Enhanced Distance Learning – Week 30

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

So here we are on week three of Distance Learning. Here are a few updates/tips/ideas that may help you or your students:

Week 30 (March 30 – April 3)

Giggles:                                   What do you call a dog magician?

                                                  A labracadabrador.

Encouraging words:

Flipgrid. We have two Flipgrid topics now. Consider leaving a video for our Custodial and Kitchen teams. They are hard at work serving us and our students. Tell them how awesome they are. Use the drop-down menu to switch from one topic to the next (yellow arrow). Click the circle. Record your video. Leave a kind message. Use your long CUSD email to get in (@clovisusd.k12.ca.us).

Roku. If any of the children in your classrooms (at home) have a Roku television/device, you can add GoNoodle to the Roku. Engage the whole family. Get those exercise minutes in. Or, sit and relax with mindfulness. Spend two minutes thinking about gratitude with their gratitude video. Tons of videos to choose from.  All free.

Image credits here.

Multi-screen workflow. Would you like to work from your couch with better sound and visual display? Screenbeam to your television. Large display. Great audio. Zoom meetings with 20+ people? Now you can see those delightful faces clearer. I created this three-screen setup so I can stand during the day. My neck is thankful.

Screencastify. So, if your students each make a Screencastify video, how do you navigate 20+ video links easily? Or not. Screencastify is beta testing a new product and they want your feedback. Head HERE if you are interested. They can set you up with the pre-release version. As you design assignments, students submit those videos to a folder that belongs to you. This workflow makes accessing that content seamless/easy/user-friendly.  LINK HERE.

Need a website quick? Want a copy of another website? You’ll have to ask, first. But you can get a copy of someone’s website and make some quick adjustments to make it your very own.  Aren’t sure how?  Watch this tutorial.

Need a whiteboard? Use the shower. Pant hangers. Curtain hooks. Sheet or table cloth. Glass shower door.  Expo marker. Voila! Instant teaching space. Great for parents and students. Feel free to share. I'm not quite sure how the story of Jimmy, Sandy, and the seagull will end up just yet. The rising action is still under-developed.

Together, we’ve got this,
Melissa Culver

Distance Learning - Week 29

Here are more tools to enhance your Distance Learning experience:

Week 29 (March 23 – March 27)

Giggles:                 How do you get a squirrel to like you?

                                                      Act like a nut!

#CUSDFamily. What a whirlwind of a week.  And you all weathered it with grace, courage, and kindness.  I saw some of you at the video training hosted by Sherri Johnston.  I saw some of you in Google Meet as we connected over tech-rich ideas.  For some of you, I really enjoyed watching your Flipgrid video.  And, for some, we connected via email as you asked great questions.  You are the heart of Clovis Unified.  You make this learning environment what it is.  I cannot say enough great things about your tenacity, grit, fortitude, and compassion.  You are gems.  I am thankful to work with such magnificent people.  You are doing a great job.

The hearts of our children are on display in the comments we see in Google Classroom.  Resilient and longing.  A combination of both.  It’s okay to affirm and support these sweet hearts as they navigate this experience.

Flipgrid. Hang out with the cool kids.  Click that circle.  Leave your video.  Challenge someone else to post a video too.  Use your long email (@Clovisusd.k12.ca.us).

Here are some of the questions that are coming my way:

Reset Student Passwords. Many of our kinder and first-grade parents are emailing you to reset those passwords.  And, they need help.  For some, this is their first child in school, and they don’t use Parent Connect very much.  So, here’s a video that will help them reset those passwords. VIDEO LINK HERE

What is Zoom? How does it work? This video tutorial can answer some of your questions on how to get started.  It did not show you how to share the URL or generate one.  Email me if you need help with that.

What about Google Meet? Everyone keeps talking about it.  How does it work? Here is a tutorial to get you started.

You shared a link to a free resource by the name of Epic!. What is that? How does it work?  HERE is a video tutorial for students.  It doesn’t show you the teacher side of things, but it can get your students started if you are sharing a new-to-them resource.

PowToon. Just got an email from their CEO.  Their resources are free for students until June 30.  You can see how to find that in THIS VIDEO HERE.

Image credit here.

PE at home. My parents are asking me for online content to get the children moving. What resources do you recommend? GoNoodle is the online tool I recommend for movement and relaxation. PARENT LINK HERE. Feel free to share that with parents, or find content you can post to Google Classroom.

