I have been invited onto a Tech committee for my school district. We are going to meet once a month to discuss different ways we can incorporate technology into our daily classrooms. I have also been given the opportunity to become a Google Certified Educator! So with that being said I got to go to the 26th annual RCET Conference in Springfield, MO on March 3rd and 4th held at Missouri State University -- my husbands alma mater.
The first day was great, the weather was cold but they had made arrangements with Missouri State University to shuttle us from the parking garage to the student union so time spent in the cold was very minimal.
Pre-conference Session:
8:30-10:00
Give Your Reading and Writing a Tech Boost
Presenters: Larissa Bray and Melissa Golder from Washington Public Schools
These girls were amazing! Their energy was high, their passion was inspiring and I walked out of there with a fire in my belly that I didn't want to go away! AND everything they showed us is FREE!
(smore.com has some cost involved)
Here is their link:
www.techboost.weebly.com
We learned about:
Structure and Organization
blendspace
schoology
google classroom
Reading Tools:
NEWSELA -
Newsela is an amazing resource if you are looking for non-fiction articles for your students. There are two types of accounts: Free & Pro. The pro version does give you some excellent features (assignment creation, quizzes that are aligned to reading standards, annotation features), but this version is quite pricey.
Diigo -
Diigo is a great resource for teaching student to annotate or to use Close reading strategies when they read. Diigo has a bookmarklet also that students and teachers can add to their web browser toolbar for easy and quick access. You can also use Diigo with Newsela (free version) and still have the ability to annotate grade-leveled non-fiction articles! Diigo can also be used when researching with your students so all of their important facts are all located in one spot.
LearnZillion -
Learn Zillion is a great resource to use when in need of a lesson on ELA or Math concepts. All lessons are created by teachers for teachers and are all aligned to CCSS. It is super easy to set up classes and students. Once students are put into a course then you can assign students specific lessons completely individualizing their learning.
Literably - Literably is an amazing resource to help with running records for teachers. Students read a passage that is recorded (via a microphone or a computer with a microphone). The teacher sends that in to Literably and within 24 hours a running record is sent to teachers with specific information about that student's miscue analysis, accuracy, rate, and comprehension.
Storyline Online - Storyline Online has well-known celebrities who read a children's book to students. The reading is recorded and teachers can choose from many different children's book titles, specific authors, and even readers. This resource typically goes up to about a 4th grade reading level, but could easily be used in other grades also as a listening station or a compare/contrast lesson.
Lit2Go - Lit2Go is a free online collection of short stories and poems in an audiobook format (MP3). With each passage there is an abstract, citation, playing time, and word count. In addition, many of the passages have a specific reading strategy that can be tied to that story or poem. Each passage can be downloaded as a PDF and printed. This would allow for Close reading strategies and analyzing of the passages.
Writing Tools:
LinoIt -
Do you love "Post-It" notes? What if you had a digital version of a "Post-It"? That is exactly what Lino-it is; a digital cork-board where you can put "Post-its". Lino-it takes it even further, though, and allows you to collaborate with others and then what you have is a great brainstorming tool for students. You can also add images, videos, and other items to the cork-board to share ideas. There is also a Lino-it app for both Android and IOS devices!
Padlet -
Padlet is a lot like Lino-it. This is an area where multiple people/students are able to post ideas, thoughts, or to house information on a specific topic. Padlet is embeddable and has just created a Padlet Backpack version for teachers. The Backpack version is $45 per year, but has unlimited amount of student accounts for free.
Schoology -
We have talked about using Schoology as a way to organize your class, but it can also be a great tool for writing. In Schoology, the teacher has the ability to create a discussion board where students can respond to a prompt, an open-ended question, or to one another on a topic. If you create a discussion board it is recommended that you talk with your students about appropriate behavior and writing standards before just letting them go. This will help you with less headaches later!
Storybird -
Storybird is an amazing tool that allows students to create their own stories or books! Storybird has artwork available to use from illustrators around the world. Students can choose an illustration to help them get started or even create their own to use. This resources will have students excited about writing.
WeVideo -
WeVideo is a video creating tool that anyone can use with ease. There are three different views depending on a students skills with video editing. WeVideo uses drag-n-drop technology that allows for quick and easy editing.
Smore -
Smore is a great tool and allows you to use it in many different ways. You can have students create an infographic, digital poster, newsletter, movie poster, and the list could go on and on. It is very easy to use so no matter what grade you teach your students will be able to use this!
Now do you see why this presentation would be SO exciting to attend!
I do hope they present next year and I get to go!
@braylarissa and @melissagold
#techboost
10:15 - 11:45
What Google Can Do For You
Presenter: Klista Rader - 21 Vision Education
We learned different ways to search within Google. We created Custom Searches that would be safe for students instead of giving them free range of the internet.
I did learn that you can search based on reading abilities:
Basic is 5th grade level text
Intermediate is 8th grade level text
Advanced is Post-Secondary level text
**To be honest, this presenter spoke so fast and clicked through the screens that myself and those sitting around me got so far behind that we will have to venture out on our own to put together the ideas she was sharing. I thought this was interesting because she kept referring to how fast she was talking but never slowed down.
***Needless to say that fire in my belly was starting to extinguish, this session was frustrating and I was lost. On a teacher note -- I got to feel what some students probably feel in my class when I introduce a new concept that others pick up on right away and they didn't. HOPELESSNESS was a very frustrating and depressing feeling.
1:00 - 2:30
Getting Stated with Google Classroom
Presenter: Amy Layton Walker - Marionville Public Schools
She also discussed YouTube Downloader. If you work in a district that blocks student access to youtube, this app allows the teacher to download the video and then attach it to a document so students can watch the desired video.
She also discussed iRubric app -- this is an amazing app!
Other discussion topics were QR Codes (probably not something I can use in my 5th grade classroom but a great tool for secondary teachers and also a great way for administration to get notes out to faculty.) She also showed us how to use URL shortener and extensions.
She was a great presenter and very enthusiastic, made me want to be a student in her Spanish classes!
She was so good I stayed for her second presentation...
2:45 - 4:15
Google Sites + Google Classroom = Virtual Classroom Resources
Presenter: Amy Layton Walker - Marionville Public Schools
We created our classroom site, I had already created one before attending this seminar but she was able to help me tweak it a lot!!
Tips, Tricks, and Tidbits she shared:
Google Drive allows you to share an entire folder with students, not just a file.
lucid chart, lucidpress, docs, sheets, forms, slides, and drawing allows collaboration between students and teacher.
Chrome Time Savers:
Alt + Enter = open new tab for websites
Ctrl + W = Close all tabe
Crtl +Shift + T = Reopens tabs (you can do this over and over if you accidentally close out of too many tabs)
Ctrl + H = access browser history
Select the desired tab and click and Hold the back button to access individual browser history.
To search in the same tab highlight text and drag to Omnibox
Extensions:
Voice Search
Clearly
Magic Scroll
Panic Button
Nimbus Screenshot
Non Chrome Extensions:
Plickers
Kahoot
Lingt
Remind101
deMobo
MoveNote
VideoNot.es
Day 2 of the conference was CrAzY
We had a winter storm system that hit early that morning. Our keynote address was suppose to be delivered by a group of high school students from Green Forest East in Arkansas, however due to weather they were unable to make it. They did send a video of their presentation and they did an amazing job.
That morning they gave us a list of all the seminars that were cancelled due to the weather and unfortunately most of the ones I wanted to go to were on that list.
Overall, I had an amazing experience. It probably would have been more enjoyable if other teachers or staff from my district were there. I did see one of our tech people and got to talk to her for a minute . I ended up leaving after lunch due to the fact that the presentations that were left I had either gone to the day before or they were geared toward administration and tech controllers. Also, my boys schools called off school early due to weather. (I am sitting here on a snow day because the roads were so bad).
