Digital Tools for Data Collection
Creating a Classroom Website
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We will start with an overview of Weebly Education, a free, online service. Beyond the basics of web design, we will be looking at ways to use your website to communicate with students and parents, distribute course materials, use it as a launching point for student webquests, virtual field trips, etc. Workshop participants will leave with a working classroom website.
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Handout
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Discovery Education & Symbaloo
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Most of us are aware that we have a district license for Discovery Education,
but many do not fully realize what that entails. Discovery Education has been redesigned and expanded over the past year to include far more than simply streaming videos. The service allows teachers to create classes and give students their own login credentials so they can assign videos and a range of activities to them. The site can be used for assessment, reinforcement and enrichment. It also has an extensive library of self-paced professional development. In addition, at this workshop, Symbaloo will be demonstrated. This is a free, online service which can be used by a teacher to curate their own sets of online resources and files. These sets can be shared with colleagues, or with students, with possible uses such as research guides, internet scavenger hunts, virtual field trips, and more. |
Handout
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Leveraging Student DevicesMany, if not most, of the students who walk into our secondary classrooms bring with them devices (smart phones, iPads, Kindles, etc.) more powerful than the average home PC of just a few years ago. In this workshop, we will examine and discuss a number of ways teachers can tap into these devices to use them to actively engage students in their own learning. Please feel free to bring your own devices.
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Handout
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Going GoogleGoogle has a huge range of products, many of which most people don't even know about. In this workshop, we will be using our free Google accounts to access a number of those products that can be used on their own or in conjunction to help streamline and enhance both your professional and personal lives. We will be looking at how to use: Gmail to collect multiple email accounts in one place; Calendar to keep track of your life and share events or class information with others; Drive to store any files so they're accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, and create documents, spreadsheets and presentations which can be shared and worked on with others.
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Handout
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(free) Websites Worth Checking OutIn this workshop we will be exploring a number of websites for teacher and/or student use. They range from teacher-centric sites, designed to provide lessons, materials and other resources to teachers, to interactive sites which could be used in and out of the classroom for student activities. Participants will be given an opportunity to try out the sites during the workshop.
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Handout
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Smart Notebook & Smart IdeasDesigned from the ground up to be used with a SmartBoard, these two programs can become an invaluable part of instruction. Smart Notebook can be used for
everything from PowerPoint style presentations, to delivery of Smart Response assessments, to on-the-fly collaboration in the classroom. We will be taking an overview of the program, looking at its major components, learning how to import existing presentations, and how to access and modify pre-made Notebook files from Digital Nation. We will also take a quick look at Smart Ideas, the graphic organizer software also designed for the SmartBoard. |
Handout
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Core Connect & Other Core ResourcesAs of this year, our district has access to Core Connect, an online service
which collects and catalogs a massive library of Common Core aligned lessons and resources, mainly focused on ELA and math pre-K through 12. In this workshop, we will do a walkthrough of the service and learn how to find and access these materials. Teachers will be given time to explore the service on their own after the overview and come away with materials appropriate for their own classrooms. |
Handout
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PowerPoint for FlippingMost of us are familiar with PowerPoint. Unfortunately, most of us are familiar
with its power as a deadly sedative when used to present slides full of text which presenters proceed to read to their audience. We will begin with a discussion of how to use PowerPoint as a tool to illustrate and support class activities. What many people are not aware of is that the newer versions of PowerPoint include a set of built-in tools that let you record and narrate your presentations. These videos can then be shared with students in a variety of ways, including by embedding them in your website or uploading them to YouTube. These videos can be used to provide reinforcement of materials covered in class, content for students who missed the classroom instruction, or initial instruction in order to flip your classroom. You could also teach your students how to make videos and share their own presentations. |
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