Skyward Review

The end of the elementary grading period is rapidly approaching. Here are some reminders/updates to help you have success using Skyward Gradebook this time around:

• Print Cue - IT has added more servers and more print cues to avoid the delay in printing we had last grading period.
• Safari - Using Safari instead of Firefox has solved the problem of the rows and columns not lining up on the screen. Safari has also been loading Gradebook more quickly.
  
• Guided Reading Levels - In order for your GRL's to appear on the report card, we had to assign each level a percentage. The numbers that are now attached to the GRL's don't mean anything. They are only there so the correct levels will appear on your report cards. The percentages will not show up on the report card.
  
• Events - You must enter at least one event in each skill area you would like to have count toward the final grade. If you only enter a final grade for a skill area without any events, the subject area grade will not calculate correctly.
• Points - Grades are weighted by total points. If you want each skill area weighted equally toward the subject are grade, you must have an equal number of points in each skill area.

Visit the Canyons EMT (Educational and Media Technology) website for Skyward documentation and instructional videos. http://emt.canyonsdistrict.org

Remember to start entering your grades early! Do a test run of your report cards at least a couple of weeks ahead of time to make sure everything is showing up correctly.

Your Educational Technology Specialist will not be in your building on your February 26th EBL day due to the UCET conference. Plan ahead and get help early!
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A few more notes from Help Desk:

• The explanation of guided reading levels should be correct this term.
• “M” for modification is an option in all events, skills and subjects.
  
• You should also see an option for NA this term.
  
• 5th and 6th grade report cards should show the explanation in the number boxes at the top for the letter grades A,B,C, etc.
• If you have any trouble running reports or with blank fields again, please contact Help Desk or you Ed Tech.
  

Simple Teacher Websites

There are many options available to teachers who want to create a website for the class/classes. Here are a few options my colleagues and I have tried:

My UEN

• Free
• Utah teachers automatically have a my.uen account
• Pre-set template
• Fast, easy to use
• Simple design
• Content entered into boxes on the page
• Tabs to navigate to multiple pages
  
• Links to lessons on uen.org

Blog (I have always used Blogger, but there are many options for blogging.)

• Free
• Linked to your Google account
• Choice of templates, or create your own if you know html
• Can edit html
• Simple, one-page design
• Content entered in as posts or on side-bar
• Multi-media

Wiki (I have always used Wikispaces.)

• Free - educators can get a free account without advertisements
  
• Create as many wikis as you want with the same account
• Choice of templates, or create your own if you know html
• Can edit html
• Multiple-page design
• Content entered onto separate pages that can be linked
• Navigation bar on each page
• Multi-media
• Upload documents
• Formatting of text can be a little challenging at first
  

iWeb

• Pay through MobileMe account
• Limited amount of space
• Design your own layout
• Similar interface to other iLife applications
• Multiple-page design
• Content entered like a Pages document - your choice of design/layout
• Multi-media
• Quickly draws on items in iPhoto and other iLife applications
• Upload documents

Google Sites
Google Sites is fairly new, so I haven't actually tried it yet. I have seen it, though, and it looks simple and really great. If you have used Google Sites, please comment and let me know what you think.

Dropbox
I have had several colleagues recently tell me that Dropbox can make a nice, simple website too. Comment if you know more about it!

What have I missed? What are the pros and cons of each of these tools? Are there other ways you are creating quick and easy-to-manage teachers websites? Please comment.

I have decided that each of these tools are useful in their own way. If a teacher is looking for something that is quick and easy, I recomment my.uen. I have loved using a blog to have students contribute with their own posts, pictures, links, and movies. But, my favorite for classroom management has been a wiki. I like that I can have several pages, each for a specific purpose (information about me, parents, homework, students work, calendars, content areas, etc.), and I love that I can upload documents (worksheets, permission slips, donation lists, assignment outlines, class rules, etc.).

Here are examples of my teacher websites:
My UEN: http://my.uen.org/myuen/77889
Blog: http://bluntsixth.blogspot.com/
Wiki: http://bluntclassroom.wikispaces.com/

Learn to Use the Mouse

Activities to help kindergarten students improve their mouse skills:
Starry Night
Catch the Apples
The Three Monkeys
Fish World
Interactive Paper Dolls
Drag and Drop Matching Game
Feeding Frenzy
Click and Drag Animals

New NetSafe Videos

UEN has new free online videos and public service announcements available to watch and download to help teach kids safe Internet use. Check it out:

http://www.netsafeutah.org/index.php

Also available on Nut Intuit:

http://www.nutintuit.com/Default/

Midvalley Elementary - ARISS Event

ARISS = Amateur Radio on the International Space Station

Here are the YouTube links to the video footage from Midvalley's ARISS event:

• Introductions by Mrs. Burningham and Mr. Bettinson & waiting for contact:

• Students contact ISS:

• After the event:

• Dave Bettinson Interview:

Midvalley ARISS in the news:

• Deseret News Story
• Deseret News Slideshow
• Deseret News Story - Astronomy Blog
  
• ABC News Story
• Salt Lake Tribune Story

Canyons Educational Technology Survey

Canyons District Technology Survey

Podcasting

This is an outline of my podcast training. It contains the movies and links that were used and discussed during the training. As soon as it is edited and published, I will add a link to the podcast of the training. (Imagine that! A podcast about podcasting!)

Samples

• All About Me
• Prison Blues
• Willow Canyon Wonders
• iTunes

Basics

• What is a podcast?
• Podcasting in Plain English:

• What are the “rules” for podcasting?

1. Regularly scheduled - every week? every month?
2. Short segments - 10 minutes?
3. Audio bumpers between segments
4. Variety
5. Be organized and prepared.
6. Have a plan.
7. Have fun!

Planning

• Storyboarding
• ComicLife
• Examples:

Starting a new project


Voice

• Recording
• Microphones: internal mic, snowball mic
  
• Editing & moving clips
• Special Effects

Photos

• Adding photos
• Editing & moving photos
• Pics4Learning
  
• Flickr Storm
  

Jingles/Songs

• Adding music
• Editing & moving music
• GarageBand jingles
• Soundzabound
• Find Sounds
  
• Create your own in GarageBand

Movies

• It’s one or the other - pictures or a movie - not both.

Publishing

• Standard intros and extros
• iTunes U
• Websites, blogs, wikis

Copyright

• Fair Use Policy
  

• Creative Commons
  

• How do I search for CC material?
• Digital Copyright Slider: http://librarycopyright.net/digitalslider/
• Fair Use Evaluator: http://librarycopyright.net/fairuse/
• Exceptions for Instructors: http://librarycopyright.net/etool/index.php
• Section 108 Spinner: http://librarycopyright.net/108spinner/
  (Thanks to Ed Mondragon for the additional copyright links!)
  

Parent Permission

• Canyons District Information Release
  

Spanish Immersion Links

Activities
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage
Reading is Fundamental
Supermarket Spree
Poisson Rouge

Songs/Poems
Mama Lisa's World
Musical Spanish
RIF Canciones

Vocabulary
First Grade Español

Social Studies
Pearson Estudios Sociales

List of Websites
Best of Spanish Websites

Reading and Math Educational Websites

Reading and Math Educational Websites

Reading:

• Starfall
• ReadWriteThink
• GameGoo
• Sesame Street
• Arthur
• Play Kids Games
• Toon University
• Primary Games
• Apples 4 the Teacher
  
• Surweb
• Pioneer Library
  
• Utah History Encyclopedia
• Puzzlemaker
• Language Arts at pppst.com
• Storyline Online
• Free Rice
• Poisson Rouge
  

Math:

• National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
• Pattern Dots / Polka Dot Shorts / Patterns Shape Our World
  
• Toon University
• Primary Games
  
• 2 minute warning
• Rainforest Maths
• Elementary Math
  
• Mathematics at pppst.com
• Apples 4 the Teacher
• Free Rice
• Amelia Earhart Elementary Computer Lab
• Illuminations
  

Additional online K-12 teacher resources:

• Canyons EMT
• UEN Core Curriculum
• UEN Student Center
  
• Thinkfinity
• Literacy Network
• ReadWriteThink
• Elementary Technology Lessons

