WCSOH EdTech Camp 2016 is now Open for Registration and Call for Proposals

We are excited to announce WCSOH EdTech will host our annual EdTech Camp on June 1st and 2nd at Blendon Middle School from 8:30-3:55. Come learn, share and have some fun as we continue to implement the 21st Century Roadmap transforming our classrooms into student driven blended learning environments.  EdTech Camp will offer a full day of technology integration topics ranging from novice level sessions including how to use Google Apps for Education and Schoology to advanced sessions including supporting Blended Learning in your classroom and exploring communication practices and tools beyond your classroom walls.

In addition to attending EdTech Camp 2016, we are looking for presenters.  Are you comfortable teaching your peers how you use Schoology, Google Apps for Education or another tech topic?  Have you created a Google Form or another digital tool to collect Formative Assessments? Have you created a Book Study in Schoology? Have you invited  an expert using Google Hangouts or Skype to present to your class?  Have you implemented an innovative lesson using technology tools to support student learning? Then we are looking for you! Please think about presenting at EdTech Camp 2016!  This is a wonderful opportunity to share how you have implemented technology in your classroom with your peers.

To register for EdTech Camp go to EdTech Camp 2016.

To submit a Call for Proposal go to EdTech Camp 2016: Call for Proposals

New Online Videos to Help Parents Support the Third Grade Reading Guarantee

Have you seen the three new videos to help parents help their children practice reading? Reading on the Go, Reading for a Purpose, and Reading on the Screen, all less than three minutes, give parents concrete, easy tips to help their children become stronger readers and meet the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.

They are perfect for sharing during parent nights and come with a collection of companion flyers with even more tips. Find them all on INFOhio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee page.

The flyers and videos were developed by INFOhio, the State Library of Ohio, Ohio Educational Library Media Association, and the Ohio PTA. They are available to all Ohioans for free download.

Please share with your parents by using the sample messages below in school newsletters or on the school Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Sample message for school newsletters:

Reading can happen anytime, anywhere!  You and your children can explore the joy of reading together with this series of “Reading ‘Round the Clock” videos that gives easy tips for working reading practice into everyday activities. These three videos—Reading on the Go, Reading for a Purpose, and Reading on the Screen—give great tips on keeping your family reading and preparing your children for Ohio's Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Link to the videos and to companion flyers with even more tips on the INFOhio Third Grade Reading Guarantee page at https://www.infohio.org/students/parents/resources-for-the-third-grade-reading-guarantee. The flyers and videos were developed by INFOhio, the State Library of Ohio, Ohio Educational Library Media Association, and the Ohio PTA, and they are available to all Ohioans for free.

Sample Tweets and Facebook posts:

Watch the short video Reading for a Purpose to find fun ways to emphasize reading at home. https://vimeo.com/149091464 #INFOhioWorks

Always on the go? You can still help your child practice reading. Learn how in this short video. https://vimeo.com/149151093 #INFOhioWorks

Make screen time reading time with your child. Learn how with this short video. https://vimeo.com/149151138 #INFOhioWorks

Help your child breeze through the Third Grade Guarantee with these short videos and tip sheets http://bit.ly/1aDg4kb #INFOhioWorks

Baby Eagles!

A live cam of the eagle’s nest from the Rhodes Tower in Columbus is available here.  

Here is another one from the nation’s capital in DC. An excellent source of information on eagles can be found at the National Eagle Center's website.

You can also check out all of the digital resources on INFOhio.org to find educational information on eagles -- World Book Kids, Explora, ISearch for starters!  Search your CAT also. What books does your library have on Eagles? – perhaps a display idea!

Using Google Forms to Create Poems

At Alcott Elementary, Mrs. Amici's 5th graders recently completed a Google Form to answer the question, "What makes you special?" Students were instructed to share the first positive thing they thought of about each of their classmates. This was accomplished by Mrs. Amici creating a Google Form with every student listed.

"Using Google Forms made the process of collecting student responses much easier," said Mrs. Amici.

Under each student name, the class had to write their one positive word to describe their classmate and submit the Form.  Mrs. Amici then shared the collected positive words with each student and they wrote and decorated a "What makes you special?" poem.  The poems were then shared with each student and parents to celebrate how each student is special and unique.

Google Form used to collect Student Responses

Google Sheet used to Compile Student Responses

Google Art Project Combines Art, Life and History

Google Art Project is a collection of digitized art from around the world.  The Art Project provides users with 738 collections from around the world including 13,106 artists and 245,009 items showcased in the collections. Users can search by Collections, Artists or Artworks as well as by featured Projects such as Art Projects, Historic Moments and World Wonders.

For example, search Art Projects, Collections and choose MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art. The Collections gives users a description of the museum, any available Exhibits, a Museum View which allows users to virtually walk through the museum, and all Items available in the digital collection.  The first piece shown is "The Starry Night." When the user chooses the artwork, the artwork appears, a description is available in the details as well as any available videos and audio files and a map of where the artist lived. 

