Schoology Professional Development

Online PD opportunity!
Schoology is offering a series of Back to School Webinars for both the new user as well as the experienced user.  These webinars take place August 2nd- August 18th.  You can sign up to attend a session and will be sent the playback link if you miss it.


Read more about this here.

Announcing Technology Solutions!

Westerville City Schools Technology Solutions

As part of the Learning and Teaching Roadmap, we have purchased both devices and digital content to support the district’s vision for educating students in a 21st Century Learning Environment. As the use of technology tools in our district has grown tremendously, so have the number of requests for repairs and assistance to the IT and the Ed Tech departments.  In order to provide staff with a user friendly and timely experience in having their technology needs addressed,

The IT and Ed Tech departments are pleased to announce

the “Technology Solutions” help desk!

The cornerstone of this initiative is a new ticketing system that will allow us to quickly receive, respond and resolve your technology requests, such as:

• Hardware (Computer, Laptop, Chromebook)
• Software
• Google Apps (GAFE)
• Projectors
• Network or Internet issues
• Copiers/Printers
• Phones/Voicemail
• PowerSchool (including PowerTeacher and the Parent Portal)
• Digital Content (Schoology, Lexia, Dreambox, Clever, TenMarks, A/R Star, etc).
• Technology Integration Professional Development (Technology Integration Coaches)

So that we may efficiently and effectively address your technology issues,

it is extremely critical that ALL requests are submitted via our new ticketing system:

Click HERE for the link to the help desk

Your login for the ticketing system web portal will be your Windows/network username and password (ex: BaileySh).

Once logged into the system, you will be able to:

• Submit your own ticket to Technology Solutions using the website here.
• Receive updates through e-mail or SMS text
• View a history of tickets you have submitted
• Access FAQ’s addressing common issues

The new ticketing system will be available for you to use beginning June 1st.

Thank you for your cooperation as we bring to you the Technology Solutions help desk!

The following video provides more information on how to submit a work order:

End of Year Wrap Up for Schoology Users- Important Information!

Hello Schoology Users!  As we wrap up the school year, here are some important directions for how to finish out the year with Schoology.

Please know that your old courses never truly go away, but they do become archived at the end of the grading period.  Reading about archived courses below, as well as how to save your course materials so that you can easily access them again next school year.

Use this handy Schoology Rollover Course Checklist: Instructors to help you end the year and start again in August!

As always, if you have questions, reach out to your Technology Integration Coacht:  David Hayward, Lane Halterman or Kim Niles.  Enjoy your summer!

• Saving & Sharing Courses for Next Year
• Archiving Courses
• Saving Course Materials 
  Consider the following scenarios when determining the best way to save and/or share your materials for next year:
• I’m teaching the same course at the same school again next year. How do I save and reuse my materials?
• I’m leaving my current school/organization/department, and I want to share my materials with the instructor who is taking my place.
• I am leaving my current school/organization/department, and I want to take my materials with me.
• Saving & Reusing Your Grade Set Up

Summer Professional Learning Opportunity! Blended Learning in Grades 4-12 Book Study

The EdTech team would like to invite staff to join an online book study on the book, Blended Learning in Grades 4-12, but Katlin R. Tucker.  In this book study, educators will learn the process for integrating online learning with face-to-face instruction in a way that is aligned to the Common Core Standards.  This class will address the issue of “how to blend?” using the online environment to increase engagement and drive higher-order thinking. It is appropriate for those who work with students in grades 4-12.

The book study will run for six weeks from June 1, to July 18, 2016 and will take place in Schoology.  The book study may be taken for one Muskingum college credit or for 1.5 CEUs (15 contact hours). Muskingum credit will cost $130.00.

View the Syllabus

Sign up by June 1 to participate!  The first 20 people to sign up will receive a free copy of the book!

Right Side Chat

Here is a quick tip on how to move your Chat window from the left column to the right side of your Gmail page.  This does not change any functionality, it gives you more space on the left to view your labels.

Directions:

1. Open Gmail

2. Click the Settings Wheel, Choose Settings

3. Choose the Lab tab

4. Scroll down to Right Side Chat, Choose Enable

5. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page

6. Enjoy!

Take an Inspirational Journey Across the World

360°  Technology-Take an inspirational journey across the world with your students on

a virtual reality adventure right from your classroom.

Mark Twain’s 4th grade classes did just that with Mrs. McCoy’s and Mrs.Glaser’s students.

“WOW”,  that was the the response when the students explored

the 360 Virtual Reality technology!  Each student had an opportunity to explore Patriotic

Landmarks and then took a helicopter ride over the Polar Seas.

 

Many websites now provide Virtual Reality experiences to provide realistic visits to many cities and places. Fourth Graders explored the below Patriot Landmarks link: https://s.nearpod.com/j/9EC63BF9D57DBB03AD111F3575FE0E5D-1

Are you getting ready for a summer vacation?  Below are some 360 links to explore before you leave.

Statue of Liberty-http://www.360cities.net/image/statue-of-liberty-side

Mount Rushmore-http://www.360cities.net/image/mount-rushmore-usa

Grand Canyon-http://www.360cities.net/image/grand-canyon-mather-point-overlook

Golden Gate Bridge-http://www.360cities.net/image/golden-gate-bridge-from-the-air

Washington Monument-http://www.360cities.net/image/washington-monument-washington-dc

Old Faithful-http://www.360cities.net/image/old-faithful-geyser-eruption-usa

Immerse yourself in the world's first 360° documentary Polar Sea 360 film that explores the drastically changing Arctic landscape. Watch this with you google cardboard viewer and create a realistic experience.

