Tech Newsletter for 2/28

Have you looked at the little gear in Google Classroom when your students turn in their work? Click on the “Done” in the assignment and the gear at the top right will allow you to create a Google Sheet of all the assignments you have graded and returned to students. *You do have to return the assignment before it will show up on the spreadsheet. It will even calculate the average for you as well. Give it a try.  If you aren’t using Google Classroom yet, here’s a quick overview.

Tyler Thomas, math teacher at Pepperell Middle, has created an innovative method for students to self-check their work using conditional formatting in Google Sheets. When the students enter their answer into a cell in Google Sheets, the cell will turn green if the answer is correct. Take a look at his example: Measures of Center-Mean and Median Practice.

Curious about how other FCS teachers are using Twitter?  Go to the Floyd County PLN Twitter to see a feed of FCS teachers sharing, collaborating, and promoting their classrooms and schools.

Would you like to have students do voice overs on their written work? It’s as easy as 1, 2, Screencastify! Installing this Chrome Extension will allow your students to make 10 minute videos that save to Google Drive. Have them improve their literacy skills by making a read along text!

EdCamp Rome is FULL!

However you can be put on a waiting list Here

Interested in being a presenter at the

Kickoff Classic? Submit a session proposal HERE

Interested in Free registration

for  GaETC 2017?

By applying and being selected as a presenter you will have your

registration fee waived

Click Here for more information

Tech Newsletter for 2/21

Teachers and Students are inserting YouTube videos in Google Slides, but now you can create and use your own videos saved in Drive.

For more on this click here.

Teri Pendley and the Pepperell Elementary School staff  have been brushing up on their Twitter chat skills and expanding their professional learning network by participating in their own Twitter chat (#pesdragonspln). Follow #pesdragonspln on Twitter to keep up with the great things happening at PES!

Share what’s going on in your classroom or school on Twitter by including the hashtag #floydpln.  A hashtag allows users to easily view Tweets that contain a specific hashtag.  

FCS Twitter Guide

Technology allows  you the capability to do things you’ve done before in a new and innovative way. Tim Yancey at Model High School is working to modify his instruction by using the Lucid Chart Add-On within Google Docs.  This allows students to create flow charts, Venn diagrams, and other graphical data interpretations. Need to compare/contrast? Be like Tim and give this a  shot.

EdCamp Rome is FULL!

However you can be put on a waiting list Here

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Interested in being a presenter at the Kickoff Classic? Submit a session proposal HERE

Tech Newsletter for 2/14

Are your students researching for Black History Month? Using Google Scholar for Middle and High school students; and KidRex for Elementary students, can provide valuable reliable information for their research reports.

Have you heard about the trending “escape rooms”? Mrs. Phinazee, an ELA teacher at AMS, brought the concept to her classroom by utilizing Google Sites and Google Forms to create a digital escape room experience for her students. Put your critical thinking skills to the test and see if you can break out of Mrs. Phinazee’s digital escape rooms:

Shakespeare Escape Room

To Kill a Mocking Bird Escape Room

Twitter is an incredible tool to share events at your school.  Jamey Alcorn, principal at Pepperell High School, used it to live stream the return of wrestlers from the individual state championship in Macon, Georgia.

Click here to see the stream via Twitter

Piggy-backing on what our runner above is doing in her classroom, Mrs. Phinazee had to learn how to use the tools to design her digital breakout. To do this it took the use of Data Validation and Conditional Formatting in Forms. This is a powerful tool! See your ITS for assistance in building your own Breakout!

The 2nd Annual Edcamp Rome!

Saturday, March 18, 2017

at Rome High School in Rome, Georgia

www.edcamprome.com

What does it cost?

Nothing! The day is entirely FREE.

More info    Register

Tech Newsletter for 2/7

It’s February and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Here’s a fun ELA/writing activity using Google Drawings to create magnetic poetry, courtesy of @ericcurts (follow him on Twitter) & Control Alt Achieve

Students in Jenni Stansell’s Science class at AMS, are developing Google Sites that address solutions for tomorrow’s environmental challenges. Mrs. Stansell’s students are completing this task in conjunction with the 2017 TAG-ED Middle School Webchallenge, a STEM challenge that  focuses on the integration of technology and curriculum. To learn more about the TAG-ED challenge, click here.

