Fresh Tech Gazette

Instructional Tech Newsletter

December 2022 Fresh Tech Gazette

Timeline, Project Tracking in Google Sheets

• You can now create timelines for projects and progress monitoring in Google Sheets�
• Open a blank Sheet and click the “Insert” menu, then select “Timeline”
• 📺 Video tutorial
• Helpful slides and timeline template
• Example: Edison vs. Tesla
• Example: Civil War Timeline�
• Ideas for the new timeline feature:
• Goals, progress monitoring (learning goals, IEPs, ILP goals, etc.)
• Project tracking for PBL, group projects, and any class project
• Timeline projects for social studies, ELA, science, other content
• Project management tool for business, C4/CTE classes
• Tracking of spending, budgets, costs for business, economics
• Curriculum mapping

Video Tutorial

Accessibility features on Chromebooks

• Did you know chromebooks contain a variety of accessibility tools to support all learners, without the need to install additional software?
• The accessibility features in Chrome can help provide options for physical action, representation, expression, communication, and mobility support�
• Chromebook accessibility features:
• Increase size of all items (magnifier)
• Item magnifier
• Screen reader (ChromeVox) (reads aloud all, plus cursor location)
• Mouse cursor size
• Select and speak (reads aloud some items)
• High contrast
• Highlight cursor and text (helps track cursor location)
• Mono audio
• Closed captioning
• On-screen keyboard
• Touchpad settings (automatic clicks, options for mobility)
• Keyboard settings, sticky keys�
• Chromebook accessibility website�
• Printable chromebook accessibility guide�
• Stay tuned for helpful PD coming in semester 2 on chromebook features!

Computer Science Week Resources

• December 4-10 is Computer Science week, but the fun does not have to end on the 10th!�
• Google has created a variety of fun computer science activities and games that can be added into your lessons for a celebration of this week�
• Not a computer science teacher? No worries! The activities tie to Indiana CS standards (which are housed in science standards) but also can connect to other content areas as they incorporate problem-solving, flexible thinking, and discourse
• Incorporate a CS lesson as a fun, fresh bell ringer or exit ticket in your class�
• Google Computer Science Week Lessons
• Quick lessons to spark engagement with options for students to design their name in code, build a superhero, or create a Google logo

eLearning Reminders

• First 3 school closures will automatically become eLearning days
• Closures beyond 3 days will be added on as additional days at the end of the school year; change in state legislation required these changes�
• Expectations/helpful reminders:
• Lessons/objectives posted on itslearning by 9 AM
• Staff available to answer questions, provide guidance between 9am - 3pm
• Students should use itslearning messenger to connect with teachers
• Implement UDL in your eLearning lessons by providing students with options in learning materials and activities�
• BCSC eLearning website (for the public)
• BCSC eLearning website for staff
• eLearning FAQ Sheet�
• eLearning Course Readiness Checklist
• eLearning Tips for Staff Slides / Video
• Elementary login information reference guide
• Middle school login information guide
• High school login information guide

eLearning website

Readiness Check

Canvas LMS Updates, Reminders

• BCSC is moving to Canvas district-wide in 2023-24 school year
• Itslearning remains as our district-wide LMS in 22-23�
• Instructional staff will receive training on Canvas in February 2023, district-wide PD day
• BCSC Tech Titans will receive training in semester 1, ‘22
• Canvas timeline, reminders�
• To prepare for Canvas, we’ll share 1-2 tips each month
• Tips won’t require you to access Canvas-just helpful info
• If you want to tinker in Canvas, you can create a free educator account with a personal email, and anything you build can be copied to our BCSC Canvas in the future (in a few clicks)�
• Quick Canvas tip of the month: Immersive Reader in Canvas
• Canvas has a built in accessibility tool: Immersive Reader
• Immersive Reader is available in most of the platform and provides:
• Text-to-speech (read alouds)
• Dictionary, picture dictionary
• Line spacing, line by line reading, masking
• Parts of speech
• Translations (and text-to-speech in translated language)

