YouTube, Hour of Code & Legends of Learning – Week 14

 CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 14 (November 16 – 20)

Tech Help for Teachers. The IT Department has set up an open Zoom time for questions. Here are the dates. Each of these sessions will be open from 3:00 – 4:00. If you need help, please feel like you can reach out to this talented support team for questions. **LINK REMOVED**

Thursday, December 3rd

Thursday, December 17th

Weekly Giggles:                Why did the student eat his homework?
    Because the teacher told him it was a piece of cake!

New YouTube Content. I have three new videos out:
1) 3D Print Basics – Part 01 – LINK HERE
2) 3D Print Basics – Part 02 – LINK HERE
3) Code.org [Student] – LINK HERE

Hour of Code. Each year around this time I remind teachers about Hour of Code. Data consistently shows that early exposure to STEM-rich ideas play a major role in the future trajectory of career paths. As we introduce students to STEM-rich learning ideas, we provide them with early opportunities to dream about the future. “Maybe I can become a Computer Programmer. Maybe I will design robots one day. Maybe I will be an Engineering.” When we craft opportunities, we help students form answers to strategic questions. And, we give them more opportunities to dream.
Take a few minutes to watch this video:

Code.org [Clever]

CodeMonkey [Clever]
MakeCode.com

It might feel like you’re pulling away from the “important things,” but trust me; you’re not. Some of your students will pursue career paths that are very needed in America today. There are a shortage of students pursuing STEM careers today. Join me in being a part of the change—let’s make sure that every child has early opportunities to explore advanced ideas.

You do not need to know anything about Computer Programming to share a unit of lessons with your students. THIS VIDEO will show you how to share a unit of coding lessons with your students.

Link to original quote HERE.

Legends of Learning. I cannot set up your accounts for you, unfortunately. I wish I could. Feel free to find some cool content in there (Math and Science). Determine if you want teaching content or data-rich content (practice). Then drop in some activities and let the kids go. It is a game-rich learning space. The kids will get captivated by the achievement, movement, and sound. It may motivate them to answer more questions—and learn more content. For this year, we have a free upgraded account. See student video HERE.

Kindly,

Melissa Culver

Transfer Q Grading, Epic! Rosters, LivingTree, YouTube & Mote– Week 13

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 13 (November 9 - 13)

Weekly Giggles:                When does a joke become a “dad” joke?
       When the punchline is a parent.

Tech Help for Teachers. The IT Department has set up an open Zoom time for questions. Here are the dates. Each of these sessions will be open from 3:00 – 4:00. If you need help, please feel like you can reach out to this talented support team for questions. ** ZOOM LINK REMOVED**

Wednesday, November 18th

Thursday, December 3rd Thursday, December 17th

How do I transfer grades in Q? They will not “transfer” exactly. Yet, there is a seamless way to ensure that the child moves forward with their current grade to that next class.  Here are two tutorials to help you with that process.
1) Incoming Transfer Student’s Grades – LINK HERE
2) Weighting Categories and Assignments – LINK HERE
For future reference, these are located in the C&I Online Learning Resources website.

Epic! As your students move from teacher to teacher, please know that students can be moved easily from one teacher to another. This way kids will not lose out on their badges/progress. LINK HERE

LivingTree Give. This is real. In lieu of GoFundMe or other crowd-sourced money tools, this is district approved. They examine the cause and eventually, they will approve or deny your request. Not sure if we are ready to roll with this just yet. The emails may have gone out too early. More information to come. Hold tight.

Advertisements in YouTube. If you want to get rid of advertisements and all the suggested videos for the children when they watch a video, use the strategies in this video (LINK HERE) to see how you can do that easily.

Mote. As you leave feedback, your students may benefit from an audio recording instead of just text-rich feedback. Here is a free tool that may work for you. This works in Google Classroom, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. HEAD HERE to install the Chrome extension. Then, see how it works from the SITE. What about translations? Well, the kids can select that button on their end. See that image below.

