Haiku
Many teachers have come to my trainings on Haiku for the MS/HS. Everything we have shown, you will always be able to do. However, Haiku has granted us an extended pilot for 3rd Tri. We are in the process of setting up all 6-12 teachers and students on Haiku. What does this mean for you?
1) If you are already on Haiku, we will help move your content to our new "Berlin Haiku." You will be given all the full features including the standards based grade book and full Google integration.
2) You will no longer have to control your roster. It will be done automatically through Powerschool.
3) Your grades can be sent from Haiku right to Powerschool (if you wish!)
4) If you are not on Haiku, but wish to be...Now is a perfect time to try it!
5) If you don't want to do Haiku, (I strongly urge you to reconsider...) this will not affect you in anyway.
Something to think about for you non-believers ;)... I think it is a misconception that going on Haiku means you have to put all your class content online and that students will just come in and sit at a computer all class. That is not at all the truth. For those who are worried about that, think of Haiku as a replacement for the old 'assignment notebooks'. If you make 1 post a week with upcoming assignments, tests, etc. your students would surely thank you for that. If you wanted to go even further, you could add a study guide or a link from your textbook. A little on Haiku, can do a lot for your students!
Clay Meetings
I will be meeting with teams on Weds Feb 24th to individualize some tech help. I think this will be a very productive day and I look forward to working with many individuals who I have not yet worked with!
March 4 Tech Trainings
During the morning of inservice on March 4, the high school teachers will be attending various technology sessions of their choosing(some hosted by me, some by others). In the afternoon, I will be hosting some training for our support staff. I will sleep well that night.
Besides those projects, I have hosted some after school trainings, been in numerous classrooms helping teachers (lots of data going on right now...love it), creating a new middle school class (Tech Exploration 7), and last but not least preparing for baby #2 to come in a few weeks. I still have found time for what is important (The revival of the TV show 'X-Files'). Please continue to contact me for any help regarding technology integration (or Educator effectiveness).
Thanks for reading! Here are a few "Tech This Out" entries since it has been so long.
HEY....TECH THIS OUT! x 3!!
Name: Symbaloo
Type: Site
Subject: any
Grade: any
What it does: Creates a homescreen with your favorite sites as 'buttons' for easy access.
My Take: I know many teachers use this (I am still a bookmark guy), but I am all for getting to where you want to go as fast as you can get there. There is a way to set up and manage student accounts to make it easy for them to get to your sites as well. It blows my mind how many people type in the URL box to find sites they go to every day. This is much faster! Here is what a symbaloo screen would look like:
Link: www.symbaloo.com
Name: Thinglink
Type: Site (presentation)
Subject: any
Grade: 3+(??)
What it does: Creates an interactive poster using images as links.
My Take: The ways you could use a 'thinglink' are uncountable. Basically, you take a picture (yours or one you have rights to off the internet), and you create bullet points around that picture that tell more information. It reminds me of something you would see at a museum. Here is a sample that I made to share with my class at the beginning of the class to learn more about me (They will make similar presentations the first days in class):(Hover over the picture, and red dots will appear. Then hover over those for more information.)
Link: www.thinglink.com
Link: www.thinglink.com
Name: Screencastify
Type: Chrome Extension
Subject: any
Grade: Staff-any, Students-3+??
What it does: records your screen, do voice overs, embed webcam
My Take: I make many how-to tech videos both for staff and students. I have grown to really like the Chrome Extension screencastify to make my recordings. It is easy to use and syncs with my Google Drive. It also allows for easy upload to Youtube.
I also am starting to use it to have students narrate their work. They can record their computer screen and their voice (and face) to demonstrate their learning. Such an easy and entertaining way to assess learning.
Any teacher could use this. Have a digital copy of a book, record yourself reading it and play it back on your projector. You can then monitor the room or work with individuals while "Virtual you" is reading the book. Doing a class project, record your directions so that you can refer absent (or distracted/forgetful) students back to the directions without having to repeat yourself.
If Interested in using, I would be glad to help!
LINK: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/screencastify-screen-vide/mmeijimgabbpbgpdklnllpncmdofkcpn