Good Morning Huskies!

Good Morning Huskies! Every morning the 8th grade news team at Heritage Middle School starts their day recording the daily announcements, sports updates and any news of the day.  Daily announcements provide a great way for students to get involved in school, build school community and pride and have a little fun to kick off the day. The team is supervised by Kellie Sheely, Kris Konik and Patrick Acocks who support the project helping the team write and edit scripts, filming and posting the final video daily in Schoology.

Recording daily announcements is not a new concept at Heritage but using tools like WeVideo and Schoology have helped with editing and distribution of the video to the staff and students. In the past, videos were posted to the Shared Drive for teachers to access and show during 1st period.  This year the news team began posting the morning announcements to the Heritage Middle School Group in Schoology.  “Using Schoology to post our videos allows teachers easy access to the videos,” explained Mrs. Konik. “It also provides a reason for our staff to get into Schoology each day and has helped in supporting the transition to building student centered blended learning environments.”  

Central’s New Makerspace Christened “The Hawk’s Perch”

This isn’t your grandfather’s library!

Libraries have always been a place for inquiry and deep learning, whether the medium is print or electronic, and at Westerville Central High School, the library is busier than ever. Recently, in partnership with the Renaissance team, Principal Todd Spinner, an anonymous parent donor, the library, and funding from the Westerville City Schools Educational Technology Department, a new makerspace area, nicknamed “The Hawk’s Perch,” was dedicated. The counter holds a host of small tech tools that students can experiment and explore with including a MakeyMakey circuitry kit, two Little Bits electronics kits, laser strategy games, Ozobot programmable miniature robots that teach students how to code, and much more. Students can use the Hawk’s Perch area before or after school, or during their lunch or study hall times, and the library maintains an open access policy for pupils.

In addition, the library has a green screen recording space, cameras, and a camera stand and easel
board students can use to make “Khan Academy style” videos using the district’s WeVideo editing program. WeVideo integrates with Google Drive, so students can edit from school or from home.

The makerspace movement is founded on the belief that learning is inquisitive and student centered
and is grounded in the educational theories of constructionism, constructivism, and Montessori, and aligns with the work of Piaget, Vygosky, and Dewey (University of Wisconsin, Teaching for Creativity and Innovation: The Maker Culture and Makerspaces).

Students Explore, Discover and Engage during Hanby's Magnet Power Hour

Hanby Magnet School implemented Magnet Power Hour this year with their students in first through fifth grade. Hanby Magnet Power Hour is a special hour of learning where students  “Explore, Discover and Engage”.

Hanby Magnet School teachers have offered their students exploration time during Power Hours to integrate the Science, Technology, Arts and Math (STEAM). During this hour students explore questions and find interesting and relevant subjects that inspire them to learn more.

Hanby teachers ask their students: What do they want to learn?

Students are allowed time to explore their ideas with guided instruction.  Power Hour is schedule once every six days and the students look forward to this special time for learning.  Students choose what they are passionate about and spend time discovering.

An example project by our first grade students in Mrs. Smith’s class included exploring various coding activities.  Some of the sites used for these activities are as follows:

1. Code -Learn to code, for students
2. Espresso -Coding–for youngers
3. Hopscotch -Programming on the iPad
4. Scratch Jr. -Coding is the new literacy!
5. Tynker -Tynker's online courses make programming fun.
6. Kahn Academy -A personalized programming learning resource for all ages

Mrs. Plumb, a Hanby 3rd grade teacher lead a project on  Antarctica. Students  in various grades discovered  animals and explored their habitat. Each student documented their findings with Google Docs.

 STUDENT FEEDBACK:

What do you do during Power Hour?

• “We get to do candy experiments, create animations and study reptiles” said Ella, first grader.
• “I like Mrs. Smith candy experiment and how we get to journal.” said Nana, third grader.
• “I like Power Hour because I’m learning about reptiles, painted turtles and how the shell grows,  it’s my favorite class.” John, third grader.  “We also used Google Docs to show our research on Antarctica.” Nana, third grader.

Hanby teachers offer student choice during Power Hour.  Students love Power Hour and look forward to it every week. Power Hour gives Hanby students choice, time to explore, discover and engage.

Starry Night

Sunday’s Starry Night will Fuel Imagination through Art and Science

On Sunday, April 10, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., families are invited to the 4th annual Starry Night learning festival, sponsored by Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Westerville Partners for
Education. The event will take place at Westerville North High School, located at 950 County Line Road. The festival will offer dynamic learning experiences with experts from Columbus’ premier educational, business, and community organizations.

The Festival is geared toward students in preschool through grade 8, along with their caregivers and families, the event will highlight the connection between arts and science. The theme this year is, Art
and Science – Fueling Imagination.

Generous sponsor support brings diverse exhibitors together under one roof, including
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Performing Arts Medicine and “Stinky – U”; Otterbein Physics
and Biochemistry; The Ohio State University’s Electrical Engineering Outreach; Insect Petting
Zoo; Byrd Polar Research Center; Westerville Parks and Recreation; Musical Instrument Petting
Zoo; Westerville Electric’s Energy Bike; S_E_A Engineering; Coding with the Girl Scouts;
AvcomSMT; Westerville Arts Council; Dramatic Impact with Candace Darman; ZenKidz;
Walnut Springs Maker Space; Laser Cutting; a Trash to Fashion show; and much more.
Westerville Partners for Education organizes this event as an annual opportunity for families to learn together and develop relationships with community organizations.