Calendar. If this comes to you in email form, use the link below to connect with me on my calendar.  I am here to teach lessons with you or for you [CUSD employees that is].

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Veteran’s Day, Legends of Learning, & Hour of Code – Week 13

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 13 (November 9 - 13)

Tech Help for Teachers. The IT Department has set up an open Zoom time for questions. Here are the dates. Each of these sessions will be open from 3:00 – 4:00. If you need help, please feel like you can reach out to this talented support team for questions.  **ZOOM LINK REMOVED**

Wednesday, November 18th

Thursday, December 3rd Thursday, December 17th

Veterans’ Day. Thank you to all our military personnel who have served our country. Thank you to all of our families of service personnel who have been without their loved ones for seasons at a time. Thank you to our veterans. Currently, I have two family members who are serving in our military. One is a helicopter pilot. The other is a large aircraft mechanic. 

Hour of Code. Each year around this time I remind teachers about Hour of Code. Data consistently shows that early exposure to STEM-rich ideas play a major role in the future trajectory of career paths. As we introduce students to STEM-rich learning ideas, we provide them with early opportunities to dream about the future. “Maybe I can become a computer programmer. Maybe I will design robots one day. Maybe I will go into design engineering.” When we craft opportunities, we help students form answers to strategic questions. And, we give them more opportunities to dream.
Take a few minutes to watch this video:

Image from video.

Code.org [Clever]
CodeMonkey [Clever]
MakeCode.org 

It might feel like you’re pulling away from the “important things,” but trust me; you’re not. Some of your students will pursue career paths that are very needed in America today. There are a shortage of students pursuing STEM careers today. Join me in being a part of the change—let’s make sure that every child has early opportunities to explore advanced ideas.

You do not need to know anything about computer programming to share a unit of lessons with your students. THIS VIDEO will show you how to share a unit of coding lessons with your students.

Image crafted by author. Quote noted below.

Link to original quote HERE.

Legends of Learning. I cannot set up your accounts for you, unfortunately. I wish I could. Feel free to find some cool content in there (Math and Science). Determine if you want teaching content or data-rich content (practice). Then drop in some activities and let the kids go. It is a game-rich learning space. The kids will get captivated by the achievement, movement, and sound. It may motivate them to answer more questions—and learn more content. For this year, we have a free upgraded account. See student video HERE.

Calendar. If this comes to you in email form, use the link below to connect with me on my calendar.  I am here to teach lessons with you or for you [CUSD employees that is].

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Congratulations, Legends of Learning, STEM Interview, and Calendar – Week 11

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 11 (October 26 - 30)

Tech Help for Teachers. The IT Department has set up an open Zoom time for questions. Here are the dates. Each of these sessions will be open from 3:00 – 4:00. If you need help, please feel like you can reach out to this talented support team for questions. ZOOM LINK HERE

Wednesday, November 4th Wednesday, November 18th

Thursday, December 3rd Thursday, December 17th

Weekly Giggles:               

LINK & LINK

Congratulations. Bud Rank, Fugman, and Riverview will each receive a 3D printer soon. Mountain View will receive two 3D printers. These sites will receive a 3-year supply of filament to support those machines. This is exciting news. Thank you to the Foundation for Clovis Schools for making this possible. For any teachers who are interested in using these machines, we can look at dates in the future for training opportunities. I trust that your sites will benefit from this great learning tool. This is wonderful!

Legends of Learning. If you are not already using this great learning tool, check out the student video below.

Calendar. I am here to support your team. Use that calendar app to book time with me. There are several lesson options to choose from.