Image credit here.

I want to use this time to learn all I can about tech-rich teaching and learning. I’ve always been curious about 3D printing. What do you recommend? PrintLab just released a lot of their content FREE. Now is a perfect time to learn about 3D printing and 3D print design. HEAD HERE to learn more.

Image credit here.

I want to send an email, but it’s 11:30 at night.  Is there some way I can delay the delivery of that message?  THIS VIDEO tutorial will show you how to delay the delivery of a message.  Got it on your mind, but don’t want to send it right now?  Delay it with this tutorial.  

Video conference PD.  Team, if I start hosting digital PD, what topics are most important to you?  Email me.  Let me know.  And is 2:00 a good time for you?  What about frequency?  Twice each week or every day?
    a) Google Classroom. Introductory or advanced lessons.
    b) Google Sites. How do I do more advanced things or even beginning things in my website?
    c) Screencastify. How does it work?  How can my students uses it?
    d) Flipgrid. How do I get started?
    e) WordArt. I want my students to do an art project. Can you help me get started with that?  How do they share their work with me?
    f) Collaboration. I want my students to share their work with a classmate to get feedback from a peer. How do the kids to that?
    g) Feedback. How do I effectively provide feedback on Google Classroom assignments?  Where is the comment button and how does it work?
    h) Parents are concerned about screen time. What are some at-home tools that parents can use to monitor what their kids are doing on technology?
    i) My colleagues are designing great Google Classroom assignments.  How can I get a copy of those and share that with my students?
    j) Microsoft Outlook. So, how do I create a signature? And, how do I design folders? And how can I get those cute balloons to show up easily?
    k) Video-based teaching. How do I get started? What are some tools I should/could use? Is closed captioning an option? It could really support my EL kids.  But, how do you use that bit?
    l) The link to my website is so long. I want one of those short ones. How do I fix that?
    m) Other. Suggest ideas of your own.


We can do this,
Melissa Culver

Learning-At-Home Resources - Week 29

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few details to start off the week:

Week 29 (March 23 – March 27)

Thursday Giggles:                 How do you get a squirrel to like you?

Act like a nut!

You are extraordinary. The reports that come to my phone and my email are dear and sweet.  One teacher said, “I take attendance each morning and the children tell me how they are doing.” Another teacher said, “All but one child was able to connect in our Google Meet session.”  The comment threads are dear to read as your children post things in Google Classroom.  They like doing school in their pajamas.  They like sleeping in.  They like doing school next to their dog.  Yet, they miss you so much.  They absolutely miss being with you.  And your sweet words that reassure them that you miss them…it is so sweet.  This is a testimony of the heart of Clovis Unified.  You are extraordinary people.

Troubleshooting. Here are more answers to the questions you have shared with me.

My students cannot find Google Classroom when they click the waffle.  What do I tell them? That does happen sometimes.  The easiest fix I share is this: head to classroom.google.com AFTER you go to Google Drive.  This will take them right there. 

More than one child is using the same device.  Clever isn’t switching between users easily.  How can they switch between users quickly and easily?  THIS PDF will help you navigate that.

I would like to record video lessons for my students. What are some Screencast options? THIS VIDEO contains three options.  Zoom was opened up last week.  You can certainly use that as a conference/teaching resource as well.

My students are not rostered in Google Classroom.  I just made a Google Classroom.  How do the kids gain access to that digital learning space? HERE’S A PLAYLIST with videos to teach you all about Google Classroom.  And, HERE IS A PDF that you can share with parents so they can roster their children.

My students want to email me. Is that an option? Yes. Your students can email you from their CUSD email account and you can directly email them back. HERE IS A LINK to a PDF that will help you show them what that process looks like.

Adobe Flash Player is blocked for a child. How do I tell them to fix it? HERE IS A LINK to a video that will walk the child through the process of fixing Adobe Flash Player if it is blocked.

Google Classroom Notifications.  I want to make sure that I get all the notifications from Google Classroom as children post things.  How do I update that? THIS LINK HERE will take you to a video that will show you how to make those adjustments.

Some students are reporting that there is significant lag with their device.  Things are moving slowly, or they have trouble switching from one student to the next on one device.  How do I help them with that? THIS VIDEO LINK can be shared with your students. It teaches them how to clear the cache in Google Chrome.

My students/parents keep asking me about iReady login details. Are there any files I can share with them to answer their questions?  Use THIS LINK HERE to find a copy of those PDF’s.

