Using Technology While In the Classroom

As we move back from a blended instructional model to full in-person instruction, many changes will need to be implemented, as well as some things that should continue. Here are some ideas around what to do with the tools that have been used in Schoology up to this point.

Updates

Continue to post Updates in the Schoology Course. Kids and parents are used to checking there for new course information, as well as refer back for information that was previously posted. Notifications will continue to push out to individuals who are utilizing the Updates feature.

Materials

Continue to add materials to Schoology, even if they are not digital. Kids and parents are used to checking Schoology for informational materials and assignments. If you are doing an in-class or paper assignment, continue to add it to the course materials but turn off digital submissions to avoid confusion. This will allow all assignments to show up on the calendar and in the gradebook. Remember, quarantines and absences will still occur, so having things in one place will be helpful even when we are together. 

Gradebook

Continue to use the Schoology gradebook for reporting student progress for all assignments associated with a course. Students and parents are used to checking the Schoology gradebook for up to date progress reports. Continue to sync the gradebook with PowerSchool for the official grade report. Having the same score reported in both Schoology and PowerSchool will avoid confusion.

Discussions

While face to face discussions can now take place, continue to offer opportunities for online discussions. Giving kids a place to be in discussion with other students with the freedom to give thought to what they are posting can still offer a great place for learning.

Workload planning

With everyone back in person, ensure that the due dates are dispersed in a manageable amount for students by checking the Workload Planning feature. This will tell you how many course materials each student has on their plate throughout the week for all of their courses.

Cohorts

No need to do anything with the Grading Groups. Keep them established, as removing cohorts will alter past assignments that used the "individually assign" feature. When kids are all together, just don't use the cohorts that were created. Feel free to add Grading Groups if the situation calls for it. This can help in individualizing instruction as needed for any gaps that exist from the differences in Cohort attendance. 

Folder structure

Continue to use whatever basic folder structure that has been used up to this point in order to keep consistency. Whether items were organized by date or by unit, keep the same structure so students and parents can continue to find current materials.

Have your heard that ____is free during this?

Many companies are generously offering their content for free during the COVID-10 crisis. This is great, but as educators, there are some factors that need to be taken into account before jumping into this week's fad program.

Federal Regulations for children and technology:
There are three laws that govern what schools can do with students and technology. Most companies in the ed-tech sphere abide by these laws, but there are sometimes differences between free and paid versions that can be a liability for teachers. The three laws that we need to follow are:

1. COPPA: The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act prevents websites and online programs from being specifically marketed to those under 13 without parental consent. This law doesn't necessarily apply to programs that are marketed toward adults (ex. Zoom) Essentially, students who are under 13 cannot use programs that are not designated for their use.
2. CIPA: The Children's Internet Protection Act requires schools and districts to provide measures that help protect student safety online including education, filtering, and other measures. This is why YouTube has been blocked for elementary students and our internet filters are in place.
3 . FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects student privacy and bars the unauthorized release of student information. This can become an issue when sites are offered for free. Often, free apps make money through advertising revenue or data mining. When students are logged into a site, particularly one that is handling personal information, images, or other data, this data may be fair game for the site to mine and sell to third parties.

For this reason, we implore you to wait on adopting a program immediately. Instead think it through using these steps:
1. Do we have something that accomplishes this goal already? If we do, it is best to minimize both data risks, liability, and more practically, the number of sites students need to figure out and learn.
2. Have you read the privacy policy? If not, take a look. They detail how a site uses everything from what your camera sees (if used with the site/app) to what hardware or software you have on your computer and everything in between. Much of this may be personal data we don't want to encourage students to share if we can avoid it.
3. Who is the original intended end user? Companies that are oriented toward the education sector typically have specific polices that address each of the laws above and specify their adherence toward them in plain language (as required by COPPA). If the end user is intended as a corporate user, the policies may be harder to find or non-existent.

Wait, Is Her Chromebook Screen Showing on Her Projector?

Yes. Yes it is.

Google Cast for Education is a Google Extension that WCS has added to all teacher accounts which allows a teacher to "cast" their Chromebook screen (or any device running Chrome) to another device running Chrome!

Since our desktop computers are attached to projectors or TVs, you can show the room what is on your Chromebook while staying in the front of the room or as you walk around!

Step by step instructions for WCS teachers can be found HERE.

Video Instructions

Google Cast for Education Help from Google

#WCSwhereUbelong | #WestervilleWay | #WCSOHEdTech

No More School, No More Books, but my Tech is Giving me Dirty Looks...