If you book me on a Wednesday, I can show the students a 3D printer and I can talk to them about 3D printing. If those book up quickly, I can adjust my calendar to be at Copper and host those sessions on a non-Wednesday if needed.
STEM Interview as a lesson:
    a) machine, vocabulary, supplies, design strategies
    b) STEM opportunities of the future
    c) how 3D printers work and where they will be used in the future
    d) sample prints that I have on-site

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Student Counsel, DocHub, Tech Help, Seesaw & Digital Citizenship – Week 09

 CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 09 (October 12 - 16)

Weekly Giggles:                Q. What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple?
                                            A. Finding half a worm in your apple.

Tech Help for Teachers. The IT Department has set up an open Zoom time for questions. Here are the dates. Each of these sessions will be open from 3:00 – 4:00. If you need help, please feel like you can reach out to this talented support team for questions. ZOOM LINK HERE [Removed]

Monday, October 19th Monday, October 26th Wednesday, November 4th

Wednesday, November 18th Thursday, December 3rd Thursday, December 17th

Digital Citizenship. If you are new to your grade level or new to Clovis Unified, this tutorial may help you when it comes to locating CUSD approved lessons for Digital Citizenship. VIDEO LINK HERE

Please ask your team, your grade level, or me for help. Several teachers are done with Lesson 1. Thank you! Please make sure you teach all three lessons by the date your Admin has given you.

Seesaw. HERE is a video that walks parents/students through the key bits of Seesaw. If any of your families/students are still struggling, feel free to use this as a tutorial.

Image credit: snip from video.

DocHub. Do you still want your students to use PDF files? Are you tired of modifying them in Google Drive? See if DocHub would work for you. I do not have a teaching video up for this yet, but I do have a PowerPoint LINK HERE [removed]. These are the teaching slides I use to guide the lesson. Book me if you want me to teach this lesson.

Student Counsel. Are you planning Student Counsel details? Don’t forget that Flipgrid is a great space to record those videos. Mixtapes are perfect for sharing those videos. And, Google Forms (with email collection and only CUSD users) is a secure way to grab one vote per person. Use Google Classroom as a distribution tool. 

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

 CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 08 (October 5 - 9)

Weekly Giggles:            Q. What is brown, hairy, and wears sunglasses?

  A. A coconut on vacation.

Tech Help for Teachers. The IT Department has set up an open Zoom time for questions. Here are the dates. Each of these sessions will be open from 3:00 – 4:00. If you need help, please feel like you can reach out to this talented support team for questions. ZOOM LINK HERE

Monday, October 12th (canceled) Monday, October 19th Monday, October 26th

Wednesday, November 4th Wednesday, November 18th Thursday, December 3rd Thursday, December 17th

EdPuzzle. If you are new to EdPuzzle, or if you need a refresher, here is a video I just published on YouTube that will answer your essential questions from the teacher perspective.  If you need help with this, please book a time and I can teach your students how to use this resource. Video Link HERE.

Digital Citizenship. Remember that your Digital Citizenship lessons have a due date. Your site administrator may have shared that timeline with you.  You are required to teach 3 lessons. The link is HERE. Let me know if you need help with this process. I am willing to help you. 

Confetti Cannon. Did you know that there is a Chrome extension that will cause confetti to pop onto your web browser? Yes, there is. You can see that example below. In order to achieve this, add THIS EXTENSION to Google Chrome.  Then, whenever you want confetti to pop out onto your browser, click the icon at the top and “Poof!” you’ve got come confetti to add to your discussion, lesson, or celebration.

And, the calendar button is below in my signature [email only].  Please book those session times for next week where we can plan, collaborate, or I can co-teach a session with you.

