Organ Printing, Organ Transplant, Digital Citizenship, & Hour of Code [Week 16]

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 16 (December 9 – December 13)

Thursday Giggles:                What time is it if an elephant sits on the fence?

Time to fix the fence!

Organ printing is real and it’s coming to a human near you in the future.  If you aren’t familiar with this technology, check out the video below. VIDEO LINK HERE

Image credits HERE.

Nine Christmases ago my mom received a kidney and my dad gave one away.  They were a part of a 26-member organ transplant chain.  Thirteen people gave away organs in the morning.  Those organs were transported across America in different directions.  Thirteen people received those organs in the afternoon.  The organ-chain donation process could be replaced by 3D organ printing (with your own DNA) in the future. ARTICLE LINK HERE

Top: My parents post-surgery.  My mom’s kidney donor and my mom.  The medication my mom needed each morning to survive.  Bottom: My mom getting wheeled into surgery.  My mom and I after she was transported to recovery.  UC Davis Medical Center.

If you are curious about 3D technology and would like to learn more about introducing your students to these amazing ideas, just email me (melissaculver@cusd.com).

Digital Citizenship. Please remember that all components of our Digital Citizenship Requirements should be met on or before December 20.  Your site administrator has formed a plan so that you notify him/her when you have completed your part (grade level lead, email, Google Form, etc.).  If you need help with this, please email me ASAP.  It is hard to help you navigate that on December 18.  The three lessons you need can be found HERE.

Image credits HERE.

Hour of Code Intro Video. You’ll find the Hour of Code #Giveaway link at the bottom.  Participate in that global-wide event and sign up stating that you participated.  Feel free to introduce this event to your students with this video here:
VIDEO LINK HERE

Blog. Head to the blog to locate previous posts: BLOG LINK HERE.

Hour of Code. If you participate in the Hour of Code event, let me know HERE.  Use the long form of your email to sign in (@clovisusd.k12.ca.us). Two lucky winners will each win one Starbucks gift card ($15/ea).  The deadline to submit your participation in that online form is Friday, January 10.  Winners will be announced the week of January 13.  #Giveaway

Stay Curious,
Melissa Culver

CUE, ISTE, Digital Citizenship & Hour of Code [Week 15]

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 15 (December 2 – December 6)

Thursday Giggles:                What falls in winter but never gets hurt?

Snow!

CUE Conference and ISTE. Recently, I attended the CUE Conference in Rancho Cordova.  At this conference, I was able to explore diverse teaching strategies that connect students to technology and advanced learning.  Additionally, I was able to use technology produced by Microsoft to help students understand elementary computer programming.  

If you are interested in technology conferences, check out my website or talk to your site administrator. If you want to attend a technology conference, there might be funds to support your curiosity. Just ask.

Digital Citizenship. Please remember that all components of our Digital Citizenship Requirements should be met on or before December 20.  Your site administrator has formed a plan so that you notify him/her when you have completed your part (grade level lead, email, Google Form, etc.).  If you need help with this, please email me ASAP.  It is hard to help you navigate that on December 18.  The three lessons you need can be found HERE.

Image credits HERE.

YouTube. If you want to get email updates from YouTube whenever I add new content to my channel, feel free to subscribe and request updates. Red button.  Bell.  All. LINK TO YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE

Blog. Head to the blog to locate any posts from the previous weeks. BLOG LINK HERE

Hour of Code. If you participate in the Hour of Code event, let me know HERE.  Use the long form of your email to sign in (@clovisusd.k12.ca.us). Two lucky winners will each win one Starbucks gift card ($15/ea).  The deadline to submit your participation in that online form is Friday, January 10.  Winners will be announced the week of January 13.  #Giveaway

Stay Curious,

Melissa Culver

Starbucks, Digital Citizenship, and Hour of Code [Week 14]

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 14 (November 18 – November 22)

Thursday Giggles:                What falls in winter but never gets hurt?

Snow!

