Summer Learning Tools – Week 36

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 36 (May 18 – May 22)

Weekly Giggles:        What time is it when the clock strikes 13?

                                       Time to get a new clock.

 

Some of your parents are asking what tools in Clever will be open during the summer.  This is a great question.  Here’s my answer.

Clever is typically open all summer long. CUSD may opt to close it for a few days for re-rostering or maintenance, but for the most part it is typically available for most of the summer. Now, not every tool will work seamlessly all summer long.

Your Clever Teacher Page may disappear from their view in June or July. Those are re-roster dates for summer school and the new school year. If any child/family really likes any of those links, have them bookmark those links in Chrome for future reference.

Each software company sets up their own protocol for closing out sessions/classes. Freckle, Khan Academy, Epic!, and Prodigy may choose to archive classes for the year as they see fit. The district may remove tools as they see fit if they choose not to pay for those services anymore. So, a few tools may disappear.

With that being said, there will still be select tools that should work for most of the summer just fine. Fresno County Library should be fine. Google should be fine. Code.org should be fine. Adobe Spark might be there all summer long. Nitro Type and Typing.com will hopefully be there all summer long. So, the children have a number of tools to grow their skills and build complex learning structures.

Here are more learning tools that children can use over the summer:
Minecraft EDU. Additionally, children in CUSD have access to Minecraft EDU for free. This is accessible via an iPad, a home PC, or laptop. WEBLINK HERE. In order for the children to log into the software, they need to use this email template: mickeymouse001@my.cusd.com. Obviously, children insert their own username into that first spot. An error message may pop up. Just ignore that bit [or click OK].

Image credits HERE.

Is that really a learning tool? Yes. Here are just a few ways where children can showcase learning in this tool:
    1) Children are constructing architectural forms using blocks. Angles. Size. Proportion. Ratio. Distance. Shape. Purpose.
    2) Children are navigating characters in a virtual world. They can later turn this virtual world into a written narrative.
    3) Electricity and circuits. Children can place levers and doors into spot that respond to the motion of the character.
    4) Computer Science. Children can use block coding to build or move.
    5) Children can create a science model: the surface of the earth, volcanic environments, aquatic environments, mountainous regions, etc.
    6) Math models: fractions, ratios, multiplication, addition and subtraction, volume, area, and perimeter.
    7) Re-create themes/ideas from historical periods: Great Wall of China, Egyptian pyramids, Spanish missions, westward expansion, trade routes, market places, pioneer environments, or historical events.

MakeCode.org. Head HERE to access that website. If you wish to save your work, sign in. To sign in, use this template: mickeymouse001@my.cusd.com. Obviously, children insert their own username into that first spot. Where to start? Head to Chase the Pizza to see what the Arcade offers.

Image credits HERE.

TinkerCad. Are you interested in 3D modeling? Architecture? Circuits? Design modeling? On my YouTube channel I have a few teaching videos that will get you started with TinkerCad. Then, let your imagination take over.

Image credits HERE.

Image credits HERE.

And, the video for the Fresno County library is on my YouTube channel if families have not signed up to check out books via this community-based resource. Feel free to check out eBooks all summer long.

Keep on learning,
Melissa Culver

Non-App, Speed Control, and Virtual Talent Show – Week 35

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 35 (May 11 – May 15)

Weekly Giggles:        Why did the kid bring a ladder to school

                               Because she wanted to go to high school.

 

Add a Non-App to Your Home Screen. So, what if there isn’t an app for that yet? If you want to have an “app” available to you on your Apple device, but they haven’t designed an app for that yet, here’s an easy solution to have that available on your home screen. Parent Connect now has an app, but let’s pretend that your spouse is not tech-savvy and they can never remember their password for Apple…this is yet another way to get that tool on their home screen seamlessly. Lastly, if your parents need a quick way to check grades, feel free to share this out so they can monitor their child’s progress with ease. This video actually shows you how to add Parent Connect to your Apple home screen. VIDEO LINK HERE.

Video Speed Controller. When it comes to digesting tech-rich ideas, I rarely watch a video in 1.0 speed. I want to grab that content quickly and move on. So, I will speed it up. For the most part, you can typically use the speed controls at the bottom of a YouTube video. But, what if that content is on Vimeo? Vimeo does not have speed controls. Or, what if the video is inside of a collegiate learning platform and they disabled speed controls? This free tool will help you overcome those hurdles. VIDEO LINK HERE. 

