Teacher Spotlight

North Shore 10th Grade Campus’ Geometry teacher Claudia Martinez enjoys integrating technology into her classroom.  This is her seventh year in education all at GPISD. Ms. Martinez took on the challenge of the ClearTouch Panel and attended trainings. She loves using her board to teach Geometry.  Ms. Martinez designs lessons that engage her Sophomore students including Digital Mission Scavenger Hunts.  She heavily relies on Google Classroom to interact with her students.  Ms. Martinez was one of our district’s inaugural 1:1 Chromebook classrooms.  She developed a creative and colorful way to organize the Chromebooks in the cart.  Her favorite apps are Quizizz and Google Classroom. Ms. Martinez will be a presenter at TCCA in October talking about her favorite digital apps and activities in a math classroom.

General

• Classroom management is very important when using technology in your classroom.  Start off the year setting clear expectations and routines when your students are using Chromebooks in your classroom.  For example, use the colors on a traffic light to signal your Chromebook use for that class.  Green to get out the chromebooks and begin working, yellow to get the chromebooks, but wait for instructions, or red to indicate the chromebooks will not be used.
• Looking for new technology ideas?  Here is a great conference and it’s FREE!  Check out the Technology Curriculum Conference of Aldine, The conference is on Saturday, October 26.  See your TIS for more info. 
• Create a free app from a Google Sheet for your students using glide apps.  You can use the app for important information, instructional videos, podcast, or links.

World History

• Try:  Active History site - this is a UK history site, but it has a great depth of resources for World and even US history.  It has simulations, units, study games and more.  
• College Readiness Skill:  The Development of Monotheism is a great opportunity to have students create a presentation, video or screencast about some element of the development.  Now would be a perfect use of a Choice Board.  
• Curriculum Integration Idea:  Flocabulary has a great Persian Empire Video and Game with vocabulary cards, discussion questions, and a quiz.  Great for introducing the topic.  (Registration required for 30-day free account)
• Technology Integration Idea:  Ancient Athens looked nothing like the rain and weather beaten white marble we see today.  Check out how Athens looked in various eras with 3D multimedia recreations.  

U.S. Government

• Try:  iCivics - This web site has a number of government games, lessons, and resources.  
• Curriculum Integration Idea:  Flocabulary has a great Forms of Government video and game with vocabulary cards, discussion questions, and a quiz.  Great for introducing the topic.  (Registration required for 30-day free account).  
• Curriculum Integration Idea:  The Declaration of Independence is nothing more than a Break Up Letter from the colonies to King George.  Here’s a Google Doc activity you can use to help students create their own version of the “breakup.”  Or you can give them more options like creating a video or other multimedia.  
• Technology Integration Idea:  C-SPAN Classroom (free registration required) has created five units aligned with the framework for the redesigned Advanced Placement Government and Politics course and can be used in pieces at the end of each unit or as a review device at the end of the course. For each unit, a table of key terms with linked C-SPAN resources to help extend knowledge is provided, as well as a Quizlet and a Kahoot providing practice with unit-relevant terms.

Economics

• Try:  Google Keep is a great way to stay organized.  Start the year off right and check out Google Keep - it is a free service from Google that uses your GPAPPS account.    
• College Readiness Skill:  Help your students start budgeting with this easy budgeting tool.  
• Curriculum Integration Idea:  The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has a variety of lesson plans and ideas to help teach Economics.  Help your students connect to economics in their lives.  
• Technology Integration Idea:  Make economics and money matters easier for your students to understand using games like Financial Football and Virtual Stock Market.   

U.S. History

• Try:  Google Keep is a great way to stay organized.  Start the year off right and check out Google Keep - it is a free service from Google that uses your GPAPPS account.    
• College Readiness Skill:  The 19th Century Immigration is a great opportunity to have students create a presentation, video or screencast about some element of the development.  Now might be a perfect use of a Choice Board.  
• Curriculum Integration Idea:  Flocabulary has a great Gilded Age video and game with vocabulary cards, discussion questions, and a quiz.  Great for introducing the topic.  (Registration required for 30-day free account).  
• Technology Integration Idea: Political cartoons are a sign of the times in this period.  During Reconstruction in the South - political cartoons can show the struggle that was going on in the country.  The Smithsonian has a great interactive cartoon that illustrates this well.