LVUSD Ed Tech
Las Virgenes Unified School District EdTech Blog
Preparing Your Computer For Aeries.Net
May 20th
As we transition to Aeries.NET from Aeries.abi we are trying to anticipate some of the issues that will arise. One of the issues we’ve discovered is compatibility with internet browsers. Aeries has provided a list of operating systems that are compatible with the new Aeries.Net, seen at the bottom of this post. You can test out whether or not your computer will be able to access Aeries.Net without problems by trying out the demo site. Go to this blog post to find out how to do access this: http://blogs.lvusd.org/edtech/2013/04/24/aeries-net-demo/
Browsers also make a difference. Our department has discovered the best browsers by system as follows:
Mac users – Chrome or Safari PC users – FirefoxWith any system you will need to download Silverlight to use the Gradebook. [LOOK FOR THE ASTERIK NEXT TO THE OPERATING SYSTEM IN THE LIST BELOW]. There have been several problems with getting Silverlight to work. Here are the troubleshooting steps if once you’ve downloaded it and still can’t access the Gradebook.
- Shut down and restart your browser
- Shut down and restart your computer
- Put in a Helpdesk ticket here: http://whd.lvusd.org/
It’s Project Season – Find some Inspiration to Update Your Projects
May 3rd
In this blog post access my interdisciplinary end of the year project (U.S. History and English) lesson plan here and the tech tools I would use to update the project if I were in the classroom today.
Nearing the end of the year students are ready to make the connections between concepts they’ve been learning all year, and across subjects. I teamed up with my grade level teachers to create interdisciplinary projects. Most of the students were ready to choose their own projects and partners, and I provided project selection oversight based on their needs. We created the project with student input and offered several choices in their mediums. I’m attaching the project directions my colleague and I created, which include objectives, options, rubrics, and daily progress monitoring checks.
If I were in the classroom today I would allow my students to create an online project (which I would add to my instructional resources for the following year) using the following content creation tools:
For the Presentation Portion (Powerpoint is so old school):
Online: Xtranormal – Turns your words into 3D animated movies. Prezi – Non-slide platform that transforms presentations into stories or conversations. Apps: Video Scribe HD A unique way to create engaging animated videos quickly. To see one that I created select the following link: http://youtu.be/fifWcNfFwyc StoryKit – Create an electronic storybook. Haiku Deck – a free presentation app for iPad, makes presentations simple, beautiful, and fun.For the Visual/Poster:
Online: Glogster – Interactive posters loaded with text, graphics, music, videos, and more. Thinglink – Interactive photographs Apps: Phoster: Make your own poster.For Review Games:
Study Stack – Create online flashcards and find flashcards for subjects already made. Jeopardy Game – Online creation of this game Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Online creation of this game
For the Quiz Portion:
From Chalkboards to Tablets: The Digital Conversion of the K-12 Classroom
Apr 30th
Our friends at VCOE shared the following article that gives supporting data about how digital classrooms are changing our curriculum and learning.
Speak Up 2012 National Findings K-12 Educators and Parents
April 2013
Blabberize it!
Apr 29th
Looking for a new way for students to showcase their biographies or a creative way to present their research? Blabberize.com is a great tool that will allow students to do just that.
This site allows students and/or teachers to upload a picture of one to multiple people or animals, record their voices, and create mouth movements to match the voice of the recording. It’s an engaging way for students to speak as if they are a historical figure or an endangered species…and so much more.
Check out this video tutorial on how to use this tool:
Aeries.Net Demo
Apr 24th
If you are interested in learning about the Gradebook in Aeries.NET try the demo site.
You can get to the demo by selecting the following link: http://demo.aeries.net/
Under “Aeries PORTALS” select either “Elementary School Teacher,” or “High School Teacher” then “Start.” A screenshot is shown below.
If you want the manual to learn about the different features, request one via email jpeyrot@lvusd.org.
Aeries Gradebook Tip
Apr 23rd
Have you ever received a phone call from a confused parent about the unwarranted “F” showing in the Parent Portal for a student that has transferred in or out of your class? This post will describe how to fix this student’s grade without having to manually change the grade of all the other assignments.
I will explain how to do this through Aeries.NET and Aeries ABI separately.
Aeries ABI:
Select “Gradebook” choose the class you want under “Choose Your Gradebook” then “Gradebook Maintenance” then “Manage Students.”
If a student has left the class, like Sargiz in the screenshot, then you would put the last assignment he/she completed under the “High Assgn” column.
If a student came to class after the semester, like Christopher, you would put the first assignment they completed under the “Low Assgn” column.
[click on the photo to see the full size]
Aeries.Net
Select “Gradebook” on the left, then choose your class by clicking on “Gradebook” in the middle of the screen, then select “Add/Edit” under Edit, then select “Manage Students.”
If a student has left the class, like Thais in the screenshot, then you would put the last assignment he/she completed under the “High Assgn” column.
If a student came to class after the semester, like Jason, you would put the first assignment they completed under the “Low Assgn” column.
Cyberbee: Copyright Laws for Kids!
Apr 22nd
Cyberbee is a fun, easy kid friendly website where kids can find the answers to their copyright questions. Kids can choose commonly asked questions and get the answers to what they can and can not do. It is a great place to introduce what copyright means to students and how they use it everyday.