Virtual Talent Show. So how are you navigating talent shows for your schools? You can design one for your class or your grade level. Or, you can use this to navigate a talent show for the whole school. You choose.  Head to Flipgrid, design a NEW GRID. 

Share that grid link with your community. 

Create that topic.

MODERATE that space.

Approve content as you see fit. Invite everyone back on a date at a time (if you want to moderate the space that way). And, voila! You now have a virtual talent show.

Enjoy the journey,
Melissa Culver

Digital Story Time, Google Certification, and Google Forms – Week 34

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 34 (May 4 – May 8)

Weekly Giggles:        How are false teeth like stars?

They come out at night!

Digital Story Time. Are you somewhat camera shy? Or, maybe you want to differentiate instruction, but you don’t want to record several texts each week. Oh, my word. I hear you. So, here’s a list of several authors and famous faces who are posting content (and have posted content). Just share their work. Sharing is caring.  LINK HERE.

Image credits: LINK HERE.

Google Certification. If you are interested in being certified through Google, now might be a good time to take advantage of that opportunity. Feel free to CLICK HERE to find out more.

Image credits: LINK HERE.

Google Form. How are your students doing as they navigate this season? How do you know? Did you know you can use the same Google Form over and over again? Feel free to use a Google Form twice a week, if you choose.  You can use it to see how the children are doing.  Yes, you have Zoom.  Yes, you have assignments, but this one tidy spot will let you gather that information seamlessly each week—or twice a week if you wish. If you aren’t sure how to use Google Forms, Sheri Johnston has posted two trainings on the topic and I have a video in my YouTube channel.  And, I am available via video conference.  So, reach out and let me know.  To get you started, you can COPY the one I made.  Tweak it to fit your needs.  Then, post to Google Classroom as often as you wish. 

REMEMBER: 1)Create the spreadsheet before you send it. 2)Change your name on the Form.

Twitter. I use Twitter for educational purposes. I use it to stay on top of what is trending globally in the world of education. Do you know what is happening in Shanghai? Do you know what is happening in Georgia? As I look at communities far and wide, I get a feel for how to shift my sail. As I look at trends in technology, I think of ways to change what tools I bring to the classroom. You don’t have to say anything on Twitter to be engaged. Follow some trending hashtags. Follow some people in education. Maybe you can check in twice a week. This way you can adjust your sail as needed as well.

Together, we’ve got this.

Kindly,
Melissa Culver

The Digestive System…and a few other bits – Week 34

CN Area Elementary Teaching Team:

Week 34 (May 4 – May 8)

Weekly Giggles:        How does a scientist freshen her breath?

                                       With experi-mints!

Unlisted Playlist. So what if you want to put content on YouTube because it is reliable, free, and easy to use, but you don’t want the world to stop by and watch your content? What if you want that content to be private and only viewable by your students? And what if you want ONE URL to share with your kids? Just one? Can we have just one link to share…and your kids can see all your special videos? Yes. You can. Here’s your solution. VIDEO LINK HERE.

Document Camera. Another way you can use a cellphone as a document camera in Zoom, is to function as Participant #1 and Participant #2 at the same time.  Use Zoom on your phone to enter the session. Give sharing rights to that “user” [you as Participant #2]. To see what this looks like, here’s a tutorial. Check it out.

CI&A Distance Learning Sessions. Did you miss out on any of those video teaching sessions hosted by Educational Technology? CI&A Posted those sessions online in one spot. HEAD HERE if you want to review any of those sessions.

Valley Children’s Hospital. My daughter visited Valley Children’s Hospital last week. She swallowed a camera the size of a pill. As that pill traveled through her digestive tract, it shared images with this camera via Bluetooth technology. It was strapped to her abdomen for 24 hours and recorded the entire journey.

I tell you all the time that technology will continue to revolutionize all industries far and wide. This is one more example of how the field of medicine must understand how to use advanced technology in order to perform their roles of saving lives. [All is good over here. No worries. Just wanted to share that geeky tech with you.]

Stay well,
Melissa Culver