Tomorrow our district will embark on our Grade 8 1:1 Chromebook initiative with Mr. Newton (@GreggNewtonNRSD) at Hale Middle School. We will be reviewing Chromebook Guidelines (Read more here) along with the importance of managing your online presence that I discuss with high school students on my class site.

Here are a few resources that we will use:
Chromebooks



Digital Footprint / Commonsense Media


Discussion Topics - The Good - The Bad and The Ugly
- Presentation/Prezi for incoming Freshmen / Digital Footprint

THINK before you post .......

Consequences of Posts and please remember to "THINK" before you post or publish!

Examples:

http://

My Twitter feed mmarotta

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Welcome Back!

We are back to school!  Teacher are updating their Classroom Websites this week.  A few teachers wanted to have their twitter-feed appear on their Google site.  As a reminder, check out my class site and note under the Google Menu http://googleforeducation.blogspot.com/2015/08/head-back-to-school-with-new-features-in-Google-Classroom.html there are  tips on embedding a twitterfeed to your site.  I was happy to see the presentation on Digital Learning on opening day and the discussion around SMAR.  Our HS staff have been working on the SAMR model and posted reflections last year.

Additionally, there will be new features with Google Classroom coming soon!

Keep students engaged with question-driven discussions 

Since Classroom launched last year, teachers have been using their class stream to host student debates, Q&A and discussions. Starting today, you’ll be able to do this in a more collaborative way. You can post questions to your class and allow students to have discussions by responding to each other’s answers (or not, depending on the setting you choose). For example, you could post a video and ask students to answer a question about it, or post an article and ask them to write a paragraph in response.


Reuse posts 

You know those lessons that worked so well last year that you want to use them again? Now you can reuse assignments, announcements or questions from any one of your classes — or any class you co-teach, whether it’s from last year or last week. Once you choose what you’d like to copy, you’ll also be able to make changes before you post or assign it.


Calendar Integration 

In the next month, Classroom will automatically create a calendar for each of your classes in Google Calendar. All assignments with a due date will be automatically added to your class calendar and kept up to date. You’ll be able to view your calendar from within Classroom or on Google Calendar, where you can manually add class events like field trips or guest speakers.


In case you missed it 

We know YouTube is an important source of educational content for many schools. Because it also contains content that an organization or school might not consider acceptable, last month we launched advanced YouTube settings for all Google Apps domains as an Additional Service. These settings give Apps admins the ability to restrict the YouTube videos viewable for signed-in users, as well as signed-out users on networks managed by the admin. Learn more here.

Read the Google for Education blog and posed comments for more details!

Great advice about growing professional each day. Set aside 10 minutes and i would highly recommend learning to use Twitter as a professional development resource.  There are many chats available to specific content.  Or start small and follow a few people that may inspire you!


Here's to a great year!



Monday, August 17, 2015

Creating Classroom Websites with Google Sites

When returning to school each year teachers have so much on their plates especially during the first month of school.  Updating curriculum, syllabus and teaching resources, not to mention class rosters, setting up their phsical classrooms and more.  For the past severals year we have been using Google Sites as our classroom interface for parents, community and students.  Do you need to update and refresh your class site?  Here is a link to a tutorial page  to remind you about setting up your site. For new staff we will be using PD time the first day of school to create your site.

Many of you have started to use Google Classroom, Blogging and microblogging with Twitter as tools to engage students and the community.  If this is your first year using any of the tools, I would recommend you start with one and that would be Google Sites for your interface to students and community.  It's also a great way for you to review what you colleagues are doing in their classrooms.

When ready take a look at Google Classroom.  It's a more efficient way to manage students Google documents and assigments.  I will be setting up some sessions after school on Tuesday's know at Tech Tuesday's to help you get started.  I am also available to work with you in your classes and during your prep time.  Let's use technology to engage students and to streamline your classroom this year!

Monday, August 3, 2015

Summer Institute for GAFE Class and Reflection

What a great week teaching Google Apps for Education last week at FSU.  This was the first time that we used Google Classroom to deliver the class using the University's Google Accounts with Classroom.  We definitely need to work to streamline the process but for the most part it worked well.  This allowed up to setup assignment and share content easily.  We were able to grade portfolios using Doctopus/Goobrics.  It's always great to model for teachers how they can setup their classroom when returning to school next month.  Students created and presented Portfolios as evidence of work. We used the SAMR model to reflect on assignments and our teaching and comfort level with technology.  It was amazing to watch the progression of student growth over the course of the week. I am extremely fortunate to have co-taught with Craig another GAFE Trainer.  We managed to teach 23 students at varying levels and content areas.  I was so impressed with their quality of work.  We will be looking at options to offer in an online blended model next year, in addition to the Summer Institute format.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Monday, June 29, 2015

ISTE and Google

I am following #ISTE2015, #ISTE15 and #NOTATISTE this week on Twitter and learning lots from my colleagues!