A few lesson themes to consider:
       a) Mandatory Digital Citizenship Lesson #1
       b) Using Flipgrid for the first time this year. And, the new features.
             * Kids can make math video tutorials for each other. “I am going to isolate the X. First, I am going to…”
             * Kids can make a video of their Google Slide presentation with their voice over it.
             * Kids can give a book summary about a book they just read.
             * Kids talk about their next narrative or research paper.
             * Kids can design art videos. “This is how you draw a unicorn.”
             * Or, use this to build community.
       c) Google Classroom
             * Oops, I deleted my assignment. What do I do now?
             * Where is the document history so I can fix my mistakes?
             * Turn assignments in.
             * Unsubmit an assignment.
             * Use the desktop camera to add an image to a document.
             * Use iPhone Notes to create a PDF and then turn it in.
 d) Google Docs
             * Just the basics.
             * Narrative development. Let’s build some diverse introductions. 
       e) Google Slides
             * Just the basics (grades 3-4. Theme. Design. Layout. Fonts. Text boxes. Add a slide. Move slides.
             * Refresher and build (grades 5-6). Theme. Design. Layout. Fonts. Text boxes. Undo. Add a gif. Find an image. Adjust an image.
       f) Khan Academy – How do you log in? Where do I find the lesson videos?
       g) Google Slides – Design a Newspaper with Another Student [multi-step lesson, needs scaffolding and support from you]
       h) Edulastic – You have an assessment, you just need me to teach the intro part.
       i) ReadWorks – Your dashboard is set up, but you want me to talk to kids about how to get in and use this space.
       j) Code.org – If you need extension activities for your kids to grow in Computer Science, this is free.
       k) Freckle Education – Show my kids how to get in and get started, please.
       l) Gmail – Some essentials for writing/sending an email to my teacher and how to use Gmail. 
       m) Edgenuity – Are your parents still having issues with submitting work? I have one more fix (beyond the video I sent last week). I can build another video if needed to explain this other remedy. Just let me know.
       n) Sign Language Interpreter – Do any of your students need sign language interpreters? I can talk to you about using YouTube Live and Picture-in-Picture to serve this community of students.
       o) Other – Let’s brainstorm together to see what your needs/gaps are. We can set up a time to work through that lesson construction.      

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Toy Theater, Wahoooo Resources, Crash Course Kids, and Digital Citizenship – Week 07

 CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 07 (Sep 28 – October 2)

Weekly Giggles:             Q. How do you make a tissue dance?

                                        A. You put a little boogie in it.

Tech Help for Teachers. The IT Department has set up an open Zoom time for questions. Here are the dates. Each of these sessions will be open from 3:00 – 4:00. If you need help, please feel like you can reach out to this talented support team for questions. ZOOM LINK HERE

Monday, October 5th Monday, October 12th Monday, October 19th Monday, October 26th

Wednesday, November 4th Wednesday, November 18th Thursday, December 3rd Thursday, December 17th

Digital Citizenship. Remember that your Digital Citizenship lessons have a due date. Your site administrator may have shared that timeline with you.  You are required to teach 3 lessons. The link is HERE. Let me know if you need help with this process. I am willing to help you. 

Wahoooo Resources. Free. Free. Free. Don’t you just enjoy when teacher give things away for free?! Here is the resource fountain you have been searching for. Shout out to Karena Cantrell (IT Coach) for introducing me to this site. Tons and tons of Google templates to download for free. You can drop a link into chat and have students respond live in Zoom. Or you can distribute these as assignments in Google Classroom. Math. Science. ELA. SEL. The list keeps going and going. It is marvelous. LINK HERE Free. It’s free.

Crash Course Kids. Are you looking for quality YouTube content for Science? See if any of these videos might work for you. If you are using EdPuzzle, drop that video in and add a few questions.  You now have teaching and mini-assessment wrapped into one. I do not overwhelming approve of the entire bank of resources. My recommendation is always this: vet the material before you share it. LINK HERE

Toy Theater. Shout out to Karena Cantrell (IT Coach) who shared this with me. These resources can be used in a variety of ways: Math, Science, ELA, fine motor skills, sequential analysis, and more. When you scroll down the page, there are manipulatives. Not all children will have base ten blocks or a spinner at home, but now they do. See if this can help you teach those foundational or essential concepts. LINK HERE