You've almost made it to the end of the year. You are taking down posters and cleaning up your room, but what about your tech? There are a number of housekeeping things you can do now so that your classroom tech isn't a mess when you return in the fall.

1. Clean up your Google Account:
- Does your inbox make you cringe? you can archive and label your mail so that it is organized, but not cluttering your inbox. Nothing is deleted in this process, but you can put it out of sight until it is needed later.

- Clean up your Drive:
Now is a great time to take a look at your files in Drive. Do you add files to the main screen every time you start a Google doc? Are there 47 Untitled Documents that are sitting with no text in them? Delete what you don't need, and create files for the rest that organize what you have in a simple way for you. You can even color code your files!

2. Take a look at Schoology: 

Your current courses in Schoology are archived each summer. You still have access to them, but will need to search for them in the archived courses area. Instead of digging through old classes, this is a great time to save the materials you want to your resources. You can create files and organize any assignments, etc. in your resources so they can be easily added to next years classes saving you work and time! To do this: 

1. find a folder, file, or other item in a Schoology course

2. Click the gear icon

3. choose "Save to Resources"

4. Click the Resources tab at the top of the page and your selected files will now be in your Resources. Clicking the gear here will allow you to "add to course", move files, and reorganize to better meet the needs of next year's students. 

5. Do you have a team you teach with? You can even create/share resources with the group by creating a Group within Schoology resources. 

3. I'm Leaving Now:

Are you leaving for a new job/ graduating/ retiring? You can take the contents of your Google account with you. Use Google Takeout. This program allows you to choose the areas of your account you want to take with you and export the data to another account. It is a great way to retain access to any important items you have, portfolios to show prospective employers, things to hang on the fridge, etc. 

Schoology Connect OH

Register for Schoology Connect OH!

Want to learn more about how teachers around central Ohio use Schoology in their classrooms? Come to Schoology Connect OH this summer! It's a local, free conference for anyone interested in learning more about how Schoology can be used in K-12 classrooms and schools. Want to use Schoology for gamification? Want to learn more about Schoology Media Albums? Want to dive into how Google and Schoology can compliment each other? What about digital math tests? Personalized learning? Digital Breakouts? All of these topics and more will be discussed, analyzed, presented, and played with. (plus, there is free food. Just sayin'...)

EVENT DETAILS

Who Should Attend?
Educators and administrators in Ohio or neighboring states who are currently using Schoology or who are considering adopting Schoology for their district or school.

When & Where
Thurs. June 20th, 2019 | 7:30am - 4:00pm ET

Berlin High School
3140 Berlin Station Road
Delaware, OH 43015

What to Expect

Keynote:
The event will kick off with an inspiring keynote focusing on advancing what's possible in education.

Breakout Sessions:
Hear from other Schoology users on a range of topics including ongoing professional learning, student-centered learning, assessment and feedback, leadership and administration, engaged communities, and what's new with Schoology's LMS and AMP.

Professional Development:
Learn from and ask questions to Schoology product experts and collaborate with other educators.

Session Titles

 Session Descriptions (more to come)

Accessing GALE Resources in Schoology

Not that kind of Gale

GALE has created a series of resources that are available for teachers and students to use for research and lesson planning. These resources have been made available through Schoology to make it easier to incorporate them into assignments and student work without needing to login. 

Gale is "deeply integrated" which means any article can be pulled into an assignment, discussion, etc. from within Schoology itself.

Create an Assignment, etc. in Schoology:

1. Create an assignment, discussion, etc. and choose the "insert content" button at the top menu bar

2. Choose a database from the list that pops up.

3. This will open the database within the assignment window. Find the article that you would like to include

4. When you find the article, look at the right menu bar. There are two options for including the article: embed or link. Embed will put the article inside the assignment window and give all Gale's tools to students within Schoology. Link will open Gale in a separate window

GALE truly provides an awesome amount of research possibilities and information: From analyzing different points of view on a topic, to deep looks at different topics in any subject area, we encourage you to explore these great resources with your classes.

Formatting Digital Worksheets

We've talked about reflecting on instructional practices using the SAMR model for a while now. While higher level tech integration in classrooms is great, sometimes simple tasks still need to be completed. While worksheets can serve a purpose in a classroom, when we switch to a digital version for submission, we might want to take a look at the formatting when we do. A few simple conversions will make a lot of difference!

When worksheets were on paper, there was a need for lines to be present so students could respond to questions. Physical space had to be included in the original so that students could add to the worksheet.

1. Answer the question below:

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

However, in a digital world, these worksheets can be manipulated after they have been assigned to offer the space needed for students to submit their work!