Learning about new ways to integrate with Google Classroom this week!

Friday, June 26, 2015

Wrapping up the school year!

Well it's been an interesting year, to be honest an exhausting year. Our school district took on many initiatives this year, NEASC, Atlas Rubicon, UbD, DDM's and BaselineEdge/Teacher evaluation just to name a few.  I found myself just trying to stay focused on all expectations and deadlines and I have to admit it was difficult to keep a positive perspective. I am hoping the opportunity to step away for a few months will help rejuvenate me and many of the teachers that I work with each day that give so much to their students and classes.  I do consider myself a life-long learner and wanted to attend the ISTE conference this month, but have decided to follow it online this week.  Additionally, I will be teaching a few graduate classes this summer and taking one.

So for now, my biggest decision for the next few weeks will be which book should I read next while sitting poolside or at the beach!

Thursday, June 11, 2015

SAMR Model

You can use SAMR to reflect upon how you are integrating technology into your classroom. Is it an act of Substitution? Augmentation? Modification? Or Redefinition?

SAMR is a framework through which you can assess and evaluate the technology you use in your classroom. Dr. Ruben Puentedura developed the SAMR model as a way for teachers to evaluate how they are incorporating technology into their instructional practice.

See the video below for an overview of the SAMR Model

 Intro To SAMR Model video

To learn more about the connections between SAMR and Bloom's Taxonomy, see Dr. Puentedura's blog post, "SAMR and Bloom's Taxonomy: Assembling the Puzzle."

SMAR - Enhancement to Transformation (teaching above the line)
Substitution In a substitution level, teachers or students are only using new technology tools to replace old ones, for instance, using Google Docs to replace Microsoft Word. the task ( writing) is the same but the tools are different.

Augmentation Though it is a different level, but we are still in the substitution mentality but this time with added functionalities. Again using the example of Google docs, instead of only writing a document and having to manually save it and share it with others, Google Docs provides extra services like auto saving, auto syncing, and auto sharing in the cloud.

Modification This is the level where technology is being used more effectively not to do the same task using different tools but to redesign new parts of the task and transform students learning. An example of this is using the commenting service in Google Docs, for instance, to collaborate and share feedback on a given task task.

Redefinition If you are to place this level in Blooms revised taxonomy pyramid, it would probably correspond to synthesis and evaluation as being the highest order thinking skills. "Redefinition means that students use technology to create imperceptibly new tasks. As is shown in the video below an example of redefinition is "when students connect to a classroom across the world where they would each write a narrative of the same historical event using the chat and comment section to discuss the differences, and they use the voice comments to discuss the differences they noticed and then embed this in the class website".

You can use technology to enhance and improve your teaching or more importantly to teach above the line (as illustrated below) where technology allows for transformation of teaching!

Another view of SMAR
Below is another video explaining the SAMR model in 120 seconds.
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us0w823KY0g


How are you transforming your teaching with technology using the SAMR model?
Feel free to comment and link to examples of your work!

Notes/Tips:
Rubrics and Hyperdocs that support SAMR.
Digital vs Digitized Learning - Blog Posts  and  more

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Spanish Cooking Videos this week!

This week we worked on Spanish Cooking Videos.  Students were able to practice speaking spanish and prepare a dish.

I worked with students to publish in YouTube and WeVideo and turn in using Google classroom for grading and a survey form to share with colleagues.

This was a great example of collaboration and creativity.  Both of Mrs. Armstrong's classes did a great job.