Digital Citizenship. Please remember that all components of our Digital Citizenship Requirements should be met on or before December 20.  Your site administrator has formed a plan so that you notify him/her when you have completed your part (grade level lead, email, Google Form, etc.).  If you need help with this, please email me ASAP.  It is hard to help you navigate that on December 18.  The three lessons you need, can be found HERE.

Image credits HERE.

Hour of Code Intro Video. You’ll find the Hour of Code #Giveaway link at the bottom.  Participate in that global-wide event and sign up stating that you participated.  Feel free to introduce this event to your students with this video here: VIDEO LINK HERE

Video Blog. Did you miss that innovative video?  You can find it here: VIDEO LINK HERE

Blog. Head to the blog to locate the materials I shared those previous weeks. BLOG LINK HERE

Hour of Code. If you participate in the Hour of Code event, let me know HERE.  Use the long form of your email to sign in (@clovisusd.k12.ca.us). Two lucky winners will each win one Starbucks gift card ($15/ea).  Deadline to submit your participation in that online form is Friday, January 10.  Winners will be announced the week of January 13.  #Giveaway

Here’s the breakdown by site so far.  My Riverview team, this is on our radar the next time I meet with you.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Digital Citizenship, Hour of Code, & Starbucks [Week 13]

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 13 (November 11 – November 15)

Thursday Giggles:                What did the little corn say to the mama corn?

Where is pop corn?

Digital Citizenship. Please remember that all components of our Digital Citizenship Requirements should be met on or before December 20.  Your site administrator has formed a plan so that you notify him/her when you have completed your part (grade level lead, email, Google Form, etc.).  If you need help with this, please email me ASAP.  It is hard to help you navigate that on December 18.  The three lessons you need, can be found HERE.

Image credits HERE.

Hour of Code Intro Video. You’ll find the Hour of Code #Giveaway link at the bottom.  Participate in that global-wide event and sign up stating that you participated.  Feel free to introduce this event to your students with this video here:
VIDEO LINK HERE

Video Blog. Did you miss that innovative video from last week?  You can find it here: VIDEO LINK HERE

Hour of Code.
I strongly encourage you to introduce your students to coding.  Even if you know nothing about computer programming, the kids are champs and they figure it out.  Clever probably has a few bits loaded in there ready-to-go.  You can certainly use those.  Or, you can head HERE.

Image credits HERE.

If you want to give your kids an entire unit of coding all year long, use these two videos if you are teaching grades 1, 2, 3, or 4. VIDEO LINK HERE
Student video here:

Teacher video here:

VIDEO LINK HERE

The newly released content makes it easy for teachers to determine the right course for their students:
Course A - Kinder
Course B – grade 01
Course C – grade 02
Course D – grade 03
Course E – grade 04

MakeCode.org. If you teach grades 5 and 6, consider using this tool instead.  I share this video with the students and post this material in Google Classroom.
VIDEO LINK HERE
WEB LINK HERE

Image credits HERE.

Hour of Code. If you participate in the Hour of Code event, let me know HERE.  Use the long form of your email to sign in (@clovisusd.k12.ca.us). Two lucky winners will each win one Starbucks gift card ($15/ea).  Deadline to submit your participation in that online form is Friday, January 10.  Winners will be announced the week of January 13.  #Giveaway

Stay curious,
Melissa Culver

Hour of Code & Giveaway [Week 12]

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights for this week:

Week 12 (November 4 – November 8)

Thursday Giggles:                What animal is always at a baseball game?
A bat.

Video Blog. My highlight emails have significantly slowed down this year.  I have a few innovative tools on my plate and have devoted a lot of time to the process of developing curriculum and lesson scope and sequence for these tools.  Here’s why my area-wide emails have slowed down: VIDEO LINK HERE

Hour of Code.
I strongly encourage you to introduce your students to coding.  Even if you know nothing about computer programming, the kids are champs and they figure it out.  Clever has a few bits loaded in there ready-to-go.  You can certainly use those.  Or, you can head HERE.  Form your search query, locate tools that you think work well, and share those out via Google Classroom.  Or, give that link to your kids and let them choose.

