What a week. Government shutdown, but fortunately the teaching continues. Many great things have been happening on campus. Teachers using OneNote with their students, team, department, and administrators. Many iPad projects. I’m seeing many incredible things happening in the classroom. Keep pushing forward with your students. Take the opportunities to keep their learning growing by doing things different. Some students may express they don’t like change, but just like everyone, change is tough. Some adjust better than others, but when the students see that this is the way it will be, they will embrace the change as well. As teachers, we need to model change and the willingness to embrace change. If we refuse to do things different, the students will follow suit. So we have successful students who become successful adults, we need to step out of the box. As a district we have done a great job embracing change, let’s keep moving. Let me know how I can help.
At a Glance:
- Government Shutdown: What Does is Mean for Public Schools?
- 7 Ways Teachers Can Create Videos Without Installing Software
- 46 Tools to Make Infographics in the Classroom
- FlipSnack
- Technology Staff Development Opportunities
- Entertainment
- Old News: Web Page, Saving as a PDF, Microsoft Office for Home, Work Orders, Useful Sites, Equipment
Government shutdown: What does it mean for public schools? – The impact of the federal government shutdown, which went into effect Oct. 1, 2013, in the absence of an agreement on a federal budget bill, will depend on the length of the shutdown. Read this article from TCTA for more information.
7 Ways Teachers Make Videos Without Installing Software – website – All of the web tools on this site do not require any software installation and you can work on them right from the Internet browser. These sites are very useful; particularly when working on video projects with your students.
46 Tools to Make Infographics in the Classroom – website – Infographics are an interesting, mash of easily-consumed visuals (so, symbols, shapes, and images) and added relevant character-based data (so, numbers, words, and brief sentences). The learning application for them is clear, with many academic standards requiring teachers to use a variety of media forms, charts, and other data for both information reading as well as general fluency.
FlipSnack – website – Do you have a packet of PDF filled with learning and assessments? You can turn those PDFs into an interactive online flipbook with this website.
Entertainment – the beauty of internet filters – website.
Technology Staff Development Opportunities
| Date | ASCEND Section# | Training | Location | Description |
| Tuesday, October 15 | 77308 | iPad Project Secondary | iCafe Lab | Get your iPads out of flashcard mode and into some real project creation. Come for the top apps and stay for the lesson plans, project samples, and cross-curricular ideas for harnessing the iPad’s learning potential. Bring your favorite apps to share!
**Please note that sections will be grade-range specific (Elementary or Secondary). |
| Thursday, October 24 | 77364 | Become a SkyDrive Pro | iCafe Lab | Why deal with jump drives, your H: drive, or even carting paperwork to and from work? SkyDrive Pro enables you to leave the hassle behind and access your files from anywhere in the world that you have internet access. While you’re at it, collaborate with colleagues by sharing files, presentations, chatting and more, by using Lync. We will show you how to set these tools up and how to use them to increase your productivity – anywhere, anytime. |
| 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. |