Spanish cooking videos

Checkout Maegan's baking video
https://youtu.be/I-jndwbr_Gw and she provided samples!
Krista Tacos de cerdo especiado y mango video https://youtu.be/XxzLzEfpbwg

Will Andronico - Magdalenas (Spanish Cupcakes)
https://youtu.be/eGqUT58yu_4


We tweeted some of the videos in class and collected using a google form!
There are a few more good examples below!
 KristaClass period
A
Exercise 3
EX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dish


https://youtu.be/XxzLzEfpbwg
MaeganCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://youtu.be/I-jndwbr_Gw
TaraCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H78S5wREH5w
Michael,Haley , Ashlyn & RileighCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42RnaYDNpj4








GeorgiaCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MFvdZhrQtM
IsabelCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H78S5wREH5w
AnnaCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MFvdZhrQtM




LaurenCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MFvdZhrQtM




EmmaCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://youtu.be/6YnZ0sz3iVc
LaurenCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MFvdZhrQtM
CourtneyCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MFvdZhrQtM
 EvanCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.wevideo.com/hub#media/ci/415256383
 DaisyCEX 3 - YouTube link Hispanic dishhttps://www.wevideo.com/hub#media/ci/415314024?timelineId=413850926



Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Book Reflections


Resources:

Book Reflections -

Book Trailers and The Common Core (w/infographic)
http://www.booktrailersforreaders.com/Book+Trailers+and+Common+Core+Standards 

Blooms 

Options:

SMAR
SAMR is a model of tech integration designed by DrRuben R. Puentedura, Ph.D.
- Wiki and Pinterest links and Blog post




Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Project Based Learning with Video and Technology

This month I have been working with a Social Studies teacher that is focusing on Project-Based-Learnig PBL with students.

PBL is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge. Students build competencies valuable for today’s world. For more on Essential Elements of PBL link here and see the video below explaining Project Based Learning.


The lessons involved students creating a Campaign Add using http://www.livingroomcandidate.org.
When meeting with teacher we decide to have the students create a Padlet Wall, identifying their president and selecting two topics to support the campaign add.  I created a google form and collected the addresses of the class padlets.  I thought it would be a good idea to allow the students to use footage from existing campains (up to 30 seconds) and then add their own content to create their own campaign add.  We were working with a small class and focused on three presidents.  Students selected their president and add their theme to the portfolio wall. Next I downloaded some of the campaign commercials to a google drive folder and shared with the class.  As I started to work on the project using chromebooks I found it very cumbersome to produce the video. That's when it occurred to me to revisit one of my blog posts from last year on using the YouTube Editor and Creative Commons for a YouTube Video Mashup.

Active Student YouTube Accounts and Channel


Upload Button (select Unlisted for video) and then the Video Editor













(TIP: you can use the webcam to capture audio for voice recordings, cover the webcam if you do not want video and drop onto the audio timeline). Suggestion, coordinate your voice over and allow for pause on the title slide, as audio is difficult to move.

When using the Editor - Name the Project, Add a Title Slide and Browse CC (Creative Common) for JFK Videos to support your project.
You trim or splice the video in the timeline and you can add Webcam voice over on the audio line.
When finished press Create Video.  This will take a few minutes to process.  You can add the link to your Padlet Wall and/or submit to Google Classroom to be used with a grading rubric.

More Resources and tips on using the YouTube Editor
- Editing Creative Common YouTube Videos option link 

I started a collection board on Pinterest
Follow mmarotta's board Teaching with YouTube on Pinterest.

I plan on using for a few more Social Studies Projects next month and then add project that incorporate using Google Presentations with Audio recordings and WeVideo.
It's been rewarding to watch the students apply the class content to Project Based Learning model!

The 4 C's of Technology Integration from The Journal.


Sunday, March 8, 2015

NEASC Visit Day 1

Great day showcasing all the great things we are doing at the high school. I tweeted out most of the day so you can follow all the events. Here is a link to the opening video http://goo.gl/7C2ZCg  

Lots of sharing of best practices and areas of improvement that support teaching and learning,



Other Topics highlighted in my interview.


  1. Technology Integration and School Culture
  2. My Blog http://techdi.blogspot.com
  3. Twitter Handler @mmarotta
  4. Google Site https://sites.google.com/a/mynrsd.com/nrh-marotta
  5.  Blog Post on Digital Citizenship
     
    https://sites.google.com/a/mynrsd.com/multimedia-2013/spring-2015
  6.  Managing your DigitalFootprint (The Good, Bad and Ugly) Prezi 
  7. Student Portfolios with QR Codes
  8. Google Classroom

  9. Student Portfolios and connection to Internships!
I found the day to be very collaborative and how important it is to reflect upon your teaching and best practices using a blog. I was able to easily to connect and show not only evidence but my reflection along with my post.  I am so happy I blog!






Friday, February 27, 2015

Upcoming Foreign Language Projects

Last month I worked with a few Spanish teachers to introduce them to Google Classroom.