Image credits HERE.

If you want to give your kids an entire unit of coding all year long, use these two videos if you are teaching grades 1, 2, 3, or 4. VIDEO LINK HERE
Student video here:

Teacher video here:

VIDEO LINK HERE

The newly released content makes it easy for teachers to determine the right course for their students:
Course A - Kinder
Course B – grade 01
Course C – grade 02
Course D – grade 03
Course E – grade 04

MakeCode.org. If you teach grades 5 and 6, consider using this tool instead.  I share this video with the students and post this material in Google Classroom.

Image credit HERE.

Hour of Code. If you participate in the Hour of Code event, let me know HERE.  Use the long form of your email to sign in (@clovisusd.k12.ca.us). Two lucky winners will each win one Starbucks gift card ($15/ea).  Deadline to submit your participation in that online form is Friday, January 10.  Winners will be announced the week of January 13.  #Giveaway

Kindly,

Melissa Culver 

Week 02 - Getting Started With Google - Teacher Center

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Getting Started with Google

Team, as you navigate Google, you may have questions.  Check out THIS SITE to find answers to your questions.  Aren’t quite sure how to roster students?  Add an assignment?  You can locate those answers and much more HERE.  Scroll down the page to locate this area.  Then, you’ll find a host of tutorials to guide you along the way.

image credit here.

Once you click on that blue button (that long rectangle above; when on that site), scroll down the page a pinch to locate this:

Image credit here.

When there, click on GET STARTED, and you will find a host of video content just like this:

Image credit here.

Keep up the great work.  Thanks for trying new things.

Blog. YouTube. Website. And, for my newbies, you can find more content in the links below (in my signature).  You can find a link to my blog, my YouTube channel, and my website (this applied to the email version of this content).

Stay Curious,
Melissa Culver

Week 01 - Student Password Details

Team,

Here are some ready-to-go details for the start of the year when it comes to student passwords.  (Attachments not housed in this blog.)

Student Password Details – Start of Year

When will student information be ready in the portal?
Typically, this content is ready the second day of instruction.  The district does this so that HS students won’t skip registration and ignore any outstanding student fees.

How do I reset student passwords? (video link)
1) Teacher, log into portal.cusd.com.
2) Use your standard username and password to get in (sample below)
          DonaldDuck  (Not your whole email.  Just your name.)
          **same password for your laptop**
3) Locate your students (note teacher name space and type your name).
4) Click the reset button for EACH child.
5) Download roster (Excel file).
OPTIONAL: 6) Design password cards for students. Use Mail Merge (video link) if you know how to do this to save time.
**Don’t make the passwords as simple and uniform as the video suggests. Mix them up for security purposes.

What is the default student password pattern? (video link)
1) Please note if there is more than one child in our district with the same name, a child may have 002, 003, 004, etc. after their name.
2) Usernames are NOT case sensitive. Children can use all lowercase letters for their username: mickeymouse001.
3) Default password (temporary password) for Mickey Mouse might look like this: Mm702088967. Capital M from Mickey. Lowercase m from Mouse (first name then last name) followed by the child’s user ID. After this, a new password must be created.

Password Complexity.
1) Passwords must be six characters in length (or more).
2) For grades K-3, they can be pretty simple (tiger65).
3) For grades 4-6, passwords need six or more characters and (three of these):
      a) lowercase
      b) capital
      c) symbol
      d) number
4) Examples: Fred754#, 564_Happy, Or@nge_431

Password Cards.
Use this link to download password cards for your classroom. Or design your own. These are 100% optional.  Use what works best for you. It may look wonky inside Google. When you download it, they should function properly. Delete, modify, edit as you see fit. Again, optional.