CUE Reflections Part 2: Getting Ready for Conferences
Apr 10th
*Note: If there is a conference you want to attend but are not able to, there is likely a dedicated webpage for the conference that contains helpful information, and/or apply the Twitter tip I give below.*
Thinking about all the different learning opportunities and people I’ll see at a conference is almost as good as being there. That was how I felt before heading to CUE 2013. Overwhelmed was also another feeling I experienced as there were more sessions I wanted to attend than I could, and I had to prepare to lead a session. In order to maximize my learning experiences and fun, I decided to be strategic and plan.
I started by adding ALL the sessions/events I wanted to attend to my schedule online (which links to my Google Calendar and can feed into an iCal account). I had approximately five overlapping events per session time. When narrowing down the events I considered the following:
- Current district technology initiatives
- Relevant trends
- Ensuring that there isn’t much overlap between the sessions I’m choosing.
- Checking out the resources that the session speakers post online. Sometimes they post enough I don’t have to go to the session, or see that it won’t be a substantive enough session to attend.
- What will be inspiring, or my fun session. I’m applying Google’s “20% Time” principle.
- Fun networking events, meeting new people and continuing to build on the relationships I’ve already started. This was also a great opportunity for exchanging new insights/tools with friends that attended sessions that I couldn’t.
- Drop by current vendors, and any others that may have products needed in the near future.
- Down time to allow for processing all the information.
I wasn’t a stickler in holding to my schedule but I was glad I had it. The day before I headed out, @AliceKeeler recommended I follow the conference Twitter feed #cue13 and to tweet throughout. Following this advice and learning more about Twitter in education may have been the most fruitful experience from my time at the conference. More to come about that.
May your conference attendance bring you lots of great learning experiences, resources, inspiration and good times!
Fast, Free, Easy PLN: Why You Should Be on Twitter
Mar 28th
Many people mistakenly believe that Twitter is a forum where people who have a lot of time to waste share what they had for breakfast and other equally shallow bits of information. In reality, it is so much more than that.
Twitter is perhaps the best and easiest way for teachers to expand their personal learning networks. You can search Twitter for any educational topic imaginable and you will find results you can use. Many tweets also include hashtags (the pound sign, or #, followed by a word or phrase) to categorize them. There are hundreds of hashtags related to education. Some examples are #edchat (anything about education), #elementary, #secondary, #edtech, #gtchat (gifted and talented education), #ellchat, and #spedchat. There are also many other, more specific hashtags that are sure to meet your needs.
Twitter helps you connect with educators around the country and around the world. You would never have the chance to meet many of these people in other ways, but on Twitter, you can find them, talk with them, follow their tweets, and benefit from their expertise. You can also join in and participate in weekly or monthly scheduled chats. I like #caedchat, which focuses on topics relevant to education in the state of California.
Twitter is an online resource, available when and where you need it. If you have been toying with the idea of trying something new in your classroom, you can go on Twitter, search for that topic, and come away with five new ideas in the space of five minutes. Have a question? Post a message, include an appropriate hashtag, and get input and answers right away. It is a place to get inspired, make new connections, and get new ideas.
Getting started is free and takes only a few minutes. Visit Twitter.com and find the area that says “New to Twitter? Sign Up.” Enter your name and email address, create a password, and you are off and running. Don’t worry about tweeting right away. Just commit to spending a few minutes a day looking for people to follow and reading their tweets.
If you would like to know more, I have shared an Evernote notebook of resources for new Twitter users. You can also find me on Twitter, where I am @CoffeeNancy. Still not convinced? Watch this video to see what Twitter can do.
CUE Reflections Pt. 1: Linda Yollis’ Session on Blogging
Mar 26th
The long anticipated annual CUE conference last week exceeded my expectations. There was so much I learned that I will be sharing about it and the resources I received in a brief series of posts. One of my favorite sessions was Linda Yollis’ “Blogging: Teaching Commenting Skills and Encouraging Parent Participation.”
When using a tech. tool in the classroom it is crucial to have an objective to make an impact on student learning. Through blogging Linda facilitates the building of writing skills, commenting on the web, content across the disciplines, digital citizenship, internet safety, learning beyond the classroom, and inclusivity of the community. If you visit her blog it may be hard to imagine doing it all, but Mrs. Yollis encouraged the session participants to start with one thing, her blog has grown over the years.
A few best practices:
- Linda starts the beginning of the school year by using the blog. She posts a welcome back video published the day before school and emails it out to the class. She invites people to introduce themselves and reviews the comments with the class.
- Cluster map gadget you can use this for geography, but also for math. Put the number of vistors, and explained number placement. Also for math instruction, posting a word problem, then encouraging students to create a story with a word problem.
Bonus: Linda finds her students are more concerned about perfecting their work since students can view this work from around the world. To quote another CUE speaker Rushton Hurley, “When students create for other students they want it to be good, when done for the teacher they make it good enough.”
If want to learn more about how to use blogging in your classroom check out Linda’s online resources:
Check out her blog: http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/
Blogging wiki: http://educational-blogging.wikispaces.com/
Video made by Linda and her students on how to comment on the blog:
