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Monday, April 25, 2016

Microsoft Monday: Spotlight student work with Sway

My students recently created original political cartoons, and I wanted to share them with everyone. So, we hung them on the wall outside my room. How many of you have seen them?  I'm guessing very few of you! Even if you walk through this hallway, we're all busy trying to get to class or <gasp> the restroom.

Sway is one of the newest additions to the Office 365 suite of apps. I asked my students to use Sway for their latest presentations so we could all get familiar with the features. I created a Sway and linked the student Sways for easy access. (Sways within a Sway!) Presentations flowed smoothly with no need for students to log in to my computer, hand me a flash drive, or find an email with the shared file.

After scanning their original political cartoons using Office Lens, another great app from Microsoft, we used Sway to virtually display their original cartoons.

It is easy to share the Sway, or embed as I have done here.  Now, I can share student work with faculty and family. If you don't feel comfortable using Sway, I am happy to help you create a digital gallery of student work. You can also use Word, PowerPoint - anything - to share the awesome work our students are producing. I would love to see what you are doing on your side of the campus!




Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Tech Tip Tuesday: Online Alarms and Timers

Here are some free, online alarm options for those of us (all of us) who need help with the bells. 

TimeMe offers an alarm clock that allows you to setup multiple alarms with several sound options, including a traditional school bell. Your alarms are saved as long as you don't clear your cache. I was able to setup class times and tardy bells with different alarm sounds for each. 




This site only offers a guitar sound for the alarms but you can setup multiple alarms (1440 according to the site.)  It also saves your alarms until you clear the cache.



Google's Timer and Stopwatch

This won't help with the bell situation, but if you need something for setting time limits or timing an activity just Google "Timer" or "Stopwatch" and you'll get the Google online version. It's easy to use and you can project it for your students.


Thursday, February 25, 2016

Website Crush Wednesday: SimpleK12


Last week, someone Tweeted an article with the headline:
                                                Wow.

Adapt, or else. Anyone who has taught for a few years is familiar with this concept. Yes, teachers are the ultimate adapters but sometimes we need help keeping up with the changes. One way you can keep up with the latest technology and resources is through professional development. But, we all have busy lives and schedules, so it's difficult to come early or stay after school for professional development. With SimpleK12, you can get all the PD you want, in your pajamas. 

SimpleK12 provides live and on-demand webinars, and shared resources, on a variety of topics such as Digital Citizenship, Office 365, Social Media, STEM, etc. Sign-up to attend a live webinar, watch previously recorded sessions, or browse the Shared Resources section for tons of great stuff you can use in your classroom. There's also a Teacher Forum where you can connect with teachers from all over the world.

If you're feeling left behind, want to keep up with the latest and greatest technology, or just enjoy learning, SimpleK12 can help. And it's at no cost to you! The district has paid for your subscription so take advantage of it. Let me know if you need help getting started. 

Monday, February 22, 2016

Tech Tip Tuesday: Short URLs


Don't be that teacher.

Learn how to shorten those long URLs and share responsibly.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Website Crush Wednesday: Atomic Learning



Recently, I was reminded of our subscription to Atomic Learning and I'm so glad! There are so many resources available here for our staff, students AND their families. Yes! Our students and their families can access Atomic Learning.

Our subscription to Atomic Learning includes:
  • Project-based training on:
    •  21st century concepts to create college- and career-ready students
    • Tech Integration Projects: Lesson Accelerators
    • Workshops on emerging tech topics, such as Avoiding Plagiarism and Effective Presentation Design
    • Applying technology skills in the classroom
  • Just-in-time technology training tutorials on 250+ software applications and ed tech tools
  • Assessment tools to gauge technology skill levels of faculty, staff, and students
  • Training on in-demand Career Skills, such as Time Management and Effective Listening


Access for staff, students and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Want to know more about Office 365? There's some training for that.
Want your students to use Effective Presentation Design?  There's some training for that.
Did you have trouble Completing a FAFSA? There's some training for that.
Do your children need Digital Citizenship training? There's some training for that.
Does your spouse need Excel skills for his/her job? There's some training for that.

The list goes on.

Your login information is the same as your computer and Office 365. (So, no new passwords to remember!)

As always, let me know if I can help!

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Tech Tip Tuesday: Printing Multiple Pages Per Sheet

Since our print shop is across campus, I've tried some creative printing techniques to save paper and time. Especially if I'm in a pinch, which I usually am. Several of you have asked for some printing tricks so here is the first in a series of printing tutorials.

Printing multiple pages on one sheet of paper