Tech or Treat

Today finds me hanging out in the flexible learning space in the SMAMS Library.

The event is a "Tech or Treat" PD opportunity, focused on differentiated learning.

There are three learning stations at "Tech or Treat":

• Google Forms
• For Mastery
• Students have to get all of the answers correct before submitting

• For Remediation & Challenges
• <Go to Section Based on Answer>
• Upon answering incorrectly, students can be directed to a worked example or tutorial, before attempting to answer again.
• Upon answering correctly, students can level up to a harder question

• Quizalize
• For Mastery
• Turn on the "Mastery Mode" so that missed multiple choice questions will be re-entered into the quiz again, and again until the student gets them right. 

• For Remediation & Challenges
• Based on the student's achievement, he/she will be sent to an appropriate follow-up quiz, activity, video, etc. 

• Differentiation Design 
• What are you going to differentiate in your lesson... 
• the content?
• the process?
• the product?
• How are you going to differentiate... 
• by student interest? 
• by skill level? 
• by learner profile? 
• Are you going to include...
• centers?
• flexible groupings?
• student choice?

Then...  will you find your groupings by a pretest or something else?   Will there be direct instruction at all?  What will that look like?   What happens after formative assessment results are taken? 
How will the summative assessment be conducted? 

A differentiated lesson plan has so many layers and potential combinations of strategies.   The MS is creating a Differentiation Design Team of teachers to pilot some design frameworks this year.

Are you interested in building a lesson plan this way for your department or grade level?  Reach out to me and we can work though this together!  jtamburlin@smasd.org 

In the meantime please stop by the MS Library for our second day of "Tech or Treat" tomorrow, Wednesday, October 30th.  Here are some pictures from what we have in store!  

SMA Device Care

As more and more devices roll out here at SMASD, we need to be more and more careful on how we use and transport our iPads, Chromebooks & Laptops.

The SMAMS Geek Squad Tech Assistants have come up with the following device care video.  Please take two minutes to view and share it with your students.

If you would like to print any of our slides to use as posters in your classroom, you can see the slideshow HERE.

Special thanks go out to:

*ACS: Advanced Computer Solutions for their tips and advice.
*Mr. Micale's 3rd Grade Class for their expertise and best practices.
*Mrs. Defilippi's SCORE period for their willingness to demonstrate.
*SMAMS Geek Squad Tech Assistants for putting this slideshow together.

Chromebook Tips & The Geek Squad

More and more Chromebooks are finding their way into our classrooms.  In today's TechSpot I want to highlight some of the keyboard and touchpad functionalities of the device.   As teachers working on mainly Windows machines, it makes it challenging to offer tips to students as they are working, especially at the elementary level. 

Below I have remixed a resource from another Google Trainer that illustrates some of the key functions, shortcuts and, my personal favorite, touchpad capabilities! 

Consider sharing this resource with your students by: 

• displaying it through your projector during free time
• to allow for self-discovery/exploration learning
• print the poster and display for students to reference while working
• print on 11 x17 paper if possible
• if not Print > More Settings > Scale > Fit to Page
• post on Google Classroom as a "Material" 

As always you will be fascinated with how quickly the kids can pick up on these tips!

I especially love the touchpad tips, consider starting with those!  

Click HERE to open the infographic in Google Drawings.

Feel free to File > Make a Copy of this document to save for yourself. 

Have other questions about the way your devices operate?   

• SMAMS has started a Tech Assistants - Geek Squad who are putting together resources to help teachers and students work with our devices. Check out what we have so far, and offer ideas for new posts in the comments below!   Once we get a good bank of resources we will start sharing them in a common space.  

Click HERE to open the site.  

Note this is a working brainstorm sheet, students are still figuring out permissions, etc. 

October 2019 In-Service Presentations

Maybe, just maybe, by now we have recovered from Monday and Tuesday's In-Service. 

Truly a case of "So many great ideas & so little time." 

Most of our presenters have been gracious enough to add links to their resources to this spreadsheet. 

Use it to refer back when implementing a new idea you learned, or to take a tour of the sessions that you were unable to attend.

As always feel free to contact me or any of the presenters as you bring in your newfound ideas to your classroom!  We are all here for you!

Open Spreadsheet by Clicking HERE

App Smashing with Docs & Keep to Help with Writing

Last week as I was running around being techie, I came across students in Mrs. Hart's class on their Chromebooks.

Below was what I saw on a screen:

Not only was this fantastic doc template pushed out through Google Classroom's 

"Make a Copy for Each Student"  so she could watch their progress as it happened but.... 

The students were using Google Keep notes to guide their writing, right there within Docs!

To my understanding, students 

• went to keep.google.com to create their notes, while doing research much like index cards
• categorized the notes by "label" and/or "color" to be their Health Project notes
• opened the notes while writing within docs

Also - you will see the checkboxes in the top note!  I am envisioning this note to be pushed out by the teacher as the "must-includes" for the assignment. 

More...
- Don't forget notes can be collaborative! Students can share notes for group projects.  Ts & Ss can have feedback dialogue within a shared note.
-Split screen will work on all our devices for the research portion.