Info slides on Canvas, timing

Overview on Immersive Reader

Itslearning to Canvas: Prep Tips

• Semester 2 itslearning courses will be created in the first few days of the start of winter break; students will not be enrolled in the courses until the teacher work day Jan. 6th�
• Itslearning content will be migrated to Canvas by BCSC Tech in late May/early June 2023
• Itslearning supports a mass migration of content, logistically it is ideal to do this at the end of the year vs. multiple times during the year; there is not a feature or option for staff members to export their courses themselves
• We will send out numerous reminders; courses that are marked active on our migration dates will be migrated over
• Make sure the content you want moved is in an active course�
• Prepare for migration in a couple of different ways
• Start organizing your content to prepare
• Consider building more content in Slides, Docs vs in the rich-text editor/page tool on itslearning�
• Review this slide deck for details on what content can be migrated and which content will not migrate
• Itslearning to Canvas migration info video
• Itslearning to Canvas information slides (slide 39+)

Information on migration

Info slides on Canvas, timing

EduProtocol: Twist on Tic-Tac-Toe

• A strategy from EduProtocols Book 2 and Math Edition�
• Not your traditional tic-tac-toe choice board! Students compete with one another to review concepts and work through higher, complex thinking tasks.�
• Make a tic-tac-toe style of learning board with tasks of varying difficulty across the board.
• Students will work through DOK 1 - DOK 3 tasks as they earn a “tic-tac-toe”. Bonus: Partner up! Students can go head to head against one another as well if you want to add a competitive edge-but depends on your learning goals�
• Additional twist: Students come up with the prompts for the tic-tac-toe board, and you put different prompts created by the students on the board!�
• Ideas for when to use:
• Bell ringer
• Exit ticket
• Station or small group work
• Independent practice��
• Template (with math example)

Google or Doodle

• Switch up Q&A in class with the Google or Doodle protocol
• Provides students with processing time for the prompt
• Helpful for many learners-including ELLs
• Benefits of processing, wait time in learning�
• After asking a question to students in class, give students 5 minutes (or so) to either Google or Doodle
• Google: Students conduct a Google search on the question, or related to, the question asked by the teacher
• Helps build background, find vocabulary, prime thinking, boost confidence
• Doodle: Students sketch content related to the question posed by the teacher
• Helps organize thinking, find the big picture, visualize connections, focus attention
• Options for action, drawing support: Autodraw�
• Google or Doodle Slides Template

Google or Doodle instructions slideshow template

To provide options for physical action for doodling, students can use tech like Autodraw

GZM Classroom: Podcasts and More

• GZM Classroom, or Gen-Z Media Classroom, creates and produces audio podcasts and programming for younger generations. The website aims to connect families, friends, and classrooms over great stories. A great option for students who love podcasts and those who enjoy reading with their ears!�
• GZM has a collection of podcast episodes on current events, trends, and topics- with accompanying resources
• Many podcasts available in both English and Spanish
• Podcasts come with accompanying listening guide, explore board, and videos�
• Podcasts vary in length (6 minutes to 50+ minutes)�
• GZM has won many awards from education, family organizations: Peabody Awards, Common Sense Media, Parent’s Choice Awards, Apple Podcasts of the Year�
• Sign up to receive newsletters and more resources!

Metroverse from Harvard Edu

• Metroverse is an interactive site from Harvard to visualize economic data and learn about cities from various data points, including:
• What is the economic composition of my city?
• Common industries, GDP per capita, etc.
• How does my city compare to others?
• What are my city’s growth paths for the future?�
• Free to use- just check out the website�
• Ideas for use:
• Comparing data in economics classes
• Comparing regions, nations, etc. in social studies or geography classes
• Comparing data in business, C4, CTE classes
• Research for projects about different areas, cultures, and histories

UDL+Tech: Digital Avatars

• Digital avatars are graphical, cartoon, or representations of a user online
• Note: As with any tool, be sure to model expectations, practice cultural responsiveness, and cover appropriate use of this tool�
• Avatars can be a helpful option for a variety of reasons:
• Options for expression, communication
• Option to show what you know→ another option for audio or video recording style
• Minimize threats and distractions
• For students who are shy or hesitant to record audio, video, or speak in front of the class for a presentation, a digital avatar can be a less intimidating option
• Foster self-regulation and emotional skills
• Communication is more than speaking and involves facial expressions; avatars can help students practice matching emotions with nonverbal expressions in a safe space - check out research on the use of avatars for teaching social skills
• CIPPA, COPPA, and privacy compliance
• Some of our students may not have granted permission for their audio/video/images to be used online, while others may not feel comfortable (and may not be able to) share their faces online.�
• Digital avatar tools
• Animate audio from Adobe (pick the character, and record) - Video Tutorial
• Voki
• Avatarmaker