Password Expiry.
Children no longer have the ability to type an old password into that new password space. If the child tries to reuse an old password, the system should give them an error message. The password system will look into password history to note old passwords and will prevent that practice.

Password Suggestions.
For grades K, 1 and 2, the children cannot do this on their own. You will need to do the new password steps for the children prior to going to the lab.
Here are some ideas for the children who are old enough to design their own passwords:
NOT
1) not your first name
2) not your last name
3) not something that your best friend can guess easily
4) not an easy pattern the kids can crack (Third grade students can hack classmate accounts if it is too easy. This really happened.)
MAYBE
5) mom’s middle name and your house number
6) an adjective, a symbol, and the last four numbers of mom’s cell phone
7) symbol, cat’s name, and two digits that remind you of your birthday

Upper-grade teacher: My student wants to change his/her password…
If a student wishes to change his/her password, they technically don’t need the teacher to help with that process. After they have updated their password, they can use Ctrl + Alt + Delete to pull up a menu. This screen will let them choose the option of changing their password.  Same process as before for the rest of the details here.

My student has received a Locked Out message.  What do I do?
As the teacher, you do NOT need to reset the child’s account. There is an alternative button that you click. You would log into portal.cusd.com. You would access the information for that specific child.  Click DETAILS.  Then, click UNLOCK. Wait about one minute, and the child will have access to their account again.

Stay Curious,
Melissa Culver

3D Printing & Animal Leg Prosthesis

Hey, Team!

Copper Hills Elementary School was recently awarded a $2,000 grant from the Toshiba Foundation. These monies will be used to support the 6th-grade students on that site as they investigate the engineering process and 3D printing technology.

The focus of this grant is to maximize language production in our Special Education Department as our sixth-grade students print science-rich learning materials. We hypothesize that the hands-on analysis of such prints will increase science-rich language production in our students with special needs.

Our 3D printer will be used for other projects/prints as well. For example, this year we plan to utilize Project-Based Learning (PBL) strategies as we explore assistive medical technology for animals with malformed limbs. Children can research animals around the globe who have mobility issues. The end goal of the lesson is that these students will design a reasonable solution (3D print design) for an animal they located online. At the close of the lesson, the students will share out their findings.

Here’s a time lapse video LINK HERE of one such design idea:

Here’s a link to the lesson plan LINK HERE:

Here are images that showcase this journey.

Closing Q&A
Q) Will this actually work on a dog?
A) This may potentially be a beach leg for a dog. It can wash easily. Throw a few in the camper and you’re all good. Can it sustain long-term impact over the course of a dog’s life? Not likely. But it is good to have more than one prosthesis (in varying sizes) for an animal that will have huge growth spurts during the first year of life.

Q) Is this build expensive?
A) The overall cost of a build like this is relatively small. But over time, this product will not last as long as metal prosthetics.

Q) Are these images the final build?
A) The last piece of the design process is a hollowed-out rubber ball at the close/base of the prosthesis (minus a cylindrical cavity for the leg to slide in). I have not contacted a vendor to construct a specialized base yet. As the dog navigates undulating terrain, the prosthesis will impact the ground at various angles. The plastic is slick and will not grip cement surfaces well. This leg alternative would work nicely on dirt or sand surfaces. And, if you have wood as your interior flooring, the wood planks may not like the sharp plastic.

Q) What is the current health of the dog?
A) The vet and the family have not determined if the base area of the leg should be amputated or not. There is a small malformed nub at the base of the incomplete leg. Stone naturally bends that join in frequently--trying to protect it. They aren't sure if the dog would find discomfort if this portion of the leg were placed into a prosthesis.

Stay Curious,
Melissa Culver

STEM Grant, Bootcamp, Encouragement, and Mistakes - Wk 35

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 35 (May 13 – May 17, 2019)

Thursday Giggles:                How does a cucumber become a pickle?
It goes through a jarring experience.