How to add these sites to the school folder

As with any other educational technology tool, educational websites should be used as part of a planned lesson to teach core curriculum concepts. For example:

1. Anticipatory Set - A short activity, dispatch or prompt that focuses the students' attention and ties previous lessons to today's lesson.
2. Purpose - An explanation of the importance of this lesson and a statement concerning what students will be able to do when they have completed it.
3. Input - The vocabulary, skills, and concepts to be learned.
4. Modeling - The teacher demonstrates what is to be learned
5. Guided Practice - The teacher leads the students through the steps necessary to perform the skill using multiple modalities.
6. Checking For Understanding - The teacher uses a variety of questioning strategies to determine if the students are understanding.
7. Independent Practice - The teacher releases students to practice on their own.
8. Closure - A review or wrap-up of the lesson.

(Source: Dr. Madeline Hunter http://www.csun.edu/science/ref/plans/lesson_design_hunter.html)

Example:

Patterns

• Core Curriculum: 1st Grade Mathematics, Standard 2, Objective 1
  
• Anticipatory Set: Patterns Shape Our World
  
• Purpose: identify, create, and label repeating patterns using objects, pictures, and symbolic notation
• Input: Mathematical language - attribute, repeating patterns
• Modeling: Eyes on the "big screen"
  
• Guided Practice: Polk Dot Shorts
• Checking For Understanding: Pattern Dots
• Independent Practice: Kid Pix Patterns
• Closure: View student project and review concepts and vocabulary learned
  

Tips and Ideas for the Computer Lab

Computer Lab Basics

Computer Care & Use

• Leave the computers on. If you turn them off, they will have to be booted up by the next class and the techs aren't able to work on them remotely.
• Mac laptops can typically just be closed and they will go to sleep. Turning them off means extra time for the next group who wants to use them.
• On Macs you need to quit applications (Command Q), not just close application windows (red bubble).
• What is the difference between an open application and an open folder? Folders contain files, documents, applications, etc. They can be closed using the red bubble or Command W. Applications are actually software programs you work in (like Word, GarageBand, or iTunes). They need to be quit using Command Q.
  
• When do I single-click and when do I double-click? Why does it matter? Double-click to open documents, folders, or applications on your desktop or inside folders. Single-click to open items on your dock. Single-click almost all links when you are on the Internet. Double-clicking on items that only need a single-click can cause items to open when you did not intend them to, can take you to links you did not mean to follow, can submit information twice, and can generally "confuse" your computer.
  
• Keyboard shortcuts: Command Q = Quit, Command S = Save, Command P = Print, Command W = close Window. Other keyboard shortcuts can be found to the right of menu items.
  
• Projector: Learn how to turn it on and off, connect it to your computer (Macs need an adapter), and remember to turn it off when you're done.
• School Folder: Create a new folder by going to the "File" menu and clicking "New Folder". I suggest you create a folder with your name, then create a file for each student inside that folder for them to save all their work.
  
• You can drag websites to your school folder, too. Click and drag the icon next to the url of the website into your folder. Then the kids can simply double-click on the icon and they're in!

• To add a picture to an icon you have created in your school folder, find a picture you like on the web, copy that picture, single-click on the icon you want to change, type Command I (I is for Information), Click on the tiny picture of the icon in the information window, then Paste (Command V) the copied picture. Close the information window when you're done (Command W).

• Saving: The shortcut is Command S. Have the students click on "School Folder" in the left-hand column of the saving window, then click on your folder, then click on their folder. Now when they click the "Save" button in the saving window it will be saved to their folder. (Hint: If you cannot see the list of files to save to, click the triangle next to the saving title to expand the window.) Practice saving to the school folder with the kids over and over. It takes practice. Save often. Use a consistent file naming system to help find lost items. I like this format: title_name . I don't use any capital letters, spaces, or punctuation.

Cleaning

• Computers, keyboards, screens, mice, and counter tops need to be cleaned regularly.
• Dusting - Swiffer sweepers or Swiffer dusters work very well. Pressurized air cans can help with keyboards and other hard-to-dust computer parts.
• Cleaning wipes work well for cleaning and disinfecting computer surfaces and keyboards.
• Computer screen cleaner can help avoid streaks when cleaning screens.
  