Engagement with Chrome Experiments

• Spark curiosity and capture student engagement with fun, recently developed web experiments in Google Chrome
• Collections of games, art, music, and more, all created by web users!�
• Fun brain break activities or start of lesson hooks:
• In Rhythm with Nature
• Engage in breathing and calming activities while immersing yourself in natural environments on the screen; brain break option
• Geo Artwork
• Guess where you are in the world based on famous artwork; fun brain break or hook for social studies, art classes
• Where is Hopper?
• Guess where in the world Hopper the penguin is based on landmarks and paintings; brain break or hook for social studies
• Paint with Music:
• Your cursor becomes a paint brush as well as a musical instrument as you compose on sensorial canvases; fun brain break, calming activity, or hook for art classes
• Assisted Melody:
• Compose music like famous maestros with your device; fun brain break or hook for music class

Fun No Tech, Low Tech Review

• Incorporate games to build community, recruit interest, and support options for comprehension�
• Bring in mini-games (formative assessments)
• In a video game, a mini game breaks up a larger game and serves as a brain break from intense play, or a summative assessment.
• In the classroom or professional development session, a mini game can enhance learning through hands on application and play, formative checks, and feedback�
• Examples:
• Egg Dash: Print prompts on paper slips and put into eggs, students race to answer the prompts as a team and collect the most eggs
• Uno: Students use the classic card game to review as a group
• Creative builds: Create a 3D model of a concept using classroom supplies
• Bumper Cars: Students generate review prompts and answer each others
• Mystery Box: Inspired by the Food Network show, students explain a concept using the collection of “mystery box” ingredients given to them by the teacher
• Jenga: Use the fun Jenga game to review and knock down each other’s towers!�
• Want more? Check out the full session The Marvels of Mini Games in the Classroom from the 2022 UDL Summer Institute (Slides)

Questions

Questions

Questions

Amazing Templates in Equatio

• Did you know there’s a hidden gem in our district-wide accessibility tool, Equatio? Equatio math spaces are an awesome resource for helping visualize math concepts and adding some fun to practice problems!
• All staff and students have access to the Equatio extension�
• Math spaces provide digital manipulatives as well as the accessibility supports of Equatio in one place
• Text-to-speech
• Voice typing
• Handwriting recognition
• Predictive text, formula/equation writing�
• Easily share a math space with students with a link and they get their own editable copy that can be turned in�
• Check out this collection of Math Space templates
• Click a Math Space template in the collection- voila! It’s yours!

Get access to all of the Math Space templates, like those shown above!

Make & Take: Exit Tickets

• Make & Take PD sessions are back for 2022-2023!
• Designed to be quick, bite-sized PD
• Focus on creating a resource in the session (make) and sharing creations with other attendees so all learn (take)
• Leave with a resource you created
• Leave with resources/examples from others�
• November Make & Take: Exit Tickets
• Thursday, January 26th, 3:30-4:00 PM, via Zoom
• Learn tips, tools, and more for exit tickets or reflections. We’ll share ideas and templates!
• PGPs available; all sessions will be recorded�
• Access October 2022 Newsletter recording and others

Check out the recording of October newsletter session!

Make & Take Calendar

Indiana Learning Lab

• Grow your technology skills, pedagogy, classroom management toolkit, and more by signing up with your BCSC Google account to the Indiana Learning Lab�
• The Indiana Learning Lab is a free professional development portal from the Indiana Department of Education, led by the digital learning team�
• The website contains on-demand and live PD on a variety of topics-with the ability to earn PGPs:
• Science of reading
• Google workspace for education tools
• Digital textbook tools
• Discussion strategies, ideas, templates
• Assignment, project ideas, templates

Past Fresh Tech Gazette Newsletters

• October 2022�
• September 2022�
• May 2022�
• April 2022�
• March 2022�
• February 2022�
• January 2022�
• October-November 2021�
• September 2021�
• May 2021�
• April 2021�
• Fresh BCSC Tech Blog

October 2022 Fresh Tech Gazette (email friendly version)