If you ever try out any ideas I suggest in my blog, please let me know! I would love to showcase your awesome discoveries here.
Others would love to learn from your experiences. And, you’ll inspire others to try something new.
Email me here: melissaculver@cusd.com. Check out my website: www.melissaculver.com.

Congratulations!!! Copper Hills just received a $2,000 STEM grant. They will receive filament and audio technology to support 3D printer projects on their site. That is awesome. Way to go, Team! 

Temporary supports were not removed in this print yet. Temporary supports are necessary to substantiate the interior places of a build. Yet, they are designed to be temporary.

PD Dates to save on your calendar:

     This year, Bootcamp will fall the week after school gets out. One reason behind this is that Summer School teachers cannot go each year due to the old calendar. So, Summer School teachers can now go to Bootcamp. To sign up for these sessions, head to THIS LINK.

Image credits here.

Encouragement. Truly worth watching. Take a minute. This will make you smile. Turn the volume up. You’ll be glad you did. #Encouragement #TeacherAppreciationDay VIDEO LINK HERE.

Mistakes. Is your environment safe enough to make mistakes? I hope the people around you welcome mistakes that move you all forward. Nothing is more defeating than someone making fun of your mistakes where you feel defeated and discouraged. I hope you share the hiccups/mistakes/discoveries you encounter with people. And I hope those same people share their mistakes right back.

Here’s a quick article that highlights how failure resulted in innovation. LINK HERE.

Image credit here.

My husband shared a quote with me the other day. He said, “We never truly fail. We either succeed or we learn.” If you know who deserves the credit for that quote, please let me know. I want to give credit where credit is due.

As a child, I learned what not to do by watching my older brother. By standing back and watching him, I learned a lot about life. We all need people around us who share their discoveries. This insight makes the team stronger and better.

I failed Algebra the first time. I took voluntary summer school when I transitioned from one school district to another back in grade 7. I had never seen letters in math before in my life (this shows you how education has changed over the years). When my math teacher introduced me to parenthesis and variables, I was lost. I had no prior knowledge about these things living in math before and I was lost. The next term when I took the class during the traditional school year, I soared through the class because I had prior knowledge. Failure didn’t crush me, it pushed me forward.

As I navigate the world of 3D printing, I am failing forward one print at a time. Each of these hiccups make me a better teacher. I can share my “perceived failures” with others so they can save time by not making those same mistakes again. And, my next lesson on 3D print design and execution will have detailed examples that clarify why certain things must be in place for a print to work successfully. No, that’s not a palm tree, but we can call it that.

We all need safe environments where we can make mistakes. This is essential to our survival as educators. Let’s share our hiccups/mistakes/discoveries with each other. Let’s all help our neighbors cross the finish line in any way we can. Celebrate these learning discoveries together. #WeAllMakeMistakes

Let’s all stay curious,
Melissa Culver

Skype in the Classroom, E2 Wrap-Up, and STEM Lessons by Microsoft - Wk 34

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 34 (May 6 – May 10, 2019)

Thursday Giggles:                Where do pencils go on vacation?

Pencil-vania.

If you ever try out any ideas I suggest in my blog, please let me know! I would love to showcase your awesome discoveries here.
Others would love to learn from your experiences. And, you’ll inspire others to try something new.
Email me here: melissaculver@cusd.com. Check out my website: www.melissaculver.com.

PD Dates to save on your calendar:

       Wednesday, May 15 – Chrome Add-ons & Extensions @ Mountain View from 2:30 – 3:30        The above class was canceled. Sorry.
       Technology Bootcamp - June 12 & 13 MORE INFORMATION

Skype and Google Meet in the Classroom. Microsoft EDU recently released a host of lessons that showcase learning in the classroom that includes video conference. Now, you don’t have the ability to go on 20 field trips each year, but you can bring people to you for FREE all year long. And, you can do that with technology. Geologists on a dig, meteorologists at NASA, an author, a web developer, and athlete, you name it. As long as you can make that connection, you can make it happen. Check out this LINK to learn more about utilizing video conference as a teaching and learning tool.

