New Year, New Possibilities

 Which path will you take?

As an educator, the new year can present new possibilities for both you and your students. You just need to be open-minded, be willing to take a chance and make a decision to follow a path or two or three.  What possibilities lie on your path? 

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New Learning - You want students to love learning, get excited about new ideas, and become lifelong learners - right?  If you 100% agree with this statement, then ask yourself - Am I learning something new? Educators know that modeling is crucial to teaching.  If as educators, we are not learning and excited about learning, how can we expect it from our students?  Actions speak louder than words!  Get excited - and share your goals with your students.

New Tools - What new tools would you like to learn?  What tools could make you more organized and reduce redundancy in your work?  Do you feel proficient in using the free GSuite tools available to you?  

We understand that learning a new tool and learning to use it proficiently can seem  like a daunting, time-consuming task. However, your Educational Technology Representative is ready to help you achieve your goal. We are here to answer questions and guide you to success.  Don't know who your representative is?  Click Here

What tools could make your lessons more engaging or spark creativity in your students?  

Adobe Spark, Flipgrid, SeeSaw, Padlet, Screencastify, Nearpod, Google Classroom, Google Slides, and Google Docs are only a few of these tools.  If you are interested in learning more, just do a Google search for the tool or contact your ETS Representative to learn how these tools could be integrated into your instruction.

New Methods - Do you struggle with classroom management?  Do you have new devices that you are not quite sure how to implement effectively?

Check out the new website dedicated to information about Managing the Digital Classroom.  There is a wealth of information addressing issues from classroom setup to a checklist to help you determine whether or not you are device ready.

New Mindset - From time to time, we all need a new start.  Remember, we're all a work in progress and just because we don't understand something now, doesn't mean we won't understand it ever.  This applies to both educators and our students.  Students need to hear that although they may not have the understanding needed yet, with our support and a new start, not yet can become very powerful!  In this video, Carol Dweck talks more about this power of yet.

New Excitement! Excitement is contagious - Please take a moment to inspire others by Clicking Here to post at least one goal you have for you or your students this year.

What's the deal with the new interactive flat panels?

You may have noticed that new interactive flat panels have been showing up throughout the district. If your Smartboard and projector are due for a replacement, the replacement you receive will likely an interactive flat panel.

Most of the district’s interactive whiteboards look like this:

A ceiling mounted projector or a projector that is attached to an arm on the Smartboard itself. bulbs need to be replaced frequently and filters need to be cleaned.

Interactive flat panels look more like a flat screen tv and lack a projector which means…

No more bulbs to replace and no more filters to clean! No more projectors to recenter!

Are the new boards hard to use?

Interactive flat panels have similar functions and controls to Smartboards and should not be a difficult transition for current users.

Will Smart Notebook work on the Interactive Flat Panels?

Yes! You will still be able to use the current version of Smart notebook and all of your lessons should load and work on an interactive flat panel. Some interactive flat panels also come with their own interactive software such as Oktopus (Stay tuned for more info)

For a brief introduction to interactive flat panels click below.

Stay Tuned for More Info!

Digital Citizenship

Teaching Citizenship in the Digital Age

Not so long ago, teaching students the importance of good citizenship amounted to topics surrounding community and government involvement, as well as their responsibilities within these groups.  Discussions were held and lessons were delivered about how movements throughout the years have changed the course of history and how people can make a difference by exercising their duty to vote.

While these are still crucially important topics to be taught today, the topic of citizenship has grown to also include behaviors and responsibilities in our digital world. Educators and parents alike must recognize and address the need to teach students today about how to become responsible citizens in both the digital and non-digital world.  If we ignore this pressing need, we fail our students now and possibly for generations to come.  If we don't teach them good habits at a young age, they will certainly learn through mistakes later.  In most situations and subjects, I strongly believe that mistakes offer an incredible opportunity for learning. However, mistakes of a digital citizenship nature can have lasting effects on all involved parties and are not mistakes from which I wish to see students learn. 

If you doubt the need to educate students about the importance of digital citizenship, just search for how social media posts can affect job or college applications - you might be surprised! According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process.

Technology has dramatically changed the way we study, work, collaborate, and socialize.  It can be a powerful tool, but we must make sure our students today - leaders tomorrow - learn to use it respectfully to create a brighter future.

For more information regarding digital citizenship lessons, visit Common Sense Media.

~Melisa