YouTube. If you aren’t subscribed and receiving email notifications when my videos post, there are a few new ones in there.
      a) AE / Edgenuity – This may or may not work. AE does not have an app yet. I found a workaround, but those are only as good as the software version at the time. Share with parents if you find it helpful.
      b) Drop a timer into Zoom. Thank you to Courtney Casaroli who shared that idea with me.
      c) Are your students using Accelerated Reader at home? Do your second graders know how to use that? What about students who are new to your site? Share that video with anyone who may need it.
      d) How do you use Notes in the iPhone to create a PDF? Then how do I get that onto Google Classroom? There’s a video for that now too.

You are a phenomenal group of educators. Keep up the great work!

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

Free WiFi, Rejoin in Zoom, YouTube Videos, and Clever Tips – Week 05

 CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 05 (Sep 14 - Sep 18)

Weekly Giggles:              Q. How do you talk to a giant

                                        A. Use big words!

Save the data! Just in case you didn’t get the memo, you have access to CUSD wifi on your cellphone. Yes. Save that data plan. You send emails from your phone. You use it for Remind. You use it for work. Yes, use the wifi. Here’s how:
     1) Head into settings for Wi-Fi.
     2) Choose CUSD_Guest.
     3) Sign in with your standard username: lukeskywalker.
     4) Use the same awesome password you use for everything CUSD.
     5) If you are asked to trust the certificate, choose TRUST.
**Remember to update this password when you update your CUSD password every 90 days.

Now, that tutorial was modeled on an iPhone, but with an Android, you would use similar steps with the same outcome.

What if you kick a student out of Zoom? Can they come back in? What if they cannot? How do you fix that? In the online settings, you can fix that. Half-way down the page, toggle this button on.

Zoom Chat. When I am in a Zoom with children, I typically shift that conversation space so they can only chat with me. Here’s how to do that:

1) Click on Chat.
2) Take your eyes to the bottom of that window. You will see a small button with three dots “…”. Click that button.
3) From there, another menu will appear. Yours will look a pinch different from this.  But, you will find where it says “Host only.” Click that. From that point forward, the children will only chat with you—for that session.

YouTube Content. Here are the most recent YouTube releases that may help your team. 

1) Help, Teacher! I ruined my assignment. This is from the STUDENT perspective. You can share this in Google Classroom to help kids who have deleted or ruined an assignment.
2) Help, Teacher! I ruined my assignment. This is from the TEACHER perspective. You can do this yourself to fix a ruined document. The video shows a Google Slide presentation, but you can certainly do this in a Google Document as well.
3) Email Notification for parents. Parents can get attendance alerts each day. And, they can get daily emails that show how the children are doing on their grades. The children do not have a folder of papers going home each week. So, how do they know how the children are doing? This daily email tool is very helpful. Add this to your website. Send via Remind. Share in your newsletter. Parents will thank you for it.

Clever Badges. Do you need to test out how things work for a student? Aren’t sure how to get into a child’s Clever account? Well, here’s how.
     1) You can head into your Clever account and click Classes. 

     2) When you do that, you will see the classes you teach. 
     3) Click on one of those classes. 

     4) Next, click on the button that says Clever Badges. A PDF will download to your computer. Now, using your cell phone, an iPad, or a student computer, you can zap that QR code when you go to clever.cusd.com. That will authenticate you and get you in as that child.
DO NOTE: This will not get you into anything Google. Google requires a higher level of security to get you in there.

Why would I use this? Have you ever asked yourself:

      a) What do my students see?
      b) Does this link in my Clever Teacher Page work?
      c) What happens when the kids access this link?

Now you have the ability to find the answers to those questions easily.

Launch an app. Are you working with kids in K, 1, and 2? Wouldn’t it be great to reach into their computer and click on something for them? Well, you can (to some degree). We will repeat a few of those above steps, but we’ll make one adjustment.
1) Head into Clever.
2) Click on Classes.