Twitter is an excellent medium for learning from others or sharing the great things going on in your classroom or school within the Floyd County PLN or with educators across the country.  

Check out the link below to see Mr. Carvajal’s class at MMS doing a Google Hangout with Cat Flippen.

Link to video on Twitter

With Valentine’s Day coming up, why not integrate some SAMR into the experience. Just to remind you SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The idea of SAMR is to move learning to the Redefinition stage because tech allows for the creation of new things.

This site has some GREAT SAMR lessons for any grade level for Valentine’s Day. There are no tech, low tech, and high tech options available. Get to making some Valentines!

The 2nd Annual Edcamp Rome!

Saturday, March 18, 2017

at Rome High School in Rome, Georgia

www.edcamprome.com

What does it cost?

Nothing! The day is entirely FREE.

What do I need to bring?

Bring a friend and your favorite device: laptop, tablet, smartphone with the appropriate power cables.

More info    Register

Technology Newsletter for 1/24

Google Tour Builder has pre-made tours you can view or create your own. This Google tool allows students (and teachers) to create their own interactive tours of historical sites and events, travel brochures, and even locations in literature. These tours can be shared out with others for authentic real world audiences.

Jeremiah Veillon and Andrew Smith at PHS have been working on creating differentiated assignments for students using the “Go to section based on answer” feature in Google Forms. Click here to check out their phenomenal work!

Based on your response to each question (right or wrong) you will either advance to new material or you will be redirected to a remediation activity.

If you are interested in making your own differentiated activity in Google Forms you may want to use this template to help you get started.

How can Teachers use Twitter

for their Classroom?

• Share pictures of projects and field trips
• Connect with other educators by “following” them or a twitter chat
• Create lists of international news media
• Get parents mentioning or interacting with the class account
• Communicate with other classes

Everyone agrees that having students create authentic work is a great way to show mastery of a skill. Sometimes when they create these works, in the form of audio/video presentations, they may borrow work from another artist. There are limits to what can be borrowed and it’s their duty to know. Check out this basic Copyright guide to learn what is free to use and what isn’t.

Mark your calendars!

When: Saturday, March 18, 2017 from 8:00 to 2:00

Where: Rome High School

Cost: Free Registration / Free Food and Coffee / Free T-Shirt

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Congratulations  to…

Emily Stallings

Brian Worthington

For earning the

Distinguished Service Award!

Thank you for all you do for FCS!

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Also, Congratulations to Lee Green, Nathan Medley, Emily Stallings, and Ryan White on getting their Google Trainer Certification! An AWESOME accomplishment!

Technology Newsletter for 1/10

A snow day doesn’t have to mean no school day. Using Google Classroom teachers can provide assignments and students can move forward with their learning. Access to their teacher is just an email or comment away. Students can work collaboratively with their peers to discuss the assignments. Learning continues.

Congratulations to Glenwood Primary School for being approved as a Common Sense Certified School for Digital Citizenship! Glenwood Primary is being recognized for their continued commitment to helping students become good digital citizens.

Get Certified as a Teacher!

You have a Twitter account...now what?

Using the search bar, look for topics that interest you. So if you’re a middle school science teacher, you might look for “middle school science.” The search results will show you accounts of people who have listed those terms right in their profile—definitely check those people out as possible people to follow.

Also, check out FCS Employees on Twitter

Increasing technology proficiency requires a certain amount of risk. You have to be willing to play around to build the skills so you look like you know what you are doing when it goes live. Cave Spring and Model Elementary are spending time playing so students and stakeholders know what is happening in their schools via YouTube. Check em’ out and find out how you can build your Mad Skills.

Mark your calendars!

When: Saturday, March 18, 2017 from 8:00 to 2:00

Where: Rome High School

Cost: Free Registration / Free Food and Coffee / Free T-Shirt