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