Just wanted to share with you all that Google Plus has been activated for teachers across the SMUHSD district!
The main reason we’ve advocated for the addition of this service is that it allows teachers to easily video conference with each other across the district or within a site using Google Hangouts.
Adding Hangouts can greatly support all of our collaboration teams across the district that are challenged to find a time and location to meet. Up to ten people can join a hangout at a time and participants can share and review documents or video during the meeting. Consider how this new tool might support your work in a PLC, coaching partnership, or elective program and give it a shot.
Once your Google plus account is activated, it's as easy as going to your gmail and select the video camera icon.
Reach out to your site's technology coordinator or let me know if you have any questions and feel free to reach out with a video call if you want to give it a try!
Surprise, surprise...you may have noticed new changes in Google!
This round of changes for you and your students will help you be as efficient as possible, collaborate more effectively, and create beautiful, compelling content.
Take a minute to check out several new features in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. Read on for more information about each!
Research in Docs on Android
Research in the Docs Android app makes working whenever, wherever, easier. Use the feature to search Google without leaving the app, then add those facts, images, and quotes you find directly to your document with only a few taps on the screen. Spend less time toggling between apps and copying and pasting and more time on the work that’s important to you!
Voice typing in Docs
Voice typing allows you to dictate your ideas directly to Docs, both in Chrome on the web and via the Android and iOS mobile apps. When using Docs on the web, simply select Voice typing in the Tools menu, click the microphone button to activate the feature, and start speaking —no keyboard necessary. When using your phone, just tap the microphone button on your keyboard to begin. Voice typing is available in more than 40 languages.
Working better together
Collaborate more effectively with your colleagues and partners using the following new features in Google Docs, Slides, and Forms.
See new changes in Docs
Easily check out the changes made to a Docs file since you last viewed it—and who made them—by clicking See new changes at the top of your document or from the File menu in Docs on the web. Quickly glance at the latest edits and pick up right where your teammates left off.
Revamped Google Forms
Ask and get answers in style with the brand new Forms look, feel, and functionality. In addition to an improved mobile-friendly interface, the revamped Forms features a selection of new themes and color palettes, the ability to customize your form with your own photo or logo, and buttons to quickly insert images, GIFs, and videos. Responses are easier to analyze as well, as they now appear in the same window as the form editor (you can also view them in Sheets).
Try out the new Forms by visiting this site (don’t worry—you can revert back to the old UI at any time). Responders will only see the new UI for those forms created or edited in it. Remember—this is an early, opt-in-only release of the new Forms, and we’ll continue to add features and functionality in the future.
Google Fonts preserved in Microsoft® Word and PowerPoint on PCs
You no longer need to worry about sending documents and presentations created in Docs and Slides to customers and partners using Word and PowerPoint on PCs—even when those documents and presentations contain Google Fonts. Google Fonts will now be preserved when you download Docs and Slides files in Word and PowerPoint.
Create compelling content
Create your best and most beautiful work with a bit of help from Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides—in particular, using the features described below.
Explore in Sheets
Spend less time trying to make sense of your data and more time acting on it with Explore in Sheets. This new feature on the web and in the Android app analyzes the data (including some types of text) in your spreadsheets and automatically creates charts and surfaces insights based on that information. Highlight different sets of data and watch as the charts change dynamically, then drag and drop those charts directly into your spreadsheet. You can do the same with instant calculations (for example, the sums and counts of certain ranges). Like a built-in analyst at your beck and call, Explore allows you to easily visualize trends and better understand your data.
Partial cell formatting in Sheets
When it comes to spreadsheets—and the cells that comprise them—we know that one size doesn’t always fit all. That’s why it’s now possible to select only a portion of the characters within a cell in Sheets and to apply text formatting to only those characters (as opposed to the entire cell). This functionality is available on the web and in the Sheets Android app.
Templates in Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Focus on your content, not your formatting, with the new templates in Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web. Choose from a wide variety of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations pre-designed for a multitude of use cases, including newsletters, invoices, pitch decks, case studies, and more. Simply visit the Docs, Sheets, and Slides home screens to access these new templates and get started. While these templates are only available in English at the moment, we’ll be rolling them out in additional languages soon.
If you and/or your employees previously created your own templates, you can still access them (and create new custom templates) at drive.google.com/templates. We understand that some businesses and brands have additional needs when working with templates, and we’re looking to address these in future updates.
