Tech Newsletter for 4/25

Do you want to continue follow up activities for Earth Day? Missed Earth Day altogether? Just want some cool access to Google Earth? Google now gives you and your students access to Google Earth on their Chromebooks. Give it a try.

Google Earth

Courtney Twilley, media specialist at Model Middle School, has been hard at work designing a media center makerspace for students. Mrs. Twilley is excited to be opening the doors to her makerspace this week! Follow @TwilleyMediaEdu to keep up with the great things happening in the MMS Media Center.

Are you ready for STEM Day on May 5th?

Be sure to tell us about how you are incorporating STEM Day in your classroom/school or post pictures of events using #flocoSTEM.  Check out some current ideas for classroom STEM projects by looking at #STEM on Twitter.

Are you looking to step your game up for the coming school year. According to businessman Jim Rohn you are the composite of the five people you spend your time with. In the digital ecosystem of education, who do you grow with/from? Thanks to a great conversation generated by David Mowery from this article on building engagement via Twitter, how do you choose to engage? Who are the five people that sharpen your blade? How do you interact with them to build Mad Skills? Let us know at #floydpln who you are the composite of.

Mark your Calendar for

GA STEM Day on May 5th!

2017 GA STEM Day Video

Check out these STEM activities from last week’s newsletter.

Grades 3-5...How about an Interschool Popsicle Bridge Competition?

*Click here for more information and to apply to compete in the Cave Spring Invitational

on May 5th!!

Tech Newsletter for 4/18

K-5 STEM Activity

Young engineers will love these building activities that use craft sticks, cups and cubes.

Let your students use their creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Let them design, build, fail and rebuild and then celebrate all their amazing structures.

Click the picture below for ideas.

6-12 STEM Activity

If you are looking for a quick and easy STEM Challenge, check out the STEM Tower Challenge. The beauty of this activity is that you can easily tailor the challenge and utilize supplies you already have, such as: index cards, blocks, newspapers, balloons, pipe cleaners, etc. If you want to make the activity more challenging, consider adding specific stipulations or categories, such as, “Who can build the tallest tower that has the narrowest foundation?”

Looking for more STEM activity ideas? Check out this resource which includes an Army Man Launcher Challenge, Design a Life Jacket Challenge and more!

GA STEM Day is Coming May 5th!

Educators: Incorporate fun and innovative STEM activities into your classroom.

*CLICK TO REGISTER YOUR ACTIVITIES

Grades 3-5...How about an Interschool Popsicle Bridge Competition?

**Click here for more information and to apply to compete in the Cave Spring Invitational. 

Maker Kitchen

Have you ever seen the show Chopped? Well, Maker Kitchen works kind of like that. You hand students bags of ingredients and let them get to creating. Instead of rutabaga or flank steak you give students batteries, yarn mini speakers, and popsicle sticks. Then you turn them loose to create something awesome. Check out #makerkitchen on Twitter for more information. Want to build a class set? Here’s a list of recommended supplies but it can be anything you want.

Mark your Calendar for

GA STEM Day on May 5th!

2017 GA STEM Day Video

and use #flocoSTEM on Twitter

There will be a national Kidblog webinar with April Cummings on April 19 from 4:30 - 5:00

Sign up HERE

There will be a national Kidblog webinar with April Cummings on April 19 from 4:30 - 5:00

Sign up HERE

Tech Newsletter for 4/11

fcsclassic.com

Kickoff Classic : Preview of Featured Speakers

Casey Bethel

Casey Bethel is the 2017 GA Teacher of the Year. Mr. Bethel is a science teacher at Manchester High School in Douglas County Schools. He earned a Master’s Degree in Plant Genetics and conducted experimental research at the Center for Applied Genetic Technologies at the University of Georgia. Lessons he designed have been published in The Journal of Chemical Education. For the past five summers, he has sharpened his skills as a scientist, conducting experimental research in a Biochemistry lab at Georgia Tech. To learn more about Casey Bethel, follow him on Twitter @2017GATOTY and check out this inspiring video clip.

Tony Vincent

The only thing Tony Vincent likes better than teaching is learning. He currently resides in Council Bluffs, Iowa, but he used to teach fifth grade in Nebraska. Since 1998 he’s been a pioneer in digital learning, having a classroom website before many classrooms even had internet access. In 2001 he had a 1:1 classroom full of Palm Pilots, and in 2005 he started one of the first podcasts from an elementary school. Click HERE for more information about Tony.

Bernadette Lambert

Bernadette Lambert loves o write. It is who she is. She studied broadcast journalism at the University of Georgia. From there, she worked many other jobs – newspaper, college registrar, photographer, and even a buyer for nuclear plants in Georgia. Then, she worked for 10 years in the public school system teaching and eventually coaching teachers in all things literacy. Later, she joined Scholastic as a national reading specialist. From there, she joined the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) to spread the word about how rigor and relevance and learner engagement could change our classrooms.

Hackberry Labs

HackBerry Lab is a space for creative individuals to engage in designing, inventing, building, and problem solving. Home to the Berry College Creative Technologies program, it is a special place which houses the tools, technology, and community to support students and others need to let their ideas take shape. These tools include a variety of 3D printers, laser cutter and vinyl cutters, an extensive woodworking shop, welding equipment, and the tools and materials necessary to program and develop electronics from prototype to professional circuit boards. Housing programs like HackBerry RND, HackBerry Hands, and HackBerry Motorsports, we provide students opportunities to develop their specific skills and interests and share them with the community at large.

Additional Outside Speakers* Active Shooter - Michael Ruple Code.org - Tanya Cleeves Differentiation - Dr. Gilda Lyon Discovery Education - Aubrey Legrand GALILEO - Russell Palmer Gender Differences - Dr. Gary Ross Habitat for Humanity - Bruce Day Inclusion - Ray Hammett SLDS - Tammy Silvers Tech Fair - Bucky Bush University of West Georgia - Dr. John Ponder Workshop Model - Terry Haney *We are still confirming and seeking out specific outside speakers.

Tech Newsletter for 4/5

Are you still having trouble getting your items to show up on your Google Site? Do you sometimes forget to set share permissions or receiving emails to view your items? A simple solution is to create a shared folder in your Google Drive. Put all these items on your site in a shared folder and you will never have to worry again. Your items will show up to whomever views your Site. BONUS: The shared folder link can also be shared in your TKES documentations.

Congratulations to our most recent group of Level 1-Google Certified Teachers from Glenwood Primary School:

Carla Taylor

Bridget Quigley

Rhonda Childs

Carrie Graves

Angie Travis

The 2nd Annual Kickoff Classic is around the corner.  Be sure to follow @fcsclassic.  Also, feel free to post pictures from last year using #fcsclassic.  

Over Spring Break I, Lee that is, took a trip over to Athens to assist some friends with a conference they were putting on. Saturday morning was the conference, but there was also a Maker Faire Saturday afternoon. There was everything from cardboard, to knitting, to robots, to bicycle couches. Made me think, why not us? Is there anyone out there interested in turning kids into makers and showing off some talents? Email lgreen@floydboe.net. Let’s talk.

There will be a national Kidblog webinar with April Cummings on April 19 from 4:30 - 5:00

Sign up HERE