Image credits here.

Guest Speakers. Aren’t sure who to Skype with? Try this PAGE. You can find speakers who are willing to Skype with your classroom. View those profiles and see what topics can drive curiosity.

Image credits here.

Global Innovative Change. Microsoft recently hosted a global event for educators. HERE is a glimpse into what that global event looked like. As I finished up my graduate degree in Teaching and Learning, I realized that the globe (in general) is doing amazing things in education. New Zealand is driving full-force towards Computer Science (CS) integration. Poland, the UK, Israel, and China are all showing great growth as far as Computer Science in the classroom is concerned.  Let’s continue to explore amazing things together. VIDEO LINK HERE.

The Entire E² Wrap-Up. If you are curious about the Microsoft event hosted in Paris, you can find out more HERE. As I continue to talk about a globally-connected tomorrow that is tech-saturated, this is why. Classrooms all over the world are teaching their students to collaborate, connect, and use technology in helpful, meaningful ways. Events like this motivate, inspire, and encourage educators to use technology in their daily teaching practice. As we prepare students for a competitive work environment, the skills they learn in these lessons shape and transform their ability to succeed in the future. Would you like to check it out? Head HERE for more information.

Image credits HERE.

STEM Lessons by Microsoft. Here are some ready-to-go lessons. Yes, it’s no longer Earth Day, but these lessons still teach content that is tech-rich, collaboration-oriented, and science-filled. Even if you don’t use them, it’s nice to see what other classrooms are exploring. Have a go, HERE.

Image credits HERE.

Let’s stay curious together,
Melissa Culver, M.Ed.

Shout-Outs, Tinkercad, Coding, VR, and Grant Money - Wk 33

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 33 (April 29 – May 3, 2019)

Thursday Giggles:                Why do bees have sticky hair?

Because they use a honeycomb.

If you ever try out any ideas I suggest in my blog, please let me know! I would love to showcase your awesome discoveries here. Others would love to learn from your experiences. And, you’ll inspire others to try something new.
Email me here: melissaculver@cusd.com. Check out my website: www.melissaculver.com.

PD Dates to save on your calendar:

       Wednesday, May 15 – Chrome Add-ons & Extensions @ Mountain View from 2:30 – 3:30
I will attend the Ready Math Webinar at this time. Class was cancelled. Sorry.
       Technology Bootcamp - June 12 & 13 MORE INFORMATION

Shout-out to Shana Blankenship! She used the Google Slides video to showcase student work at Open House. Nicely done, Shana. Thank you for sharing your success story with me.

Shout-out to Elaine Cheney who is introducing her students to 3D printing using Tinkercad! What an awesome opportunity. VIDEO LINK.

File upload tutorial here:

Shout-out to all the teachers who used the YouTube video to print student artwork.

Shout-out to all the teachers who participated in a three-week coding experience using Code.org. It was phenomenal to watch your students write computer code to solve puzzles. And their creativity was fantastic! Some of them were simply curious and wrote more code to answer additional questions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics for the next several years shows that computer programming is a promising field to enter. And some of your students will develop a passion for this field now. Thank you for introducing your students to computer programming. They’ll never forget it.

Shout-out to all the teachers who have participated in VR Training: Muirheid, Silva, Manganiello, Bowns, Panosian, Lewis, Callisch, B. Thomas, Dritz, Mushegan, and Byrom. Most of you have experienced Africa, Asia, and Amazonia. These are awesome places to explore, and your kids were the first to explore this great learning tool!

There are 900 places to explore in the VR headsets. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Grant money. Do you want grant money? Share your ideas with me. I’ll see if I can write a grant for you or your site. It needs to be saturated with tech if I’m going to write it. But, your input would be awesome! I always need people who are willing to say “yes” to grant money. How about a 3D printer? Or programmable robots? If you let me grab data on your learning experience, I’ll try to write the grant.

Let's stay curious,
Melissa Culver