I lost the original email with the Clever login details.  Where can I find that? USE THIS LINK here in order to get a copy of that file.

Can you just share a folder with all these resources? I don’t want to save all these links. Yes. To find all of these tools in one seamless location, you can HEAD HERE.  Bookmark that link so you can find these again.  As more resources are designed, I will add those to this folder. 

CUSD has an easy access link for staff that will answer many of these questions and more.  Bookmark this link; more information will be posted here as we generate more documents to answer additional questions.

Team, we can do this!

Melissa Culver

Learn-From-Home Tools Galore – Week 28

CN Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 28 (March 16 – March 20)

Thursday Giggles:                   What is a computer’s favorite snack?

                                                  Computer chips!!

Keep bein’ awesome. I still think you are the best ever.  Thank you for your wonderful emails and phone calls today.  Thank you for trusting me with your questions. 

Flipgrid. If you haven’t posted your Flipgrid video yet, feel free to do that (see email from Thursday). 

TROUBLESHOOTING. Here are some questions you have been asking:
 
What is the link for the CUSD website that helps students/parents? And how can students reset their passwords? That link is HERE. Students/parents can reset student passwords from the comfort of their home. Instructions are listed on that page. 

My colleague just posted an assignment to Google Classroom, how can I get a copy of that?  I designed a teaching video to tackle that very question check out this link here: VIDEO LINK.

We want to share a PDF with our students, but the original document is 40 pages long.  How do we only share pages 5, 7, 9, and 12?  HERE IS A VIDEO that tackles that very question.  I walk through the process of showing you how to shorten that original with only the pages you want intact.

How do I know if the website I have designed will work for parents? THIS VIDEO will show you how to use an Incognito Window.  You can use this to ensure that what you see on your end is what they will see on their end. 

How can my students upload their finished work to Google Classroom?  HERE IS A VIDEO that shows your students how to upload their work to Google Classroom.  These very steps are similar to how students would upload their work from a cellphone as well.  Parents can scan those finished pages via their home printer/scanner.  Then they can upload that entire PDF to you via Google Classroom.  No drop-off needed.

Clever Teacher Page. Without using Google Classroom, how can I share weblinks to my students easily?  Have you discovered the Clever Teacher Page? Well, to find out more, check out THIS VIDEO.

Team, I’ve got more videos to come.  Stay tuned.  I plan to upload two videos tomorrow: Clever with Multiple Users on One Device and How to Clear the Cache.

Keep bein’ awesome!!!

Stay curious,
Melissa Culver

MakerBot, Bootcamp, Laptops - Week 26

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Here are a few highlights from this week:

Week 26 (March 2 – March 6)

Thursday Giggles:                            Why couldn’t the pony sing a lullaby?
She was a little hoarse.

3D Printing. MakerBot recently came out with a school edition machine. Smaller. Affordable. Comes with access to 600 lesson plans. LINK HERE.

Image credits here.

If you are interested in learning more about 3D printing, or if you would like to be a lead teacher for your site, please let me know. Reach out. Email me. Let me know if this is interesting to you.

We can build community within our communities by showing students in grades 4, 5, and 6 how to design/edit models for children in our special education department. Pictured below: Flexible gecko. Braille cards. Cane tags.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to sit at a kidney table and teach blind children how to read? How can you inexpensively acquire multiple sets of braille cards? I’ll give you the answer: we can print them. Or how can a blind child locate their cane as it rests on the wall? Same answer: we can print a solution.

Long-term, real world connections. 3D printing will impact many industries (nearly all) of tomorrow. Eye glasses. Fashion. Machinery. Mechanics. Medicine. Computers. Architecture. Transportation. Dentistry. Organ transplant. Tumor removal. Bone surgeries. Many industries are being reshaped by what people can produce on a 3D printer.

Bootcamp. Sherri Johnston will email out a presenter form soon. If you would like to teach a session at Bootcamp, just pay attention to that submission form. Dates are June 15 and 16. Location is CART (Center for Advanced Research and Technology). Cost for CUSD staff is free. Email me if you have more questions.

Laptops. Remember to report maintenance issues ASAP. Warranties expire and we lose out on free repairs when damage is not reported in time. Remember to restart all student computers every 7-10 days. This ensures that they function at their best.

Team, you’re awesome and you are doing great things.  I am thankful for you.

Stay Curious,
Melissa Culver