3) Click Launch an App.

4) Choose an app. This app (depending on the device the child/ren are using), this app will launch on their end if the child has Clever open on their end at that moment. If a child is using an iPad or a smart device, this will not work as nicely. But, you are activating this app for ALL children who have Clever open at that moment.

Image credit HERE.

You are making a difference,
Melissa Culver

Permed Bangs, Flipgrid, Videos, and Co-Teaching – Week 04

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 04 (Sep 7 - Sep 11)

Weekly Giggles:            Q: What building in New York has the most stories?
    A: The public library!

It is a natural human emotion to be nervous, if you have ever attempted something new before. Sneezing and coughing are also natural. We are not embarrassed by those.

I’ll go first: Here are some lovely images from my early years. I actually thought that perming my bangs would be a good idea. Here was my rationale: over summer, at camp, I wouldn’t have to style my hair. Some things you only have to learn once. I never permed my bangs again. Now, those rose-colored glasses wouldn’t be a bad idea today.

Look closely, there is a progression, right? With time, things got better. I won’t promise you that you’ll end up as the next Miss Teen Image of California, but things do get better (with technology that is). Next time you see that calendar email, book a slot with me. I can even co-teach with you—if that is the end goal, I’ll need some timely insight, so I get the right lesson for you.

Co-teaching. Last week, I co-taught seven lessons with teachers across our area. If you are struggling with software or teaching ideas, please reach out. That is why I am here. If you want to achieve something, but you don’t know what software to use to accomplish that, reach out as well. Flipgrid, Edulastic, and EdPuzzle are great distance learning tools (for certain groups).

Flipgrid. Kids need space to talk. This is a great space to hear their voices. And, it’s a great peer-teaching tool. Have the kids show their math strategies. Have the kids talk about the narrative they are reading. Have the kids talk about the vocabulary in this week’s science lesson. All technology will look different over time. Some aspects of these videos are slightly different, but they will certainly point you in the right direction.
TEACHER VIDEO

STUDENT VIDEO

Three-Screen Display. From the Bud Rank Tech Lab last week, I co-hosted 6 lessons. This was my display setup (below).  I hosted chat on one screen (on the left). I taught from the touchscreen (used the stylus to write on my PowerPoint). And, I had their beautiful faces up on the screen (I could easily see their facial expressions). This is not the perfect setup for everyone, but, it works for me. I can see everything all at the same time. And, I am a fan of the portable microphone, so my audio quality is better.

Switch to & from Zoom. Last week I sent this out in its own email, but I’ll share it again here in case you missed that one. You can drop it in Google Classroom or use it in a lesson. Mute if you wish and talk over it if you
Use and share as you see fit. LINK HERE

Help! I’m locked out of my computer. I have been locked out of my computer. I am supposed to be the tech expert, and I too have been locked out of my computer. There is an easy fix for that; and you can do it on your own. I designed a video to show you how to do that. VIDEO LINK HERE

Grades from Google Classroom to Q. Here’s the PDF that shows you how to export your grades from Google Classroom to Q. LINK HERE Do you want a VIDEO LINK? Here’s a VIDEO LINK for the video version of that same tutorial.

Brain Breaks and Physical Movement. Research consistently shows that movement is critical to brain function and memory. Some of you may start the day with movement. Or, some of you add it to the mid-point of a lesson. Anything to keep the children engaged. Shout out to Wendi Martinez (Bud Rank) who shared these great ideas with her team. You can find these on my website. CLICK HERE for the direct link. Reminder: always preview material before you share it.

iReady Videos. Do you need help with some iReady content?  See if these videos help.

	Building and Editing Report Groups			Converting a Batch Report into Individual Reports
	Creating a Custom Comprehension Check			iReady – Assigning Comprehension Checks
	Creating a Batch Diagnostic Report			iReady – Delete Teacher Assigned Lessons

Kindly,
Melissa Culver