March 2016

Please take this LMS Survey – goo.gl/wVbv6K

 

Need RFPs for June 10th meeting/DLI

 

Dan Burger – ProMedia   Technology Services

EdScape Conference – Sat., Oct. 8 Woodbridge HS – http://edscapeconference.com

 

Learning Management Systems

Paul Zeller – Pascask Valley Regional

• originally various LMS being used – teacher’s choice
• after their virtual day – asked the kids – they hated going into different lms all during the day – Canvas was chosen
• Canvas chosen – based on technical requirements, instructional objective, needs of stake holders
• Had LMS pitch each system based on their criteria
• Edmond did not meet technical requirements
• Haiku (students weren’t crazy about it), Canvas – student’s choice, Schoology (teachers loved it but the kids didn’t like it – looked too much like Facebook)
• Establish realistic expectations – don’t expect all of them to be used year one (ie. all assignments had to be turned into Canvas)
• Train the Trainer – cross section, mandatory and volunteers, paid and unpaid, Dec thru July
• Moving forward – go beyond basics, better integration with student information systems
• looking for nightly combination of LMS and CMS (old web sites)
• Canvas can sync with Google Drive
• cost per student – maybe $7.50 per student (negotiable) [Schoology is $5.25 per pupil]
• About the students – not the teachers (or parents)

 

Music First Classroom – https://www.musicfirst.com

• contact Janine  jmaletsky@plps.org for info
• Pricing (from 2015) 

 

Google Classroom – Jeff Bradbury (Westwood Regional School District)

• looking at working with SIS (like PowerSchool)
• looking at ability to create groups
• make slides (look like web site – with navigation)
• infographics – each on different slides (can make slides different size) Magazine covers
• can share folders with parents (if public sharing is turned on)
• April 7:00 on  teachercast LMS Battle Off

PARCC update – Joshua Koen – https://sites.google.com/a/nps.k12.nj.us/newark-public-schools-parcc-readiness/

• Do Once vs Do Regularly Guidance
• checklist
• tutorials for kids
• use Google Docs
• Kahoo
• Test Nav Common Error code list

 

Innovate NJ – Wed. Twitter chat at 8:00

• state organized group – trying to partner school districts that are doing innovative things together
• to join – have to have people sign off and agree to participate (is tedious to fill out – but worth it)

Apple

• contact Larry Cocco – if Business Adm. says you can’t buy from Apple
• Apple is aware that there is an issue with Educational  Administrative – they are currently working to solve it
• IOS 9.3 coming soon – press event Monday
• New – Shared Ipad for students, New Classroom app (monitor student usage, can drive opening of app on all devices), Apple School Manager (school.app.com), Managed Apple Ids
• Apple.com/education/preview
• 9.3 will NOT work with ipad2.  Apple is doing trade-ins.

 

Coolest thing I’ve Seen Recently

• Paul Zeller – student research ‘a cause’ – groups choose cause – give elevator pitch for the class – dive deeper into cause – then write paper – then do something to promote cause (movie night, website, etc.)
• TED Talk – Alan November about  how we can make students work more meaningful by stepping back and letting them respond to problems and situations that matter.
• Joshua Koen – Newark PS Hyperlink – Instructional Technology – Smart Amp (interactive white space to replace white board)
• Swivel – physical device that follows its necklaces
• Recap – free response and reflection app – 15 sec to video response which gets sent back to teacher (and parents) open for public beta FREE
• Player tracking Rugby / head impact trackers wearable technology
• Dave Marra – Claro ScanPen – take pic of text – highlight text and it reads to you what you just scanned.
• Janine (didn’t remember to show mine!!)  I went to Alaska last summer and got interested in the Iditarod.  It kicked off the first Sat. in March and will probably be over by the time you read this.  But the main website iditarod.com has awesome info/videos/lessons for kids, etc. I paid to allow my classes to have full access to all videos and a GPS Tracker for all the mushers and it was an amazing experience.  They have a live feed (with a chat screen of over 2000 people all over the world watching) at every checkpoint (all 24 of them).  I had kids getting up at 6:30 in the morning to watch  their favorites arrive at checkpoints and cross the finish line.

Patrick ended with – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM_smbQAYv4