We are planning a lesson for next week using the following:

  1. Using Chromebooks to join the Google Classroom (by Class Code)
  2. Introduce the YouTube Upload  feature by activating the account/channel and show students how to allow the Chromebook - WebCam to record and publishing to school YouTube.
  3. Introduce Padlet  by creating a classroom wall to students to post information and or their video.  Create individual walls with recordings and collect the address using a Google Form (and/or posting to the Classroom stream/assignment.
  4. IGoogle Forms to collect assignment locations for padlet and recordings
  5. Google Presentations and Chrome App (ScreenCastify) to record presentation.

Future projects and incorporate using Chromebooks and WeVideo.

Updates to Google Classroom and WeVideo this week


A few program updates this week that changed while I was in the middle of using both programs with students.
  1. Google Classroom has been updated and you can now modify your theme.
    Checkout the blog for more details.
    I loved this new feature!  I was working with a class to invite them into Google Classroom, Monday morning and the teacher asked me if she could modify the theme for her cooking class. I told her unfortunately that was not possible.  Later that date I saw a tweet stating Google had updated Classroom features to change themes.  The students had made mozzarella and we changed the theme to reflect the class.   In addition, many students installed the Classroom mobile app and took pictures of their work and added to the classroom.

    Last week I planned a project and materials for a Poetry Project using WeVideo, halfway through the project this week WeVideo made changes to their online editor. See below for more details.
  2. WeVideo makes updates to their online video Editor
    The latest updates to WeVideo's online video editor consolidated the features of the "basic" and "advanced" editors into one product. In combining the two editors into one WeVideo made it easier to edit the tracks in your video productions. You can now simply click on a track to edit it. The other big update to WeVideo is the new option to preview your visuals while recording a voice-over at the same time. (blog post)
While working on the Poetry projects I converted the rubrics into a Google Spreadsheet and hope to introduce Classroon with Doctopus and Goobric to streamline the grading process.  We collected all the published Poetry Projects links using a Google Form for multiple classes. This is going to allow teachers to streamline their evidence and collaborate on assessments.

It's great working with teachers to integrate into the classroom but it can be a little tricky when updates happen midway through the project.  We were able to adjust and I am so please to have streamlined this project with teachers.



Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Planning a Project

This week I am gearing up to work on one of my favorite projects with several sophomore classes. The Favorite Poem Project.  I have done this over the years using PC's/MovieMaker and the students have created amazing projects.  This year we are shifting the assignment allowing the students to use their "BYOD" device along with a choice of programs (WeVideo, MovieMaker, iMovie or any other tool that is available on their device).

Students will select up to five poems that has specific meaning or a connection to them and state the reason they have selected the poem.  Once approved (see assignment and process posted by the teacher). students will be required to use a Storyboard to plan their project.  I have provided students with google doc/storyboard templates along with paper/pdf files for planning.  Today, I noticed a StoryBoard Challenge on twitter link  focusing on why storyboards important and a few examples. This will serve as a great discussion topic with my teachers.  Student are required to follow Copyright when working on the project.  I have used the "Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for School Projects" adapted by Kathy Schrock.

Some of the students plan on using WeVideo connected to their Google Accounts. The project was altered to include video of the student discussing their connection to the poem.  Students may use their phone to record video and also explore the web-cams on the chromebooks.

I will be creating a Google Form to collect the student names, poems and project links.


Tuesday, January 20, 2015

PD - Google Classroom

Today I conducted a PD Workshop on Google Classroom for a group of high school teachers. We will be working on a series of 45 minutes sessions over the next few months. The goal of today's workshop/Session 1 was to provide an overview of Google Classroom by having teachers join a class as a student and covering the topics below.
  1. Accessing classroom.google.com and Joining a Class
    - Class Code
  2. Posting an Announcement and link 
  3. Posting an Assignment (Set to make a copy) and turnin for grading
  4. Grade Assignment and return to student
  5. Show Classroom in Google Drive
  6. New Assignment feature to view all assignment
  7. Students can keep track of what’s due using the nwe Assignments page and begin working with just a click!
  8. Create your own class and share the code
  9. Interactive Training Modules for Classroom - learn more Synergyse (install)
  10. Mobile App for Classroom learn more here
  11. Survey for Feedback posted in the classroom and email alert.
I also have information posted in the Google Classroom and on my class site under Google here https://sites.google.com/a/mynrsd.com/nrh-marotta/google-classroom 

We managed to cover a lot of information in 45 minutes and I am anxious to work with teachers to implement over the next few months!