Another example, search World Wonders, and navigate to the Grand Canyon on the map.  The collection will open to show scenery from the area in Street View as well as images including paintings and photographs from the location.  

If you have not checked out Google Art Project we strongly recommend doing so. It is a powerful way to connect art, life and history.

Using E-Portfolios in the Classroom

For years teachers have displayed their students' work on school walls and bulletin boards. However with the new digital age and more schools going paperless student work has become more easily shareable, accessible and more easily organized.  

Both students and educators need to share their achievements and to reflect on what they learn. Portfolios provide them with the ability to quickly and easily collect, organize, and share their work with others.

Schoology makes this feature fun and streamlined with their new e-PORTFOLIO feature. Located in your Schoology personal profile, portfolios make it easy to showcase students’ work, interests, and talents.

Above is a sample collage of items that were easily shared in the student’s Schoology portfolio. 

If you would like to try the ePortfolio feature but would like a help getting started, please contact your EdTech Integration Coach.

EDCITE Digital Content Reviews Are Now Published at SpotOnReviews.org

During the 2014-2015 school year, over 70 Westerville teachers participated in EDCITE:  Evaluating Digital Content for Instructional and Teaching Excellence project.  The intent of this Straight A grant funded project was to address the critical task of transitioning Ohio's school districts from print to digital curriculum. Through the EDCITE collaboration of five school districts, we were able to develop reviews of 300 core course products that will help educators make informed content selection decisions.

After wrapping up the EDCITE grant, we have transitioned to SpotOn™ The Classroom Content Selector (www.spotOnReviews.org). SpotOn is an initiative of The Ohio State University’s College of Education and Human Ecology, and is separate from the Ohio Resource Center, who we worked with primarily during EDCITE. SpotOn will use the reviews and rubrics developed during EDCITE and will continue reviewing digital content through academically validated methods. By fall 2016, SpotOn will host reviews of many types of K-12 digital content including paid and free material, ranging from core-courses to games and apps.

You can see the reviews today at www.spotOnReviews.org. We are adding new reviews continuously so be sure to visit the website often to find ideas for new resources for your classroom. SpotOn is continuing to contract with educators to perform reviews. If you or a certified educator you know is interested, please contact the Director of Professional Learning, Tanya Parisi at parisi.17@osu.edu.  

Look what Alcott Elementary 2nd Graders are Creating!

Check the fantastic projects Mr. McQuown's 2nd Graders are completing using Google Drawing. The first project the students created was an Arctic Animal Fact poster. The students worked in pairs to plan and create their poster.  They opened Google Drawing, inserted a background, an arctic animal clip-art, and a call-out cloud before typing their animal fact.  After completing their poster, each student shared their work with Mr. McQuown who then posted the work to an Arctic Gallery on his web site for parents to see.

The next project the students worked on was a Beginning, Middle, End story plan.  After reading one of the Magic Tree House books, Mr. McQuown shared a Drawing template with the students and asked that they each add a picture, a call-out cloud and type in the beginning, middle and end of the story in their own words.  

Finally, this week Mr. McQuown created an -ou and -ow Spelling Sort. The sort was shared with each student who then had to type in their -ou and -ow words and add an example photo of one of the words.

WCS Trash to Fashion Show- Coming to Starry Night on Sunday, April 10!

     Attention:

Creative students with an eye for fashion and a love for the environment!

Trash to Fashion

The Trash to Fashion competition is open to all students in Westerville City Schools.   This contest is totally voluntary and is meant to inspire student’s innovation and creativity.   

THINK “PROJECT RUNWAY”!

Each participating school will select TWO winning designs to compete in the district competition to be held at Nationwide Children’s Starry Night event on Sunday, April 10^th, 2016 at Westerville North High School from 2:00-6:00pm.  Additional details and the entry form can be found at:

www.trashtofashion.weebly.com

Digital Learning Day- February 17, 2016

Digital Learning Day 2016 is February 17, 2016

On February 17, thousands of schools and local communities will celebrate the fifth anniversary of Digital Learning Day and, more importantly, will take part in the exciting transformation of teaching and learning powered by technology. It may not be the only day where educators and students go digital, but it is a day that challenges everyone to be actively involved in reimagining the education system. Getting there is not just about using digital devices, it is about using them in ways that promote deeper and more engaged student learning. It is also about making sure that all students have access to those opportunities, not just those fortunate enough to attend the best schools. On February 17, celebrate education innovation by sharing how you will reimagine learning in your classroom, program, school or district. This could involve pairing up less experienced educators with more experienced ones to do a joint digital lesson or trying out new ways of using technology in classrooms. Whatever you do—however small—makes a difference!

How will you celebrate? Official registration for local Digital Learning Day events is now open. Registration is easy and only takes a few minutes. Share how you plan to celebrate the day and your event will be added to the map of events across the country (and the world).