Themes in Slides
In addition to using the new templates described above, you can also use a set of 22 new themes in Slides to quickly create compelling presentations. Some of these new themes are simply updated versions of old themes (e.g. Simple Light, Simple Dark, and Swiss), while others are completely new (e.g. Beach Day, Modern Writer, and Spearmint). These themes can be accessed from a new Themes side panel in Slides, so you can easily experiment with and toggle between them when crafting presentations. Though the old themes are no longer accessible from this panel, they will continue to work in any presentations already using them.
Check out the Help Center articles below for more information on each of these new and improved features!
Making Education Relevant and Interactive through Technology (MERIT)
For more than a decade,the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College (KCI) has hosted one of the premier educational technology-focused professional development programs in the United States. MERIT is a research-based, educator development program designed to help teachers bolster their curriculum with student-centered, technology-enhanced learning activities to motivate, challenge and inspire the diverse learners and leaders of the future.
The MERIT Program seeks to show through qualitative and quantitative measures that engaging technology in the hands of a well-trained teacher can improve student learning.Participants have the opportunity to learn to use and contribute to a variety of resources for collaboration, and are required to design projects not simply to provide dynamic learning experiences for their students, but also create open educational resources that will be of value to other teachers and students near and far. In helping to make learning and teaching more dynamic, MERIT is working to bring education out of the past and into the future that unfolds before us constantly.
Who should apply?
Participants in MERIT range in age, years of teaching and experience with technology, but all accepted applicants have the potential to help their colleagues develop their understanding of and techniques with a variety of powerful technologies. The MERIT program is open to California teachers and educators (librarians, administrators) of a variety of disciplines, grade levels, and school types. International applicants are encouraged to apply, too! The program includes a special focus on math and science, where there is a significant need to help students develop confidence in and excitement for their future possibilities with these subjects.
The 2014 "Teach Through Technology" event will again be held at The Harker School in San Jose. It's the best value in educational technology training - you will not be disappointed!
This annual educational event is for school and university personnel, parents, and other individuals who work with students in the area of technology.
Online and group registration is closed for the upcoming Silicon Valley Computer Using Educators professional development training on March 8th. You may register on-site at the event for $60.
You'll receive a day of training on interesting topics from well-versed education leaders, a hall of industry and non-profit exhibitors, breakfast and a sit-down lunch. Plus, there are door prizes at the end of the day. It's a great day, and a great deal.
Interested in an opportunity to be inspired by fellow teachers and reflect on your work? Take a look at these 2 PD opportunities...
Feb 14th-16th Common Core, Ed tech and Napa
This CUE Rock Star event specializes in purposely designed, focused, small group everts that have three items in common: •Hands-On Learning All three days consist of two, two-hour sessions allowing attendees to "dig in deep" and really get to know their topic and build resources to use next year. Morning sessions are repeated in the afternoon so that attendees have two different opportunities to attend a workshop.
•Small Presenter to Attendee Ratios
CUE Rock Star events are built so that there is one presenter for every ten attendees and the events sell out at 60-70 attendees. This allows participants to get hands-on support and learn directly from knowledgeable educators.
•Time for Collaboration and Networking
We purposely start late, end early, and take extended lunches so that all attendees have ample opportunities to collaborate and network as part of learning community.
March 8th- Silicon Valley Cue Presents: Teach Through Technology
Register now for the upcoming Silicon Valley Computer Using Educators professional development training on March 8th! The 2014 "Teach Through Technology" event will again be held at The Harker School in San Jose. It's the best value in educational technology training - you will not be disappointed!
The day starts at 8 AM, and concludes at 3 PM.
Early bird rates are effective 'til February 1st! Only $35 for SVCUE members!!! This is a steal!
You'll receive a day of training on interesting topics from well-versed education leaders, a hall of industry and non-profit exhibitors, breakfast and a sit-down lunch. Plus, there are door prizes at the end of the day. It's a great day, and a great deal.
In following up with teachers since our practice with Smarter Balanced Assessments, many have shared interest in modeling digital assessments. Here are 3 options that might get you started:
1. Google Forms are an easy way to create multiple choice or short answer quizzes or even collect digital responses from students. Interested? Take a look at this short video created by Sarah Press to walk you through setting up and sending a google form to students:
2. Socrativeis a free student response system teachers can use to create a series of educational exercises and games. Socrative runs on tablets, smartphones, and laptops and their apps are super simple and take seconds to login. Students can respond digitally to verbal or written questions on the board.
