Pear Deck, PhET Simulations, Search Box & Twitter - Wk 19

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 19 (January 14 – January 18, 2019)

Thursday Giggles:                  What did one wall say to the other wall?

I’ll meet you at the corner.

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, January 23 – Flipgrid @ Mountain View from 2:30 – 3:30 [REGISTER HERE]

       Tuesday, February 5 – 50 Fabulous Apps to Use in the Classroom [See email from Sherri to register.]
       Wednesday, February 13 – Google Forms and Sheets @ Mountain View from 2:30 – 3:30
       Thursday, February 21 – Digital Citizenship Parent Night [PENDING] - TBD

Pear Deck. If Pear Deck does not show up on your “waffle” in Google Drive, set up an account and give Pear Deck permission to sync with Google (http://www.peardeck.com).  Then, the button will appear.  You can use PowerPoint presentations that are on your computer (just convert them in Drive to Google Slides).  Click the Add-On area (in the toolbar area of Google Slides) to add Pear Deck to your Add-Ons.  From there, you can run your presentation live and grab student feedback.

VIDEO LINK

VIDEO LINK

Search Box. There’s a search box on my website. It can be difficult to find things on websites sometimes. Just too much information. Right? Well, here you go. A search tool. Type it in and voila! There it is.

PhET Simulations. This phenomenal tool is free. Wahoooo!!! For free. Yes, you can use the Google Classroom button to automatically push this out to your teams. Math and Science. Easy and complex. Ph balance. Acidity levels. Volume. Mass. Area. Balance. The path of the earth and other celestial bodies and their inter-connected relationships. Unbelievable content. Push something out and tell me how awesome it was. Email me and I’ll feature you in a future blog post. LINK HERE

Image credits: image capture from the site above.

Twitter. So, did you set up a Twitter account yet? You can be cryptic with your name if you’re uneasy about posting your real name or picture online. Start by following any of the companies that you find on my website: Google, Google Docs, Apple Support, EdPuzzle, Flipgrid, DoInk, MicrosoftEDU. Then, branch out to bloggers and epic tech people like Matt Miller, Leslie Fisher, Alice Keeler, and Brad Montegue. Next, look for hashtags that look interesting like #EdTech, #science, #ElementaryEd, #SpEd, #tech, #TOSAchat, or #TedTalk.

Image credits: screen capture from THIS LINK.

Joyfully,

SAMR, TPACK, Blooms, and Growth Mindset - Wk 18

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 18 (January 8 – January 11, 2019)

Thursday Giggles:                  Why couldn’t the astronaut book a room on the moon?

Because it was full.

PD Dates to save on your calendar:

       Tuesday, January 15 – Infographics @ The PLC from 4:30 – 6:30

       Wednesday, January 23 – Flipgrid @ Mountain View from 2:30 – 3:30

       Wednesday, February 13 – Google Forms and Sheets @ Mountain View from 2:30 – 3:30
       Thursday, February 21 – Digital Citizenship Parent Night [PENDING] - TBD

Standards. If you are curious what frameworks and teaching models surround technology, feel free to stop by my website (www.melissaculver.com). Exposing yourself to these models, ideas, and teaching practices will help you in the future as we see more and more technology enter the daily focus of the elementary classroom.

It’s okay to take baby steps if you are nervous. Start with the vocabulary. Start somewhere. If you aren’t actively putting technology into your daily routine, go to lunch with someone who is and ask them questions. Questions are a safe place to start. Inquire.  Dig.  Ask more questions.  At some point you will dip your toe into the deep end.  Before you know it, technology will be second nature to your daily practice.  And, you’ll never turn back.  You’ll be glad you did.

Research consistently shows that teachers are nervous about bringing technology into their classrooms. It’s natural. I was nervous to go zip lining and parasailing. But, I dd it anyway. Same thing.  Dive on in.  You’ll be glad you did. Video LINK HERE.

On my website, you will find out more about SMAR, TPACK, Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy, H.E.A.T, California Computer Science Standards, and the ISTE standards for students, teachers, and administrators.

I eat lunch too.  Join me in the Tech Lab.  Ask me questions.  No judgment here.  Just grace.  Let me know how I can fan the flame.  I’ll walk this road with you.

You can find out more about TPACK here at this website: http://tpack.org. 

Image credit: this screen capture came from http://tpack.org.

Posters. Over the next week you’ll find two new posters in your tech labs.  I designed those.  If you want a copy of those posters, just let me know.  The Teacher Center can print them for you and it can come from your own personal Teacher Center budget (essentially, it’s totally free for you.)

Growth Mindset. We’ve been talking about this for some time now. But, just wanted to share a quick video with you on Growth Mindset. If you bump into someone who is looking for ideas or isn’t quite sure what it is, see if this video is helpful: LINK HERE

Excited about the journey,

Melissa Culver