• Unplug the mouse and keyboard before cleaning.
• Students can help clean computers if they're taught how.
• If one person is cleaning, wear gloves and wash your hands when finished!
• Every class is responsible for leaving the lab straightened and organized after each visit. Push in chairs, pick up pencils and papers, etc.
  

Trouble Shooting

• School Folder: If the school folder is missing, you can always save to the desktop and drag to the school folder. Then, notify tech support which computer was having issues.
  
• Finding applications: If you ever have trouble with the dock, you can get to all the applications several other ways. I use the "Go" menu.
• Occasionally the Internet connection may be down. Have a backup plan that does not require the Internet.
  

Management: The computer lab is a classroom too. Rules, routines, and procedures are very important. Here are some suggested rules for your students:

• Wash your hands! (Imagine all the little hands that touch these keyboards every day, and all the germs that come with them!)
• Food, candy, gum, and beverages should be kept out of the computer lab.
  
• Enter silently.
• Stay in your seats while working (unless instructed otherwise).
  
• Do not disturb switches, cables, or cords.
• The computer volume stays off unless the teacher tells you to turn it up.
• When headphones are used, set them to an appropriate volume level. If I can hear what you're playing through your headphones when I'm not the one wearing them, they're probably too loud.
• Take good care of headphones. Wind up the cords, then hang them or box them up.
  
• Focus on your own work. Helping your neighbor is usually a nice thing, but not in the computer lab, unless you have permission. Why? 1) You could be telling them the wrong thing. 2) The teacher can usually help more efficiently. 3) If you always do your neighbors' work for them, they will never learn to do it themselves. Does this mean you can never work together or share? Of course not! But the teacher will let you know when it's time for collaboration.
  
• There are talking times and non-talking times. Your teacher will let you know what your speaking volume level should be.
  
• Line up after class. Before walking out the door, check to make sure things are better than you found them.
• The teacher is in charge of getting all copies from the printers. Students should only be near the printers if they have special permission.
  
• "Hands off!" is the signal to stop what you're doing, take your hands off the computer, and listen for instructions. (Flickering the lights is the signal when headphones are in use.)
  
• Sit on the carpet or turn your chairs when the teacher is presenting on the big screen.
• Always work at your assigned computer. If the computer doesn't seem to be working, patiently raise your hand and wait for the teacher to either fix the problem or reassign you. (Tip: If your students have class numbers, assign them to the same numbered computers. This helps with accountability for computer care, pushing in chairs, finding lost documents, etc.)
  

Best Teaching Practices: The computer lab is a classroom too. Lesson plans and curriculum connections should be used in the lab, just as they are in the classroom. Here are some suggestions:

• Grade Level Routines: Spend the first 10 minutes of each lab time doing a standard activity. This will get the students engaged right away. For example, 10 minutes of keyboarding, 10 minutes of math facts, 10 minutes of geography practice, 10 minutes of reading practice, or 10 minutes of story or singing time.
  
• Tie your main lesson/activity into the core curriculum.
• Plan your lessons. "Winging it" can be even more problematic when technology is involved.
  
• Applications, software, and hardware are simply teaching tools. Their effectiveness depends upon how they are used. Plan and prepare for their use just as you would for any other lesson. For example, it shouldn't be Kidpix day or Internet free-play day every time you're in the lab. Yes, that takes effort and ideas. Ask me for help!
  
• Keyboarding: Keyboarding for Kids, Dance Mat Typing, Typer Shark, Spider Typer
  
• Math Facts: 2 Minute Warning
  
• Math Activities: National Library of Virtual Manipulatives, Toon University
  
• Geography: LizardPoint, States, Capitals
  
• Reading: Starfall, ReadWriteThink, GameGoo, RIF Reading Planet, Sesame Street
• Science: Science Clips, Bitesize Science
  
• Social Studies: CultureGrams, The History Channel, Surweb
  
• Lesson Ideas: 30minutelablessons.com, Thinkfinity, ArtsEdge, Edutopia, eMINTS

For more curriculum ideas, visit the Canyons School District Educational and Media Technology (EMT) website for more links and ideas! Click the link at the bottom titled "Great K-12 Sites".