3. Blendspace.com is an easy to way to take a variety of media sources like video, images or websites and scaffold them with questions, forms or other collaborative communication sites like padlet or todaysmeet. Browse their teacher library for some samples that might lend themselves to your curriculum before jumping in. You can send a link to the "spaces" you create.
If you have questions or would like to add a resource to the conversation, feel free to add a comment or let me or your ITC know how we can support you.
Thanks,
Dominic
Saturday, March 23rd, 2013, 8am - 3pm, at The Harker School, 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129
Approximate Schedule: 8-8:30 Registration/Exhibit Hall 8:30-2:30 Sessions (with time allocated for lunch) 2:30-3:00 Closing (Announcements and drawing) SVCUE T3 Event Registration(this will direct you to a Harker page) Do you have a group to register? Please contact Gene Tognetti at gtognetti@stleosj.org for a rate and to arrange payment for your group. Do not register a group through this form. Sorry, no refunds.
SVCUE T3 Exhibitor Registration- SVCUE cordially invites you to exhibit your organization or company at the SVCUE Teach Through Technology Event. This annual educational event is for school and university personnel, parents, and other individuals who work with students in the area of technology.
Here’s a quick look at some of the exciting, informative and fun sessions planned for T3 on March 23rd:
Creating Screencasts for Primary Grades
Inspire and Motivate: Integrating Movie-Making in the Curriculum
Youtube in the classroom - an AMAZING tool
Digital Management: Things to know that you can't just Google!
1:1 Chromebooks in 5th Grade
iPad Integration in the Humanities Classroom
"Untitled Document" - How To Organize Your Google Apps
Online Resources for Building Teacher Science Content
There are even more sessions in the works, including creating student eportfolios, using iPads and cloud storage, building your Personal Learning Network, effective ways to provide multimedia feedback and assessment, how to simplify your life with your ‘Digital Swiss Army Knife,” and using Quicktime and Educreations to create video lessons.
This annual event includes:
Networking opportunities that build lasting professional relationships
Four concurrent session times with multiple speakers
Hands-on workshops
Exhibitors and vendors
Continental breakfast and buffet lunch
Snack and beverage breaks
Door prizes
Stay tuned - the detailed schedule will be published soon!
Silicon Valley Computer Using Educators (SVCUE) is the local affiliate for San Mateo and Santa Clara counties of Computer-Using Educators, Inc. of California (CUE). CUE and SVCUE are committed to networking, resources, and the integration of all forms of technology throughout the curriculum.
Where do you go to be inspired and informed in regards to your teaching? Who do you consult with when searching for a curricular resources or answers to technology problems? If you'd like to broaden your network of trusted colleagues, than maybe it's time to create your own personal learning network. Creating your PLN is easier than you might think. Many of you are already familiar with some social media platforms such as Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Diigo, LinkedIn, but do you really know how to use them to create a personal learning network? Take a look at a short video that explores the benefits of one teachers' network or review a few guides that can walk you through all the tips and tricks you need to know to start a powerful PLN. I've also included a list of tools to start you in your search. Once you get comfortable creating your own network, consider how you might challenge your students to develop their own networks that connect with their classes and academic interests. These networks can be a great way to bring the relevance of the outside world into your curriculum. Check them out and share with us your feedback in the comments.
How to Use Twitter to Grow Your PLN: Here, Edutopia shares an insightful post on why educators should use Twitter to grow their PLNs, plus a great list of chats to join.
21st-Century PLNs for School Leaders: Take your PLN into the next century with this guide for using social media tools like Twitter and blogs to grow your PLN.
Classroom 2.0: In this networking group, you can get connected with other educators who are interested in Web 2.0, social media, and more in the classroom.
Ning: On Ning, you can create your own social website to bring your PLN together all in one place.
Diigo: Collect, highlight, remember, and share all of the great resources you find online with your PLN on Diigo, and annotation and online bookmarking tool.
Google Reader: With Google Reader or any other great RSS tool, you can subscribe to blogs and stay on top of it all.
Slideshare: On SlideShare, you can upload presentations to share with your personal learning network.
Twitter: Perfect for finding people to add to your PLN, participating in chats, and sharing what you’ve found, Twitter is one of your most powerful tools for growing and maintaining a personal network.
Scribd: Read, publish, and share documents on Scribd with your PLN, whether you’re sharing classic novels or lectures you’ve delivered. Plus, you can find documents and get connected with their owners.
