Week of 10-21-13

· Tech Tips, Uncategorized
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    Jeff

A very fast week and busy week.  A busy week is usually a good week.  I was able to train teachers from a large number of Houston area school districts at two different conferences in the last seven days.  It’s always great to hear from other districts on how advanced we are as a district.  Having visited and presented in many of the Houston area school districts over the past couple years, it is clear, we are an advanced district.  Our campus and district administrators have empowered us to reach for the stars and have provided the tools.  Approximately 80% of our classrooms in LCISD have interactive white boards.  In many of our neighboring districts, large high schools have maybe 5-10 total and they are portable making presenting with them difficult at times.  Now is the time to utilize what we have to its fullest potential.  Since we have the tools, let’s make our rooms engaging and interactive.

At a Glance:

Innovation in Education Grants – website – Canvas has always believed in education and innovation. Now we’re putting our money where our mouth is and offering $100k in grants to help spur innovation in education. The most innovative ideas in specific categories for both Higher Ed and K-12, as judged by a panel of experts, will receive grant money to help get their difference-making ideas off the ground. Submissions may include (but are not limited to) content, applications, classroom techniques, tools, and who knows what other amazing thing you brilliant people might come up with.

Online Virtual Lab Simulations for Science – website – This site is a collection of virtual lab simulations for science from all over the Internet.  They very in subject areas and grade level.  This is useful for giving your students a hands out experience without having the equipment.

iOS Search Engine to Locate Apps for Older iOS Devices – website – Search Apple’s iTunes store for apps that are compatible with your iOS version and hardware. Some formerly compatible apps may be listed.

Bus Safety – website – The week of October 21 is National School Bus Safety week and Houston ISD’s Transportation Department found a creative way to bring attention to the importance of safety on the school bus.

Entertainment – Very cool, but how would you like to be their neighbor – website.

Technology Staff Development Opportunities

Date ASCEND Section# Training Location Description
Tuesday, October, 29 77360 Gamify Your Classroom Terry LGI Want to transform your classroom? Gamification is the   concept of applying game-design thinking to non-game applications to make   them more fun and engaging. Many educators are beginning to find ways to use   gaming to bring learning to life.  The number of innovative lessons   utilizing the method is growing every day.  Let’s explore the   possibilities and discover how gaming helps build content fluency and deepen   problem solving skills.
Tuesday, November 5 77314 Web Literacy iCafe Lab Our teaching job includes providing web literacy skills   and strategies, including lessons on why critical thinking about the web is   important. Learn how to REALLY search the web and why these skills are   essential to every 21st century learner.
Thursday, November 14 77310 SMART Intermediate iCafe Lab Build on your foundational SMART Notebook skills. Begin   learning how to create an eye-popping SMART Notebook presentation and boost   the technology integration in your classroom.  These session is for   teachers who work with a SMART Board and have attended an introductory SMART   Notebook training.
Tuesday, November 19 77311 Promethean Intermediate iCafe Lab Learn how to create flipchart magic in this intermediate   ActivInspire training. Explore the browsers and layers and begin to create   flipcharts of your very own. To get the most out of this training, you must   have basic knowledge of Promethean’s ActivInspire software.

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