Using Schoology's Google Drive Assignments, teachers can create templates for students to add their own responses. These worksheets work just like their paper counterpart, however, students have the ability to format the document as they respond. This means that the lines that we used to include for handwritten responses are no longer needed. Instead, create spaces for students to respond digitally!

Using Google Drive Assignments creates a copy of the document, adds the student's name to the title, and time stamps when it is submitted. Therefore, there is no longer a need to have a placeholder for the name, date, or eventual student work. These are all added after the work has been assigned.

Kids will then be able to open the document right in Schoology and add their responses in the appropriate spaces, then hit the submit button. 

[read more about Google Drive Assignments on Schoology's Blog here!]

With a little manipulation, teachers can use the worksheets that they have created over the years in the digital space that kids are becoming more and more accustomed to. As always, if you have any questions about how this works, or want someone to help you walk through it, reach out to your building's Ed Tech Coach!

#WestervilleWay | #WCSwhereUbelong

Schoology Connect Conference June 20, 2019

SAVE THE DATE:

JUNE 20, 2019

8AM - 3PM

Location:

Olentangy Berlin High School

3140 Berlin Station Rd,

Delaware, OH 43015

Calling all educators and administrators! Join us June 20, 2019 for CONNECT OH - a FREE day of interactive, professional learning opportunities with Schoology!

With regional networking and relevant content, this one-day event will leave you inspired and ready to advance what’s possible in your school or district.

CONNECT OH will include:

• A special message from Schoology on Advancing What's Possible in Education
• A keynote from a local educator or administrator to kickoff the day
• Your choice of sessions from Schoology and the community on topics like:
• Ongoing Professional Learning
• Curriculum Framework
• Student Centered Learning
• Assessment and Feedback
• Engaged Communities
• Leadership and Administration
• What’s New with Schoology’s LMS and AMP
• Networking opportunities with educators and education leaders in your region
• The opportunity to learn from and ask questions to Schoology product experts
• A certificate of participation that can be used for continuing education units (CEUs)

Registration will be open soon, but we are currently accepting presentation proposals: Share Your Expertise! presentation proposals are due APRIL 1st! No Joke!

Everfi is now linked with Clever!

Recently Everfi became fully integrated into the Clever portal, meaning that the materials available can now be linked and assigned to your classes!

Everfi is a FREE program available to all WCS teachers that uses interactive digital content to engage students in lessons focused on topics like financial literacy, entrepreneurship, STEM exploration, social-emotional learning, and health & wellness. Courses are age-appropriately designed for elementary, middle, and high school students. Current courses include:

ELEMENTARY

• Healthier Me
• The Compassion Project
• Summer Slugger
• Future Goals: Hockey Scholar
• Vault: Understanding Money

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Ignition: Digital Literacy & Responsibility
• Healthier Me
• Character Playbook
• Future Smart
• Endeavor: STEM Career Exploration

HIGH SCHOOL

• Venture: Entrepreneurial Expedition
• Honor Code
• Sandy Hook Promise: Say Something
• Mental Wellness Basics
• AlcoholEdu
• Prescription Drug Safety
• 306: African American History
• EVERFI: Financial Literacy

In addition to interactive digital resources aligned to state standards, educators also receive real-time reporting to see students' baseline knowledge and growth, lesson plans and discussion questions, access to EVERFI's ever-growing library of digital curriculum, and student scholarship opportunities.

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If you have any questions about the courses listed above or how to get students access to these course materials, don't hesitate to contact your Ed Tech Coach!

#WestervilleWay | #WCSwhereUbelong

MakerX 2019 is Coming!

Looking for an activity to which you can bring your family, inspire your educator side, and also have a great time? Well, look no further. MakerX 2019 is coming!

MakerX, The Columbus Maker Expo is an annual public festival celebrating "creating with

technology". It brings together makers from all over the region to share their work and engage
the public. The core of MakerX is non-profit educational institutions in the Columbus region but
the event welcomes participation by community makerspaces, other non-profits, businesses,
clubs, and individuals.

There will be exhibitors and activities for everyone including drone racing, robotics,
augmented and virtual reality demos, DIY instrument building, garden welding,
3-D printing demos and samples, coding, Lego, cardboard creating and much, much more. A complete list can be found here.

Westerville City Schools will be represented by students and teachers showcasing coding
and robotics. The Augmented Reality sandbox will be present for hands on experiences,
as well.

MakerX The Columbus Maker Expo is a festival of creating with technology. It is suitable for
all ages and will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2019 in the Buckeye Building of the
Ohio Expo Center (aka State Fairgrounds).

For more information, please see the MakerX website or contact Rachel Lacy or
Anne Baldwin with any questions.