Yahoo! Answers: Find and share information, connect with others, and build upon your personal learning network on this popular answers site.
LinkedIn: The gold standard in professional networking, LinkedIn is a great place for education professionals to get connected.
Quora: Similar to Yahoo! Answers, Quora offers a professional place to share your knowledge and grow your network.
Google+: Often overlooked in favor of Facebook and Twitter, Google+ is a growing network that offers lots of great possibilities for developing PLNs.
Pinterest: Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ get a lot of love from personal learning networks, but Pinterest offers a great way to find other educators, and great resources.
Delicious: One of the most popular social bookmarking sites on the web, Delicious makes it easy to share what you’ve found and find new followers for your PLN.
Paper.li: Using Paper.li, you can curate and share your favorite PLN tweets on a daily basis.
Scoop.it: Like Paper.li, Scoop.it is a great tool for curating an engaging PLN magazine based on resources from your network.
AddThis: Become a sharing machine with the AddThis toolbar, a great way to immediately share web resources on the web’s most popular social media tools.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Windows 7 Outreach-
For those in the District working on newly upgraded machines, Windows 7 is a welcomed improvement to the old XP operating system. I've gathered a few resources that should help you in your transition.
1. ED.TED.COM -I'm sure you all have heard of TED Talks, well now Ted Talks get an educational facelift. Take a look at these editable units based on popular TED talks replete with quizzes and extension questions. Not happy with a question, no problem. These units can be personalized and revised to your liking as well.
2. Education On Air - Google is at it again with a free online educational technology conference happening all day May 2nd, 2012 via their video conferencing tool called Google Hangouts. The line up is filled with some heavy hitters in the realm of tech integration. Check in and imagine how this tool could be used by teachers and students.
3. Calibrated Peer Review (CPR)- The last resource goes out to all of our English teachers. Any English teacher would love students to become prolific writers that have the capacity to coherently revise their own work as well as their peers. Well CPR is a Web-based program that enables frequent writing assignments
even in large classes with limited instructional resources. Designed by the CSU system, CPR is meant to help Juniors develop their skills writing for the English Placement Test, (EPT). In fact, CPR
can reduce the time an instructor now spends reading and assessing
student writing. Don't believe it??? Take a look.
Recently there has been much discussion about how to leverage technology in a way that allows students more class time to process their work. The Flipped classroom inverts traditional teaching methods, delivering instruction online outside of class and moving “homework” into the classroom. The basic intent is to make class time more student centered, focusing class time on problem solving and the application of content.
Curious to learn more? Check out some resources: ◦ Flipped Classroom- Infographic ◦ Webinar with Aaron Sams- a well-known early adopter- Flipped Classroom Webinar-
Tools: • Awwapp is an online whiteboard app that lets you use your computer, tablet or smartphone to easily draw sketches, collaborate with others and share them with the world. • Jing a free way to record screen captures of presentations. • Want more tools? Check out Ramsey's tool page.
Using some of these methods or have a question? Share with a comment below. Thanks,
Digital Learning Day is a nationwide celebration of innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology that engages students and provides them with a rich, personalized educational experience.
On Digital Learning Day, a majority of states, hundreds of school districts, thousands of teachers, and more than a million students will encourage the innovative use of technology by trying something new, showcasing success, kicking off project-based learning, or focusing on how digital tools can help improve student outcomes.
If you would like to join the conversation, On February 1, 2012, the Alliance for Excellent Education will host an in-depth webcast featuring moderated discussion of video footage of innovation in action looking at leadership, instruction, innovation, every subject area, and effective teaching.
Then, at 1 p.m., EST, the Alliance is hosting a National Town Hall meeting featuring FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a special joint appearance. The event will profile great teachers that effectively use technology to deliver instruction, and focus on education innovation projects happening across the country.
Lastly, if you just feel like trying something new with your students tomorrow, take a look some of the following links:
Interested in local professional development opportunities in technology available this spring? Take a look at:
Fast Track Classes at Foothill's Krause Center- Google Doc 2/11, Adobe Indesign 2/25, Web Sites with Google Sites 2/8 2/15 and 2/29. Click link for more training date.
Edge Online Teacher Training- Are you interested in teaching online, but unsure where to start, or are you already teaching online and want to enhance your skills? The Leading Edge Alliance, county offices of education, a group of nonprofits, universities and governmental bodies have developed a certification program for K-12 teachers.
